MM4 Table of Contents up

[Mouseferatu]

Hey Mouse, you left out biting sarcasm!

No... No, I don't think I did.

 

[Kanegrundar]

Hey, is the idea so bizzare that there are actually WotC/Hasbro spies who's job entails spewing marketing propaganda all over Internet message boards?! Why is that funny?

Why is that funny? Because it's patently absurd, maybe? Think about it. D&D is the biggest name in RPG's. They don't have to spew forth propoganda about a book to do well on it. They certainly aren't coming to websites and filling them with moles to sell their books. Even if they were, why on Earth would they do so at a website whose readers are overwhelmingly D&D players? Wouldn't it make more sense (as much sense as this whole "propoganda mole" idea is) to try this tactic on a message board not nearly as filled with D&D fans?

Why is this funny? Come on.

 

[Tuzenbach]

They certainly aren't coming to websites and filling them with moles to sell their books.

Link?


I CALL SHENANIGANS!!!

 

[Voadam]

what are dragonspawn?

The elemental avatars sound cool

 

[Kanegrundar]

Link?


I CALL SHENANIGANS!!!

Call it however you want. WotC has always had a presence on these boards, because this is one of the best places to get the word out about their products. They get the word out by answering questions about the products (when NDA's will allow) not by planting people to act like Joe Schmoe who just loves everything they put out. That position is already taken by MerricB anyway.

 

[mearls]

Don't worry. Wil Upchurch (d20Dwarf) is not a propaganda tool.

However, WotC staffers *do* read these boards, and they are usually very gracious, and they do not need to hide their identity.

Yes, we read this board.

The interesting thing about fan feedback is that the message and the messenger invariably become intertwined. If people are shrieking and screaming about something in a totally insulting or unreasonable manner, it's a lot easier to say, "Well, the people who don't like that are shrieking, screaming luddites. We can ignore them."

Even when there are people saying the same thing in a reasonable way, the shriekers tend to drown them out. I think it's an artifact of the Internet that the extreme message is what sticks, but you retain the delivery rather than the content.

The punchline is that this thread is pretty much worthless for feedback because, you know, the book isn't out yet.

 

[demiurge1138]

O Rly?
The FF one looks like a vulture/ostrich hybrid... not terribly inspiring even if it was a real critter.

Yeah, the FF one wasn't terribly inspired. Left out the best feature of the real terror birds. Their wings had evolved into meat-hooks! That's cool! Make some sort of grapple attempt on a bull's rush mechanic! Be creative! Please! And you're right, the illustration by Crabapple/Cramer didn't help either.

Er, where were we? On topic?

I think Mearls' response is the best. None of us have this book yet, save d20 Dwarf, but he's not telling because of NDA. And no, I somehow doubt he's a plant, conspiracy theorists. A contributing author, yes. Not a plant. There is a difference.

Demiurge out.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Please don't be insulted by this. I'm going to ask you a question and I'd like you to answer honestly. Are you a WotC plant? E.i., are WotC employing you to voice upon these boards your praises of this book?

Googling his name might help clarify things.

 

[lukelightning]

What are all these wizard moles I hear about? Are they some new monster? What's their LA?

 

[ColonelHardisson]

What are all these wizard moles I hear about? Are they some new monster? What's their LA?

You, sir, are a genius.