Soon available to paint 4U

[patchmonkey]

I think someone, somewhere, in upper management, missed the boat one day at business school.

It doesn't matter how much you try to keep an eye on the bottom line or maximize stockholder wealth, there is no reason to lay off your design and marketing departments. I include marketing because marketing is intricately tied with design, and vice versa. You can't - because people won't buy what doesn't look good, do what it's supposed to do, and especially not if they don't know about it.

Good design is smart business. Bad design is dumb business. It seems to me that in a futile attempt to raise profits and maximize stockholder wealth, Hasbro has ended up creating a situation where neither one can be done anymore. By axing most of the WOTC staff, they're prolonging their own death - and destroying WOTC in the process.

I think, at this point, the best thing for most of the former WOTCers to do is work on their own - form a new gaming company, one whose goal is to produce good games and do good business - Hasbro has made it so the only goal of their companies is to turn a profit, with no holds barred.

 

[Lazarus Smith]

This is BullCrap!! (sorry Granny)

Todd DEFINED what 3E looks like. He created the Dragons in Dungeons and Dragons. He gave us the F'n Iconics, and this is how they pay him (and us) back?


ARGHHHH!!

Lazarus

 

[Nightfall]

Obviously someone missed the boat...Course so did the Sci-fi channel but that's another story Todd.

I hope you go with Hal. He's certainly love to have you!

 

[Darklance]

Dumb move WOTC....grrr....Your one of the best Todd.

 

[Regdar]

BAH BY THE GODS OF STUPIDITY! Todd gave Regdar his best look, he molded Regdar to what Regdar is today..... Bah Bull pucks!

You are the style of 3E.

 

[Khan the Warlord]

BAH BY THE GODS OF STUPIDITY! Todd gave Regdar his best look, he molded Regdar to what Regdar is today..... Bah Bull pucks!

You are the style of 3E.

ACK... that must seem really odd to have your own painting start talking to you.

Todd, you must be losing your mind and forcing us to live out your fantasy.

*Khan closes his eyes and disbelieves the talking iconic*

 

[Aaron L]

Todd, I'd just like to let you know that the elven chain you drew on Storm Silverhand in the FRCS is some of the coolest looking armor I have ever seen, and I have tried to copy it in some of my drawings. Good luck to you.

 

[Tewligan]

Huh. Y'know, maybe I just don't understand the mechanics of running a business - okay, I DEFINITELY don't understand. Anyway, I'm wondering where the hell WoTC's future product is going to come from, what with their practice of getting rid of such minor luxuries as a creative staff. I'm assuming that books don't magically write and illustrate themselves. Will all of their products eventually come from outside freelancers, rather than an in-house R&D department collaborating on things? I can't imagine this would do much good for the levels of consistency or quality between various supplements - weren't the 2E classbooks done that way?

In a perfect world, WoTC would take a big hit from this kind of thing as gamers spent their gaming budget on material from other d20 publishers based on known authors, rather than just buying official D&D stuff because it has the logo, regardless of quality. Mind you, I don't think it'll happen - I think the "Official" tag carries a lot more weight with the vast majority of gamers than the name of a particular author or artist. Oh, well...hmm, I seem to have gone into a minor sleepy tirade and veered off topic. Anyway, good luck, Mr. Lockwood - with your quality and reputation, I'm guessing you'll be in pretty high demand.

 

[orbitalfreak]

Another customer of WotC sad to see Todd Lockwood go. I believe that your works of art are the best in D&D. Though this is disappointing, I don't think that Mr. Lockwood will exactly have to beg for a job, seeing how prominent (and, better yet, GOOD) he is.

btw, any relation to famous photographer C. C. Lockwood ?

 

[William Ronald]

Todd, I am sorry that you and the other good people in the art department have lost their jobs. I hope that you and your colleagues will find work soon. (Okay, publishers, you have some GREAT talent to scoop up or use on a freelance basis. Time to start contacting them.)

I have enjoyed much of the look of 3E and must now wonder about how WoTC will ensure that its products will have quality art. Despite my efforts to be optimistic, I wonder where WoTC is going.

In ap revious thread, Chris Pramas said that WoTC had about 350 people before its layoff of 100 people. How many people are left now?

(Sigh, I go away for a few days and things hit the fan.)