If You're "Permanently" Boycotting WotC, They're Not Going To Listen To You

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

This post was inspired by this thread on D&D Beyond, but instead of just linking that and leaving, I'll add a bit.

In recent OGL threads, I have seen probably dozens of posters, many of them regulars on this site, claiming that they will never buy anything from WotC ever again, even if they "fix" the 1.1 OGL. And while I can sympathize and see how it may be tempting to say "screw them, they're not getting a single penny out of me now", I staunchly believe that this mindset is not just unhelpful, but actively harmful to the goal that the community should be united on: holding WotC accountable and prevent them from undoing the great effects the original OGL has had on the community over the past 2 decades.

Because this is a negotiation. Clearly, the public backlash had a large enough effect for them to vow to remove almost all of the negative parts of the leaked 1.1 OGL. They saw that the public backlash could have lost them a lot of money, and are walking back from some of the more objectionable parts of the 1.1 OGL. However, if you have vowed to never buy anything from WotC ever again because of the leaked 1.1 OGL, you have given up your bargaining chip. WotC is a for-profit company and has no incentive to make the changes you want if your money isn't on the table. You're just using your money as a weapon for spite. And, again, I understand that. I understand being angry and disappointed about the leaked 1.1 OGL. Trust me, I am too. I've written and sold content under the 1.1 OGL. The leaked version of the 1.1 OGL would have been very, very bad for my future as a 5e freelancer and I'm pissed that WotC would dare to consider changing it in a way that could hurt me. I'm still not satisfied with what they've said the new version of the 1.1 OGL will contain.

And that's the point. If you're not satisfied with the current plan of what the 1.1 OGL will contain or the fact that it will supersede the older versions of the OGL, don't give up your only bargaining chip. Keep your money "hostage". Make demands. Only agree to buy their stuff if a satisfactory arrangement is made. Declaring war against WotC and trying to hurt them because you're angry does not help. It's like a union going on strike while also saying that they're all going to quit no matter what changes their employers make. You cannot demand change without the power to make a difference.

Note: I'm not telling you to buy from WotC if you weren't already. I'm just saying that the people that used to and have said that they won't in the future no matter what because of the leaked OGL are hurting the community's ability to negotiate with WotC. Don't boycott WotC D&D unless you're willing to stop the boycott if they make the right decision.

 

[Mageman]

No. They broke the trust so badly and tried to put everyone out of business but them. I'll will never go back. They don't deserve my money ever again

 

[Scribe]

I'm just saying that the people that used to and have said that they won't in the future no matter what because of the leaked OGL are hurting the community's ability to negotiate with WotC. Don't boycott WotC D&D unless you're willing to stop the boycott if they make the right decision.

Its not a negotiation, despite what lies are flowing out of Wizards Ivory Tower.

A 'negotiation' with a diverse and inclusive community that is as wildly different from one end to the other, is simply never going to be coherent. Reasonable people here, cannot even agree if 'Alignment' is the root of all evil, or a decent tool for the tool box. Negotiation...on what basis of good faith??

Wizard's has exposed themselves for what they are, do not believe their lies coming out now.

 

[Vaalingrade]

So lead them on. Play coy.

Catfish them.

 

[Charlaquin]

In theory this is all accurate, but it’s not like WotC can tell the difference between someone who cancels their DnDB subscription with the intent to resubscribe under certain conditions and someone who cancels their sub with no intention of resubscribing ever. All they see is people are mad about the OGL and they’re hemorrhaging subscriptions.

 

[WarDriveWorley]

I'm not boycotting them for them to listen to me. They should listen to me because I am a customer. I don't expect them to suddenly beg me to come back or change to fit my expectations or anything else.

I'm boycotting because they broke my trust as a company.
I'm boycotting because they should contempt and disregard towards small creators.
I'm boycotting because their "apology" was far from that
I'm boycotting because their actions show that this is not one off behavior.

