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non switchers: what can wotc do to win you back?
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<blockquote data-quote="El Mahdi" data-source="post: 4912568" data-attributes="member: 59506"><p> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">What can WotC do to get me to switch? - Nothing.</li> </ul><p>I won't switch to 4E simply because the system doesn't appeal to me. There's nothing WotC can do to persuade me as far as that is concerned. There's absolutely nothing wrong with 4E, and there are aspects of it I quite like (and have stolen for my own 3E games - <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />), but it's just not a game that, in it's entirety, is one I want to play. However, up until the pdf decision (the straw that broke this camels back), I did buy 4E products that I found useful. I cancelled my DDI subscription the day you pulled the pdf's, and I haven't bought a single WotC product since then (that includes Star Wars, Heroscape, etc. - <em>anything</em> produced by WotC).</p><p> </p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">What can WotC do to <em>win me back</em>?</li> </ul><p>Well, I think the first part is: <em>Can I be won back?</em> The answer is, Yes.</p><p> </p><p>Here's how: fix the things that made me leave in the first place. Surprisingly it's not 4E that drove me away. I buy stuff from all kinds of systems. Adventures are easily converted to any system, all that really matters is whether it has a good plot or hook. The system is completely interchangeable (IME). Campaign settings and all other "fluff" is also completely independent of system. I can easily seperate out incompatible mechanics. IMO the above covers about 75% of what is in any systems products, making them practically as useful to me as someone who does play 4E.</p><p> </p><p>I don't need, nor do I want, WotC to publish new material for older editions. Other companies have picked up that mantle quite effectively, and quite honestly, are probably doing it much better that WotC could if they were splitting their focus between multiple editions.</p><p> </p><p>I don't need, nor do I want, WotC to change their publishing model. Three and out is just fine with me for Campaign settings. <em>Dragon</em> content is more than adequate, and published adventures/<em>Dungeon</em> adventures are also good. I eventually purchased a DDI subscription after WotC finally (and grudginly, IMO) made the changes to the magazines that the customers (myself included) wanted. Again, I cancelled my DDI sub the day you pulled the pdf's.</p><p> </p><p>I don't need, nor do I want, WotC to open 4E up to the OGL. Anything I like from 4E I just convert for use with 3E anyways. The GSL does nothing to prevent this, so therefore, 4E not being OGL matters absolutely not at all to me.</p><p> </p><p>I don't need, nor do I want, WotC to publish 4E compatible variants. I honestly don't think it's feasable anyways. 4E just isn't as condusive to such endeavors as other editions are. IMO this would just be a waste of time. Besides, if it could be effectively done, this is better left in the arena of 3pp's.</p><p> </p><p>I don't need WotC to, nor care if they do, publish a 4.5E or even a 5E. If the things I list below are done, I'll buy any product you make, regardless of system, if I find it useful or interesting to me or my game - period.</p><p> </p><p>I don't need WotC to publish or update any campaign settings in order to win me back. But, if you do the things listed below, I'd more than likely buy any settings you do publish or update. I'm just that way.<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f631.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":o" title="Eek! :o" data-smilie="9"data-shortname=":o" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So, I think in order to understand how to win me back, they need to first understand how they lost me.</p><p> </p><p>They lost me through abysmal customer and public relations.</p><p> </p><p>You can't tell your fans/customers: <em>"Trust us. We know better what you want, and you don't really want what you are asking for."</em> (*paraphrased ala the requests for a campaign overview of the <em>Scales of War</em> AP and other issues concerning <em>Dragon</em>, <em>Dungeon</em>, and DDI in general.)</p><p> </p><p>You can't promise products and features 6 months to a year prior to the release of the products, and then not deliver them (and still haven't delivered them over a year after the release date<img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/erm.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":erm:" title="Erm :erm:" data-shortname=":erm:" />). I know they changed their focus on DDI products based on polls taken at WotC website. But, those polls came after the majority of their customer relations debacles, and after they had already lost customers. The majority of the people taking those polls are people who had remained as WotC customers, not the people who they had lost. Get enough people to leave, and those remaining will probably agree with most anything you do (since they already agreed with you in the first place).</p><p> </p><p>And finally, the kicker for me: They stopped selling pdf's of their products. The only persons hurt by this were legitimite and honest customers. It does not help WotC (there's no way anyone can honestly say WotC saved more revenue by not selling pdf's than what they lost - or percieved as lost - through piracy). It does not hurt pirates. <em>It only hurts customers.