Wizards' Online Presence - a personal view

[Aeolius]

...Thats like saying books are dead.

"It's a book. It's a non-volatile storage medium. It's very rare. You should 'ave one." - Blank Reg

 

[Maldin]

But I'm still pretty sure WotC is evil. It is, after all, a corporation.

I knew it!!! "They" were right!
I bet part of your job interview involved stealing candy from children, too.

Now, having my suspicions confirmed, I shall slam (and bar) the bronze portal to my evil ivory tower and retreat up the long spiral staircase, past the electrical-sparking Frankensteinian widgets to my reputedly plush clock-tower (because we all know that intellectual institutions are almost as evil as corporations), comfortable in my world view. After all, it'll be a toss-up (corporations vs. universities) as to who gets shoved against the wall and shot first when the revolution comes.

Denis, aka "Maldin"... who does periodically twirl his moustache
Maldin's Greyhawk http://melkot.com

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

Ziggurat con, the first ever game convention in a war zone.

There's bragging rights right there.

Gamer #1: "I went to GenCon! We fought traffic, we had problems with the hotel room, I'm telling you, it was the toughest con ever."

Gamer #2: "I went to Ziggurat. We got ambushed twice, once on the way there, once on the way back, that's where I got this cool scar on my forearm."

Gamer #1:

 

[Scott_Rouse]

There's bragging rights right there.

Gamer #1: "I went to GenCon! We fought traffic, we had problems with the hotel room, I'm telling you, it was the toughest con ever."

Gamer #2: "I went to Ziggurat. We got ambushed twice, once on the way there, once on the way back, that's where I got this cool scar on my forearm."

Gamer #1:

This is so true. One guy wrote that he missed big part of the Con because the convoy he was escorting got held up due to a roadside bomb they discovered. Then his truck got a flat and they had to change it in the middle of the night in a combat zone.

Makes domestic travel seem pretty tame.

 

[Holy Bovine]

And on a separate note, folks, you may not agree with Resscane... but no personal insults. That rule hasn't, and won't, change. Also, please don't hijack the thread into a discussions of corporations.

Thanks in advance.

You're absolutely right PC. Humble apologies to resscane this is not the place for such antics (mine not yours!).

 

[Holy Bovine]

Oh please. Thats an oversimplifcation. Thats like saying books are dead.

Maybe a more accurate thing would be to say RPG magazines (in a world wide sense) are dead? The only RPG mags I know about are either 'house' organs or small-press things. From some of things Paizo reps have said starting a new RPG mag would take investment in the order of 7 figures (!) and a willingness to wait up to 6 months for any returns. For a small industry like RPGs that is a huge hurdle to overcome.

 

[Dragonhelm]

Wizards have also hired Mike Lescault to be their online community liason. Is he cool? Well, he's posted on the Gleemax boards about a bunch of cool things (like what one out of print game you'd like to see reprinted; in my case, the AH Dune boardgame ). He's also replying to posts. That's really good to see.

I want to give Mike Lescault major kudos. He's been very open in regards to questions and has been the first real contact for the official sites since Jim Butler. One contact I had didn't even return a single e-mail. Mike has been more than gracious about returning e-mails, and he even came over to the Dragonlance forums to say hello and answer questions.

So Mike, if you're reading this, thank you for being open, for answering questions, and for putting a friendly face on WotC. Wizards made a good move by placing you in this position.

 

[MerricB]

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[MerricB]

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[w_earle_wheeler]

If (and I'm pulling numbers out of thin air here) 10,000 people buy "Completer Complete" and 5,000 of those people are frustrated by the errors in it and don't buy further books because there's no errata document, or Q&A customer support, then there's a problem.

Here's another corporate example:

The members of an internet community complain about a certain book. We'll call it Boggin Bible IV. An employee of the group that published Boggin Bible IV pipes up to say that Boggin Bible IV was a great seller and that his company, Sub-Aquatic Gizzards 8, doesn't give any special consideration to what the members of internet forums have to say, since they always seem to complain and yet (seemingly) buy their books anyway.

Meanwhile, Boggin Bible IV sits on the shelves at many brick-and-mortar stores. Any time a member of an internet forum makes note of this, he is dog-piled by sock accounts and sycophants who claim that at their store Boggin Bible IV sold hundreds of copies. Others doubt this claim, but since terms like "great seller" are subjective, and Sub-Aquatic Gizzards 8 hasn't released any numbers, everyone eventually just feels bad and shuffles along to a thread about Half-Orc Rangers.

A few weeks later, Sub-Aquatic Gizzards 8 cancels the publication of their long-running magazines (Flagon and Dank Basement). They then announce a whole new business plan that really, really cares about what internet users think -- including the members of certain internet forums they previously discounted. Previously, as in two weeks prior, when those same users criticized Boggin Bible IV.

This new business plan takes internet forums seriously. So seriously, in fact, that they want you to give them money on the internet. But they haven't decided how much of your money they can squeeze out of you yet. Or what exactly it is that you'll be paying for. Or how it works. One thing is for certain, however, and that is the features implemented in the progressive environment will have many features upon features, and these will implement other implements.

On the other hand:
Sub-Aquatic Gizzards 8 puts up free conversions of old material on the web, offers free columns and advice, and sponsors a free game day where everyone can come to their local participating game store and have fun. Their employees are smart and funny and really care about the product they make and the game they represent.