More lay-offs at WOTC! [Merged]

[ColonelHardisson]

The next step is rescinding the OGL. I can hear this discussion in the Hasbro board rooms alread, "This D&D thing would be as big as Pokemon if they hadn't given it away."

They cannot rescind the OGL. Once it's OGL, it's OGL forever and ever and ever. This has been discussed at length many times over the past 2 years.

 

[jgbrowning]

Craft Staff Corporate Feat

Here's one for you all:

Craft Staff [Corporate Feat]
Prerequisites: Must fire the best part of your existing staff, leaving but a few remaining quality-conscious staff.
Benefit: (Short-Term)You save lots of money while removing the continual irratation of speaking with people who view the game as more than work. You recieve a +2 D00D bonus to Kewl art and +2 short-term bonus to Generate Income rolls.
(Long-Term) You get to compete again those you fired. You recieve a -4 Bonus to Overall Profit rolls.

*Special: Overusing this feat will cause you to loose your DnD game's profitabiltiy and sell it to another company.


joe b.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

The worst they can do is refuse to approve the remainder of the SRD - but since there are a plethora of OGC spells, monsters, and treasures out there already, they're screwed on that count, too.

Still, I imagine the d20 publishers would be nervous about the fact that after 2 years, some of the Core itself isn't in the SRD yet. But you're right - so much of it is in the SRD, it probably doesn't matter.

 

[Zaruthustran]

Intentional or not, Dancey in his push for the OGL also managed to put the system "out into the public arena" and permanently out of the hands of Hasbro - or any other corporation that purchases the rights to D&D. IMO this is a good thing... play your cards right and YOU could be the company making money off the system. Survival of the fittest - and best games - makes for a better RPG industry, WotC notwithstanding.

BTW, I can't remember the last time I bought a WotC book over a 3rd-party book. WotC has, IMO, already gutted themselves to the point of non-competitiveness... their stuff is dry and rehashed. 3rd party stuff is edgier and pushes the boundaries of the system. It's anecdotal evidence to be sure, but it's evidence to me that WotC has already made the moves that seal its doom as relates to D&D remaining profitable. I can't think that I'm the only one who is seeing his discretionary income going to other companies because "well, I compared the WotC supplement and the Company X supplement on the subject, and frankly, the WotC supplement sucked."

--The Sigil

Dancey's efforts were intentional, the intentions being exactly as you spell out.

It sounds like your second paragraph is a slam on WotC, but it really just proves WotC's point. WotC's non-core stuff is... not good. So why spend money developing non-core stuff? Thus the layoffs.

You erroneously equate D&D profitability with the sale of non-core books. WotC putting out fewer crap non-core books will make D&D more profitable: profit = revenue - expenses. Laying off employees and eliminating the cost of producing non-core books decreases expenses. Note that you said that people already don't buy WotC supplements; under your argument there's no revenue loss. Thus, if expenses go down and revenue stays the same, profit goes up.

This move does not "seal the doom as relates to D&D remaining profitable." It makes D&D more profitable for WotC, and likely will increase the number of the high-quality non-WotC supplements that you enjoy.

-z
WotC PR
(just kidding)

PS: look at this move rationally, and you'll see that it's good for gamers. And while that Craft Staff feat was funny, WotC and Hasbro have a responsibility to shareholders to view the game as no less than "work." Note that I said "no less than work", not "no more than work."

 

[TiQuinn]

I don't know.....this is all assuming that sales of the core rulebooks will continue at a steady pace. At what point do those sales dwindle? Have they dwindled?

 

[Darkness]

I can't believe Skip Williams is gone. Thats pretty much it. I mean Jonathan Tweet is still there- but really- for rules stuff, it was always Skip or Monte I would think of as the main-gun.

This guy has been the Sage Advice guy since the TSR days too. Who is going to do Sage Advice?

Haven't they lately sold Dragon?

Hmm...

 

[Thaumaturge]

(Long-Term) You get to compete again those you fired. You recieve a -4 Bonus to Overall Profit rolls.

The new feat even comes complete with errata.

Thaumaturge.

 

[jgbrowning]

well

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Long-Term) You get to compete again those you fired. You recieve a -4 Bonus to Overall Profit rolls.
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The new feat even comes complete with errata.

Thaumaturge.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sure, but im not going to put the errata in the SRD... that errata is IP for me!

joe b.

 

[JeffB]

Skip, theoretically could go on as "the Sage", Piazzo or whatever could hire him.

And while I admire his knowledge and command of rules related material, most of his creative work has been very mixed in quality. It seems Skip is very hit or miss...His FR module in Dungeon was fantastic..Deep Horizon has been heralded as the worst of WOTC AP series. Rod Of Seven Parts, excellent. Childs Play: pretty much total crap. I'm not sure having Skip's name on anything would make me buy it, but I would take a gander cause there is the off-chance he came up with another gem. That being said, I do have a lot of respect for the guy..heck he started as Retail Clerk at the hole in the wall Dungeon Hobby Shop back in the 70's!

Jeff Grubb on the other hand has had his mits in many a good work. He and Ed Greenwood were the original "guard" of the Realms. His work on both the original and current MotP which are highly regarded. I believe he also had quite a bit of authorship in ALQuadim, and Planescape. If I were a betting man, I'd bet on Grubb over Mr. Williams for high quality D20 products that would sell on "name value".

Also JD Wiker will be missed...he always struck me as the Gamer guy who just happens to work at WOTC...Not the Star Wars Line designer at some big corp entity...He always tried to keep an ear open to what the fans were saying on the boards. And when they had questions he'd get answers if he couldn't give them himself. JD just seems like a very down to earth , easy going fellow who living a gamers dream.

In any event, there's not a writer left at WOTC it seems now who could get me to buy book on name value only. Jeff Grubb was the last old guard guy there whose work I really admired and had any confidence in. I hope him and Monte get together, get a license and give us another Planescape, or anything for that matter.

 

[Zaruthustran]

I don't know.....this is all assuming that sales of the core rulebooks will continue at a steady pace. At what point do those sales dwindle? Have they dwindled?

They've dwindled since the release, certainly. At it's release, the Player's Handbook was ranked #1 on Amazon.com. Now it's ranked 360:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0786915501/

This is a finished product, so it makes sense to cut staff. Hunker down and live off the sales of core rule books for a few years. The game will be sustained by 3rd party folks. Then, when the time is right, hire more folks and produce the mythical 4th edition.

D&D is a product, but it's also a franchise like Star Wars. Both have cycles. When a new Star Wars movie is in production, Lucas hires a ton of actors, lighting, and other movie people, and creates games, commercials, promos, and merchandise. Then the movie comes out, and gradually those people are let go (or set to work on other projects) as the buzz dies down. Then they're hired back on for the next Star Wars.

Same thing with WotC and D&D. Spend a ton of money producing the core product and related products, then cut back as time goes on... until it's time for the next core product.

Also, WotC is more than D&D. It's also Pokemon, Magic, and other board games and RPGs. With the exception of Chainmail 2.0, all those other game franchises are done.. they only need the occasional supplement. So why keep all these expensive employees?

I really think WotC is in survival mode, where they're cutting back on new development and letting it all ride for awhile. The market is flooded with quality games; it's better to consistently make respectable money selling core books (and that's it) than it is to try to fiercely compete for a piece of the supplement pie.

-z