I have been a player of Dungeons and Dragons since the very late 1970s. I was introduced to the game by friends at school (starting with AD&D.) I have played every version of D&D since then. I've been a Dungeon Master more than I've been a player.
When WotC announced that it would be publishing 4E, I was hestitant. I certainly didn't like what I had read about changes to the game, and though I have now played the game for 2 years or so, I'm still not thrilled about it. It's not my favorite version of the game, but it's the official edition, and so it's what I play.
When I first read about D&DI in the 4E books, was I literally underwhelmed. The VTT didn't offer me much (or group prefers to play together at a table, not remotely.) Only the Character Builder held any real value to me.
So, for the past two years, D&DI has been in a state of development, disarray, confusion, and chaos. And while it is reasonable that some of my fellow gamers feel cheated, lied to, or taken advantage of, I, myself do not feel that way.
I do not expect, nor have I ever, any company to provide me any details or development information about products in development. The company may choose to do so, but I have no reasonable expectation to it, even if some companies do provide that information. To have such expecations is entirely unreasonable, in most circumstances. However, this situation isn't "most circumstances." The reason that many of my fellow gamers feel this way is because employees, volunteers, and others, who purport to either speak on behalf of WotC or with the company's permission, have given information that turned out to be false, inaccurate, or incomplete. Accordingly, there is a sense of mistrust, and has been for some time, between the players and your company. And ALL of that was avoidable. This mess is largely a result of the company choosing to release information that, perhaps, shouldn't have been released in the first place.
Now, I don't blame WotC entirely for this. The players have to shoulder some of the blame as well. When people complained and screamed (and, in many cases, in ways no better than my 2 1/2 year old son), WotC reacted by deciding "we won't give out information until the product is ready." (While I know that's not an exact quotation, it is close enough, I believe, to the message that has been conveyed.) Because of a vocal minority of players, the impression is that a majority of players feel lied to, cheated, etc. I daresay that is probably NOT the case. Nevertheless, we are where we are.
Now, with the release of the online Character Builder and the announcment of the VT, there is more unhappiness. On the surface, the tools don't seem to be entirely useful (no export function in the CB, no import function in the VT, etc.) While I know there are features to be added, the fact that some very basic features are missing is troubling. And, as a result, numbers of people have cancelled their subscriptions. Whatever the final form of these (and other) programs is, I encourage WotC to develop a real product release strategy, including communications. You don't need to have that strategy reviewed or approved by the gamers, but there are things you absolutely must do to regain the confidence of some of your player base.
Unlike most, I'm not unhappy with the online CB or the VT. I think both are promising. And, if the CB doesn't do what I need it to, I can always make characters the way I've been for 30 years - with a pencil and paper. I don't NEED the CB; I don't NEED the VT, so my decision to pay for them is based on what value I get out of all of the D&DI products.
Please keep in mind, as you go forward, that there is a lot of trust to be regained, but part of that process is that the players must be open-minded to allow that to happen. Of course, that has to be met with a sincere gesture of good faith on your part - I'm not sure either side has been good at doing these things.
I'll continue to play D&D. I'll continue to listen to people complain about your company's practices, some with good reason. I just ask that you continue to remember that you have a loyal following of players who want to support your company and your product, but need more convincing to do so.
Best wishes,
Mark Stratton
Can a VCL please combine this thread with one of those. Thanks
There are plenty of other threads that you could have easily placed this within.
Can a VCL please combine this thread with one of those. Thanks
Perhaps, yet other threads deal with, as I recall, specific letters.
I'm sorry if this clutters your viewing - you could have just as easily ignored it.
Thanks.
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Please keep in mind, as you go forward, that there is a lot of trust to be regained, but part of that process is that the players must be open-minded to allow that to happen. Of course, that has to be met with a sincere gesture of good faith on your part - I'm not sure either side has been good at doing these things.
This is the first "open letter" I can recall on this site that calls out BOTH players and WotC to come together to re-establish trust. WotC needs to do SOMEthing to repair the trust, but as you noted, players MUST be willing to open their minds a little.
There are plenty of other threads that you could have easily placed this within.
Can a VCL please combine this thread with one of those. Thanks
Please do not do that. Yes, there are several of these "open letter" type threads, but each is unique in its own right. And this one is actually a call for peace!
I did renew my subscription, as did the others in my group.
I dare say once the kinks are ironed out, it will be a great set of tools, and if it has all the content is going to be huge.
Wotc, thank you for giving products that make character building easy, and the monster builder and the encounter builder.
What has happened?
Well, in that time (or starting thereabouts), WotC has invited many folks to participate in the Beta of the VT. WotC has been better at communicting upcoming releases, giving a heads up to challenges or delays, and really, making a better attempt at keeping customers informed.
Is it perfect? No, it's not, but it is a VAST, much-needed, much-desired, and much-welcomed change. It seems that whoever makes these decisions for WotC got the message. So, my request of WotC, that solving this problem had to be meet with a gesture of good faith on their part, has been met.
As for the other side of the equation? Again, it's a mixed bag - some people are pretty positive and where they have differences are expressing them in a reasonable fashion. Others, however, will never be satisifed. The things many of them asked for are now not enough.
At some point, all sides are just going to have to say either "we've done all we can, we can't do any more" or "okay, I've gotten enough - I can make do with the rest." At some point, there has to be some balance.
I'm pleased that things seem to be going better. WotC (to me) seems to be working towards solving this monumental problem, and I think they're making very good progress in doing so. I think the players, however, have a ways to go, too.
Remember, both parties are ultimately responsbile for the tone of where we are - both parties need to work to elevate that tone and make it far more civil than it is (and today is a great improvement over where it's been.)
Peace, gaming, and lots of natural 20s,
MArk