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Message: <blockquote data-quote="PurpleHazy" data-source="post: 9596992" data-attributes="member: 7044937">As a comparison, LEGO some years ago, conducted a survey/analysis on "Adult Friends of Lego" or "AFOL". The conclusion of their efforts was that AFOLs, while a small percentage of the total user population (~ 2-5% from memory), had an outsized impact on the economic success of any particular line and also Lego's bottom line. Again, from memory, the typical Lego user was a young person, typically male, aged 6-17 or so. These users could be expected to receive 2-3 sets per year (think birthday, holiday, perhaps another set along the way). This contributed perhaps $100-$150/yr. (more now) while the AFOL spending, on average, upwards of $2,000/yr. (so perhaps 15-20x buying power per capita) on new sets.   Ultimately, LEGO decided that AFOL's were an important segment of their customer base. This was the basis for some of the first LEGO mega-sets, think Star destroyer, or now LOTR sets). LEGO still employs an "AFOL ambassador" who coordinates and interacts with the various "Lego User Groups" or "LUG"s throughout the world. These groups provide feedback via regular surveys and interactions with the AFOL ambassador.  The embrace of the AFOL's helped in part to turn LEGO around and make it much more successful.The takeaway is that a similar, popular, and analogous product figured out years ago that their "grognards" had both economic and market (via their input) value.  WOTC could do this. And to be fair, WOTC has done this to some degree, and, while, not nearly as successful, has made some efforts to capitalize on this via alternative covers, larger collections, etc.  Beadle and Grimm have frankly capitalized on this more than WOTC (the economic aspect anyway).  WOTC would do well to continue to learn this lesson.Grognards need to continue to provide their input in ways that are ultimately productive. If you believe in something, you typically support it, as some say with your 'Time or your Treasure". Of the grognards that contribute, many do this well (as evidenced here and elsewhere on the interwebs). Those grognards that don't contribute well (e.g. gatekeeping, toxic, trolling) risk going the way of the dinosaurs and rightly so.btw - I'm Master grognard per the aforementioned scale.</blockquote>

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