</em> Hurting your customers is just plain stupid. There's no avoiding that.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So, what does WotC need to do?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><p>This: <ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Make a public statement saying they've made major mistakes since the moment 4E was released. Mistakes in how they managed their products (DDI), and especially in how they have treated their customers/fans. They need to apologize for this and make a commitment to fixing those problems and not repeating them. And this statement needs to come from someone high up in the chain. Preferably, the president/CEO/guy-in-charge of WotC. Do not delegate this to Scott again. Scott did not make these mistakes, stop making him try to fix them.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Get your collective Public Relations crap together. Seriously look at your behavior and interaction with your customers/fans over the last year, and then seriously change your attitude. If your company vision or mission statement doesn't first and foremost say: <em>"The Customer is <strong>ALWAYS</strong> Right!"</em>, then correct it post haste.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><em>Make a plan ... and publicly release said plan ... with a timeline</em>, of how and when you will be finishing and releasing the <em>Character Visualizer</em>, the <em>Dungeon Creator</em>, and the <em>Virtual Game Table</em>. Do this <em>Yesterday</em>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Make pdf's available again on RPGNow and Paizo <strong><em>IMMEDIATELY!</em></strong> It makes absolutely no sense to not sell these <em>even if they are being pirated</em>. Keep working on another way to sell them securely, but in the meantime, make them available immediately! At the very least, make older edition material available again. The pdf's have been available for years. It cost you virtually nothing to keep these available. Anyone who is willing to aquire these by illegitimate means, <em><strong>ALREADY HAS!</strong></em> The only people hurt by this are fans of older editions who want to aquire them legally. If one of the reasons they were removed was to eliminate competition with 4E from older edtion products (although I don't think this is the case), I can't imagine you've gained any customers for 4E by doing this. In my case, you lost a customer.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Make the above changes and post them on your website and every major D&D/RPG fansite, with the aforementioned apology, so that every customer you lost can see it, and you may stand a decent chance of getting them back. I know if the above happened, I would come back. I'd re-subscribe to DDI the very same day, and I'd once again purchase 4E products. And please do all of this before the <em>Dragonlance</em> campaign setting comes out next year.<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> I <em><strong>SO</strong></em> want to see an updated <em>Dragonlance</em>.<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin :D" data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /> But, I will continue to not buy any WotC products until the above happens. If it doesn't, then so be it - It was nice knowing you WotC.</li> </ol></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="El Mahdi, post: 4912568, member: 59506"] [LIST] [*]What can WotC do to get me to switch? - Nothing. [/LIST]I won't switch to 4E simply because the system doesn't appeal to me. There's nothing WotC can do to persuade me as far as that is concerned. There's absolutely nothing wrong with 4E, and there are aspects of it I quite like (and have stolen for my own 3E games - :)), but it's just not a game that, in it's entirety, is one I want to play. However, up until the pdf decision (the straw that broke this camels back), I did buy 4E products that I found useful. I cancelled my DDI subscription the day you pulled the pdf's, and I haven't bought a single WotC product since then (that includes Star Wars, Heroscape, etc. - [I]anything[/I] produced by WotC). [LIST] [*]What can WotC do to [I]win me back[/I]? [/LIST]Well, I think the first part is: [I]Can I be won back?[/I] The answer is, Yes. Here's how: fix the things that made me leave in the first place. Surprisingly it's not 4E that drove me away. I buy stuff from all kinds of systems. Adventures are easily converted to any system, all that really matters is whether it has a good plot or hook. The system is completely interchangeable (IME). Campaign settings and all other "fluff" is also completely independent of system. I can easily seperate out incompatible mechanics. IMO the above covers about 75% of what is in any systems products, making them practically as useful to me as someone who does play 4E. I don't need, nor do I want, WotC to publish new material for older editions. Other companies have picked up that mantle quite effectively, and quite honestly, are probably doing it much better that WotC could if they were splitting their focus between multiple editions. I don't need, nor do I want, WotC to change their publishing model. Three and out is just fine with me for Campaign settings. [I]Dragon[/I] content is more than adequate, and published adventures/[I]Dungeon[/I] adventures are also good. I eventually purchased a DDI subscription after WotC finally (and grudginly, IMO) made the changes to the magazines that the customers (myself included) wanted. Again, I cancelled my DDI sub the day you pulled the pdf's. I don't need, nor do I want, WotC to open 4E up to the OGL. Anything I like from 4E I just convert for use with 3E anyways. The GSL does nothing to prevent this, so therefore, 4E not being OGL matters absolutely not at all to me. I don't need, nor do I want, WotC to publish 4E compatible variants. I honestly don't think it's feasable anyways. 