Is Now the Time to Send WOTC a Real Message?

[Buttercup]

Re: Boycott

I will not support a company that treats its employees like cattle.

Then you will have to stop buying everything. All for-profit corporations are interested in their bottom line, not the well being of their employees. Harsh but true. Every business from grocery stores to banks has the same business ethic. It isn't reasonable to expect Hasbro to behave any differently. Certainly we can feel compassion for those let go, and wish them well, but making a scene and threatening to boycott is a useless gesture, and one that shows little understanding of how capitalism works.

 

[Ravellion]

Oh, it's there, but probably focused on less than it is in European schools. Do you know where Okeefenokee, the Red River, the Black Hills or the Painted Desert are? [/B]

No, but I know the states, and even some of the harder stuff such as that Miami isn't the capitol of Florida, and the difference between Washington and Washington DC. (ie. 5000 Km ). The Netherlands is a state. With nearly 16 million people. 13th richest country in the world. It has the largest harbour in the world. The US liberated the southern part of it in WW2 (The Canadians liberated the Northern part). We were the first country in the world to recognise the USA as an independant state. The Netherlands (note the plural) was the first republic in the world.

Now, most Dutchmen will know where Missouri lies. The state and the river.

Errrr.... Sorry. I guess this is a bit of a pet peeve.

Rav

 

[Tom Cashel]

Re: Boycott

In this case, I will not support a company that treats its employees like cattle. These are not ordinary people getting tossed away like wheat chaff...

Do you own a car? Do you buy groceries? Wear clothes? Watch TV? Surf the internet? Then you are helping to support hundreds of companies and corporations that treat their employees like cattle. That's America, my friend.

Are you saying that it's okay to treat "ordinary" people like cattle, but not "talented" people?

$$$ is the bottom line with Hasbro. $$$ is the bottom line with America. Either face the entire problem or just deal.

(Like Buttercup said! )

 

[Staffan]

The Netherlands (note the plural) was the first republic in the world.

What? Before Rome?

 

[Buttercup]

Most workers won't feel for their company or their product, since they know they are dispensable anyway.

Back in 1980, my boss told me that no one was indispensable, including him. This is not a new idea. It's just capitalism. Any worker who thinks that their job is secure had better think again. And if you were a WotC employee for the last 4 years, watching round after round of layoffs, wouldn't you realize that it would eventually happen to you too, and start planning? You would if you had any foresight.

As I said before, I feel for the WotC people who were let go. But there really isn't any reason to get all up in arms about the future of D20. The OGL cannot be revoked. We've been told by Anthony Valterra that someone is working on the SRD. We've also been told, in slightly vague language, for over a year, that the cutbacks were not finished, and that eventually the D&D brand would probably be sold off.

 

[Mortaneus]

First of all, I see no reason for a boycott. However, I also see no reason to support a company that releases crap. I'm not buying the books to support someone's job, I'm buying them because they're good.

Considering that all the best talent is now gone, I seriously doubt that WotC will be able to release anything of anywhere near the quality we want.

And with all the good talent now on the open market, the good products are going to be coming out from other companies. And those are the ones I'll buy.

As far as boycotting Hasbro, but not WotC, that's like saying you hate someone, but not their shadow. WotC, especially with this round of cuts, doesn't really exist anymore.

A deliberate boycott will just cause what is left of WotC to be tossed in a back room somewhere. There's no need. Hasbro has basically organized a more effective boycott themselves, by getting rid of the creative talent. With nothing good coming out, nobody will buy their stuff.

Simple as that.

 

[Vrecknidj]

I posted this on the D&D List and I'll say the same thing here. Exercising power through boycotting will fail. If you want to exercise power in a campital-based economic system, you do so by owning stock. Imagine if all the D&D players out there bought 10 shares of stock each and then all those players let one or two from the group speak as their representative. That person walks into the Hasbro board meetings (which is what stockholders have the right to do) and says "I'm here as a representative of the people who are actually buying all your Wizards products, and we have something to say." They might then listen.

Dave

 

[Bragg Battleaxe]

I am sure that most of these people saw the layoffs coming. If they didn't... honestly, I don't even see that as a possibilty. If they want to stay in RPGs, there are plenty of places they can work since they are already established in the industry. The fact of the matter is that Hasbro is never going to see D&D as valuable no matter how much it makes. They didn't by D&D, they bought Magic the Gathering and the other WotC cash cows and D&D just happened to come along with it. WotC isn't making half of what it was making a few years back I would guess, so therein lies the problem.

 

[Buttercup]

"I'm here as a representative of the people who are actually buying all your Wizards products, and we have something to say." They might then listen.

Actually, if the players owned enough stock, they would have no choice but to listen, because we would control the company.

 

[Psion]

We've also been told, in slightly vague language, for over a year, that the cutbacks were not finished, and that eventually the D&D brand would probably be sold off.

Just when were we told the brand would probably be sold off? Last I heard, they wouldn't part with it after receiving several generous offers because they knew it had a high rate of recognition.