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Business decision on delaying power cards?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
propane
Mar 25, 2009 19:28:38 I just went and bought the PHB2 and wanted to check out the power cards.

I've already manually printed out all the custom Ranger power cards that someone made, so all that interested me was the Druid and Warden.

Unfortunately, they aren't released yet. It strikes me as a very odd decision to not release the power cards as accessories to go with the PHB2 as that would be a way to sell more. I mean, you're already AT the store to buy into a large expansion of the game... seems like a good time to drop a few bucks on handy-dandy cards.

It boggles my mind that they aren't available. And Martial Power cards still aren't available.
#2
Dragon9
Mar 25, 2009 22:34:49 PHB1 cards came out this month. PHB2 cards will likely be in August (that's when the display is being released according to the release schedule). Martial Power cards are released in May (although the schedule shows March).

I would hope that the delay is to give time for the first (and usually the largest) round of errata before printing the cards. Maybe the printer just has a long lead time.
#3
doctorhook
Mar 26, 2009 0:59:33
I just went and bought the PHB2 and wanted to check out the power cards.

I've already manually printed out all the custom Ranger power cards that someone made, so all that interested me was the Druid and Warden.

Unfortunately, they aren't released yet. It strikes me as a very odd decision to not release the power cards as accessories to go with the PHB2 as that would be a way to sell more. I mean, you're already AT the store to buy into a large expansion of the game... seems like a good time to drop a few bucks on handy-dandy cards.

It boggles my mind that they aren't available. And Martial Power cards still aren't available.

Does it really boggle your mind? Because that sounds a bit dramatic. WotC has just released their first batch of power cards, and you already expect them to be available for a book which has itself only just been released?

There's something here that boggles the mind, alright, but it's not WotC's business decisions...
#4
That_Blasted_Somoflange
Mar 26, 2009 2:59:46 There are a couple of other reasons as well.

1. WotC wants to see if the power cards actually sell. It is less of an investment to only do a limited number of power cards, PHB1 for instance, because everyone NEEDS PHB1 to play the game, they don't need PHB2. If no one buys the power cards for the first book PHB, chances are they aren't going to buy for the second.

2. It could be part of a long term strategy. Releasing all your products at once could force potential customers to choose which to buy, the PHB or the power cards. This could cause a situation similar to my first example. The cards could be considered a failure and they get discontinued. Some gamers do have limited budgets after all. Also, releasing product over the months let WotC make money, and that is their PRIMARY concern after all, over time, rather than hoping for gamers to splurge all at once.

3. Players buying the PHB2 without knowing what their favourite class is may buy the power cards for a class they don't like. This leads the purchaser to blame WotC, even though they are the ones that didn't do the research, and view WotC as being an 'evil money making corporation, that doesn't have the good will of gamers in mind' - this could create a perceived bad faith on WotC's part by the player who purchased the wrong thing. They then stop buying WotC's products - not good for the company.

Now, these are just the first 3 ideas that pop into my head. They may be true, they may not. I hate to say this, but if the not releasing of the power cards blows your mind, you may have to take a step back, take a deep breath, and try to realize the bigger picture. The company is employing people that try to make decisions for a reason, whatever those decisions are you may or may not agree with them. But you should realize that there is a reason.

I don't know the OP, but this could be a symptom of inexperience with how the world runs, or - and I hope this isn't the case, a case of undeserved entitlement that seems to be running rampant with North American society. There could be other reasons as well. The point is, if you don't understand something, do your best to learn about the situation before jumping to conclusions.
#5
ariochdm
May 04, 2009 14:01:33 I too see this as poor execution on the part of wizards and the potential loss of sales due to the delay.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 propane Mar 25, 2009 19:28:38	I just went and bought the PHB2 and wanted to check out the power cards. I've already manually printed out all the custom Ranger power cards that someone made, so all that interested me was the Druid and Warden. Unfortunately, they aren't released yet. It strikes me as a very odd decision to not release the power cards as accessories to go with the PHB2 as that would be a way to sell more. I mean, you're already AT the store to buy into a large expansion of the game... seems like a good time to drop a few bucks on handy-dandy cards. It boggles my mind that they aren't available. And Martial Power cards still aren't available.
#2 Dragon9 Mar 25, 2009 22:34:49	PHB1 cards came out this month. PHB2 cards will likely be in August (that's when the display is being released according to the release schedule). Martial Power cards are released in May (although the schedule shows March). I would hope that the delay is to give time for the first (and usually the largest) round of errata before printing the cards. Maybe the printer just has a long lead time.
#3 doctorhook Mar 26, 2009 0:59:33	I just went and bought the PHB2 and wanted to check out the power cards. I've already manually printed out all the custom Ranger power cards that someone made, so all that interested me was the Druid and Warden. Unfortunately, they aren't released yet. It strikes me as a very odd decision to not release the power cards as accessories to go with the PHB2 as that would be a way to sell more. I mean, you're already AT the store to buy into a large expansion of the game... seems like a good time to drop a few bucks on handy-dandy cards. It boggles my mind that they aren't available. And Martial Power cards still aren't available. Does it really boggle your mind? Because that sounds a bit dramatic. WotC has just released their first batch of power cards, and you already expect them to be available for a book which has itself only just been released? There's something here that boggles the mind, alright, but it's not WotC's business decisions...
#4 That_Blasted_Somoflange Mar 26, 2009 2:59:46	There are a couple of other reasons as well. 1. WotC wants to see if the power cards actually sell. It is less of an investment to only do a limited number of power cards, PHB1 for instance, because everyone NEEDS PHB1 to play the game, they don't need PHB2. If no one buys the power cards for the first book PHB, chances are they aren't going to buy for the second. 2. It could be part of a long term strategy. Releasing all your products at once could force potential customers to choose which to buy, the PHB or the power cards. This could cause a situation similar to my first example. The cards could be considered a failure and they get discontinued. Some gamers do have limited budgets after all. Also, releasing product over the months let WotC make money, and that is their PRIMARY concern after all, over time, rather than hoping for gamers to splurge all at once. 3. Players buying the PHB2 without knowing what their favourite class is may buy the power cards for a class they don't like. This leads the purchaser to blame WotC, even though they are the ones that didn't do the research, and view WotC as being an 'evil money making corporation, that doesn't have the good will of gamers in mind' - this could create a perceived bad faith on WotC's part by the player who purchased the wrong thing. They then stop buying WotC's products - not good for the company. Now, these are just the first 3 ideas that pop into my head. They may be true, they may not. I hate to say this, but if the not releasing of the power cards blows your mind, you may have to take a step back, take a deep breath, and try to realize the bigger picture. The company is employing people that try to make decisions for a reason, whatever those decisions are you may or may not agree with them. But you should realize that there is a reason. I don't know the OP, but this could be a symptom of inexperience with how the world runs, or - and I hope this isn't the case, a case of undeserved entitlement that seems to be running rampant with North American society. There could be other reasons as well. The point is, if you don't understand something, do your best to learn about the situation before jumping to conclusions.
#5 ariochdm May 04, 2009 14:01:33	I too see this as poor execution on the part of wizards and the potential loss of sales due to the delay.