The 3 reasons why I am done with WotC

[Imaro]

Just throwing a quick thought out there before I go to brunch...

WotC has effectively stopped Dungeon for competing with them on a level for their online materials, why is this a bad thing/?

Competitition inherently breeds a need to increase and maintain quality. Without alternatives to what's offered one really has no "inherent" reason to push for better levels of quality. In my mind both being around would have been the best option as far as the actual consumer was concerned, thus I take offense at the way WotC decided to "promote" their option. In other words...our stuff or no stuff.

My second concern is what reason do they have to actually put "the best" content online? Why not take the best and produce either a full fledged adventure(for around $20) or a sourcebook($30 to $35). With a subscription set up there really isn't one, your getting the money from both either way. This IMHO is the "profit" route and I can respect it from a business perspective...but guess what? I have no stock in Wotc and I am a consumer, I want what's best for me and that isn't their gameplan.

 

[Greg K]

Eh I'll give you Mike and Ari along with Keith. But I'm no fan of Matt's. Sorry. But we'll see. But it's the bugs that, like you, have me believing otherwise.

The last thing that I liked of Mike's was Book of Iron Might. Since then, of the four, I have only been a fan of Ari.

 

[Michael Morris]

Enworld has spell check.

No, Firefox has a spell checker (as do a few other browsers). It is not a feature of the boards themselves.

 

[TheYeti1775]

*snip*
initial anger will soon fade
*snip*

Actually it will revive again when all those who are not online like most of us get their next issues. Cause honestly until I moved to the DC area, I didn't really come online that much for my gaming stuff. Yet I would pick up the Dragon with spare cash from the book store. Got up here and started subscribing and participating on the boards.

This is my first real response in a few days, no I didn't suffer any of the bans flying around, just been busy enough to stay away.

Will I stay away from WOTC products, not right away.
In fact I will increase a few purchases because it does have that 4E feel to it all.
Also, there is the fact I do love mini's and so does my son. (He likes the Star Wars ones.) So I'm not going to ruin his fun over my 'anger' at WOTC.

Now having thought about it some, I will be willing to judge it when it comes forth with this Digital Initiative. But if it doesn't allow to save it (i.e. PDF's) or if I only want a month's worth and it won't let me access what I already have seen/paid for it won't be for me. Each of us knows how froggy the WOTC web can be.

Morrus is putting together a thread of questions for WOTC, I really would like to see them answered. But if it is nothing more than a corporate line of responses, I think it will do nothing but rile us all the more.

If all of you want to shake things up, instead of boycotts (even though I did say I would consider one), go and spend $30-40 depending on the opening price and buy one share of Hasbro Stock. Then the big wigs take notice when you as a person with money invested start letter writing. Heck even more notice if we all bought one share, and signed a proxy vote to someone representing EnWorld.

Now as far as my buying habits, well they might fall off somewhat except for minis (its my crack). But having thought it through I will give them all the rope needed to make their own noose and prove to me it is something worthwhile.

Things they need to remember the below is the case for a good many groups out there:
No Laptop at Gaming Table.
No Infinite Source of Printer Ink & Paper
Love the ability to pass it around the group for others to preview it.

Well I've rambled enough time for dinner.
Yeti

 

[WizarDru]

Competitition inherently breeds a need to increase and maintain quality. Without alternatives to what's offered one really has no "inherent" reason to push for better levels of quality. In my mind both being around would have been the best option as far as the actual consumer was concerned, thus I take offense at the way WotC decided to "promote" their option. In other words...our stuff or no stuff.

How is that different from the print magazines, though? Your argument assumes that WotC should want to compete with itself, which is what maintaining the print magazines would clearly do. They don't want to cannibalize their business, any more than they wanted Dragon publishing adventures or Dungeon publishing player options. Previously, it wasn't an issue because the WotC site was updated only periodically, and with content that would be considered slight by comparison with the print magazines. If WotC intends to radically beef up the online offerings and charge for it, then it only stands to reason that they don't want their other publications to compete with their existing customers. Just ask Microsoft Xbox and Gamecube owners what Microsoft and Nintendo think of supporting their old systems, for example.

If the online model works, then WotC's competition is going to come from the Necromancers and Green Ronins of the world, not from their own licensees. Hell, they have competition from groups like SJ Game's Pyramid and free websites like ENWorld, RPGenius and the online SRDs as much as anyone else.

The only way to convince WotC that they've made a misstep is to vote with your dollars.

Actually it will revive again when all those who are not online like most of us get their next issues.

Well, I meant in general (over the next few months), not just this week. Many genre fans (and I don't just mean gamers) tend to be very vocal over this displeasure at certain things...but then send a mixed message by patronizing the offending parties anyway. You can complain about how you didn't like the movie, but then don't go see it twice. You can say the show sucks and that it's jumped the shark, but then don't keep watching it every week...because the ratings don't reflect your mood when watching, just that you watched. Paizo changed their magazines to match demand and refined it based on the sales response. That's the thing that will matter to WotC.