Interview with Scott Rouse, Chris Perkins & Bill Slavicsek

[Jim Hague]

WotC doesn't care about what I prefer. They've said that repeatedly. Now, if you're right, they're doing this because they're motivated by profit. If that is the case, it is my duty as someone who enjoys D&D to let them know that while they may increase profits, the very real threat of diminishing profits exists because of this business decision. I don't know that they considered the negative response appropriately, despite their business acumen.

And that's the entire point - you don't know. You have no special insight, no inside knowledge, nothing more than the rest of us. So why do you keep trying to paint WotC as the villains here? Is it to somehow satisfy the offense you feel at the print magazines being pulled? I hate to tell you, but that's a long road to nowhere, friend. There's better things to expend your time and energy on.

What I know.

1) The decision to non-renew the license was made a long time ago, and, in fact, the final issue would have already been delivered if an extension had not been granted for the purpose of completing the Adventure Path in Dungeon.

2) The decision to non-renew the license was made, at least for the most part, by WotC. Paizo has indicated that they'd continue publishing the magazines if given the opportunity.

3) With the decision being made over a year ago, there has been plenty of time to begin developing the replacement product. With the difficulties inherent in electronic content they must be either very close to completion (if it is to be released in September) and thus cannot really accept customer suggestions for change, or are not very close to release and there will be a gap after the magazines stop being produced and there will be 'lost content' for a period of time.

Would you care to cite your sources on all this? It's been said that most of what 'everyone knows' is wrong...and the rest is merely suspect. Do you have experience in the publishing or software fields? Again, you're making broad, meotionally-charged statements without backing them up, and it doesn't help your argument.

I'm upset about not being told anything. I'm upset about being lied to. I'm upset about receiving a form letter back to my clearly articulated complaints that failed to address any of the points I mentioned. I'm upset about being told that I should be excited about the new direction the 'magazines' are taking. I'm upset that people say this is an 'evolution' when by definition, a magazine is a paper periodical. And I'm upset that some people think the world is a better place simply by putting an 'e-' in front of the things you love.

And here we get to the heart of the matter - you're upset. Upset people don't think or act rationally, by and large. WotC doesn't have the staff or time to respond to you, personally, especially after the undoubtedly large amount of hate mail they got over this issue. You're also getting your definitions wrong, or at least archaic - there have been online magazines, successful ones, for years. It's about content and presentation, not paper or electrons.

I don't want an e-cat despite the fact that it would mean no litter box to clean up, no scratches when a cat jumps off my shoulder unexpectedly. I don't want an e-wife no matter how much less expensive that is. I don't want e-kids. I played the Sims. Sure, it is fun for a while, but it isn't nearly as fulfilling.

I don't want e-books, and I don't want e-zines.

So take your gaming dollar elsewhere. Seriously. There's lots of print publishers that make excellent products, and even for PDF products there's Print on Demand.

In the case of WotC I don't believe they've heard or understand. I think they think I'll stop being upset after two or three months. I know myself well enough that I can be upset about this for many years. And no matter how long I withhold my financial support, once they give me what I want, I can always pick up the material I missed in the original release.

Again - take your gaming dollar to content producers that make what you want. I really don't see the point in being upset about this and accusing WotC of lying, which they haven't done.

 

[deadDMwalking]

Would you care to cite your sources on all this?

Most of it can be found at http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizo/customerService/transition/frequentlyAskedQuestions

Paizo Publishing's license with Wizards of the Coast ends this fall. Wizards of the Coast has chosen not to renew this license in order to move this type of content onto its own website. In an effort to continue to deliver the value and quality content that current subscribers of both Dungeon and Dragon have come to expect, both companies reached a mutual agreement to extend the license through September when the Savage Tide Adventure Path naturally concludes.

As for the second point, I'm not sure that I can cite it. I know it is something that Erik Mona has said, and I believe he has said it repeatedly. I believe I've read it in the letters pages of one or both magazines, as well as on the Paizo boards. Can any one help me on this one?

As for the third one, there is a great online article that provides similar information to what I'm basing it from. http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=estimating%20software%20development%20time. Software, especially complex software is very difficult to produce. If WotC is producing a character generator, and they have not already started, they likely can't finish before September. If they have already started, they won't be able to make a lot of changes to suit people's taste. If you don't want to accept that statement as fact, I'm okay with that. It is a logical construct, but so is global warming. A lot of people don't believe that is true either. A debate on how we 'know' something is a little more complex than I really want to get into.

