[Updated] Chris Sims & Jennifer Clarke Wilkes Let Go From WotC

The details are unclear, but D&D editor Chris Sims has reported that he is now in need of a job, and is willing to relocate. He was hired by WotC in 2005 after working for them as a freelance editor. Part of the D&D 5E launch, he was one of the editors for the Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide, and was responsible for stat block development in the Monster Manual. The reasons have not been revealed, nor is it clear whether he left or was laid off.

Whether this is an isolated thing or part of more layoffs if unclear right now. More if I hear anything! In the meantime, if you can hire an excellent writer and editor, please do!

For more on ex-WotC employees, please check my list here!

UPDATE: Jennifer Clarke Wilkes is also in the same boat. She has worked on both D&D as an editor and on Magic: the Gathering, and has been working for WotC for many years.

UPDATE 2: Chris Sims confirms here that he and Jennifer were both laid off.

 

[Laeknir]

Well, these programs are of varying kinds. Some offered free to stores some cost money to stores but are presented to the store as a marketing tool for them. Some go to GMs and players more directly and organize them for the stores. It's probably not best to think of it as the companies giving away free products.

Perhaps. I suppose it really comes down to whether or not it results in profit. I'm still not exactly convinced it wouldn't be better to just have your editors work on products that can sell widely, and be put into online stores like Paizo's and Amazon's. Being a niche community, advertising within gaming stores seems like a rather old model that is probably only reaching younger kids and people who have the time to sit and play in gaming stores and tournaments. I do think the strategy probably works well for cheaper card packs and figurines - but does it for items that cost $45 or more? I just don't see that.

If I do a Google-shopping or Amazon search for D&D adventures or sourcebooks to buy, it's certainly not going to show me any of those encounters and modules available only at the stores or tournaments... or if I do have good Google-fu, I'll end up seeing a lot of things I can't obtain. If I do the same thing looking for Paizo products, or Green Ronin, or even Iron Crown or whatever, I've got a ready-list to buy. Relying on mostly "niche within a niche" people to buy everything seems a lot like the comic book store model: get your regulars to buy every comic line, and have shelf boxes for their stuff. Seems to me that they could be targeting a much wider and larger group for sales.

 

[M.L. Martin]

Organized Play is a very popular and productive thing, but I think Laeknir has a point in that WotC seems to be putting almost all their eggs into that basket. Perhaps it's just my own tendency to really dislike 'exclusivity' or things that make it harder for people to acquire material.

I think the fact that so much of the company is built on Organized Play in other arenas is why they emphasize it so much for D&D.

 

[Anthony Terry]

I think the fact that so much of the company is built on Organized Play in other arenas is why they emphasize it so much for D&D.

This. At the end of the day Hasbos only remotely comparable product line is magic the gathering and a few other board games and the such, all of which are designed for and revolve around organised play and competition. They don't have the marketing departments to do it any other way, and see no reason to develop a better one for what is probably (I actually have no idea now perhaps some can chime in) still their least profitable product even with the launch of 5ED.

One of the staff memebers in this very thread was brought over from MTG and this is very common practise in large game companies, if only HASBO could realise the uniqness of dungeons and dragons, its not a competitive game, nor a game where large scale groups of people will ever play the same way. I can honestly say i have yet to meet 1 person that can even read the 5ED Players Handbook exactly the same as another, the same can not be said for the rules of MTG.

 

[Laeknir]

Organized Play is a very popular and productive thing, but I think Laeknir has a point in that WotC seems to be putting almost all their eggs into that basket. Perhaps it's just my own tendency to really dislike 'exclusivity' or things that make it harder for people to acquire material.

I think the fact that so much of the company is built on Organized Play in other arenas is why they emphasize it so much for D&D.

Yep, the "exclusivity" thing really kind of puzzles/irks me too. Back when they originally released Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle only as a GenCon exclusive, I kept wondering what was up with WotC such that they didn't want my money. Much later, now, it's available at d&dclassics, but it's old... they missed their window for me. Having all of these encounters adventures must take a great deal of time to develop and playtest before release to gaming stores, but I can't get those either without spending a lot of time hanging around gaming stores. It's one thing to be 35 years old and go with your kid once in a while to buy them something, but there's no way I'm going to go regularly. And 99% of my friends never go to gaming stores either - we just didn't, even in our twenties. But we played D&D and other things frequently.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Organized play is useless to me and my gaming group but if it does well for them that's great as long as its not the only focus.

 

[Grand DM]

The FLGS environment is really hit or miss in terms of plausibility for organized play. Most have a very established set of regulars which for good or bad form cliques making it hard for new gamers. Additionally as much as I hate stereotypes one socially awkward encounter at a FLGS with either the staff or some players will send a new customer away for good. Therefore the FLGS has a huge responsibility to make sure the former does not occur and the environment is welcoming to newbies.

The M:TG organized play model works because players have to purchase cards every release to stay tournament legal. WOTC basically created a perishable product which must constantly be renewed in order to stay relevant. I just don’t see that model viable when it comes to RPG games which are much more expensive and involved in terms of play.

 

[Gecko85]

The in-store games are going to be great for me soon. I bought my nephew the Starter Set for Christmas, but he has only one other friend interested in playing. So, I'll be bringing him (them?) to an in-store game. If they get really into it, hopefully they can convice another couple friends to play, then can start their own games as home.

But, I fully agree with others that all the adventures should be made available for purchase, even if it's only downloads. Once an in-store game (or convention game) is wrapped up, make it available online. They're no longer running Defiance in Phlan, for example, yet there's no way to legally acquire it for home play. That's just plain short-sighted.

 

[Anthony Terry]

The M:TG organized play model works because players have to purchase cards every release to stay tournament legal. WOTC basically created a perishable product which must constantly be renewed in order to stay relevant. I just don’t see that model viable when it comes to RPG games which are much more expensive and involved in terms of play.

And yet since leaving TSR, if not perhaps since 2 ED this is the exact model employed by the people behind Dungeons and Dragons. With the current hatred towards splat material there is a chance of a brief step away from this style with 5ed but i promise you it will just lead to a "5.5" type of scenario soon enough.

They do not understand what material it is they need to sell to gamers because in a RPG genre no two gamers will want the same thing. Their only way of remotley guarenteed revnue is by making more material required e.g more rules, 1 global setting and organised play forces both of these.

 

[Laeknir]

The FLGS environment is really hit or miss in terms of plausibility for organized play. Most have a very established set of regulars which for good or bad form cliques making it hard for new gamers. Additionally as much as I hate stereotypes one socially awkward encounter at a FLGS with either the staff or some players will send a new customer away for good. Therefore the FLGS has a huge responsibility to make sure the former does not occur and the environment is welcoming to newbies.

The M:TG organized play model works because players have to purchase cards every release to stay tournament legal. WOTC basically created a perishable product which must constantly be renewed in order to stay relevant. I just don’t see that model viable when it comes to RPG games which are much more expensive and involved in terms of play.

I hate pointing to stereotypes too, but that is exactly what happened with us. In our teens, we sometimes played at the gaming store. But running into a couple of those stereotypical socially awkward gamers pushed us away and we never looked back. Even watching the occasional "let's play" on youtube, there's enough social oddity there to keep me away. I'm not talking about generic nerdy types who show love for their hobby, but people who suddenly think you're their BFF because you showed up and then proceed to talk about how they've rolled up their favorite Japanese anime character in D&D and "not to worry" because they don't use their tentacles for ERP. Stuff like that makes me never want to go back.

 

[Morrus]

Does it actually work, though? Bringing someone into a store is all well and good, but there's no guarantee that they'll buy WotC products while they're there.

I assume so or they wouldn't keep doing it.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice and all to have a commitment to in-store gamers. I just don't see other companies having their editors spend a lot of time on materials that are going to be handed out for free.

Only a couple of companies could devote resources to bringing in new gamers.