WOTC Resolutions for 2003

[DDK]

Reaper (and others) make figures that are superior and less expensive. It's such a shame that they had to try doing their own minis. Revoking the D&D license from Ral Partha killed them dead.

-snip-

Look for them to sell the D&D mini license to someone else late in 2003 or early in 2004.

-snip-

Everyone have a happy 2003 and thank gawd for Ryan Dancey and the OGL.

Amen.

Originally posted by Hopping Vampire Thats got to be the worst 30$ ive ever spent on gaming material.

You bought it. They profited. How was this a dumb thing on THEIR part?

Originally posted by BigFreekinGoblinoid PS: Hal - please send me a starter set and 3 Monkey Dookie (TM) booster packs to my summer estate in Sienna.

I have a friend who runs a second hand bookstore in Sienna. Great bloke, as long as you don't have an attractive daughter

Originally posted by SemperJase I was not aware that GW had their own retail outlets.

Heh, GW has two stores that I know of in Victoria and yet I only know of ONE RPG store. GW is huge. Even my ten year old nephew is into it (or at least he wants to be but my sister, though well off, ain't THAT well off ).

 

[MEG Hal]

PS: Hal - please send me a starter set and 3 Monkey Dookie (TM) booster packs to my summer estate in Sienna.

Should I charge this to your ENWorld Visa Card?

Revised Players Handbooks $29.99

Forgotten Realms HC $39.99


Monkey Dookie Starter set (TM) PRICELESS

 

[scarymonkey]

Re: Re: WOTC Resolutions for 2003

I was not aware that GW had their own retail outlets. Now assuming they do, how can they make it selling only their own line? I mean D&D is the best selling game by far. If GW could make it selling only their own stuff, then the industry leader would surely have an edge in stocking only their own products.

GW can make this work simply because their miniatures games are much more profitable than rpgs can ever hope to be. Why is this so? Simple math.

Say that you have an rpg group of 6 people. Of those 6 guys, only 1 is a DM. He will spend far more on D&D products than the rest of the group to get started- 3 core books for $90, 1 campaign setting for $40, couple of modules for $20 = $150 total. Now the other five people (if you're lucky) have all bought the phb- 5 x $30 = $150 total. So for your gaming group of 6 players, there was a total of $300 spent on D&D products to get started.

Now compare this with a 6 players of Warhammer 40K. Every player will spend an average of $200 to get started in the game. Example - 40K boxed set @ $75, Space Marine Codex @ $20, Space Marine Battle Force @ $90 = $185 total (and this is the cheapest army to get into). So with the same 6 players, there was a total of $1200 spent on GW products.

Now can you see why GW retail stores are profitable? Also, don't forget about GW's harsh rules for any other stores that want to stock their stuff. They have to make very large minimum orders which is why a lot of stores can't stock it. So they have less competition as well. Every bookstore and Electronics Boutique in the malls have rpgs for sale. Wizard stores face a lot of competition for a small market.

But, this point seems to stem from an incorrect statement as GW does not mention the existence of any retail bricks and mortar shops on their web site.

Au contraire-
http://www.gamesworkshop.com/shopping/US/gw-stores/gw-stores.htm
http://www.gamesworkshop.com/news/us/events/gw-store-events/gw-stores.asp

WotC will get out of the retail business as I see it because it isn't profitable, not because their business plan was inferior to GW's.

Their business plan was inferior to GW's because they never had a chance of being profitable.

 

[diaglo]

Other resolutions for WotC:

4) streamline even further. get rid of dead wood. contract out work.

5) continue recall of offsite staff

6) sell off more of the older product line to other d20 publishers. like birthright, darksun, etc...

7) kill the market by adding yet another published world.

 

[Magius del Cotto]

<snip>
Yu-gi-oh is a supremely uninteresting show. It takes M:tG and turns it into holographic duel-monster battles (in which intuition is the only skill, there are no rules). To make a CCG out of this just seems ridiculous: you are reinterpreting a CCG out of a show already interpreted out of a CCG.
<snip>

Actually, you have it backwards. The show is based off the game (though rather loosely at this point). Personally, I like the game for several reasons (and yes, I do agree that it's basically Magic Light):
1) Little chance of getting Mana Screwed (something that commonly happens in M:tG. I've had burn/weenie decks that didn't get the mana they needed...)
2) Less indication on the opponent's deck strategy (In MtG, each color has a limited set of strategies that it can use, and you can't put in too many different colors if you want your deck to work more than just once in a while), which forces you to actually try to read your opponent more than to read their deck, making it a more psychological game, overall.

OK, I can't think of any more at the moment, but in other respects the games are even: card combos, power cards, etc.
OK, I've had my rant on that subject, now to make this post relevant to the topic...
I agree that WotC should try to stay out of the offline retail business. Just too many people seeling the same thing. Indifferent to the Miniatures (into counters right now, and will be until I don't need to carry my stuff around to where I'll be playing). Also, I think they can handle sitting back and waiting for inspiration to hit them. Also, i'm glad I never got E-tools. After they cut it down to just a character generator, I seriously lost interest in it.

 

[Wayside]

Actually, you have it backwards. The show is based off the game (though rather loosely at this point). Personally, I like the game for several reasons (and yes, I do agree that it's basically Magic Light

So it's one remove less ridiculous. Rats. Now my Merlin analogy is shot to hell.

 

[Sanackranib]

2003 resoulotions

I would like to see WotC to license all their minis to Ral Partha (if its even possible to resurect them at this point) - and partha paints, bring those back too thats what all my old paints were.

 

[Gizzard]

Now can you see why GW retail stores are profitable? Also, don't forget about GW's harsh rules for any other stores that want to stock their stuff. They have to make very large minimum orders which is why a lot of stores can't stock it.

Mmm, yes, and dont they also have rules about "package deals" for their most popular products?

"We're having a deal this quarter, 1 Cool New Dreadnaught and 12 Obsolete Boxes of Plastic Elves together for one low price." "I think I'd just like to order 12 Cool New Dreadnaughts." "Oh, we're sorry, beloved retailer. That is not an option."

 

[scarymonkey]

Re: 2003 resoulotions

I would like to see WotC to license all their minis to Ral Partha (if its even possible to resurect them at this point) - and partha paints, bring those back too thats what all my old paints were.

I would love to see that too. Ral Partha made the best D&D minis by far.