Why Wizards Has Lost Touch w/ Its Base

[Vigilance]

No. They are not.

A bank is in the business of "making money". WotC is in the hobby games business, to be carried on with a view to being profitable.

It is a distinction with a difference. One of those businesses is saddled with a great deal more goodwill and emotional involvment in a product line than the other. And with that benefit comes burdens.

Welcome to the burdens of consumer affection and goodwill.

As for "just changing the way the publish their magazines"... what are you smoking?

They cancelled the magazines because they were too good a value. Whatever model is given to us now - it's not going to be the physical product I first bought in 1979 and to which I have a deep and abiding attachment.

No big deal? To you, maybe.

They're changing the way they publish their magazines.

I stand by that.

They're going to a digital format.

You know for a fact they did this because Dungeon was "too good a value"?

Do you have a secret source inside WOTC?

You a mind-reader or something?

Look, I realize you guys were really having fun bashing them, and that I've intruded on your fun by stating some reasonable truths.

But there are many, many more D&D players in the active player base than there were Dungeon subscribers.

It makes sense, to me, for Wizards to try and reach them.

It also makes sense, to me, for Wizards to go digital rather than dead tree.

I'm sorry they kicked your dog or whatever you think they did.

But they aren't emotionless money-grubbers. It's a logical decision.

 

[TheYeti1775]

*Snip*

Why do so many adult gamers complain about needing a credit card? I never hear "normal" people complain about needing a credit card...

I can answer that for you.
A good many don't have one.
I went from age 25 - 31 without one. Heck for 3 of those years I was totally off the grid finicially after I cashed my HARD PAYROLL check. Paid everything in cash and got out of debt.

Yeti

 

[Belen]

No, they are not cancelling them. They're going to try a different format, a digital one.

And the level of vitriol in this thread is really getting old. Im getting tired of people just throwing out insults.

They killed and raped (in that order) your childhood.

I get it.

Ever been to Circvs Maximvs? I can respond to you there in the manner in which you deserve.

 

[TheYeti1775]

I hate to say it, but referencing Logan's Run pretty much guarantees that you're not in their target market anymore.

Pretty crazy considering I'm only 32.

The question I have to ask though, what exactly is their wanted base?

 

[SavageRobby]

Or maybe it speaks volumes about the intensity of the mindless vitriol being spewed in some of these threads?

I'm not sure where your apparent need to kiss up to Wizards comes from, and frankly, I don't care. Don't mistake mindless for emotional. Even though its been years since I regularly read Dragon magazine, its cancellation has put me in a strange funk. For the past 27+ years, it has been part of the fabric of gaming for me.


As for Wizards ...

Axing the two magazines is one thing. I think its a poor business decision (as do many others, judging by the responses), but I can almost understand it from a purely bean counter point of view. I don't like it (and I'm very likely to show that feeling with my wallet), but I can accept it for what it is.

What demonstrates a total lack of regard for their customers - and to me, a total lack of character - is their horrid execution in delivering that news, and their utter failure to be accessible, answer questions, provide insight or remotely address their customer concerns at all.

Paizo is doing a nice job with the transition. "Here's the bad news, here's what we 're doing in response to fill the void, we hope you'll like it." Yes, its a little easier for them, since they're the jilted party and get the sympathy pass. Character is what you do when things are hard. And Wizards has done .... squat.

 

[Belen]

I'm not sure where your apparent need to kiss up to Wizards comes from, and frankly, I don't care. Don't mistake mindless for emotional. Even though its been years since I regularly read Dragon magazine, its cancellation has put me in a strange funk. For the past 27+ years, it has been part of the fabric of gaming for me.

His ENWorld BS is legendary. In any event, I am done with the topic. Wizards deserves no more of my time.

 

[Desdichado]

I'm not going to give people who make a business decision premised upon cancelling a 30+ year old tradition that they perceive is too good a value - and is preventing them from picking the pockets of even MORE money from fans than ever before.

Hold on their pal. Nobody's "picking anyone's pockets." They're changing formats for distribution of monthly D&D related content to one you don't like and you don't think is a good value; that isn't "picking your pocket" as you can always easily choose not to be a consumer here.

I take it you think this is all "just business", right?

Wrong. Dead frickin wrong. This is not "just business" - this concerns a deep and abiding passion for a hobby that is part of our lives and the fabric of who we are.

Uh... no. You're the one who's dead. frickin. wrong. D&D is just a business, and y'know what? It was back in the days of Gary Gygax too, if you ever bother to read some of his reminiscenses of those days.

If that does not appear on a balance sheet for you - the look under the asset column under "goodwill". It's called trading upon a relationship and a deep and abiding affection that hundreds of thousands of customers have for a product line that the present powers that be had nothing to do with building or maintaining.

You might want to check a source for those numbers before blithely popping them off. Hundreds of thousands? Best estimates I've seen are that Dragon and Dungeon customers are a tiny fraction of the D&D player base. Not only that, it's a tiny fraction that's going to another company who pays a (relatively speaking) insubstantial license fee, if anything, in terms of revenue to WotC.

I'm not terribly thrilled by this change either, but honestly--I can see why WotC wants in on the action, especially if they think they have a business model that's relatively low cost where almost any revenue at all is "free" revenue.

So you know what? Stop apologizing for people who treat their customers like , and put no value upon the traditions and expectations of gamers. If you won't do that, then don't expect people to back off just because you don't give a rat's ass.

Forget it pal. I'm in no mood for your spineless apologia.

And I'm not in the mood for your mindless ranting. Either learn at least a token something about what the you're talking about or shut up.

 

[Ourph]

I think it's kind of funny that people are suggesting the gaming populations represented by the people on ENWorld and the Wizards messageboards aren't indicative of the majority of gamers. It's entirely possible that they are not. However, it seems to me that they are absolutely representative of the majority of the gaming population that are most involved in getting their gaming resources from the internet.

If Mr. Rounser is depending on the gaming population that makes frequent use of internet resources to act as a customer base for WotC's new e-content model it seems to me that he may have a very unpleasant fall of 2007 based on the reaction so far.

 

[Desdichado]

If Mr. Rounser is depending on the gaming population that makes frequent use of internet resources to act as a customer base for WotC's new e-content model it seems to me they may have a very unpleasant fall of 2007 based on the reaction so far.

A couple hundred or so tops very vocal whiners does not a grass roots boycott make. I think you're very much overestimating how "the general gaming population" is affected by this news, as well as their attitude in regards to it.

 

[Presto2112]

Thanks, Charles. I am really upset about this, but do appreciate you giving your perspective on things. At least it helps a little to make this all a little more palatable. For me at least this would be the equivalent of Harley Davidson changing their iconic motor sound that of a put-put moped. If WOTC would just be willing to have a dialogue or a better explanation of things, instead of one quote in a press release, it would probably help people to feel a lot better about this.

No! No calming down! More rage! MORE RAGE!!!