tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post7358097104325291595..comments2024-03-18T02:49:18.084-05:00Comments on Jeffs Gameblog: WotC's greatest foe?Jeff Rientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-90808256634406020772009-04-29T18:58:00.000-05:002009-04-29T18:58:00.000-05:00Stuart:
I suspect you're right. I've long had the...Stuart:<br /><br />I suspect you're right. I've long had the impression that the Digital Initiative was someone's promise to teach the sultan's horse to sing, and now the year is nearly up. Actually, it might have been a reasonable promise before the failure of Gleemax, but repeating it after Gleemax failed smacked of desperation.Leo Richard Comerfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13824237190916037661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-60618336795222871832009-04-29T14:43:00.000-05:002009-04-29T14:43:00.000-05:00Mmmm, book binding adhesive...
*cough*
Ahem ;)Mmmm, book binding adhesive...<br /><br />*cough*<br /><br />Ahem ;)Red Cardinalnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-6563498368445125622009-04-21T20:22:00.000-05:002009-04-21T20:22:00.000-05:00The Amish will be fine in an economic collapse pro...The Amish will be fine in an economic collapse provided nothing that they depend on the outside world for breaks and large bands of crazed, starving people with no objection to violence don't descend on their food-rich farmsteads and lay them waste.<br /><br />For better or worse, the "Amish of Gaming" don't have this concern, unless the slavering hordes of latter day barbarians crave 35 year old book binding adhesive.Flambeauxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-41455849513095654882009-04-21T14:05:00.000-05:002009-04-21T14:05:00.000-05:00Thank you for dredging that up. You sir, have mad...Thank you for dredging that up. You sir, have made my day :)Donny_the_DMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05679820663329606114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-33656933341705104952009-04-20T22:03:00.000-05:002009-04-20T22:03:00.000-05:00Zak: some of us already live there. WotC hasn'...Zak: some of us already live there. WotC hasn't published anything relevant to my gaming table since the last printing of Robo-Rally (and before that, any prior printings of Robo-Rally). Jeff and Jamie Mal have a much bigger impact around here than they do.<br /><br />D&D will, for the forseeable future, be a saleable commodity ... but it WOULD be nice if it dropped in value below Hasbro's notice, and they sold it off to someone a bit more interesting (and a bit more interested). On the other hand, the big (and very real) risk with that scenario is that they maybe wouldn't sell it off at all - just shelve it and ignore it.S. John Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12284417121877141161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-1922333653553841242009-04-20T21:38:00.000-05:002009-04-20T21:38:00.000-05:00"PS: Are we - pen-and-paper gamers, let alone retr..."PS: Are we - pen-and-paper gamers, let alone retrogamers - the Amish of gaming? \0_o/"<br /><br />Yes, yes we are. The amish will weather the oncoming economic apocalypse quite handily. They are self sufficent and can do without the support of a corporate machine. Just like Old Guard Gamers. Do it yourself.E.G.Palmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10229893317543621720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-51598971524126149182009-04-20T19:43:00.000-05:002009-04-20T19:43:00.000-05:00My suggestion? Wizards needs to release the D&...My suggestion? Wizards needs to release the D&D rules into the wild. Declare that EVERYTHING they ever published for D&D is open content and offer PDFs of all of it on their website for free.<br /><br />Then they can proceed to make their money by selling Miniatures, Map Tiles, Dice and other physical gaming accessories (that can't be pirated) and by licensing out the D&D brand for Toys, Books, Movies and TV shows.Bobnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-65307738319207220152009-04-20T17:29:00.000-05:002009-04-20T17:29:00.000-05:00WotC convinced Larry the Liquedator at Hasbro that...WotC convinced Larry the Liquedator at Hasbro that rather than cut them they should invest in the new Digital Initiative. That was reported as negatively affecting profits in last year's Hasbro annual report - something stock holders will be aware of.<br /><br />Today the news is that <A HREF="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090420/ap_on_bi_ge/earns_hasbro_7" REL="nofollow">Hasbro 1st-quarter profit has fallen 47%</A>.Stuarthttp://robertsongames.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-88615717006358679952009-04-20T14:55:00.000-05:002009-04-20T14:55:00.000-05:00L Beau... but the stockholder's don't care *why* y...L Beau... but the stockholder's don't care *why* you buy the buggy whip, just that you do buy it...<br /><br />This sort of thinking occurs at an even bigger scale when you look at government. The factors that presidents or senior government officials calculate when making decisions are so divorced from the average person's experience and so opaque that you get policy that bears no resemblance to life on the ground.<br /><br />Of course, companies have to make money to stay companies (except car companies, I guess), so that calculation is usually at the bottom of every decision - no matter how they tart it up.Jeremy Murphyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-53474916457580369782009-04-20T14:24:00.000-05:002009-04-20T14:24:00.000-05:00rcarbol wrote:
On a tangent of trivia, there's ac...rcarbol wrote:<br /><br /><I>On a tangent of trivia, there's actually more companies making buggy whips today than ever before.</I>Umm, bro... I don't think that those whips are meant for buggies, or horses, for that matter....L. Beauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13652846614886274866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-63580413059142578392009-04-20T13:39:00.000-05:002009-04-20T13:39:00.000-05:00Possibility:
Wizards crashes.
