I attended my first GenCon this year, and overall I had a very good time.
One thing marred my experience though and after a few days of thinking about it I decided I had to say something.
When I stopped by the Wizards booth in the dealer room floor I was really taken back by the attitude of a couple of people working the booth. I am not sure if these people were actual WotC staff or if they were hired hands but I think its important for the staff at wizards to know that I did not get any kind of warm and fuzzy from these particular people. In fact I was treated with what I felt like was barely veiled arrogance, and impatience.
Lest you think I was visiting the booth being an annoying pestering fan boy or something along those lines, I wasnt. I merely inquired about purchasing the FR Guide and a DM screen. I was tersley told they were out of stock, and might have some more the next day, and I should come back then. Somebody else behind the counter actually frowned at me during this exchange, leaving me wondering, WTF?
Upon returning the next day I had the unfortunate luck to speak with the same individual, and he acted the same way and had the same answer. I didnt bother coming back to the booth the following day.
I hope this information will help for next year when selecting people to work at the booth.
'08 Indie this year was my 3rd Gencon and not my favorite by any means, however, this does not mean it wasn't fun. The overall experience is always good, but there's always these isolated incidents to screw things up.
Wish you could've been there prior; way more free stuff and WotC had a killer display front and center, very large. This baffled me this year as they were in the far back right corner and way more diminished whereas in '05 and '06 they were the headline act, so to speak, enormous displays on the convention hall floor, lots of playtesting of lots of games, ample room, many staff and volunteers (most friendly and competant), etc. Good vibe.
They had a system where you'd get a card w/ many blank spaces, and every time you'd log in here (the forums from terminals on the showroom floor), playtest a WotC game, or sit in on a good one w/ a cool GM, you'd get a credit (typically a star or some such chicken scratch on your card) to indicate a +1. Every event/sitting = +1. When you were confident enough you had a high enough "modifier", you'd get in line around the WotC display and wait for your turn to roll a big ass d20 + your mod to win free stuff. This woudl range from gimmicky card games, star wars stuff, free novels, but for higher rolls, the better prizes...usually 3.5 edition books, etc.
They didn't do that this year. Cheapskates. Now, they trimmed it way the Hell back and they were pushing Magic (as usual) and D&D 4th ed (barely). This was their debut and they seemed to be 1/2'assing it. This struck me as a bad omen. They were the biggest sponsor traditionally at Gencon and their diminished capacity and show presence was lacklustre to say the least. Fan Pro and Privateer Press had great displays and rapport w/ their customers given their size & budget, why not WotC? Aren't they the biggest & most popular game in town?
Their actual booth: yes, I totally got dismissed like some peon by multiple WotC Staff and/or volunteers a few times, and this is me on a good day (happy to be there), so "please", "thank you", and all smiles and etiquette were my mantra. I'm on vacation, so I'm upbeat, best foot forward. Now, I know they're dealing w/ lots of people, some rabid fanboys, unhygenic slob gamers, demanding socially inept types which can drain you...this was not the case in my situation or a great many of the other (strangers & friends) I had observed and yet a seriously deficient customer service cancer remained and got worse as the 4 days went on.
ie)There was no excuse to be that rude and cross w/ the patrons...you know, paying customers that make this whole thing happen.
And yes, an inquiery to the Forgotten Realms 4th ed was met w/ much derision and a terribly unprofessional demeanor and work ethic. I got the
look, I got the "we don't give a f-ck" look, etc. What I didn't get was a sense of professionalism or courtesy like in years past.And the raffle (in lieu of free stuff earned by actual gaming) was a farse. Get a ticket, stand around and wait for the drawing, win cheap crap you probably don't want/need anyway. This blew. No one was monitoring the tickets and I'm standing there w/ my 1 ticket, meanwhile a group of 4 french speaking gamers behind me had a fistful in their collective hands. Wtf? I saw lots of people going back for more every hour to increase their odds, but this was blatant...and yes, those francophones won alot more than their share while regular folks and kids got screwed because the WotC staff couldn't be bothered to use 1 damn Sharpie or a system to indicate a cheat vs. a genuine attempt. Terribly apathetic.
