D&D (2024) Hobby Store Exclusive (Special Cover) PHB Pre-Orders Cancelled

[pukunui]

So we're not sure if this is a manufacturing issue, a distribution issue, or both, is that pretty much correct?

Correct! Something has happened that has resulted in the APAC (Asia-Pacific, including Australia and NZ) market not receiving a full allocation of the alt-cover 2024 PHBs, but we don't know what that was - it could have been a manufacturing defect like with the Book of Many Things cards, or it could be that the container the bulk of them were in has sunk to the bottom of the sea.

The real issue here is that a number of Australian and NZ FLGSes have reported that WotC has told them they won't be printing more to make up for the shortfall. While WotC hasn't said anything publicly, it would seem they are communicating with local FLGSes.

 

[mamba]

Better for who?

for those affected

If you didn’t pre-order and you are not affected in any way by this, WotC owes you nothing.

sure, I really do not care what their explanation is anyway. All I am doing is saying that imo they are not handling this very well

 

[SteveC]

The real issue here is that a number of Australian and NZ FLGSes are now reporting that WotC has told them they won't be printing more to make up for the shortfall. While WotC hasn't said anything publicly, it would seem they are communicating with local FLGSes.

I am willing to consult for WotC at a cheap rate. You print extras and then actually make it an event in both countries. I would be willing to head over there and supervise these events.

I have friends who did a couple of gaming Kickstarters and shipped to both places, and they still have nightmares about this part of their projects. Okay, that's hyperbole, but if you want someone to randomly go off on a 10-minute rant about shipping costs from China to that part of the world, they will do so at the mere mention of it. So it is a challenge.

I hope everything works out for everyone. I've only been there once, but it was an amazing enough experience that it would almost be worth it for issues with getting games to move there. Who am I kidding? It would be completely worth it!

 

[Hussar]

for those affected


sure, I really do not care what their explanation is anyway. All I am doing is saying that imo they are not handling this very well

You mean, by talking directly with those affected and not making public statements, they are not handling this very well?

I suppose that's a take.

But, again, there is absolutely no upside to making a public statement until after the dust has settled. Nothing they say right now will be taken as anything other than gasoline for the fire. If they said they were shipping 20 dollar bills inside the cover of every replacement alt-cover PHB, fandom would reject that as the bills were folded entirely wrong.

You folks pilloried WotC for over a decade. Not you specifically @mamba, but, the fandom who has insisted on leaving big bags of flaming dog poop on WotC's doorstep at every possible opportunity. Why do you think the WotC message boards went away? Why do you think you almost never see any WotC personnel posting here anymore? The fandom has proven that it is so incredibly toxic that any direct engagement over the Internet is impossible.

 

[mamba]

You mean, by talking directly with those affected and not making public statements, they are not handling this very well?

are they doing that? So far we heard from some stores who heard from their distributors

But, again, there is absolutely no upside to making a public statement until after the dust has settled.

The statement does not need to be public, we would hear about it either way, just like we heard about the cancellations without a public announcement by WotC

 

[Dire Bare]

The lack of trust in WotC is of their own making, but it's also extremely overblown.

I think that comes from two things: 1) The passion of the fanbase, which blows hot and cold; and 2) YouTubers have found that rage fuels clicks and clicks = cash. In this particular thread, there's no direct YouTube influence, but social media has created a culture of rage in fandoms across the board, using point 1's passion (and how it blows hot and cold) as a revenue stream.

It's a sad state of affairs, really. WotC would be smart to hire someone who is actually skilled at modern PR. It's a minefield, but I think it can be navigated with the right skills. Hiring is not their strong suit ATM, though. The company is better at firing. Such is the nature of manipulating stock.

The rage prevalent in fan culture predates YouTube.

I remember the T$R days . . . same kind of situation. TSR certainly made tons of poor decisions over the years regarding D&D, but a segment of the fanbase was quick to spew toxicity over every slight, perceived and real.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

sometimes a ‘we are aware, we are on it’ is better than radio silence, I’d even argue it frequently is

I'd often agree agree - but I don't think there's really been time for even that at the moment.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I think it's the price - those official ones almost cost as much as the book itself. Though honestly those seem vastly overpriced.

And I had no idea they were still doing alt covers for comics - I thought that had fizzled when Marvel had gone under.

It's so so so much worse. You know how X-Men #1 by Jim Lee famously had 5 covers back in the 90's? Your average issue of a poor-selling Marvel Comic has that many these days. When they did an Eternals series around the time of the movie, it came with FORTY-TWO covers. Both Marvel and DC regularly do Foil Covers, they do 1-in-25, 1-in-50, and 1-in-100 covers. They do covers that have monthly themes that have nothing whatsoever to do with the book, or the character inside. And they regularly do "oversized" issues that are $10 USD.

As I've said before, there's STILL great comics on the market! But the gimmicks are OUT OF CONTROL.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

The rage prevalent in fan culture predates YouTube.

Sure. That's the flipside of the passion that I mentioned. Overreaction of the Fanbase has always been an issue - but you can't tell me that it's not utterly exacerbated (and taken advantage of in order to monetize it) by YouTubers.

 

[Umbran]

A bunch of self entitled fans...

Mod Note:
Hey, Hussar?
How about you attack people, maybe 90% less than this in the future. Thanks much.