I've made my desires known to them before and some they acted on and some they didn't. Regardless though their current actions show that, overall, they don't care about my opinions unless it makes them money.

I know a toxic relationship when I see one.

 

[DMZ2112]

I'm not telling you to buy from WotC if you weren't already. I'm just saying that the people that used to and have said that they won't in the future no matter what because of the leaked OGL are hurting the community's ability to negotiate with WotC. Don't boycott WotC D&D unless you're willing to stop the boycott if they make the right decision.

No successful sales exec in the history of the world has ever said, "Oh, those people are a lost cause." A consumer is either someone who bought the last product and is to be retained, or someone who did not and is to be courted. Everyone is a potential customer; rage is just passion waiting to be redirected.

Your inspiration has a history of posting in support of D&D Beyond's predatory business model, to the extent that they keep a link to their arguments in favor in their signature. I won't guess at their motivations, but at the least, they don't have an understanding of how consumer advocacy works.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

No successful sales exec in the history of the world has ever said, "Oh, those people are a lost cause." A consumer is either someone who bought the last product and is to be retained, or someone who did not and is to be courted. Everyone is a potential customer; rage is just passion waiting to be redirected.

But some people are a lost cause. There are niches of "not-consumers" that cannot be courted. And those that say that they're not going to buy from WotC no matter what they do are not going to be catered to.

Your inspiration has a history of posting in support of D&D Beyond's predatory business model, to the extent that they keep a link to their arguments in favor in their signature.

Did you read the link? Do you know why they have that link in their signature? It's not because they like that you don't get digital copies of physical books, it's because every other day on D&D Beyond, someone new to the site makes a new thread asking if they get a free digital copy if they bought the digital books.

 

[raniE]

I'm willing to listen to them. The first steps they'd have to take would be
1: Forget having their own license. Sign on to Paizo-led ORC. Do not attempt to have any involvement in its development, simply sign on to it and attach the 3.5 and 5e SRDs to it when it's finished.
2: Fire Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks and WotC president Cynthia Williams.
3: Do what several Hasbro shareholders have already asked for and spin WotC off into its own separate company that has no formal ties to Hasbro. Not a subsidiary, a separate company not owned by Hasbro.

That's the bare minimum.

 

[WarDriveWorley]

Because this is a negotiation. Clearly, the public backlash had a large enough effect for them to vow to remove almost all of the negative parts of the leaked 1.1 OGL. They saw that the public backlash could have lost them a lot of money, and are walking back from some of the more objectionable parts of the 1.1 OGL. However, if you have vowed to never buy anything from WotC ever again because of the leaked 1.1 OGL, you have given up your bargaining chip. WotC is a for-profit company and has no incentive to make the changes you want if your money isn't on the table. You're just using your money as a weapon to try for spite. And, again, I understand that. I understand being angry about the leaked 1.1 OGL. Trust me, I am too. I've written and sold content under the 1.1 OGL. The leaked version of the 1.1 OGL would have been very, very bad for my future as a 5e freelancer and I'm pissed that WotC would dare to consider changing it in a way that could hurt me. I'm still not satisfied with what they've said the new version of the 1.1 OGL will contain.

Coming back to this because this sticks in my craw a bit.

This is not a negotiation.

WOTC released a new OGL and it was leaked and the uproar caused them to backtrack.

That is not a negotiation.

IF it was a negotiation then WOTC would have outreached to the community for feedback before releasing the OGL to creators.

They could have done focus groups.

Heckfire basic market polling would have been better.

And all of those ARE things for profit companies do.

Because for profit companies that are successful understand a good portion of success is minimizing the amount of consumers that dislike your products/services.

THAT is the negotiation.

DnD1's playtest is a negotiation.

What WOTC did was company greed and oversight. And they could have turned it into a negotiation. If they would have walked it back immediately and accepted that it was their error they could have salvaged this.

They didn't.

They gave a non-apology that stank of excuses and hinted that they thought we were ignorant.


So no I know they won't listen to me and frankly that's their problem now.