Irreconcilable differences(Forked Thread: When did I stop being WotC's...)

[justanobody]

I figured it out.

WotC decided to go for the money rather than the game, and made the goal of the game to garner the most money and maybe the resulting game wasn't what they thought the people would want in the end, and thus drastically altered their audience.

Money aside, the simple direction change of who they wanted for an audience could be the reason, and only WotC can answer that, but it seems the age is an important factor in why and newer players may not be so closely tied to things of the past so OGL and such mean little and only what is the newest thing they know about matters as they don't have an opinion about what they want as much as those who have played before?

So WotC just got tired of the people who complain and figured out how to get rid of them to only have to deal with, as a company on whole, the people that enjoyed their games....

Does it matter, since we will not have a chance to change their minds after the fact?

 

[Greg K]

Money aside, the simple direction change of who they wanted for an audience could be the reason, and only WotC can answer that, but it seems the age is an important factor in why and newer players may not be so closely tied to things of the past

And, how does age factor in?
I know three people currently playing 4e. Two are twenty and under. Both prefer 3e, but play 4e, because they have no other gaming options (yes, they are having fun, but simply prefer 3e). The third just got back into gaming after a long absence, because of his son- and is so far happy with 4e. Of the other gamers that I know some are in groups comprised of members under 23, some have members only over 40, and some like my own range from mid twenties to forty. None of these groups have an interest in 4e.
And as for editions, most of the players started playing with 1e or 2e with a few (like one of my own players) starting with 3e.

Anecdotal? Yes. However, I haven't seen anything on these boards either that suggests that age (or starting edition) is a factor in preference.

 

[Hussar]

I find comparing planetAD&D to the current split to be highly amusing.

Of course you assured me that all this would be over in two months. that was a little over three months ago and, if anything, it is gaining steam.

Actually, y'know, despite the snark, I'll agree with you there. I do think I was wrong in saying that this would blow over in a few months. I really did think it would.

As far as it gaining steam, well, I have no idea either way on that one. I've done enough baseless speculation, so, continuing to do so isn't helping.

Why the amusement though? Planet was rife with all sorts of edition wars for years after 3e was released. It tended to settle down to a few posters who continuously decided to hit the war button after a while.

I would absolutely love to know how the later release books are doing. I know they went into second printing on Keep on the Shadowfell, so that's pretty good. But, since then, we've heard very little.

 

[justanobody]

And, how does age factor in?

Age in gamer years.

 

[CharlesRyan]

Well Charles, when you were 'that guy,' you had an obvious appreciation for the brand that clearly ran deep. The direction you took D&D during your short stay there was a reasonable improvement, though it didn't involve any radical shifts, and I think that they made the biggest bonehead move ever when they laid you off.

Thanks, Darrin, that's very kind of you.

Nevertheless, I wouldn't rush to assume that the current brand team--or Hasbro as a whole--is likely to abandon D&D's strengths or historical roots, or ignore the core fan base who pretty much singlehandedly make the brand what it is, in favour of chasing passing trends.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Thanks, Darrin, that's very kind of you.

Nevertheless, I wouldn't rush to assume that the current brand team--or Hasbro as a whole--is likely to abandon D&D's strengths or historical roots, or ignore the core fan base who pretty much singlehandedly make the brand what it is, in favour of chasing passing trends.

Passing trends can only be identified as such with the benefit of hindsight. If Hasbro is seeking to shift trends to those more favorable to them economically then the results they are looking for will not be passing if things work out.

 

[Tetsubo]

Passing trends can only be identified as such with the benefit of hindsight. If Hasbro is seeking to shift trends to those more favorable to them economically then the results they are looking for will not be passing if things work out.

But in seeking those trends (passing or otherwise) they jettisoned some of their core demographic in the process. Like myself. I was a loyal D&D consumer for thirty years. I spent thousands and thousands of dollars on official D&D products. I would have gladly continued to spend thousands of dollars on official D&D products. But they changed the gaming system so much I don't consider it D&D any longer.

How many hobbies as small as ours have consumers for thirty years? Losing such a customer should be a sign that maybe, just maybe, you made some bad business decisions.

I was an ambassador for the hobby in general and D&D in particular. Now I am an out spoken ex-customer who is rather peeved.

A loyal costumer is worth their weight in gold.

 

[ExploderWizard]

But in seeking those trends (passing or otherwise) they jettisoned some of their core demographic in the process. Like myself. I was a loyal D&D consumer for thirty years. I spent thousands and thousands of dollars on official D&D products. I would have gladly continued to spend thousands of dollars on official D&D products. But they changed the gaming system so much I don't consider it D&D any longer.

How many hobbies as small as ours have consumers for thirty years? Losing such a customer should be a sign that maybe, just maybe, you made some bad business decisions.

I was an ambassador for the hobby in general and D&D in particular. Now I am an out spoken ex-customer who is rather peeved.

A loyal costumer is worth their weight in gold.

I hear you. I am also being left behind but if they gain two new fans for every one they lose then its a winning strategy. Its purely a numbers game. Hasbro needs to reach the largest number of customers that it can. Traditional RPG's sell to a niche market. This type of ultra-specialized market is too small time for Hasbro to bother with. The card/skirmish version of D&D will be easy to play "out of the box" and can be marketed to more general audiences.

 

[Fifth Element]

A loyal costumer is worth their weight in gold.

Don't be silly. That would be something over $2 million.

 

[Irda Ranger]

Nevertheless, I wouldn't rush to assume that the current brand team--or Hasbro as a whole--is likely to abandon D&D's strengths or historical roots, or ignore the core fan base who pretty much singlehandedly make the brand what it is, in favour of chasing passing trends.

Likely to abandon D&D's strengths and historical roots? Things that happened in the past aren't "likely", they already happened.

Admittedly, as discussed above, 4E didn't abandon the whole core fan base, just half of it.