WotC guys in trouble

Settembrini · December 28, 2007, 10:41:48 AM

They must be. Look at the denial they are giving:

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=215141

QuoteWotC's WotC's Didier Monin confirms for certain that the virtual miniatures on D&D Insider will not be randomized. Thanks to Montgomery for the scoop. There have been many discussions internally on the topic of randomization, and offering the V-minis for the D&D Game Table in randomized boosters is a concept that has gone by the wayside. It was considered, discussed and discarded.

Why are they in trouble, you ask?
The reasoning goes like this:

They even considered, deeply, if they would make VIRTUAL MINIS randomized. The thought alone is so ass backwards, that to seriously consider it, you have to be under BIG pressure to generate income.

They have serious pressure from somewhere, that´s what I gather from this.

As in politics, the most information is hidden in denials.

LeSquide · December 28, 2007, 10:52:14 AM

Virtual CCGs have had some luck with selling randomized virtual booster packs; given WotC's other experience with it, I'm not surprised someone floated it as a possibility, especially if people from the other brands have been brought in for the DI stuff.

I think it shows that the DI isn't solely being developed by people who are considering the game itself, which isn't a good thing, but the fact that they've rejected it is.

John Morrow · December 28, 2007, 11:01:36 AM

Quote from: SettembriniThey even considered, deeply, if they would make VIRTUAL MINIS randomized. The thought alone is so ass backwards, that to seriously consider it, you have to be under BIG pressure to generate income.

To be honest, I'm not sure why the regular minis are randomized. I think they'd sell to a much broader user base (people looking to use them in their games rather than as part of a collectable game) and could encourage bigger armies to keep sales up if people could rely on what they were getting, especially if they kept the monsters that every D&D game needs (e.g., orcs, goblins, skeletons, zombies, etc.) always available, perhaps changing designs to appeal to those who really want to collect. I would probably buy non-randomized miniatures but there is no way I'm buying what they sell now.

David Johansen · December 28, 2007, 11:06:05 AM

Randomized Virtual Miniatures?

Must have rolled that one up on a random gaming product table.

I do think there's been ever increasing evidence of a drive to generate greater revenues.

jeff37923 · December 28, 2007, 11:08:24 AM

I am nowhere near drunk enough yet to fully process the above post.

Caesar Slaad · December 28, 2007, 11:14:02 AM

The very idea of a randomized virtual product is silly. When you have an unlimited supply of a product, you don't need randomized sets to artifically inflated demand so you can push production cost per mini down.

I dunno; the statement seems odd to me, like trying to show that they were caving to disgruntled customers when in fact such probably had very little to do with their decision making process.

joewolz · December 28, 2007, 11:15:53 AM

Quote from: John MorrowI would probably buy non-randomized miniatures but there is no way I'm buying what they sell now.

DItto

Christmas Ape · December 28, 2007, 01:11:51 PM

Knew I'd be sorry clicking on 'View Post'.

I knew they wouldn't be randomized from the first day they talked about the virtual tabletop, because they said as much. A large collection of EN mouthbreathers saw the words "random" and "virtual minis" in the same time zone and shat themselves, basically running around screaming the company was robbing everyone blind despite the fact it was an utter falsehood.

If you're gonna play Chicken Little, at least catch up to the past two months.

Ian Absentia · December 28, 2007, 01:40:22 PM

Information wants to be free. So do virtual minis.

!i!

Bradford C. Walker · December 28, 2007, 03:53:59 PM

I recall reading a post as to why random miniature packs sold a lot better than non-random sets, but I also recall it came down to "People are, indeed, willing to spend a lot more money to ensure that the odds of acquire all that they want in a set are acceptable; furthermore, this fosters a secondary miniature market for folks to buy, sell and trade to fill in the gaps in their collections. Because of this phenomenon, we shall not produce non-random miniature sets."

Of course, this applies to real--not virtual--miniatures. When it's all digital, it's entirely different, and I'm glad to see that Wizards of the Coast has people with the relevant authority to ensure that policy follows principle.

John Morrow · December 28, 2007, 06:21:29 PM

Quote from: Bradford C. Walker"Because of this phenomenon, we shall not produce non-random miniature sets."

Because they will not produce non-random miniature sets, I'm not going to buy them at all. Instead, I'll stick with using a pawn to be an orc.

Koltar · December 28, 2007, 06:31:20 PM

Quote from: John MorrowBecause they will not produce non-random miniature sets, I'm not going to buy them at all. Instead, I'll stick with using a pawn to be an orc.

...or you could buy some of the pre-painted REAPER orcs. They are in blister packs and you know exactly what you are getting.

- Ed C.

Ghost_Face · December 28, 2007, 09:43:07 PM

Quote from: Christmas ApeKnew I'd be sorry clicking on 'View Post'.

I knew they wouldn't be randomized from the first day they talked about the virtual tabletop, because they said as much. A large collection of EN mouthbreathers saw the words "random" and "virtual minis" in the same time zone and shat themselves, basically running around screaming the company was robbing everyone blind despite the fact it was an utter falsehood.

If you're gonna play Chicken Little, at least catch up to the past two months.

So Didier Monin didn't post this...

Quote from: Didier MoninWe are still looking and defining the exact details of how digital miniatures will be available for the game table, and we will provide the relevant information in due time through the dndinsider.com articles.

Getting miniatures for the online game table from randomized boosters is certainly envisioned, even if that may not be the only way to get them.

Emphasis mine...what conclusion would you draw from this?

Zachary The First · December 29, 2007, 01:13:02 AM

Quote from: Koltar...or you could buy some of the pre-painted REAPER orcs. They are in blister packs and you know exactly what you are getting.

- Ed C.

They need to push out some more of those. I need more choices and selection!

obryn · December 29, 2007, 02:08:11 AM

Seriously, I don't buy the randomized packs. AFAIC, those are for the minis wargame, not the RPG. Just not my cup of tea.

I do, however, buy minis in the secondary market. You can get large numbers of commons on eBay for pretty damn cheap.

I don't see how this is a big deal. WotC became huge by selling randomized packs of stuff to geeks. Hell, randomized D&D minis are a big money-maker. Given that MtG Online has been popular and successfully sells randomized virtual cards, WotC would have been stupid not to consider it.

With that said, I'm glad they're not going to.

-O