And here we get to the heart of the matter - you're upset. Upset people don't think or act rationally, by and large.

I think that dividing things either emotionally or rationally creates a false dichotomy. However, if I were not 'upset' than I wouldn't care. If I didn't care, than I wouldn't be posting here. So, anyone who is upset, regardless of the reason, can't be considered unreasonable because they are upset. They must be judged on their reasonableness of character by some other measure. Perhaps by their willingness to accept a compromise solution? Because one hasn't been proposed, that might not work. Perhaps by being engaged in meaningful dialogue by those who have made this decision. While I'm willing, I'm afraid that the efforts by WotC have been extremely limited. Most of what they've said amounts to 'We can't speak to anybody individually, we'll answer what we can, but we'll ignore, at least for now, most of the questions or concerns, probably because of NDA restrictions'. Personally, I don't believe that they're being entirely honest. If they are, I think they could be doing a better job.

So take your gaming dollar elsewhere. Seriously. There's lots of print publishers that make excellent products, and even for PDF products there's Print on Demand.

This is exactly what I intend to do. However, I want to make certain that WotC understands that I am leaving, understand why I am leaving, and understand what they can do to win me back as a customer. They don't have to. The ball is in their court. However, from my perspective, biased as it may be, letting a customer leave is not a good idea. While I think it makes business sense to keep customers that have been loyal in the past. WotC might think players of the game will 'follow blindly wherever they're leading'. I want to make sure that while there may be people who will, I am not one of them.

Ideally, they'll come around to my point of view, and I'll keep getting my magazines. Or not, and I'll purchase from 3rd party publishers exclusively.

 

[Khairn]

WotC might think players of the game will 'follow blindly wherever they're leading'. I want to make sure that while there may be people who will, I am not one of them.

With having had a year to prepare to prepare their statements regarding both the cancellation and the new DI ... and seeing how little is actually being shared with their customers... its MHO that this is precisely the extent of WotC's original efforts to manage the shock, anger and disappointment from the D&D player base.

 

[BOZ]

hey... OK, i've been away for a few days.

i printed out the interview before it fell off the front of the main News page. in the beginning, before the interview starts, there is a bolded paragraph as a sort of introduction, and there was a link in the sentence which read "if you have any thoughts, please feel free to drop in on this thread on the messageboards and have your say" - well, of course, since i can't find the interview, i don't know where that link lead. does anyone have a link to the interview, or better yet a link to the thread in which we can post our thoughts (if this very thread is not the one in question)?

 

[blargney the second]

This thread is that one, BOZ.

 

[BOZ]

that saved me some trouble, then. you figure they're still reading? well, here goes nothing...

Here's what i want to see. of course we won't see the exact same content coming from Dragon and Dungeon, no matter what - that sort of thing changes every time a major editorial change takes place anway, so no point in trying to avoid it. there's going to be changes for sure, but here's hoping the baby is not thrown out with the bathwater.

first of all, regardless of everyone's feelings for the content going online, there is one inescapable *good* thing about the content going online: there will no longer be an upper limit on how much content can be put out in a month. thusly, if you have 10 good articles you want to use, or 20, or 30, or 50 - go ahead and post as many as you feel like! no more holding off on a good article because there's not enough space to print it this month. please, please, please take advantage of this, what may very well prove to be your biggest advantage over print.

as for content, i know i would very much like to see certain current Dragon columns, like Campaign Classics, Demonomicon of Iggwilv (particularly if James Jacobs is involved, who is practically chomping at the bit to be involved with it), Creature Catalog, and Core Beliefs. it would also be cool to see older columns revived, such as Bazaar of the Bizzare, Giants in the Earth, Dragon's Bestiary, etc. of course, i'm sure new columns are likely to be invented, but don't forget the classics that have stood the test of time!

now i, for one, love seeing old (read: particularly pre-3E) content used in new ways. witness the Demonomicon articles, for one, and the Campaign Classics issues for another. look at the gobs and gobs of converted monsters that have appeared in Dragon and Dungeon in the last few years (i'll give you a list if you need it!). even if you don't wish to utilize this content in the books, please keep an open mind for using it on the digi-magazines.

please keep the mags submission-based. yes, in-house people will provide content, and yes regular freelancers will provide content; it has always been this way. but there has also been a lot of content that came from the little guy. the worst mistake you could make, in my opinion, would be to close the doors on the not-yet-professionals out there. and i say that not just because of the articles i've had printed in the last couple of years.