4E just isn't as condusive to such endeavors as other editions are. IMO this would just be a waste of time. Besides, if it could be effectively done, this is better left in the arena of 3pp's. I don't need WotC to, nor care if they do, publish a 4.5E or even a 5E. If the things I list below are done, I'll buy any product you make, regardless of system, if I find it useful or interesting to me or my game - period. I don't need WotC to publish or update any campaign settings in order to win me back. But, if you do the things listed below, I'd more than likely buy any settings you do publish or update. I'm just that way.:o So, I think in order to understand how to win me back, they need to first understand how they lost me. They lost me through abysmal customer and public relations. You can't tell your fans/customers: [I]"Trust us. We know better what you want, and you don't really want what you are asking for."[/I] (*paraphrased ala the requests for a campaign overview of the [I]Scales of War[/I] AP and other issues concerning [I]Dragon[/I], [I]Dungeon[/I], and DDI in general.) You can't promise products and features 6 months to a year prior to the release of the products, and then not deliver them (and still haven't delivered them over a year after the release date:erm:). I know they changed their focus on DDI products based on polls taken at WotC website. But, those polls came after the majority of their customer relations debacles, and after they had already lost customers. The majority of the people taking those polls are people who had remained as WotC customers, not the people who they had lost. Get enough people to leave, and those remaining will probably agree with most anything you do (since they already agreed with you in the first place). And finally, the kicker for me: They stopped selling pdf's of their products. The only persons hurt by this were legitimite and honest customers. It does not help WotC (there's no way anyone can honestly say WotC saved more revenue by not selling pdf's than what they lost - or percieved as lost - through piracy). It does not hurt pirates. [I]It only hurts customers.[/I] Hurting your customers is just plain stupid. There's no avoiding that. So, what does WotC need to do? This:[LIST=1] [*]Make a public statement saying they've made major mistakes since the moment 4E was released. Mistakes in how they managed their products (DDI), and especially in how they have treated their customers/fans. They need to apologize for this and make a commitment to fixing those problems and not repeating them. And this statement needs to come from someone high up in the chain. Preferably, the president/CEO/guy-in-charge of WotC. Do not delegate this to Scott again. Scott did not make these mistakes, stop making him try to fix them. [*]Get your collective Public Relations crap together. Seriously look at your behavior and interaction with your customers/fans over the last year, and then seriously change your attitude. If your company vision or mission statement doesn't first and foremost say: [I]"The Customer is [B]ALWAYS[/B] Right!"[/I], then correct it post haste. [*][I]Make a plan ... and publicly release said plan ... with a timeline[/I], of how and when you will be finishing and releasing the [I]Character Visualizer[/I], the [I]Dungeon Creator[/I], and the [I]Virtual Game Table[/I]. Do this [I]Yesterday[/I]. [*]Make pdf's available again on RPGNow and Paizo [B][I]IMMEDIATELY![/I][/B] It makes absolutely no sense to not sell these [I]even if they are being pirated[/I]. Keep working on another way to sell them securely, but in the meantime, make them available immediately! At the very least, make older edition material available again. The pdf's have been available for years. It cost you virtually nothing to keep these available. Anyone who is willing to aquire these by illegitimate means, [I][B]ALREADY HAS![/B][/I] The only people hurt by this are fans of older editions who want to aquire them legally. If one of the reasons they were removed was to eliminate competition with 4E from older edtion products (although I don't think this is the case), I can't imagine you've gained any customers for 4E by doing this. In my case, you lost a customer. [*]Make the above changes and post them on your website and every major D&D/RPG fansite, with the aforementioned apology, so that every customer you lost can see it, and you may stand a decent chance of getting them back. I know if the above happened, I would come back. I'd re-subscribe to DDI the very same day, and I'd once again purchase 4E products. And please do all of this before the [I]Dragonlance[/I] campaign setting comes out next year.:) I [I][B]SO[/B][/I] want to see an updated [I]Dragonlance[/I].:D But, I will continue to not buy any WotC products until the above happens. If it doesn't, then so be it - It was nice knowing you WotC. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]
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