Scott_Rouse said:
Devyn,
As I tried to express in the acceptance speech at the awards, we made some decisions this year that were unpopular with our fan base so it was quite a surprise to win the award. In fact I thought Paizo and Green Ronin were a lock for Gold and Silver so I had never even considered the possiblity that I may need to make a speech. Needless to say, I was winging it up on stage and in less than "stay on message" fashion referred to these decisions as "dropping crap bombs" on the community. As it has now been reveled these decisions fit into our larger plan for 4e but this was not known when the voting closed and whether you think it was for good or for bad (I'll wager you feel the later). Our decisions were unpopular but I also think that there is a lot to be excited about with the announcement of 4e. Needless to say it was quite shocking to hear Peter Adkinson announce that WOTC had won.
Once again thank you. It is truly an honor to get a vote of confidence in a year of controversy.
Scott,
I do concur that 2007 may have been one of WotC's better years, and congratulations on the win. I didn't vote for you but congrats nonetheless.
You are right on target including me amongst your customers that are upset with a number of the decisions WotC has made. Just as an FYI ... the cornerstones of my gaming over the past 25+ years have been Dragon, Dungeon, and the first true campaign that I ever ran ... Grayhawk. Needless to say you won't be on my Christmas list this year.
Just so that we're clear, its not 4E that I am talking about, but almost everything else. As a long time gamer and D&D GM (25+ yrs currently GM'ing 3 full groups) I do feel that WotC is throwing out "the baby with the bath water" in their efforts to to maximize cash flow through the DDI and by making changes to the game that make it more attractive to MMORPG players. I'm part of one of the (many?) sections of your customer base that has been marginalized (and IMHO ignored) by the dramatic decisions that were made without player involvement, then the manner in which these changes were announced and then how WotC dealt with the customers afterwards.
You had previously made a statement on these boards (original DI Q & A done after the mags were canned) that I was the type of player & GM that you had identified as being your "target market" for the changes that were coming. You encouraged me to give you a chance and see what the results were going to be. I'm still working on my response to that promise, but I think its safe to say that WotC has no idea what my gamers and I are actually looking for when it comes to support from WotC, never mind a new edition.
But all of that can wait. For now, WotC has received a well deserved award, and has to deal with a rather rabid and divided customer base that is fighting it out on many gaming forums.
Best of Luck in your efforts.
By the way ... please try to stop using the term "meatspace" when describing the location where gamers actually gather around a table to play. Its not really a good term to use.
And 1 other thing ... I'm still trying to find out if the 3.5 errata that we've been promised going on 5 months ago is actually going to pan out. I doubt it very much, but am hoping to be surprised.
