When should we expect answers?

[Mouseferatu]

Understand, Banshee, it's not the expressions of frustration I take issue with.

(Well, it's not most of them. Some of them have gone so over the top as to be laughable, but they're the minority.)

It's specifically the attitude that WotC has somehow committed some great wrong by not answering questions sooner. Not that people wish they had--again, that's reasonable--but people claiming that somehow it's wrong/evil/improper for them not to have.

That's the aspect of this whole thing to which I object. (Or at least the one to to which I most strongly object.)

 

[caudor]

The ENWorld Ettin has finally chimed in:

Head One: The suspense is killing me. I'm going to keep hitting refresh until those answers from WotC are posted.

Head Two: Go back to sleep!

[EDIT] OK, I really am sleepy. Night all. Hitting the bed.

 

[D.Shaffer]

Nobody expects executives from a TV network to sign onto messageboards and explain why a show was canceled. Nobody expects the CEO of a major publisher to address the masses when they choose not to publish the newest book by Joe Author. Nobody assumes they have the right to know why a sports team traded Player Bob when everyone expected them to trade Player Marvin.

...You'd be surprised actually. Check any Transformers message board from around the time the first Movie designs showed up. Outrage and demands up the wazoo, all using similar language to what you see here. Remember when Farscape was cancelled? I can almost gaurentee you'd see similar reactions to what you just described.

 

[Khairn]

It's not unreasonable to want them. Heck, I want them myself.

It is unreasonable to expect them, and to hold it against the company when they're not forthcoming.

I suppose we'll just have to disagree.

As a consumer I have a basic service level that I expect from the companies I buy from. That very basic level includes respect for my opinion as a customer and a desire to both communicate and solve problems when they can.

Given the importance of the product WotC canceled to the gaming community, and the dramatic new direction they are forcing me to accept if I want to use their product in the future, I certainly do expect them to provide their customers with information. And as service is key part of any business transaction, it is absolutely appropriate to hold it against the company when they fail to meet minimum standards.

All this venting we have seen over the last 8 days, all the anger, and all the accusations are not a result of consumers acting out of line (although there has been some of that). Its a result of WotC not willing to communicate with their customers. There are so many simple and basic service practices that could have reduced a large amount of that anger. But WotC decided not to do them for whatever reason.

As long as WotC continues to avoid communicating with their customers, the responsibility for all this firestorm lies squarely with them.

 

[Maggan]

As long as WotC continues to avoid communicating with their customers, the responsibility for all this firestorm lies squarely with them.

In my opinion, the responsibility for how people behave lies squarely on every individual's shoulders.

WotC is not responsible for how we chose to act and express ourselves. That is something each and every one of us must stand for by ourselves.

/M

 

[Hjorimir]

I understand your point, Ari, but you have to consider the fact that while from the outside D&D is nothing more than a game, to most of us it is more of a hobby. A hobby we've spend hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on. We have stacks and stacks of books, which we poor over in agonizing detail. I guess what I'm saying is that there is a much bigger investment for most of us than people normally place in something like a TV show.

Do I think WotC owes me anything? Absolutely not. I do think, however, that their marketing team should have been better prepared for this situation knowing full well how some fans of the magazines would react. For them to allow this kind of negative publicity to run amok is nothing short of a professional blunder.

Personally, I would have advised them not to address the why and focus on the new. If they had released a preview of the amazing things to come it would have acted as a natural counterbalance to that which is going away and give the fans something to (possibly) be excited about.

So, in short, they need to give us something else to talk about.

 

[JVisgaitis]

Really, this has gotten way out of hand. I cannot think of any other entertainment industry where people have so much expectation of being told what's going on behind the scenes. Frankly, it's unreasonable.

Well Ryan Dancey, Monte Cook, and almost every other high level person that have been associated we D&D disagree with you so I'd say you are the minority. I feel like I'm owed some sort of roadmap/explanation. I can understand businesses making decisions like this, but if Wizards doesn't understand how rabid your fan base is and what they expect, they've already lost a ton of customers (for evidence I'd point to these forums).

Everyone always says how much Wizards puts into marketing and knows their customers and what they want. These changes certainly aren't indicative of that marketing expertise. Looks like someone needs to look over the data again to prevent something like this from happening in the future.

Don't get me wrong, I have high hopes for the Digital Initiative and hope it does well, but this move with Dragon and Dungeon reeks of the TSR of old, and frankly as a paying customer, I think that sucks.

 

[JVisgaitis]

It's specifically the attitude that WotC has somehow committed some great wrong by not answering questions sooner. Not that people wish they had--again, that's reasonable--but people claiming that somehow it's wrong/evil/improper for them not to have.

It IS improper or at least very daft of them. Right now they're on damage control. Any other industry that would have cancelled a TV series or something like this, you'd hear it from the horse's mouth. You'll get, something like:

"This is the last season of Battlestar Galactica. We've had a great run and the series has a lot of critical acclaim, but the ratings are down. We appreciate the fans for all the support through the years. Its been a great ride."

What do we get from Wizards? Nothing. We read an announcement from Paizo that says their license is cancelled. No reason why, no plans for the future. We read an announcement from Margaret Weis that says Dragonlance will not be renewed. No reason why, no plans for the future.

That's why people have such issues with this, and I don't blame them.

Then we get the design team at Wizards saying how cool Dragon and Dungeon were and that it doesn't matter that they are cancelled as "something cool is on the horizon." Oh boy! I'm so over joyed to know the future is bright. Whatever. If they would have announced that at the same time and detailed where they are going, we wouldn't have this mess. A lot of people would still be flipping out, but it wouldn't be nearly as bad as it is now.

 

[gizmo33]

Nobody expects executives from a TV network to sign onto messageboards and explain why a show was canceled.

Television is one of the lowest common denominators of entertainment and business. That's a bit like bringing the fast food industry's practices into a discussion of nutrition. My expectations haven't gotten that low yet.

Dragon magazine (and probably Dungeon too) has had a longer run than any TV show I can think of - by many orders of magnitude. I think The Dragon was probably being published before many people on this board were even born. IMO there's just nothing that comes even close for longevity in the TV industry of all places.

And there's another dimension to this - which is the participation level. RPGs are a hobby that (thankfully) demand a lot of effort from the participants. Many of us have invested huge amounts of time and energy into it's development. My friends play DnD as much, and probably more, because of the efforts of the DM and players involved in the game. Neither WotC, TSR, or any other company has come in and provided us with the game, only a portion. This makes us a lot more involved than the subdued masses watching the pretty colors on the screen.

It's jarring to see a part of the community, a presence that's been there for decades, yanked with a 3 paragraph explanation that says hardly anything.

Whether or not a company is required to be a certain way is a matter of law and that's not my issue. I'm a consumer, and I have the right to define the kind of relationship I'm looking for. The large corporate culture has not yet sufficiently bludgeoned my expectations down to the point that WotC should be taking it's cues from the lowest common denominator.

 

[Khairn]

In my opinion, the responsibility for how people behave lies squarely on every individual's shoulders.

WotC is not responsible for how we chose to act and express ourselves. That is something each and every one of us must stand for by ourselves.

/M

True. The level of my anger and the way in which I express it is my own responsibility. The reason why I am angry, the reason why it is still lingering despite an announcement over a week ago, and the continuing resentment I feel by by having my questions and concerns ignored IS the responsibility of WotC.

There are so many simple ways to defuse this week long firestorm that it still boggles my mind that WotC has done nothing. If any of the CSR's who report to me had shown a similar attitude towards one of our customers, they'd be on the street looking for another job.