WotC Responds!!!

[SemperJase]

WotC: Time to part with Mr. Valtera.

This is horrible news for WotC with horrible timing - so soon before the release of 3.5e.

For years WotC/TSR has denied being influenced or associated with an Occultic agenda. Now it turns out a leader of an Occultic church is running the show.

It is time to part ways with Mr. Valtera. In part because of his leadership of an occultic church. (Please, no screams of discrimination). I know it is not legal for the reason alone and Mr. Valtera's disclosure of the fact makes it more difficult to let him go for other reason's (which is why he did it, I'm sure.)

However, Mr. Valtera did leave WotC a big opening. Conflict of interest. The previously sigted writer's who did work for other companies had all left WotC with one exception. Perhaps the WotC writer contract does allow freelance work (a bad decision if it does) or it could be that one exception was freelance work for WotC.

However, writer's are much different from business managers. If WotC's /Hasbro's employment contract with managers allows outside work, they need to fire their legal department. That would be a bad business decision rating up there with new Coke. Employment contracts generally agree that anything created by an employee becomes the property of the employer. I can't imagine why WotC would allow this to pass. You can't have your employees producing material for other companies then having them use your name to promote the product for the competition.

So we are back to conflict of interest. WotC, it time to say goodbye to Mr. Valtera.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

Re: WotC: Time to part with Mr. Valtera.

The previously sigted writer's who did work for other companies had all left WotC with one exception. Perhaps the WotC writer contract does allow freelance work (a bad decision if it does) or it could be that one exception was freelance work for WotC.

Actually, just about every one of them left after testing the "d20 waters", so to speak.

So we are back to conflict of interest. WotC, it time to say goodbye to Mr. Valtera.

It's quite possible (speculation here) that this is exactly what Anthony wants. More free press doesn't hurt.

 

[Mallus]

Re: WotC: Time to part with Mr. Valtera.

It is time to part ways with Mr. Valtera. In part because of his leadership of an occultic church. (Please, no screams of discrimination)

Okay, no screams of discrimination...

You are being very, very silly.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

Re: Re: Irrespective of my own opinion...

Does that mean if someone came up with rules for 'strip monopoly' that you could not support the game despite its other money management teaching skills?

Actually, isn't that what they were playing in the first Friday the 13th movie? I was, like, 12 when I saw it, so my memory's hazy...

If someone made a porn spoof of Barney or Sesame Street, you wouldn’t talk about those as educational?

Been done.

We already know that Eddie Murphy spoofed Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood with the highly racially charged Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood, so I assume that has been out of education for years.

That was funny stuff. Those were also "push the line" skits, as well, being that SNL used words they weren't supposed to use, and thus they are now regularly used in Law & Order.

There is nothing that requires any company or producer to make all its produces suitable for all its audience.

And the knowingly made a niche-product with BoVD.

Why must everyone take an absurd outlook that requires one aspect of the hobby, one product in the pantheon of books, and one theme out of thousands and turn them into the doom of everyone else’s game?

Damn good question...

 

[buzz]

Re: Re: Re: Irrespective of my own opinion...

All I am saying is that I cannot recommend d&d anymore, not pronouncing doom. It is just a professional call on my part. I hope you can respect that.

IMHO (and with all due respect to you), it's a bad call, and I cannot respect *it*.

At the very least, you should wait until the hype about this dies down. You're talking about a product that:

• Might not even be for real (I'm still reserving judgement)
• Could turn out to be vaporware (i.e., never see the light of day)
• Will most likely never be available in any FLGS or book store any of your students will ever have access to
  [/list=a]
  
  Seriously, all we've seen is a press release, a photo, and a half-arsed Web site hosted by a $5/month hosting service. At best, we're talking about another product like FATAL, i.e., something diehard gamers joke about on messageboards, but nobody actually plays or stocks in stores. It generates initial shock value, and then fades into obscurity.
  
  (Don't make the mistake by assuming that just because AV's name has been associated with this product that it's going to be high-profile and sitting on the shelves of every store that sells D&D products. I'm betting this is going to be direct mail-order, at best.)
  
  Therefore, I would hope that you would not overreact in this way. Actively pointing parents to this kind of silly material as somehow exemplifying what D&D is all about is simply unwarranted, and does a disservice to the hobby. You might as well be telling kids not to read books, watch TV, or use the Internet.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

Re: WotC: Time to part with Mr. Valtera.

However, writer's are much different from business managers. If WotC's /Hasbro's employment contract with managers allows outside work, they need to fire their legal department. That would be a bad business decision rating up there with new Coke. Employment contracts generally agree that anything created by an employee becomes the property of the employer. I can't imagine why WotC would allow this to pass. You can't have your employees producing material for other companies then having them use your name to promote the product for the competition.

So we are back to conflict of interest. WotC, it time to say goodbye to Mr. Valtera.

Sure IF he did the work during normal work hours.

If he does that work at night and on weekends then your arguement doesnt hold an ounce of water.

 

[SemperJase]

Re: Re: WotC: Time to part with Mr. Valtera.

Okay, no screams of discrimination...

You are being very, very silly.

OK, why. Its easy to call names and run, why don't you discuss how his affiliation with that organization helps WotC rather than hurts them.

 

[Assenpfeffer]

Re: Irrespective of my own opinion...

I have been in an unique position for years to support young gamers. As a school psychologist, I have been able to give credibility to gaming when faced with parents who were either on the fence, or even against the game. I have vigorously challenged the old myths and actively promoted the benefits of this hobby. And I will continue to do this, but no longer mentioning d&d by name. Regardless of the actual material of the book, I simply cannot support a system (d20) that is associated with this content in my professional arena anymore. I find this a sad thing. Just my $0.02.

Oh, for the love of...

It's a book, people. Just a book. And not only that, it's maybe a couple of thousand copies in a pool of hundreds of millions of D&D products in circulation.

Doesn't anyone think that this reaction is way, way out of proportion to the potential of this book to actually offend anyone?

I'm far, far more disturbed by this insanity than I could possibly be by the material itself.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

Re: Re: Re: WotC: Time to part with Mr. Valtera.

OK, why. Its easy to call names and run, why don't you discuss how his affiliation with that organization helps WotC rather than hurts them.

WHAT?


No crack smoking please. It clouds the discussion with bizarre statements like yours.

As long as a person is not doign something ILLEGAL it doesnt matter if their personal activities might or might not HELP the company they work at.

This is AMERICA. You know land of freedom. AV's religious and personal choices have no bearing on this.

It is obvious though that you are barely containing YOUR religious and moral stance in your attacks on him.

 

[ragefearmadness]

Re: WotC: Time to part with Mr. Valtera.

For years WotC/TSR has denied being influenced or associated with an Occultic agenda. Now it turns out a leader of an Occultic church is running the show.

OK, enough is enough. Every US citizen is entitled to their freedom of religion. So how about we all give Mr. V his legal right to religion and shut the hell up about it. If you do not like it, fine. If you hate him for it, fine. But leave the subject alone. He likes whips, chains and pain...fine, I ain't gonna sleep with him, ever.

Now if you do not like his book, great, bash the hell out of it. Heck, gimme a call if you run out of adjectives. But for all that is right in the world, leave the man's religion out of it. How would you like it if he started mocking people on the boards based on their preference of worship?

BTW SemperJase, I am NOT picking on you, yours was simply the last post in which the subject was broached.