Steve Jobs takes over as WotC CEO!

Kzach

Banned
Banned
Wouldn't that be great?

Seriously, say what you want about Apple and their products, you can't deny the genius behind the success of Apple: Steve Jobs.

He kicks arse and takes names. And I think that's what needs to be done at WotC. A little arse kicking.

Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't an anti-WotC rant, nor an anti-4e rant, this is simply a state of the union address. I see WotC on a slippery slope at the moment that reminds me of TSR circa 1990.

They seem to be making a lot of promises and delivering on very few of them.

The GSL, yet again delayed. DDI... will we ever see it? Advertising & marketing have been pretty damned spotty I would say. The less said about the website and Gleemax the better.

And then there's a lot of issues I've seen raised about the quality of the core books. Issues brought up by professionals who know what they're talking about. This despite promises that they were going to be utterly excellent and better than everything else before them.

I really like the new game. I think as a system there are very few flaws in it. I think they did a very good job on it. It might not be every person's cup of tea, but I honestly feel they've made a very good game.

But everything else seems to have been flumphed.

It reminds me of TSR because I remember a lot of gamers who were trying to be business-people. And failing. I remember a lot of business-people trying to be gamers. And failing. The whole mess ended up in TSR dying and WotC taking over.

It also reminds me of Apple circa 1997, just before Steve Jobs came back to the helm and turned the company around from a $12 share price to a current $172, and that after having been split, I think, four or five times now?

Some leadership in WotC, I think, really wouldn't go astray right now.
 

log in or register to remove this ad

No, that wouldn't be great. He is known as an intimidator and unfair. Perhaps a closer look at his management style would change your mind, or a ride in an elevator with him.
 

MarauderX said:
No, that wouldn't be great. He is known as an intimidator and unfair. Perhaps a closer look at his management style would change your mind, or a ride in an elevator with him.
I never said he was nice.

I said he was good at what he does.

And maybe there should be a few elevator rides over in Seattle.
 


Rechan said:
I would not enjoy seeing the "I'm A PC" "And I'm an NPC" commercials.

Are you kidding? That'd be hilarious! The PC would describe all the rules he has to follow, and the PC could talk about how the groovy exception-based design means he can ignore all the rules!
 

I don't want to pay twice the amount I pay now for my D&D books, and have them written so that they can't ever be used with 3rd party products. So, no thank you.

Or to be a bit more serious. I agree with the warning signs being there. Promises are made when it comes to website and the online content - and all too often they don't deliver. (Same situation, but worse, with MTG Online.) And there is an unnecessary amount of little annoying mistakes when it comes to quality control.

WotC clearly has a lot of great people working there, both when it comes to creativity and personality. Could it be that when a work environment is aimed at encouraging enthusiasm and creativity you risk sloppiness and missing deadlines? And that in a positive, encouraging environment, where you have fanatic strangers who will defend your every decision whatever you do, you might get a little lazy?

Still, books do come out when they should. With more mistakes than they should, but the quality is there in the ideas - which is what really matters. The main mistakes the D&D people are making now is that they keep promising stuff that they then don't deliver. A few less promises would lead to less frustration among the customers.
 

Khuxan said:
Are you kidding? That'd be hilarious! The PC would describe all the rules he has to follow, and the PC could talk about how the groovy exception-based design means he can ignore all the rules!
I just really despise those commercials. To me they come across as smarmy and condescending.

The single silver lining is that John Hodges is a good actor.
 

Introducing the iPlay ’08 Suite of applications from Apple.

First, we present “My Monster Manual”. You begin with a database of thousands of entries. Next, you choose which monsters you wish to have in your book. Information regarding monster ecologies, world-specific information, and player character racial traits may be included if desired. Then, simply select “Order” and your Monster Manual is printed and shipped to your door.

Next, using the videoconferencing engine from iChat, we present “iGamer”, the Virtual Tabletop for the rest of us. Utilizing the technologies behind QuickTime VR, iGamer presents a real-time three-dimensional interface, where your virtual miniature avatar or Minitar, is placed in a virtual world of the creator’s design. iGamer is compatible with landscapes designed in Bryce, Vue, and compatible rendering engines. Minitars may be imported from a host of compatible applications such as Poser and DAZ Studio and may be exported as avatars for use in Second Life. To enhance your gaming experience, GarageBand has been integrated into iGamer, for the inclusion of background music and sound effects. iGamer has been optimized for use with Apple’s upcoming product releases; a 3D mouse that we have dubbed the Flying Fox (a fruit-loving flying mouse), Stereoscopic Display, and Head-Mounted Display.

Moving on, we come to the new iTunes Gaming Store. Electronic files of current gaming books from Wizards of the Coast and participating third-party publishers, as well as digital magazines Dragon and Dungeon, are encoded with proprietary DRM protection and available for purchase. You may share these files with up to five friends who subscribe to our new Mobile Me service, which recently replaced .Mac.

Files created with iPlay ’08 have been optimized for viewing on the iPhone 3G and iPod Touch.

To enhance iPlay ’08, we have created a compilation including the iPlay Jam Pack, a section of sound effects and looping mood music for GarageBand, iPlay web templates for use in creating iWeb blogs, and iChat video effects including dungeon and tavern backgrounds. These limited-time releases are available to all Mobile Me subscribers.
 
Last edited:


Hmm, Steve Jobs takes over Wizards...goodbye OGL/GSL. D&D is a proprietary system that cannot be shared with anybody else. Because everyone else sucks and we are cool.

Books at $35 a pop is ridiculous. From now on, they will only be sold in glitzy Wizards stores for $70 a book.

You will all worship our every utterance. Obey me, my minions!
 

Pets & Sidekicks

Remove ads

Top