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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Sigil" data-source="post: 378136" data-attributes="member: 2013">Re: Re: The term "Crunchy" and Dragon - where do we go from here?Hmm... disappointing since I really don't have a hatred of WotC.  I guess I have high expectations because I have seen what they did to D&D and I really like it.  Then I see them make decisions that IMO sabotage the good that they have done and I want to cry out, "why are you ruining the beautiful piece of work that you created?"  I guess it's kind of like Star Wars - fans love George Lucas for the original trilogy, and are disappointed that the latest one is not living up to their expectations.  I don't hate WotC - and I love some of the stuff they've done - I am just disappointed that they don't seem to continue to want to have that same genius.Perhaps you refer to my "MM2/WotC violates the OGL" thread.  While perhaps I overreacted on one of my two points, the fact that it took Clark himself chiming in to explain how the second point was not violated - and that even now, people are not fully convinced that WotC did it the right way - tells me that the thread was not totally off-base.Or perhaps you refer to me asking WotC repeatedly, "why aren't you at least putting the format for Dieties/Strongholds/etc. in the SRD so that other d20 companies can publish compatible material?"  How exactly does that display a hatred of WotC?  To me it says, "hey this is good stuff, why not let everyone else support it?"  IOW, "hey, I like what you're writing, do you mind sharing?"I have strong opinions, and I'm not afraid to voice them, but I also put my money where my mouth is.  And I also am willing to change my mind if someone can point out where I've erred - and that does occur from time to time.  But unless I state my point of view, how is someone else going to know where I went wrong and how to correct me?I did not do a scientific sampling of all Dragon readers.  What I have done is observed these boards for the better part of a year and watched the negative reaction to themed issues.  While each issue has had its supporters, the ratio of those disappointed with a given issue of Dragon to those enjoying it seems to run between 2:1 and 3:1.  That is admittedly not a scientific sampling, since I am using a sample derived from these boards, but the only alternative is the WotC boards, where I expect the sample will include a disproportionate number of "fanboys" and "trolls" both.Well, that is wonderful.  I'm not being sarcastic - I am glad Dragon is servicing the needs of some of its subscribers/fanbase (I am going to presume that there are others like you, just as I presume there are others like me).  But here's the rub - you yourself describe it as "not the best thing I've ever read" but "consistently useful enough" for me.I guess this goes back to the expectations thing - I don't expect it to be the best thing I've ever read, but do I expect it to be "on par some of the best RPG-writing I've ever read."  I expect Dragon to earn an "A," not a "C."  For me, right now, Dragon is about a "C-" and I expect better from it.  That doesn't mean it's bad, it just means it's not living up to its potential.No, I'm not the Voice - and I recognize that - but again, I have seen enough worry about the direction of Dragon on these boards that I know I'm certainly not alone.  I don't think there really CAN be a "Voice of the Gaming Community" - we're too diverse a lot.Now, my formula may not be what you want.  Maybe Dragon is "A" material to you.  If so, that's a good thing, and you should let them know, just as I'm letting them know that their grade, which was an "A" back in the 270's, has been steadily slipping ever since.  And maybe it's okay for Dragon to put out "C" material for some people - it isn't for me.  What I am offering here is what I think Dragon needs to do to put out "A" material.  The number of responses for and against my solution should help people figure out how well my proposed solution might actualy be received.  I haven't bothered to count myself, but perhaps a poll is in order... I just want to use this to figure out what options should be on the poll first.Even such a poll would only be pseudo-scientific, but it's a start.--The Sigil</blockquote>

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