ShadowDenizen
Explorer
Hey, all.
So, I was tempted to place this in the "Hasbro ordered...." thread, but this seems like it might be more appropriate for a thread of it's own.
Before I start, a little about me, so you have some perspective. I'm a 30+ year gamer, and have been through each iteration of the game. I'm actively playing a 3.5/PF game, and try to keep up with the "Main" releases for 4E. I am NOT particularly kindly disposed towards WotC, and haven't been for some time, though I'm not "Seething with Bile" at them either.
I attended PAX East on Saturday and Sunday, and I was a little disappointed in the showing that WotC had for D+D; I thought they were really outshone by Turbine (who does the DDO game.) [And yes, I know this is more a "Video Game" con than an "RPG" con, but the same tenet should still apply.]
I was curious to see if any other Con-Goers had opinions. (I'd love to hear peoples thoughts on PAX East, and if I'm alone in my opinions, but am also curious about the showings for the rest of the country.)
The "booth" was fairly centrally located in the Expo Hall, and they failed to make proper use of it, IMO. It was largely a "StoreFront", with people manning the counters. There was no great visual presence,either elecronic or physical, [no-one in custome, which seemed a natural fit to me!!], no people there to really "Schmooze" the crowd, and when I asked the clerks about the "DarkSun" release, they were depressingly ill-informed.
Also, there was overall more space taken up for MTG than for D+D.
"Swag-Wise"? Also a diappointment. They gave out mini flash-drives in bracelet form (w/ MTG logo)- But they apparently only hold 256 MB?! And the other incentive was a "50% off a monht of DDI". (Isn't a subscription like $5/month? Why not give 50% off a year?)
WHile they DID have some Dungeon Delve events, they were located two-floors up from the booth, and were not really advertised, yet it was still impossible to get a slot. (WHich goes into the "Overselling/Overvcrowding" issue that I'll address seperatly, and is not specifically a failing of WotC.)
The one bright spot? If you stood in line for a bit, you could get into a "Live-Action" D+D "demo". (You got a quick laminated "Character Card", and you were escorted into the "Dungeon" [a cordoned off area with a floor-map overlay, and a stand-up of a dragon that you get the "fight".]. I'll see if I cna get my iPhone photos linked in here soon; I have some pics of the dragon standee.
So, I was tempted to place this in the "Hasbro ordered...." thread, but this seems like it might be more appropriate for a thread of it's own.
Before I start, a little about me, so you have some perspective. I'm a 30+ year gamer, and have been through each iteration of the game. I'm actively playing a 3.5/PF game, and try to keep up with the "Main" releases for 4E. I am NOT particularly kindly disposed towards WotC, and haven't been for some time, though I'm not "Seething with Bile" at them either.
I attended PAX East on Saturday and Sunday, and I was a little disappointed in the showing that WotC had for D+D; I thought they were really outshone by Turbine (who does the DDO game.) [And yes, I know this is more a "Video Game" con than an "RPG" con, but the same tenet should still apply.]
I was curious to see if any other Con-Goers had opinions. (I'd love to hear peoples thoughts on PAX East, and if I'm alone in my opinions, but am also curious about the showings for the rest of the country.)
The "booth" was fairly centrally located in the Expo Hall, and they failed to make proper use of it, IMO. It was largely a "StoreFront", with people manning the counters. There was no great visual presence,either elecronic or physical, [no-one in custome, which seemed a natural fit to me!!], no people there to really "Schmooze" the crowd, and when I asked the clerks about the "DarkSun" release, they were depressingly ill-informed.
Also, there was overall more space taken up for MTG than for D+D.
"Swag-Wise"? Also a diappointment. They gave out mini flash-drives in bracelet form (w/ MTG logo)- But they apparently only hold 256 MB?! And the other incentive was a "50% off a monht of DDI". (Isn't a subscription like $5/month? Why not give 50% off a year?)
WHile they DID have some Dungeon Delve events, they were located two-floors up from the booth, and were not really advertised, yet it was still impossible to get a slot. (WHich goes into the "Overselling/Overvcrowding" issue that I'll address seperatly, and is not specifically a failing of WotC.)
The one bright spot? If you stood in line for a bit, you could get into a "Live-Action" D+D "demo". (You got a quick laminated "Character Card", and you were escorted into the "Dungeon" [a cordoned off area with a floor-map overlay, and a stand-up of a dragon that you get the "fight".]. I'll see if I cna get my iPhone photos linked in here soon; I have some pics of the dragon standee.
Last edited: