Mearls' Latest Thought on the Industry

[Flyspeck23]

The PDF industry relies on WOTC/WW to keep attracting new gamers. It does nothing to create them.

Beg to differ. What's the main reason people start to play RPGs? Sometimes they see a fancy book on the shelf, but more likely they are introduced by roleplayers.

All of my products so far have helped to get new people, especially kids, into the hobby. Half a dozen parents have told me that they play Dungeon Bash (see .sig if you don't know what I'm talking about) with their kids - and one even wrote a small kids-friendly campaign. Many more used my card products to help their kids playing spellcasters.

Similar things could be said about other PDFs. If it enhances gameplay, and makes the game more accessible for newcomers, that PDF is doing its share to attract new gamers. IMHO of course

And btw, I don't see d20 print publishers doing marketing campaigns to get new people into the hoppy either - you can hardly blame this on the "PDF industry" alone.

How many fan sites have disappeared because those people have moved on to PDF publishing?

How many PDF publishers are giving some of their stuff away for free? Quite a bunch, last time I checked.

Has WotC really locked up these rules? CAN WotC lock up these rules if they want to?

Yes. And yes.

 

[JPL]

This reminds me...

Have you guys all bought INFINITE yet?

I have done the math. If we sell about 100 more copies, I can quit my day job and just watch that ole PDF money roll in.

 

[BryonD]

Yes. And yes.

Got any reference for that?
I'm pretty much certain you are incorrect.

 

[Flyspeck23]

Funny...had he said the same thing while working for Malhavoc or as a freelancer, then the tone would be much different. However, he got a job at WOTC and now he is a yes man that toes the corporate line.

I find these comments laughable.

The same things could be said of the PDF publishers on ENWorld. They do not dare agree with Mearls because it would affect their business. In fact, it is probably more true of the PDFers because any change in their market can spell doom.

I cannot say that I have not found some PDFs useful, especially to prep for gamedays where I run d20 Modern/Future. However, I do think that Mearls has a point.

The funny thing here is that WOTC allowed d20 to go OGL, thus creating the market everyone here loves. Yet, it is WOTC who is evil and wants to get rid of the market.

It's not about WotC being evil. They aren't Microsoft, y'know?

But the fact remains that Mike Mearls starts to throw those kind of ideas around only after he joined WotC (and thus doesn't rely on a 3rd party publisher or PDF sales). Coincidence?

 

[philreed]

This reminds me...

Have you guys all bought INFINITE yet?

I have done the math. If we sell about 100 more copies, I can quit my day job and just watch that ole PDF money roll in.

I don't understand the point of this post? Please clarify.

 

[philreed]

It's not about WotC being evil.

It's a lot easier to throw things like this out then to engage in serious conversation. EDIT: I don't mean what you said, Flyspeck, but what you were referring to.

For example:

Why is it that PDF publishers -- many releasing 100% OGC -- are having a negative effect on innovation while WotC -- with almost no new OGC in over a year -- is not?

 

[Jim Hague]

No. It has further sidelined publishers by making one segment of the market far too important to their success. It may be keeping them alive, but it is not generating a larger customer base. It is catering to people on ENWorld, RPGnet etc. Having to survive on PDF income is not a sign of success.

Oh. Oh my.

I'm sure Phil's responded later in the thread, but this statement is so utterly, completely, wildly out of line with reality that I felt compelled to comment. Make sure you tell Monte Cook that PDF income is no sign of success. For that matter, tell Phil. Or the guys at Green Ronin. Or the publishers at RPGNow.

Just because you don't like it and don't seem to be grasping how the medium of exchange is actually working doesn't mean it's not working. The weight of evidence is against you, bigtime.

 

[philreed]

I'm sure Phil's responded later in the thread, but this statement is so utterly, completely, wildly out of line with reality that I felt compelled to comment. Make sure you tell Monte Cook that PDF income is no sign of success. For that matter, tell Phil. Or the guys at Green Ronin. Or the publishers at RPGNow.

Yeah, people can keep saying that PDFs aren't selling but I'll just keep working away at them.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Yeah, people can keep saying that PDFs aren't selling but I'll just keep working away at them.

But the difference hasn't made up the loss of print sales in terms of overall amount of product sold?

 

[Henry]

Funny...had he said the same thing while working for Malhavoc or as a freelancer, then the tone would be much different. However, he got a job at WOTC and now he is a yes man that toes the corporate line.

I find these comments laughable.

The same things could be said of the PDF publishers on ENWorld. They do not dare agree with Mearls because it would affect their business. In fact, it is probably more true of the PDFers because any change in their market can spell doom.

However, one's social and job standing does make a difference when considered in the backdrop of stances or policies made - otherwise, no one would have ever come up with the concept of "conflict of interest." You're absolutely right - why WOULD a publisher agree with something that hurts his business? Why wouldn't a publisher agree with something that helps his business? I may be wrong, but I don't remember Mike discussing these topics in this fashion prior to now - I'm not saying Mike's a schill, I'm saying it does concern me that the things he's espousing WOULD harm dozens of 3rd party publishers, while either helping or doing nothing harmful to WotC. I'm saying don't divorce the idea that Mike's suggestions are good for the line of business he's in, as opposed to just being for the betterment of the industry.

The funny thing here is that WOTC allowed d20 to go OGL, thus creating the market everyone here loves. Yet, it is WOTC who is evil and wants to get rid of the market.

I am starting to agree with Merric!

Your statement makes WotC sounds like a monolithic corporate entity whose goals have not changed over time. However, the originators of the OGL no longer have a say in the company; for that matter, the people who replaced them are gone too, for that matter. I do think WotC's overt goals have changed over the past 5 years; note Ryan Dancey's original statements about the intent of the OGL, one of which was to encourage 3rd party publishers to handle topics that a larger company could not.

Now, however, is it true that these same 3rd party publishers who handled topics WotC did not at first touch are somehow hurting the industry by doing so? Now WotC are touching ideas that were not considered profitable (adventure modules, environment settings, etc.) because of perceived industry gaps. Were these gaps not profitable in some way, or necessary, WotC's management team would not be persuaded to go towards these topics.