Also, “it’s not broken because you can fix it yourself” is a silly argument. I’m paying (well, not yet in this case, but I soon will be paying) WotC to do the work for me. Yes, I expect, and even prefer, that some changes will need to be made, but past a certain point that ceases to be par for the course and starts to defeat the purpose of using a published adventure. Committing now to a long-term plot I only know (at best) one ninth of makes the risk of passing that point too great for my tastes, and apparently those of many others.

Over on ENWorld, there’s a thread about this on which no less than Erik Mona and James Jacobs have posted sentiments very similar to mine, and they’re in the business of producing these things. You are entitled to your opinion, but it is decidedly in the minority, and seems like it may be ill-thought-out.

Take Bob’s post above. What on earth about D&D could possibly justify that? I’m not conflating your opinion with that post (you were good enough to censor it), but Bob’s hyperbole serves as proof that there’s a lot of overreacting going on.

Not necessarily by you, reveal…but it is there.

No, I don’t want every event set in stone. But I do want a general overview so I can plan long term. I can decide, “Ok. In adventure 1 this guy could get away. It looks like in adventure X, I can put him back in if I want.”

Check out Dungeon #138 for a good example of a very simple overview. One paragraph on each adventure with just enough information to let us know the general plot. Nothing too specific. Nothing that we couldn’t change if necessary.

Seems to me, keeping the main thrust of the plot secret from the author of the module fits nicely into your metaphor.

The DM has nothing to do with creating the module. The DM executes it.

Keeping the main plot secret from DMs is more like keeping the script of a film a secret from theater owners. In other words, a non-issue.

In general…

I think this is a big overreaction. As a DM, I can understand how you’d prefer to know everything that will happen. But not knowing every detail actually gives you a little wiggle room as you go along. Do you really want every event of your entire campaign set in stone before you start? And if things aren’t set in stone, why can’t you change them later, or on the fly if need be? Won’t there be time between each installment’s publication and your game night to make such adjustments?

Granted, Randy Buehler could have been much more forthcoming and just said, “The plots are Wizards’ property, and we’d rather not reveal them early for a variety of reasons.” His “we want to suprise you” reply comes across as disingenuous, and I can see being annoyed at that.

Compare this to making a movie. Keeping the main thrust of the plot secret from *players* is like keeping the script a secret from the general public. Of *course* you do that (except maybe a few carefully chosen elements).

But keeping the main thrust of the plot secret from *DMs* is like keeping the script a secret from the *Director*. There’s no value in doing that, save perhaps in very unusual experimental scenarios; under anything remotely resembling normal circumstances, it’s just a really stupid way to operate.

In my somewhat limited experience as a freelancer in RPGs, I’ve found that things can, and do, change very late in the game. We’d love for them not to, but they do. And I don’t mean minor things, although I wish I did.

And there is precedent for companies releasing information about unpublished material. Randy has said that “we’ve mapped out an elaborate plot that covers level 1 all the way through level 30″ which means they have those plot points already established. Paizo also had those plot points established for Age of Worms and Savage Tide yet, in both instances, they released an overview with a simple paragraph about each adventure (AoW on their website and ST in Dungeon #138), letting the DM know what was the come. They were not in depth enough to disallow the author to change things if necessary but were not generic enough to not let a DM plant important elements if necessary. That’s all I’m asking for. Nothing more than that.

Was the original request asking WotC to reveal information about adventures that haven’t been published yet? Even “just a paragraph” isn’t too likely when you’re talking about unpublished material. And what if the publishing schedule changes? What if changes need to be made to plotline later on, based on any number of unplanned events? That would throw the whole outline into disarray and cause twice as many complaints.

I don’t think it’s fair to expect unpublished material (or even info about it) to be released early. The history of RPG companies is filled with stories of information being released, then the actual book doesn;t come out, or things change, etc.

But as I said, it’s tough to understand what the issue is here.

We definitely need this info available to us. I won’t buy these products until it is (and then, only assuming it’s actually worth running knowing what it’s all about).

Surprises are for the players, and that’s fine. But for the DM? He’s the one who needs the info most.

Hopefully, letters like yours will help them understand the error of their ways. I have to give WotC credit though. Their customer service does seem to be pretty good, so I actually believe 100% that your letter has gone up the chain. Hopefully you’ll get a response soon enough.

Of course, I’ve heard that the industry folks keep an eye on the RPG blogs out there, so if they missed the letter you sent, it’s possible they’ll find it here

Tomcat1066s last blog post..Voicing Concerns

If that miserable excuse is the real reason you arent willing to share any of this with the DM community, then you’re a [edited].

If there are other reasons behind it, Randy, then your a [edited].

Great work on [edited] Gleemax, btw.

[edited]

That is all…you may go about your business, nothing to see here folks.
Thank you, drive on thru.

Editor’s note: While I appreciate the fact that people are passionate about this, I would appreciate that folks not use profanity and that they do not launch personal attacks. Thank you.

Oh, and hi Sandie! Keep pushing Tony to write his own stuff – I for one would love to see what he’s capable of.

greywulfs last blog post..The Justice League of Faerun

I couldn’t agree more. I’m glad you’re bringing it up and letting people in on the whole exchange. I think it’s important to make sure companies know when their customers aren’t happy and that’s what you’re doing here.