DnD dies as a sale...Possibility:<br /><br />Wizards crashes.<br /><br />DnD dies as a saleable commodity. <br /><br />RPGs shift to all-internet distribution cottage industry. It's all totally DIY.<br /><br />People like Jeff and James Mal become respected tastemakers. <br /><br />Lion lays down with lamb.<br /><br />Utopia.Zak Shttp://www.roadofknives.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-83635489929848290422009-04-20T13:31:00.000-05:002009-04-20T13:31:00.000-05:00The may know something we don't, but the object of...The may know something we don't, but the object of PR is to make sure we understand it the way it is (or at least the way they want us to see it). <br /><br />If they don't communicate, then people like Olman make up their own minds.Mike Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09938232159052485277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-9406106779744145172009-04-20T13:22:00.000-05:002009-04-20T13:22:00.000-05:00Hole in one, Olman.
If we're playing DeVito's Adv...Hole in one, Olman.<br /><br />If we're playing DeVito's Advocate and following Larry's advice, then the rational course of action for Hasbro is to liquidate WotC's intellectual properties and invest those funds elsewhere, in a more vital gaming market (or the indirect variant, where instead of liquidating the brands you migrate them to those other markets - MMORPGs, for example).<br /><br />It's what Larry the Liquidator would do, Hasbro. Are you going to say no to such wisdom? There's a good lad.S. John Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12284417121877141161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-58954520707815024392009-04-20T13:07:00.000-05:002009-04-20T13:07:00.000-05:00This is reminding me of things I have read in a co...This is reminding me of things I have read in a <A HREF="http://kitty-tape.livejournal.com/323372.html" REL="nofollow">completely different context</A>, about how the model where a company is owned by its investors and its investors are only interested in profit - usually short-term profit, even - is really not a good one. Which already sounded pretty convincing, but it certainly hits home even more when I think about it in terms of a favorite hobby.K. M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14851219683566981239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-12010689531190181812009-04-20T12:50:00.000-05:002009-04-20T12:50:00.000-05:00And yet Wizards' strategy seems to be to try to gr...And yet Wizards' strategy seems to be to try to grab as much of the existing market as they can. Or at least jealously cling to what they already have.OlmanFeelyushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17521657876810568251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-40950390315025127312009-04-20T11:16:00.000-05:002009-04-20T11:16:00.000-05:00@Chris: I learned how to type an ASCII character a...<I>@Chris:</I> I learned how to type an ASCII character and all I got was this crummy attempt at an Amish emoticon<br /><br /> =(:|>Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07615194097431562045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-69496066434674367962009-04-20T10:53:00.000-05:002009-04-20T10:53:00.000-05:00*Gah* It's a funny feeling when what you know to b...*Gah* It's a funny feeling when what you <B>know</B> to be right about the way market forces work collides with something you love.<br /><br />Thanks for the perspective Jeff. Mind. blown. <br /><br />PS: Are we - pen-and-paper gamers, let alone retrogamers - the Amish of gaming? \0_o/Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04072272223837426211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-29199790465186198442009-04-20T10:52:00.000-05:002009-04-20T10:52:00.000-05:00On a tangent of trivia, there's actually more comp...On a tangent of trivia, there's actually <I>more</I> companies making buggy whips today than ever before.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02981018036562080723noreply@blogger.com