4th ed playtesting in tournament hall: fairly typical, though I was loathe to engage it as I'm pretty apprehensive about 4th ed, but I figured, wtf, my friends want to, I can't fairly judge it until I do as well, here we go...
Wow. Not the game, but the staff again. Our 1st DM, I thought, had slight mental retardation (seriously). Totally inept. Being largely unfamiliar w/ the new rules ourselves and the DM being pretty green too cost us extra money; that is, 1 generic ticket ($2) = 45 min. In those 45 minutes, he'd frequently leave the table for long periods of time to get a ruling on sh-t he should've known...simple things like cover for instance...all the while the clock is still ticking. Our 2nd DM was kind enough to hit "pause" so to speak when he'd need a ruling or a ? answered.
WotC ppl, please train your volunteer DMs in the course materials as it was more than enough to turn away prospective players (customers), groom them so they don't suck so bad and stain your company image. And booth workers, wtf? Inexcusable behavior. And yes, I heard alot of the insults slung at customers out of ear shot. Totally unprofessional. I'm not the 1st to say this I'm sure as quite a few registered complaints to Gencon formally.
NOW before all the 4th ed Avengers jump on me, I like the 4th ed mechanics but{ it's a big BUT } I feel like WotC is trying really hard to squeezes every penny out of us and while I understand WotC's need and duty to be profitable. I think that they may be killing the goose that lays there golden egg's and that may come back to bite them in the, well you get the idea.
So how do they fix it, well thats a real hard question but the first thing they should do is start taking with us! I'm not taking about vetted statements that read like a legal brief. I'll leave it at that so as to keep the thread on topic.
A far cry from the old days when the company was in the booth and where free to speak to gamers. Sounds like WotC has a long way to go in keeping the fan base happy. I Hate to see this sort of thing. I've seen 4 changes of editions and this one is buy far the most divisive.
Truer words were never spoken...
I mean, before (2nd to 3rd) it was like it or lump it cuz' TSR was out, so anything new got a warmer reception. OGL, the net, and the new way of things in the '00 helped foster it. I don't know. I didn't feel all hurt and dejected and I played 2nd ed Ravenloft like every other day in college '95-'99 like it was going out of style (cheaper than a movie, 3x's as long...poor college student).
In fact, I prefered it once I saw how many more bells and whistles and character customization options were afforded. Mo' options, mo' better (cuz' I don't have to use them if I don't want...). Plus, it seemed easier to grasp. I don't know, doesn't matter. That's my preference.
4th ed was birthed well into the internet which totally changes things. We all can identify I'm sure...everything's faster, including buzz & hype (they are different). You should see the Amazon reviews for Forgotten Realms 4th ed now too...lightning fast.
NOW before all the 4th ed Avengers jump on me...
It's totally cool. To each his/her own, it's just God and I feel differently;) .
I like the 4th ed mechanics but{ it's a big BUT } I feel like WotC is trying really hard to squeezes every penny out of us and while I understand WotC's need and duty to be profitable. I think that they may be killing the goose that lays there golden egg's and that may come back to bite them in the, well you get the idea.
Uh, yeah (i got nothing). This pretty much sums in up in theory to which I concur.
NOW before all the 4th ed Avengers jump on me, I like the 4th ed mechanics but{ it's a big BUT } I feel like WotC is trying really hard to squeezes every penny out of us and while I understand WotC's need and duty to be profitable. I think that they may be killing the goose that lays there golden egg's and that may come back to bite them in the, well you get the idea.
The problem is in your last sentence.
We are not the goose that lays their golden eggs.
We are at best the goose that lays their copper eggs.
They are looking for a goose that lays at least silver eggs.
The problem is in your last sentence.
We are not the goose that lays their golden eggs.
We are at best the goose that lays their copper eggs.
They are looking for a goose that lays at least silver eggs.
sam you are indeed wise:D