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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Solvarn" data-source="post: 5380809" data-attributes="member: 59666">I really don't think it's fair to paint people who are voicing what are actually legitimate complaints as backwards grognards that don't "get it" and are standing in the way of progress. Wizards of the Coast does three things well: 1. Sell books2. Sell miniatures3. Sell cards  Everything else they have tried to do in regards to the D&D brand has been an ill-conceived, half-in half-out attempt to expand into other areas. Through incompetence and lack of thorough analysis has caused all of these efforts have either evaporated or fallen short of promises. Exhibits: a) Core rulebooks with pictures of vaporware in the back that has never appeared b) Reduced content in their e-zines c) Complete revision on the core framework of their software offering, which wasn't even finished to begin with d) Putting out an "upgrade" of their existing character builder with fewer features than the original product e) Two month blackout on character builder updates f) Packaging a choose your own adventure starter set into a box with vastly limited rules that was designed to create nostalgia with its old fanbase. Unfortunately this material was not only vastly incomplete compared to its predecessor, which they forced a comparison to by copying, but certain aspects of it were incompatible with rules publised less than two months later g) Complete inability to ever publish a single game day adventure without numerous editorial issues that require fixing Items a through e have to do with not properly understanding the scope or analyzing the issues inherent in an undertaking of this magnitude. This requires senior executive leadership to understand the importance of business analysis and project planning over short sighted and ill-conceived attempts to nickel and dime innovation. Item f could have been easily remedied with a little market research first. Something like plopping a prototype down at some Cons and asking how it compared to the previous Red Box should have at the very least illustrated it might be a good idea to just give it its own cover art, instead of heralding the return of the Mentzer box. Item g could be solved by circulating a PDF email throughout the WotC office with a $50 Olive Garden gift card to the person that finds the most editing errors with the game day module. I like the Essentials books, as a consumer I'll be focusing on those, because they are done very well, until the rest of the company catches up with the publishing. I don't think I'll have to wait long, but I'll definitely have to wait a little while at least it looks like.</blockquote>

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