WotC Replies: Statements by WotC employees regarding Dragon/Dungeon going online

[Maggan]

Your being dismissive of the feelings of those who are effected by this, no matter how silly you may think they are being, is really not appreciated.

Since we are being honest about our feelings and all, I will say that reading people equating the loss of Dungeon and Dragon to the loss of a loved one was a slap in my face.


Having recently lost a loved one, I can say that the cancellation of Dungeon and Dragon can't on any level compare to the grief I feel at the moment, and have been feeling for the last weeks.

So even though people are feeling bad about this, how about not throwing around hyperbole that really amounts to nothing at all?

That said, you saying it feels like a punch in the gut is ok by me. It's the "it feels like someone I loved died" that slaps me in my face.

Also, if someone really, really feels like the cancellation of Dungeon and Dragon are equal to the grief felt when a loved one died, and does so from experience ... wow, you take your gaming seriously. Way too seriously in my opinion.

/M

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Just to clarify my personal feelings:

I have recently lost loved ones- this doesn't feel like that.

This feels like an insult, so I'm POed.

 

[Crothian]

http://www.circvsmaximvs.com/showthread.php?t=23149

It seems that we aren't going to get the discussion and answer from Wizards because of the way many people here are acting about the whole thing. And frankly, I don't blame them one bit.

 

[freebfrost]

http://www.circvsmaximvs.com/showthread.php?t=23149

It seems that we aren't going to get the discussion and answer from Wizards because of the way many people here are acting about the whole thing. And frankly, I don't blame them one bit.

Sorry, Crothian - again this is spin control. If WotC had this PR campaign pre-planned they would have inundated all of the big forums from Day 1. They clearly did not do so, and now are saying they are afraid of posting?

Why? Is someone going to take them to task for it?

Clearly so - as would have happened regardless.

To say they are afraid of posting because someone will disagree, well, that's always been the case on the Net.

I have great respect for the old WotC staff - I loved working with Kim Mohan playtesting 3E, but this is not about being honest - it's about spin and damage control.

 

[Crothian]

Sorry, Crothian - again this is spin control.

Of course it is but that also doesn't make it any less true. But spin control infers that is a planned response and I doubt a bunch of employees at wizards got together to all send a similar e-mail to Morrus on the subject.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Sorry, Crothian - again this is spin control.

I think so, too. So they're not posting and now we're to blame for this?

They feel like being thrown to the wolves if they come out. Don't they think about why those wolves are so angry? Or maybe the wolves are hungry, because someone has taken their food (to stretch that metaphor some more).

They're afraid of some angry posters. They decided to make those posters that angry, but now they don't want to talk to them.

I guess that makes people only more angry. It will be perceived as cowardice, and admittance of guilt.

I personally think that if they came out and gave us a plausible reason why Dragon and Dungeon had to be canned, why they couldn't coexist with their new Online Initiative, a lot of people would be able to get less angry at them.

But this only reinforces my conviction that it all ran like this: They saw that others were having customers, they wanted to take those customers for themselves, and instead of taking them by making better products, they tried to take the others' ability to make better products, so people would buy their own products without them having to get better. And I guess many others here think the same.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

But spin control infers that is a planned response and I doubt a bunch of employees at wizards got together to all send a similar e-mail to Morrus on the subject.

Why not? They might well have coordinated their eMails to try to salvage some of the image they lost to it without going into the details we want to know.

Maybe they hope that they can prolong the whole thing a bit, get people banned, and then reply in a "more controlled environment. I have read the new EN policy regarding bans, and though they probably haven't thought of that, it's not too hard to imagine that this will result in bans, which can work to Wizards' advantage. That one post where someone suggested that all those "trolls who mourn dragon should just go kill themselves" (not the exact wording, but the essence) shows how extreme both sides get over this.

 

[Lanefan]

Of course it is but that also doesn't make it any less true. But spin control infers that is a planned response and I doubt a bunch of employees at wizards got together to all send a similar e-mail to Morrus on the subject.

Perhaps. But many people who have invested a whole lot of time/money/emotion into the game over the years still deserve an explanation...and if delivering that explanation requires the messenger's online head getting torn off, well ::shrug:: so be it.

(the little cynic in me just reared its ugly head long enough to say "hey, this whole thing *could* be nothing but a trial balloon from WotC, to see how much loyalty the readers have...")

Lanefan

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

I think the lesson here is that a company thinking of moving to an online model, needs to be better at managing the web reaction to their announcements...

 

[nerfherder]

I think the lesson here is that a company thinking of moving to an online model, needs to be better at managing the web reaction to their announcements...

lol! Good point!