White Wolf goes to war

[Grey Paladin]

www.white-wolf.com/graduation

Suddenly WotC don't seem so bad . . .

[Mr. Friendly]

blurggh...

still...

I may send them my 3.5 PHB anyway...

I will have my 4e PHB.

And then I can sell my brand new exalted book. Bwahahaahhahaaha!

[Matthew]

Hee, hee. Very amusing.

[Azerian Kelimon]

Boy. This is pathetic. They're getting desperate.

[sun_tzu]

www.white-wolf.com/graduation

Suddenly WotC don't seem so bad . . .

Is that...as pathetic and petty as what I think it is?
If yes, my respect for WW has just plummeted.

[Kurald Galain]

That's a very stupid marketing stunt, imho.

Nevertheless, a new edition of Exalted? Sounds great! Maneuvers that actually do something that's cool, count me in

[SpikeFightwicky]

www.white-wolf.com/graduation

Suddenly WotC don't seem so bad . . .

I can't access their site at my current location. Can someone link the article or paraphrase it so I (and others?) can get the gist?

[Green Bean]

Is that...as pathetic and petty as what I think it is?
If yes, my respect for WW has just plummeted.

You forgot to add "not very bright". A PHB is actually $10 cheaper than the book they're giving away.

[Matthew]

Sure, here you go:

White Wolf is giving away free copies of the award-winning Exalted Second Edition! We’re offering you an opportunity to break out of the Dungeons & Dragons cycle, and graduate to a new kind of fantasy game. We’re confident that once you step up and experience Exalted’s world of epic fantasy and larger-than-life heroes, you won’t ever want to search another 10 x 10 room again.

Why play a rehash of the same old game, when you could be exploring Epic Fantasy Re-Imagined all summer?

Fans who want to graduate from D&D have until April 28th to sign up to receive their free Exalted book. Supplies are limited, though, and once all 2500 books have been ordered, that’s it.
The free Exalted core books will be available for pickup at your local store during Graduation Week (May 26th – 31st).

Exalted: Graduate Your Game will be held at participating hobby shops throughout the United States and Canada between March 21st and April 28th.

Anyone can sign up for Exalted: Graduate Your Game at a local participating hobby shop. If your local store is not participating, encourage them to get involved!

In order to become one of the 2500 graduates to receive a free copy of Exalted, we only ask that you send us your old copy of the Dungeons & Dragons Revised Third Edition (3.5) Players Guide.

Click the appropriate button below for more details.

[Mr. Friendly]

I can't access their site at my current location. Can someone link the article or paraphrase it so I (and others?) can get the gist?

You send them your old 3.5 PHB and they send you a new Exalted.

The only way this plan can fail is if a new Edition of D&D were coming out soon......

[Pauwel]

I can't access their site at my current location. Can someone link the article or paraphrase it so I (and others?) can get the gist?

They're offering people a free copy of Exalted 2nd Edition in return for a copy of D&D Player's Handbook 3.5. They're marketing it as "Graduate your game from D&D to Exalted".

EDIT: Damn ninjas.

[Tengu]

Damn it, Canada and the US only! *snaps fingers*

And while this is a low blow, I have no doubts that Exalted will still be a better game than DND - even though fourth edition looks very promising.

EDIT: Ah, you need to give them the 3.5 handbook, which I don't have. I don't miss that much then, I thought they're giving these books away for free.

[Sleet]

I can't access their site at my current location. Can someone link the article or paraphrase it so I (and others?) can get the gist?

They're giving away free copies of Exalted 2nd ed., with a side order of condescension, if you turn in your copy of the D&D 3.5 PHB.

[Winterwind]

You send them your old 3.5 PHB and they send you a new Exalted.

The only way this plan can fail is if a new Edition of D&D were coming out soon......

Well, in a sense, it might be actually more effective right now when a new edition is coming...
Because now, there might actually be a lot of players willing to give away their outdated D&D book (or more than there usually would be, anyway), thus spreading their own book amongst more people. If they are confident enough in the quality of their product, this might be a way to get more people in.

