What do I want? An apology.

[ShinHakkaider]

I know that I've turned up at game sessions with hardcopies of information posted on the Wizards site. I don't know of anything that is going to stop me doing that with the Digital Initiative. (The first time I used the Redspawn Arcaniss, from MMIV, the book wasn't even out yet! - I'd downloaded the preview and printed it out.)

Cheers!

Which goes to the fact that there are many ways to utilize online content, not just "now to use it I have to bring my computer with me to the table". I'd written up a detailed post about this misconception and how I tend to use electronic content in different ways but realized that I should probably wait a few weeks to post it as emotions are still pretty raw around here.

 

[Storm Raven]

While I agree, I hope you're not implying that this action by WotC was shady, immoral or lacking in personal responsibility.

I wouldn't call WotC's action any of those things. I would call their handling of the cancelling of Dragon and Dungeon hamfisted, clumsy, and short-sighted. WotC seems to have developed a tin ear to a certain extent.

If they have anything to apologize for, it would be for those errors. Not for being shady, duplicitous, immoral, or anything else.

 

[Arnwyn]

Good luck with that apology thing.

Me, I'm waiting for the Texas Rangers to win the World Series.

Seeing what some people are waiting for, I don't feel so bad about waiting for the Jets to return to Winnipeg...

Which goes to the fact that there are many ways to utilize online content, not just "now to use it I have to bring my computer with me to the table". I'd written up a detailed post about this misconception

It's not a misconception. People have long since covered the 'having to print' inconvenience/problem already.

 

[Lockridge]

That won't happen, I'm sure, but if it ever did, I _might_ reconsider and go back to WotC. Until then, I'll stick with 3rd party material, and turn my back on the Wizards.

Don't say "stuck with 3rd party material." Some of the best talent is outside of WOTC. WOTC are very good at marketing to make consumers believe that WOTC is the name-brand choice - but that simply isn't true.

There are talented people in WOTC of course but I've found the 3rd party material to be much more imaginative.

I'd rather buy from an independant author or publisher who is allowed to spread his creative wings rather than a corporate talent who is pushing a particular product line.

Seriously, what would you rather buy, a product from Joe Designer, who self-published the 80 page adventure in X setting that was burning in his creative mind for the last year or would you like to buy a product, published by WOTC, written by the same Joe Designer, who upon explaining his idea to the corporate staff at WOTC, was told that they are only interested in making 30 page adventures that take place in Y setting because thats the flavor of the month - oh, and Joe, you only have three months to cut your ideas down and have it ready for publication.

Ok, I'm a little anti-corporate - I know. But if price is equal, I'd much rather have an original painting on my wall that reflects an artist's imagination and talent 100% rather than something that was painted in a day because that was the deadline and it has to be a fruit basket because those are good sellers.

Go imagination!

 

[Atavar]

An apology???

If WotC flat out told us one thing and did another with the magazines, then I could get behind calls for an apology and redress of grievances. Or if they took away something from me that was mine, or failed to give me something they owed me.

But guess what? Bottom line, WotC owes us nothing. They did nothing wrong. Cancelling the magazines was their decision to make. Just because you disagree with their decision, or how they went about announcing it, doesn't mean they have anything to apologize for.

I love both magazines, I will greatly miss both, I've signed up for Pathfinder, and I have no intention of getting WotC's Digital Initiative. I'm expressing my like/dislike with WotC's actions as everyone ultimately does--with my dollars. Time will tell if WotC's plans backfire in their face, or if they are on the verge of a sea-change in the RPG experience, but I suspect the truth will be somewhere in between.

In the mean time.... Get over it, people. It's a game. They are magazines. How about doing something constructive with your righteous indignation instead of pointless, professional-victim-esque calls for apologies.

Sincerely,

Atavar

 

[Kestrel]

Waste of energy

 

[Enforcer]

See, all this bloviation about digital that and times change the other and it'll be just as cool them ignores some very, very essential things about those creaky old print mags:

"Hey, do you remember DRAGON #72 when the introduced the Cavalier?"

versus

"Hey, do you remember DIGITAL INITIATIVE DIRECTIVE AT HTTP://WWW.WIZARDS.COM/?&ASP=3/QUERY="WIZARD"AND"SPELLS"NOT"MAGICMISSLE".HTM"

See, just lacks something. "Dragon #72." versus "Some page I saw on wizard's website."

Why can't the digital initiative articles have numbers assigned to them? Or just reference the specific article: the equivalent to saying, "hey, remember Dragon #72 with the Cavalier" would be "hey, remember the article with the Cavalier" and everyone will still know what you're talking about--they'll even be able to do a quick online search for it.

Showing up at the game with a copy of the magazine in your hand, everyone leaning 'round to have a look.

versus

Showing up at the game with your notebook, hey, I hope there's a WiFi hotspot near the store. Oh crap, there goes my battery, who's got an extension cord? Are we back up? Okay...dang this must be like 1mbit...this is taking forever to lo-oh, crap, there goes IE...hang on...shoot, took explorer down with it...let me reboot. Okay...anyway, uh, who's got the new minis pa-OK we're back up. Let me sign in. Oh dang it that IS SO my password. Stupid...let me ... okay, there...waiting...waiting. THERE! There it is! Yeah, that thing. Yeah. That's cool.

Unless Wizards of the Coast announces that part of the digital initiative will be to disable my printer, again I don't see how this is an issue.

Edit: I see both points by thedungeondelver as strawmen.

 

[Maggan]

Don't say "stuck with 3rd party material."

Well, he did say "stick with" and not "stuck with". So I'm sure he agrees with you fair points.

/M

 

[ShinHakkaider]

It's not a misconception. People have long since covered the 'having to print' inconvenience/problem already.

Yes that was anothere thing that I was going to address in my post.
IMHO, printing is only an issue if you have no or limited access to a printer at home. Then I can understand the printing issue.

For me, I have access to two printers at home (an HP LaserJet and an HP inkjet) and honestly the cost of printing was factored into the price of the toner, cartridges and paper that I bought. I buy the toner and cartridges so that I CAN print, WHAT i'm printing, in most cases, really isnt the issue. Especially if I'm printing a web page (not site, page) that I saved locally to my HD.

My apologies to the OP, I really don't want to derail this thread. Maybe I'll start a different one about this issue, but after some of the venom about WOTC's DI has died down a little.

I'm out.

 

[Henry]

OK, I see things getting heated in here, just like many of the other threads, so I'll post one warning: Let's tone down the outrage, both over the magazine issue, AND against the people upset over the magazine issue. We can talk without it, and I'd like to see us all continue to do so.

Thanks, everyone.