Pathfinder 1E Paizo no longer publishing Dungeon and Dragon

[Kris]

Sad news indeed

A subscription to online only content (be it a monthly pdf or access to a specific section of a website) is really not for me, but it may be attractive to some folks - so it was definitely worth a shot by the WotC guys (I had no nothing against it - it just isn't my thing).

And I admit that I only own about 50 or so Dragon and Dungeon magazines in total - but it was nice to have the option of flicking though the pages in a store and seeing if it contained something of interest to me before purchasing.

So as far as I was concerned, this new online content that Wizards had hinted at was just adding more variety for people - which is never a bad thing. But now it would seem that it's going to be the new (official) online content or nothing - and that just plain stinks IMO.

To take a somewhat cynical view, it does seem that's WotC's main intention with cancelling the print versions of Dragon and Dungeon is to eliminate the competition for their new venture (which may seem a great idea for your average soulless business type... but perhaps not such a good move for the hobby in general).


And, maybe I'm missing something here... but this new online model that WotC is pushing is aimed at who exactly? I'm guessing the online D&D community? (is that a fair assumption?).

Hmmm... seems to me that the online D&D community seems largely against this move (well at least that's what I'm getting from the majority of posts on this and other message boards) - but maybe I'm mistaken.

 

[Telfarian]

Hello everyone, first post.

http://www.petitiononline.com/sdadm582/petition.html

If you want to do something, anything, to let WoC know how we feel, if you want to do what you can to save these magazines, please, sign this petition.

Thank you, we need your support.
-Telfarian

 

[blargney the second]

Hello everyone, first post.

http://www.petitiononline.com/sdadm582/petition.html

If you want to do something, anything, to let WoC know how we feel, if you want to do what you can to save these magazines, please, sign this petition.

Thank you, we need your support.
-Telfarian

Done. I don't know that it'll do anything, but it's worth a shot!

 

[Maggan]

I'm not saying boycott, but Enworld could:
1. Stop reporting news about Wizards on their front page.
2. Sell t-shirts saying "Wizards killed my hobby".
3. Organize a protest letters campaign directed for whoever took that stupid decision.

If EN World starts a vendetta against WotC, I'm out of here, and I won't look back.

I also think it would be a very, very, very, very bad move for EN World. I've seen a fan site go vendetta on another game company, and that site is now a hollow shell of what it once was.

Most people aren't attracted to large concentrations of negativity, and I think EN World should stay a positive force in gaming.

/M

 

[Tamarantha]

Petition signed. Does anyone think there is any chance that if we buy into the paid online subscription we'll get a ream of paper and a couple of ink cartriges?

 

[Arnwyn]

The claims of not liking online content, coming from people with 5000+ posts seems a bit [dis]ingenuous.

Really? So WotC's new digital initiative will be free, just like my 5000+ posts were? Hoody-hoo! Or could it be that you don't know what you're talking about?

Talk about being disingenuous.

The reality is that the vast majority of us buy our games (and interact with our community) online.
/snip/
Really? You think most D&D sales were through a physical book store, as opposed to online?

Really? So WotC's new digital initiative will still offer print products I can order? Hoody-hoo! Oh, wait. See above.

 

[Biohazard]

I'm not saying boycott, but Enworld could:

2. Sell t-shirts saying "Wizards killed my hobby".

Unless Wizards is sending shocktroopers to kick down your door and beat you and your gaming group with truncheons, it's a little silly to say they "killed" your hobby. Hell, even if they cancel D&D completely, you can still play the game to your heart's content.

3. Organize a protest letters campaign directed for whoever took that stupid decision.

Cool! Then we wouldn't have to waste our time participating in letter writing efforts for unimportant things like the situation in Darfur.

 

[TheLostSoul]

Yesterday was a great day... First I was called around noon and was told that my grandmother had died, and when I got home 12 hours later, I found out, that the Dungeon and Dragon Magazines has been mortually wounded. A sad day.

It looks as though WotC is consolidating its grip on the D&D property. First the withdrawal of the Ravenloft license and now the magazine licenses. When is Dragonlance withdrawn, then? Is this the preperations to the release of 4th edition and is it going to be electronical only?

I suspect that the market analysis that WotC has conducted does not represent the gamingcommunity at large. Most of my friends only rarely, if ever, visits WotC's homepage, relying on FLGS for purchases (if not filesharing, a huge problem in itself, and many of them doesn't seem to be aware of the damage they inflict) and will naturally not be taken into account in any marketing analysis based on WotC and affiliated websites. In my experience, this includes the vast majority of gamers. I might be wrong, but I doubt it

Personally, I do not want to pay for a Dragon or Dungeon like publication on WotC's homepage. I simply does not play enough D&D to even consider such an idea. The good thing about the magazines, is that I can browse them in the store and get an idea of how usefull they might be to me. I cannot do that with an online webservice, but that is naturally in the interest of the publisher. It is better for them that I buy it sight unseen. Digital information is also too easily lost and I cannot read it comfortably in the bed, on the train or when I am sitting on the toilet.

Sadly, I think this kind of marketing manipulation will only increase in the future. You conduct your marketing analysis among a group that you know will give you the answer your are looking for. Regardless if that group is representative of your consumers as a whole or not. Those who were not represented will most often just follow the company's new product, just because they are too loyal to move to a different product. This is well known. Sure, some will be very disgruntled and will complain, but that doesn't really matter, as they continue to buy their product. I also suspect that this might be one of the reasons that WotC rarely interacts with their consumers. As long as they keep buying, you are under no obligation to answer their critisism.

 

[amethal]

Cool! Then we wouldn't have to waste our time participating in letter writing efforts for unimportant things like the situation in Darfur.

There are more important things than the situation in Darfur.

Why are you wasting your time on Darfur when you should be concerned about the AIDS epidemic in Africa?

Or to put it another way, if we never do something because there is something more important to do, practically nothing will ever get done.

 

[merelycompetent]

If you subscribe, you not only get a physical copy of the book mailed to you, but you get a PDF version made available on paizo.com the same day for download.

Cake. Have it. Eat it too.

You just sold it to another customer. )

I'll certainly give it a try.