WOTC Site d20 Poll

[Buttercup]

I thought the question about official settings was odd too. I have some misgivings about this. Are they thinking that other companies are horning in on market share? I'd love to know the motivation behind this poll.

 

[Ashtal]

Can someone post a link to the item/survey itself? I still can't get to the main D&D page.

 

[Maraxle]

I think it's one of three things (if not all of them):

#1 - They are feeling a pinch on their market share, and are trying to figure out if it's the d20 license that is the root of the problem. The more stuff you buy from other companies, the less money you have to spend on WotC offerings.

#2 - They are considering allowing (for a price) other companies to produce items with the D&D logo. Possibly a stricter version of the d20 license, to which they would sell usage rights.

#3 - They are trying to compare the relative strengths of the D&D and d20 "brand" recognition. Is D&D significantly more recognizable than d20?

That's just my opinion, of course.

 

[Henry]

I'd love to know the motivation behind this poll.

That's the problem with it - a poll doesn't WORK if you know it's motivation. In fact, I'm guessing that their motiviation is only tangiential to what we think it is.

It's just like in a psychology study, they ask obscuring questions to what the researcher really wants to know, just to get an unbiased result.

 

[Rune]

#1 - They are feeling a pinch on their market share, and are trying to figure out if it's the d20 license that is the root of the problem. The more stuff you buy from other companies, the less money you have to spend on WotC offerings.

Maybe, but I hope not. Most of the stuff released by other companies is stuff that WotC can't afford to release anyway. Too much overhead for not enough mass-appeal.

#2 - They are considering allowing (for a price) other companies to produce items with the D&D logo. Possibly a stricter version of the d20 license, to which they would sell usage rights.

They already do this. Kenzer & Co.'s Kingdoms of Kalamar books are released under the D&D logo.

#3 - They are trying to compare the relative strengths of the D&D and d20 "brand" recognition. Is D&D significantly more recognizable than d20?

This may be the case, but it is strange that they would do it online. Also, the answer is "yes." I don't know why they would even need to ask. I mean, how many d20 movies, Clue games, novels, cartoons, conspiracy theories, et cetera, have been made?

 

[Maraxle]

Most of the stuff released by other companies is stuff that WotC can't afford to release anyway. Too much overhead for not enough mass-appeal.

It's not a matter of them wanting to release that material. It's that if I spend $30 on non-WotC stuff, that's $30 less that I can spend on WotC stuff.

They already do this. Kenzer & Co.'s Kingdoms of Kalamar books are released under the D&D logo.

I'm quite aware. What I was trying to say is that it may be a more accessible version of this.

This may be the case, but it is strange that they would do it online. Also, the answer is "yes." I don't know why they would even need to ask. I mean, how many d20 movies, Clue games, novels, cartoons, conspiracy theories, et cetera, have been made?

They are more likely asking if the d20 license is at all effective. Is it becoming more recognizable? Is it stagnant? Is there a point to having it? Should they rename d20 Modern to D&D Modern, or risk losing sales?

Once again, just thoughts. Please don't try to read into them too literally or deeply.

 

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

took me a while to get through too, network traffic most likely.

What a weird little poll! I wonder how they're going to survey people who aren't online junkies like us. I think the internet-connected people will be about a million times more informed about d20 and its relationship to D&D than those who rarely go online for D&D stuff.

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10,000 Campaign submissions were garnered by posting a small blurb on the website, so I'm not worried about them getting responses, especially considering they only need 450 or so qulaified participants to acheive a confidence rating of 90% ( I work in market research BTW ). I wonder how many Campaign Submissions WotC would have received had they posted the contest in Dragon?

I ( like Maraxle ) suspect that WoTC is worried about losing brand recognition due to the glut of d20 stuff out there, and just wants an opinion placeholder from which to base further partnership/licensing decisions.

More interesting might be a survey which compares licensed products like Kalamar to the quality of true WotC product.

PS - Where is my Goldarnded Dragon Magazine? I read a review on the Drow issue weeks ago! Can't find one...

 

[Lady Dragon]

I found the question asking which of these products do you consider to be official D&D products the most interesting.Myself as an informed consumer am not really even sure on some of them. Dragonstar and freeport and definantly not, Forgotten realms definantly is. But Kalamar, Ravenloft and Rokugan all involve special lisences and lie somewhere in the middle.

I personally think they are thinking of selling the right to put the D&D logo on various products and are looking for proof that it would be worth it to these companies to do so. Or they could be up to something completely unexpected.

 

[Lady Dragon]

Someone suggested that WoTC loses sales to the various D20 companies. And while this may be true I think it is minimal and they gain more sales than they lose which the renewed intrest the D20 movement has garnered.

I personally own every WoTC product that I want to never once did I buy a D20 product instead of a WoTC product.In fact I own all of WoTC's Dungeon and Dragon books plus Call of Cthullu and wheel of time. And I also own many third party products but these were not bought at WoTC's expense.

I've heard that WoTC sells 10 of their books for every one of a comperable (quality and Content) book by a D20 company.

 

[Maraxle]

I personally own every WoTC product that I want to never once did I buy a D20 product instead of a WoTC product.

I suspect that you are the exception and not the rule. I for one do not own every WotC product. I do own a few 3rd party products. If those 3rd party products did not exist, I *may* have spent that money on a WotC product.