More lay-offs at WOTC! [Merged]

[Nikchick]

If they were asked to leave the company, it's probably because they did something bad or just didn't see eye-to-eye with Hasbro's creative vision or financial plans. It's a good guess that they deserved it.

Ok, this was sarcasm right?

If not, this is the most uninformed, slanderous, ridiculous pile of bull I've heard yet today.

Puh-leeze.

Nicole

 

[Furn_Darkside]

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".

Al Qa *FRICKEN* Dim!

Some d20 company should be waiting outside WOTC headquarters and snatch him up.

FD

 

[Furn_Darkside]

Ok, this was sarcasm right?

If not, this is the most uninformed, slanderous, ridiculous pile of bull I've heard yet today.

Puh-leeze.

Nicole

Bugaboo is a professional troll- just ignore him.

FD

 

[Nikchick]

Anyone have any news on how this layoff will affect Chainmail v2.0?

One of the previous posts indicates that the miniatures division was affected.

Thanks in advance.

The minis team took some hits, but they've kept on Mike McVey and the latest of the brand managers, so I guess they're still planning on *some* sort of minis game.

I wouldn't get all excited, though. They're lopping 1/3 of the company off in this series of layoffs, and it's only a matter of time before the rest withers and dies as well. Even if they launch a second minis game, there's no way they'll be able to sustain it.

Nicole

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

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."

Hee hee... I'm so much in agreement that I spent my discretionary income establishing my own Company X!

Screw you Oozemaster! You hear me? Screw you straight to hell!


Wulf

 

[Grazzt]

The next step is rescinding the OGL.

Nope- they cant do it. They can refuse to add any more to it, but they cannot take back whats out there. That is in the license itself.

 

[dcollins]

Geez, no more Sage!

In other news...

Not to belabor the point, but Hasbro CAN'T do that. Let's nip the speculation in the bud. Hasbro can no more rescind the OGL than I can. Anything that is OGC is stuck as OGC, under version 1.0a of the OGL, until it falls into the public doman (IOW, it's under the OGL forever since nothing will ever fall into public domain again).

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.

I think that this is more of a risk than you deem it to be. As you imply, none of the core spells, monsters, or magic items have been formally put under the OGL, and conceivably it's possible that they could refuse to do so.

It's hard for me to imagine D&D lacking any of the core spells/monsters/magic items, and seeing the gap fill by 3rd-party creations which generally serve as support of that core. Moreover, I imagine that the number of current OGC 3rd-party offerings which depend on some part of those core specifiers is almost complete. For example, even the rules on "creature overview" (size and type), "magic overview" (casting spells, definition of terms), and overall "magic items" (trigger types, bonus types, stacking rules, creation rules) are not under the OGC. All of those creations which use those definitions and terms would be formally actionable by WOTC if they decided on it.

 

[Taren Nighteyes]

What's in a name?

I have seen a few here agree with my belief that "name value" is an important piece of the marketing puzzle. I have seen others scoff at the idea....or downplay its importance.

Let me clarify my position:

The hardcore gamers tend to be the DM or players who have stuck with the game from 1st to 3rd edition. (No offense to any who don't EXACTLY fall within these parameters - your a hardcore gamer if you say you are )

I buy the most books by far within my group of players. At least 3 times as much, if not more. Why? Because I am the DM. Any of the stuff my players buy I already have. Why? Because I told them to buy it, or they knew it was good on my recommendation.

I never claimed that name recognition would be the "end all be all" marketing plan. It just helps quite a bit. If the talent that has left WOTC got together and formed a company.....they would probably be very stiff competition for WOTC.

I truly hope this happens. I would love to see a company kick Hasbro/WOTC in the teeth.

Thanks,

Taren Nighteyes

 

[RangerWickett]

Welp, then I guess it's time to start creating the 'backup' core rules. First things - fireball becomes 4th level, polymorph other becomes 6th level (since it's instant death), and we give harm a saving throw.

 

[Graf]

J. Tweet

Somebody said that there wasn't anybody at WotC whose name on the cover would cause them to buy a book.
(I realize this is more a thread about the people who have left and not about those who are left but anyway....)

J. Tweet is still at WotC. He doesn't have a web page or his own message boards (OK he does have a large, weird web page but its not about D&D) and the fan recognition that comes with that.

But he's been producing some remarkible stuff for eyars. Everway, Over the Edge, the PH and Chainmail. I have to admit I was more excited that he was making a new game than that it was D&D (OK that's not true. I was pretty excited about D&D but I was sure it would rock when I saw his name up first).

(I've never had the chance to play Chainmail and I know it was a bomb commerically but I'm sure that once you get away from spending hundreds of dollars on unpainted minis the -game- itself is fun).

[/tangent]