collecting the best of the online content into hardcovers is practically a must. first of all, print is a format that most people will never completely give up. secondly, you must consider those who cannot or will not use the internet to get their D&D content - compilations will be the only way these people see the online magazine content, and they will pay for a book where they would not pay for an online subscription.

when considering that, keep in mind that you have access to all the 3E material produced by paizo as well, and the popularity of their run on the magazines. allowing them to produce further Dragon Compendiums (or doing it yourself if you're so inclined) or doing things like an Age of Worms or Savage Tide AP hardcover would make some big sellers. a collection of Demonomicon articles would be a goldmine, especially if it included new content. a Monster Compendium (like the Spell and Magic Item Compendiums) or series thereof could draw on monsters from the Paizo print run, from the digital magazines, the free content on the website, and other sources, and i know i'd buy copies of that.

well anyway, that's all i have to say about that for the moment - sorry if i rambled or got incoherent, as i probaby should have gone to sleep and wrote this in the morning.

 

[sjmiller]

first of all, regardless of everyone's feelings for the content going online, there is one inescapable *good* thing about the content going online: there will no longer be an upper limit on how much content can be put out in a month. thusly, if you have 10 good articles you want to use, or 20, or 30, or 50 - go ahead and post as many as you feel like! no more holding off on a good article because there's not enough space to print it this month. please, please, please take advantage of this, what may very well prove to be your biggest advantage over print.

Boz, there is a limit to what they can put out each month. It's called a monthly budget. Contract writers are paid by the word. Say you have $5,000 as a budget. You can only buy a limited number of articles for that month and stay in budget.

Pyramid Magazine Online has been online for years. They have a limited number of articles, columns, and reviews each week because they have to pay everyone. They are just one example, of course.

So, the belief that they can post unlimited amounts of stuff each month is a bit unrealistic.

 

[BOZ]

you can count that as part of me being rambling and incoherent then.

still then, the limit is by the budget and not number of pages/wordcount etc, which is probably still likely to be a lot more than the print mags.

 

[irdeggman]

you can count that as part of me being rambling and incoherent then.

still then, the limit is by the budget and not number of pages/wordcount etc, which is probably still likely to be a lot more than the print mags.

And art of course.

You have a price per word for text and per picture for artwork.

So while theoretically you could post an unlimited amount of information on-line, cost wise it would still be limited unless the pages were blank (or contained advertising - which I don't beleive is something that WotC has addressed yet, Paizo has said that there won't be any in Pathfinder).

 

[irdeggman]

Again - take your gaming dollar to content producers that make what you want. I really don't see the point in being upset about this and accusing WotC of lying, which they haven't done.

While, for now this appears to be the "solution" to those who feel the same way (I myself am willing to wait and see before forming a set opinion, although I do have preconceived opinions of what I think will happen), the real issue is what will happen in the future.

I say this because something has been missing from the information given so far (which has been real limited from the WotC side - for legal reasons as far as I can tell, but regardless of the "reason" it is still a fact that there has not been a lot of information provided yet) - what of 4th ed?

I know that strikes up all kinds of feelings in people and I am not saying "the sky is falling".

It is a fact there will be a 4th ed - when that will occur is unkown.

Will it be OGC like 3.x? Again that is unknown.

A lot of options for gamers depends on the answer to that question.

If it is not OGC then things get real tight and this will, IMO, cause a huge fan base recoil.

If it is OGC - but in a more limited fashion than the SRD - that will also have huge effects on the 3rd party products available but less recoil.

I'm sorry but I can't help but see a connection here what with the "reabsorption" of many D&D product lines by WotC.

Something that might be a part of this, based on marketing, is that it is time for WotC to make a drastic change in the D&D product line to support continual growth. This is something that Monte's past articles (and others with past and present expereince with D&D and similar products) have shown.

So instead of simply publishing "retreads" or a major 4th ed total change the time before 4th ed will happen can be extended by introducing the DI. This will cause a sudden flurry in activity (changes like this always do) and may or may not be able to be sustainable until the actual 4th ed happens.

These are mere observations but they are questions that must be answered eventually by WotC. I would extrapolate that this will occur within the 1st 3 months of the DI as part of the DI itself. Normally there is a "what will happen" intro article at the beginning of products like this when there is a drastic change being made.