Why Wizards Has Lost Touch w/ Its Base

[DevoutlyApathetic]

Edit: WoTC (prior to Hasbro) did allow the OGL, which means I get to play C&C, which means I'm a happy bunny. Plus I haven't heard of WotC-Hasbro launching a single frivolous copyright lawsuit, which as a lecturer in copyright law means a lot to me. So many companies' behaviour these days is absolutely disgusting; TSR's certainly was.

They don't have much of anything to go on with lawsuits do they? I'd think that the OGL pretty well crippled anything that Hasbro's attack lawyers would use to leverage things that aren't well registered IP (Illithids, Beholders and such.)

It's not like they can say "You used AC! We're coming for you!" anymore.

 

[EyeontheMountain]

Yeah, wizards really ticked me off with the Dungeon and Dragon thing.

Plus this ill-defined online 'subscription' stuff.

I'd really like a choice rather than take it or leave it online content. I did not subscribe to either magazine for years and jsut subscribed to Dungeon to getthe Savae Tides Adventure Path, and now it looks like I won't even get the last of that, at least in Duungeon form.

Big disappointment

 

[S'mon]

They don't have much of anything to go on with lawsuits do they? I'd think that the OGL pretty well crippled anything that Hasbro's attack lawyers would use to leverage things that aren't well registered IP (Illithids, Beholders and such.)

It's not like they can say "You used AC! We're coming for you!" anymore.

Precisely - the OGL kept the lawyers in check. Way too many companies set up an in-house legal department and end up launching frivolous & expensive lawsuits because the lawyers want to look like they're busy.

By the way the word Illithid would be trade-markable but mind flayers are not significantly copyright-protected (by WotC) because the idea was not original to Gygax/TSR, there's plenty of precedent in HPL and especially Brian Lumley, so I can use the basic idea as 'brain slayers' or whatever, no problem. By contrast, Beholder is a hard term to protect via TM but they do seem to be an original TSR/Gygax creation and some copyright protection might be possible, though any lawsuit would be risky unless the defendant had (a) copied an actual stat block/chunk of text - literal copying, or (b) signed up to the OGL, in which case a lawsuit would be contract not copyright based. That's how TSR nailed Mayfair - through contract law, not copyright.

 

[Nightfall]

Yeah, wizards really ticked me off with the Dungeon and Dragon thing.

Plus this ill-defined online 'subscription' stuff.

I'd really like a choice rather than take it or leave it online content. I did not subscribe to either magazine for years and jsut subscribed to Dungeon to getthe Savae Tides Adventure Path, and now it looks like I won't even get the last of that, at least in Duungeon form.

Big disappointment

They will finish Savage Tide, Eye. They have said that like...several times.

 

[Imruphel]

(snip) Lots of second-tier MBAs fresh out of b-school... (snip) Don't get me wrong an MBA and/or corporate experience is a great foundation, but WOTC needs a more diverse mix of industry people contribute to the decision making.

Two things:

- If you publicly slandered my professional abilities in the way you have just done to people at WotC that you don't even know I would destroy your life and career, assuming you had a career to destroy.

- Dear business guru, as you clearly know what WotC should be doing to once more become a corporate giant, would you please be so kind as to enlighten to rest of us about your extensive business background?

I'm not a fanboy, as such; I just think 12-year old kiddies shouldn't be allowed to slander people on messageboards. And an MBA of any sort is an achievement.

The test of whether or not WotC has lost touch with its base is its profits. Do we know what they are? The rumour is that last year was very successful. If that's correct then I would say that they're doing a great job connecting with their base.

 

[Nightfall]

Imp,

Yeah well that's last year. We'll see how this year turns out...

But I can understand your disgust with having 12 year olds bad mouth you. It's never fun.

 

[Steel_Wind]

I'll vouch for [D&D Brand Manager] Scott. He's a gamer.

Then shame on him.

 

[Steel_Wind]

I did not subscribe to either magazine for years and jsut subscribed to Dungeon to getthe Savae Tides Adventure Path, and now it looks like I won't even get the last of that, at least in Duungeon form.

Big disappointment

STAP's 12th installment is in #150 - the final issue of Dungeon.

 

[Crothian]

I imagine it is less that they have loss touch with their customer base as people around here realizing they are just no longer part of that customer base anymore.

 

[naturaltwenty]

All,

The core group of players is getting older, limited attraction to a younger crowd who has a shrinking attention span and more constraints on their entertainment dollar.

For those that play XBox or PS3 - do you feel that a game that doesn't have multi-player, online content is less of a game. I have a sense most younger gamers do.

Older players - do you MySpace for 2-3 hours a day or do any other social type of networking?

Will a 12-14 year old shell out 7 - 8 dollars a month for a paper product or would they pay 10-15 a month for an online community with content and the ability to play games?

From a tactical standpoint it's pure brilliance. Kill off all other competitors and outside content and make yourselves the one-and-only source for the game. The d20/OGL diluted the product line enough but produced a few companies that make better d20 products than Wizards does. Kill off the OGL by making the new edition non-OGL and you've cornered the market on D&D, which has not been the case since the OGL was released.

We paper gamers will still exist but it's a new age and Wizards is finally doing something about it.

Later,

Greg Volz