Thursday, February 16, 2012

This is what passes for WOTC market research these days

17 comments:

  1. What an utterly useless poll. They might as well just roll on the Table of Random Game Mechanics; 5E would be ready for production in just 10 minutes and be just as coherent.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I suggested that they start with an open-ended question, "what is the essence of DnD"

      They shut down the thread as it was contributing to "edition wars"

      Wtf

      Delete
  2. Actually, if they included the Table of Random Game Mechanics as part of the game, it might be more fun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And get about the same result as their current strategy

      Delete
  3. I think this is actually promotion rather than marketing research. They have no intention of giving these silly polls anything other than lip service.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Then it is an ultimately self-defeating strategy. Netizens are pretty good at sniffing out and exposing that kind of half-baked and dishonest marketing.

      Delete
  4. It's not market research.

    It's advertising. They do things like this to keep people talking about the game.

    Now you might say, "but I am mocking them!" yes, but others will forget what you said once they get to WotC's site.

    They are driving as many eyeballs as they can to their site and getting people excited about D&D 5.

    And the plain truth is this: It's going to work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Then I've fallen into their carefully prepared trap. Curses!

      Delete
  5. ok, I admit, curiousity got to me and I went and voted. The people's will so far: Critical Hits winning by a mile, and non-Vancian magic outpacing Vancian. Ugh.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That was my other observation. They are unlikely to get a representative sample from a poll on their own website. If their aim is to gather REAL intelligence, they need to ask those not vested in 4E. They should be hiring if they havnt already a polling firm

      Delete
  6. Ooo-oo...what's an "action point?"

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think this poll would be useful if and only if people had to identify their favourite edition.

    Without this, they can't separate "I've played the Weapon vs Armour chart and I don't like it" and "I don't know what it is because I play 3rd edition", yet the first is significant and the second isn't.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Also, unless they've given more detail about what they mean elsewhere, 'non-Vancian magic' just means 'any system other than the current one'. How can you possibly say whether you want that?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Regardless of their methods and schemes, they've one chance with me any my (very) small group. So let's hope they just aim for making something fun.

    ReplyDelete
  10. anarchist, you hit the nail on the head. they are failing to properly mine the data they could gather, in addition to asking bad questions

    ReplyDelete
  11. Joshua, i've all but given up on engagement. Hopefully they will listen to others with alternative perspectives.

    ReplyDelete