Is Now the Time to Send WOTC a Real Message?

[jasamcarl]

Let me just say..

That the normative argument that Wotc should not have been sold to hasbro in the first place has yet to be made for me in the one term i give a damn about; the quality of the material.

I haven't seen a compelling argument that there is any real 'problem' at all.

 

[Glyfair]

In all seriousness, what is the worst case scenario for Hasbro/WotC mishandling the game?

Although not likely, the worst case scenario can be seen by their treatment of some of the Avalon Hill properties (such as the Runequest: Slayers game that was in the can & ready to be released).

If a boycott of WotC was very successful (again, something that's unlikely), then Hasbro might see it as a wasted property. Given much has been released as Open Content, they could decide to fold WotC and just bury D&D.

Again, it's not likely, but it certainly is the worst case scenario.

Glyfair of Glamis

 

[Daiymo]

While the layoffs are a bit disconcerting, a boycott would do no real good. A large parent company like Hasbro is only concerned about profit margin and market share. Even if a product is still profitable, if it is less so than say the previous year or years, companies tend to slash the first and easiest resource at hand to make the books look better-the labor force.

Its a hallmark of modern economy. All companies do it, regardless of how short sighted it may seem.

On the bright side, I tend to agree with what some have already put forth. With the OGL, and the current 3e products in the pipeline, what else can WoTC produce, other than fluffy stuff? WoTC's stategy it seems has been to introduce an open source product that serves as a framework for others to make supplements "ie software" for.

If this is the strategy why do you need a big staff? I mean it seems this has been WoTC/Hasbros plan. They discontinued support for the old TSR settings that supposedly glutted and divided the market/fanbase(Planescape,etc..) and have gotten out of magazine publishing.

Their strategy seems clear. Sell core rulebooks and collect liscence royalty for cross media products-film, tv, computer/video games/novels. Low overhead, high profits. Support the very profitable FR setting, little else, until the next "edition/revamp" of the game. The setting search and the corporate feelers to us about whether we what "crunch" or "fluff" seem to be in line with this plan. Scale back products and hence expenses, at least till the econonmy recovers. Some of this Im sure is based on the company's study of gamer demographics and fanbase- and I'm sure it has decreased as the excitement surrounding the launch of 3e has waned since its initial release two years ago.

Luckily we consumers have the OGL.So some product in some form will get made by someone.

 

[Xeriar]

Re: Re: shares...

Uh, a quick look at Edgar on-line would show that Hasbro has 209,694,630 shares issued. So 10 million shares would be 0.5% of Hasbro's stock. Barely significant, but not really a lot of clout. You have to get to about 5% before the company notices.

Err, do your math again, sir, you are indeed off by a factor of ten.

Regardless, the numbers look murderous. They lost over a quarter -BILLION- dollars in their first half this year. They can't do that forever...

 

[Buttercup]

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.

I recall Ryan Dancy and several others making comments about it, but they were all on the old boards, so I can't look for it. As I remember, and of course I could be wrong, comments were made that were along the lines of "Mark my words, in five years D&D will have changed hands." Now, you can argue that comments made on a message board are nothing but hot air, er, electrons. And you would no doubt be correct. I was merely suggesting that we shouldn't be surprised at anything drastic that happens.

 

[Buttercup]

Re: Re: Re: Boycott

That is not true all of the time. I now work for a company where that is not true...and all sorts of other good stuff about the place he works

You're lucky. Is the company you work for privately held, by any chance? The only companies I've ever heard of who truly care for their employees are not publicly traded companies. Stockholders are interested in short term profit, not long term ethical behavior, in my experience.

 

[Luddite]

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

European Geography would be a lot easier if it stayed the same for more then 20 years When I was in school there was one Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, two Germanies....

Of course my fisrt introduction to European Geography was playing Diplomacy with my older bothers (which uses a pre-WWI political map). Over the years I have dabbled into circa 1200 CE (for Ars Magica), WWII, and now Elizibethian Ear. Suffice to say, I go get confused with all the "Correct" names (Holland vs The Netherlands) Or odd references (like "The Low Country" which I think is Belgium/Flanders??)

In the past 100 years, the mainland US has not revised its borders. Not to mention that we only have to worry about 500 years of geograpy, and the first 100 years of that was mostly guess work.

-The Luddite

 

[broghammerj]

My theory: the original poster to this thread was trolling. Only someone really stupid could believe that boycotting a company's projects could convince them to refrain from firing staff, or hiring back laid off staff members. If they make less money from books because they are being boycotted, they'll go out of business, not expand.

First of all I'm not trolling. I don't post often and thought I had something to say. Second I never stipulated that a boycott would stop them from firing staff, creating hirebacks, etc. That's absurd. Reread my post. I would rather see the company sold to someone who cares.

For some reason, the title of this thread gave me images of horse heads in beds. After picturing that, a call for a boycott was a real let-down...

Do you know anyone who owns horses?

As for people saying this discussion sounds like a bunch of fanboys, well you are on one of the best known DND sites....so whats your point? I'm a fan of the game and I think it's being mismanaged. I am disappointed that some particular individuals have been let go but it goes beyond that.

For me personally, this isn't based on anti-corporate sentiment. For those who like to compare DND to manufacturing cars, tvs, microwaves, etc my response is that DND is based on creative and intellectual property. That creativity has been let go over the past months. The comparison is less valid because TVs, etc. are manufactured goods rather than creative products. The problem is that WotC is own by a manufacturing company who doesn't understand the fundamental difference.

 

[jasamcarl]

Uh no...

Your notion of 'creative content' is too simplistic to be believed. There are two parts to creation, the tastes of the market for which you are creating and the individual or individuals that synthesize those tastes and manifest it in actual product. On both those counts, corporate America can provide the goods, while smaller operations can and do fall apart on both, especially the first. Do you have any ideas how many 'creative' or 'artistic' endeavors are simply not marketable? This is because the 'creator' often doesn't have a comprehensive appreciation of the wider market, while a group of individuals do. This is where the corporation comes into play, with its resources to funnel information back and forth between the creative staff and wider public. You are confusing a democratic process with one that lacks creativity, a common nerd fallacy.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

...Over the years I have dabbled into circa 1200 CE (for Ars Magica), WWII, and now Elizibethian Ear....

You shouldn't do that; You have no idea where that ear's been.

Consequently, I don't blame anything on England. In fact, I blame England on Rome.