This said, this text sounds incredibly petty and arrogant. Ugh.

[kamikasei]

Genius! After all, obviously the only reason I don't play Exalted at the moment is because I feel too stupid for it, and need a "graduation" to give myself the self-esteem to deal with such a mighty system.

[Nebo_]

I just sent that link to the president of the D&D club at uni. His response:

"Well, thats decided. We aren't buying any white wolf books this year."

[banjo1985]

Poor marketing ploy and un-needed.

Exalted is a great system and beats D&D 3.5 round the head with a blunt instrument, it's far more fluid and dynamic. Unfortunately this marketing attempt seems like a bad idea and has the scent of sour grapes around it...

Pity really, as White Wolf make better role playing systems than WotC, and Exalted is actually really good. It's a shame they have to treat D&D gamers as idiots to try and prove it. I can't help but think it will come back to bite them on the arse.

[Cubey]

First I thought they're just giving away free Exalted books to promote their system, which was kinda cool. But then I looked into their webpage in more detail, found all the "graduation from DnD to the more mature system" stuff and that you have to give away your 3.5 Ed handbook. Urgh. Exalted is a very fun system but that's disgusting. I feel morally obliged to illegally download 2nd Ed Exalted from the 'nets just to spite them now (I'm kidding. Probably.).

[SpikeFightwicky]

Well, in a sense, it might be actually more effective right now when a new edition is coming...
Because now, there might actually be a lot of players willing to give away their outdated D&D book (or more than there usually would be, anyway), thus spreading their own book amongst more people. If they are confident enough in the quality of their product, this might be a way to get more people in.

This said, this text sounds incredibly petty and arrogant. Ugh.

Definately agree. It sounds like an awesome idea in theory, but they really poured on the 'our product's better than theirs, and you're a wank if you don't switch'.

BTW, thx to all who gave me the gist!

[Tengu]

Poor marketing ploy and un-needed.

Exalted is a great system and beats D&D 3.5 round the head with a blunt instrument, it's far more fluid and dynamic. Unfortunately this marketing attempt seems like a bad idea and has the scent of sour grapes around it...

Pity really, as White Wolf make better role playing systems than WotC, and Exalted is actually really good. It's a shame they have to treat D&D gamers as idiots to try and prove it. I can't help but think it will come back to bite them on the arse.

Yeah, Exalted will probably get some undeserved bad rep now and I can already see the swarms of blind Wizards/White Wolf fanatics yelling and throwing poo at each other. As if we needed a war like that.

[Stiz]

That would work alot better with some of their other games. Scion is my favorite of their games.

[Sleet]

Yeah, Exalted will probably get some undeserved bad rep now and I can already see the swarms of blind Wizards/White Wolf fanatics yelling and throwing poo at each other. As if we needed a war like that.

The shame of it is that I'd go get me a free Exalted book and give the game another try (I've played before and, honestly, wasn't terribly impressed), but I'm not giving up my 3.5 PHB.

If they'd checked the snark at the door and marketed this as "An edition change - great time to try a new system! Bring your PHB to your FLGS and get a free copy of Exalted!" it would have rocked - I'd do it. They could even stamp the inside cover with "I'm trying Exalted!" to make sure people don't re-use the same PHB. And the store managers don't have 100 pounds of PHB to dispose of.

[Oslecamo]

And this is the main reason why WOTC is the leader of table top games.

They don't go around insulting the people who use their rival's products.

Oficially.

Anyway, I still don't get what all the rucus about exalted is. The rules are much loose, and you have more power than your average D&D character, but power doesn't automatically equals fun to most people. If I wanted to play godlike beings in D&D we would all start at level 20.

Gonna read the sites again to see if I can discover what all the ruckus is about.

And out of curiosity, for what do they want D&D PHBs?

[Ascension]

Ugh. I understand that they're trying to sell... or, in this case, give away... their product, but I hate it when people treat a game system... any game system... like it's the be-all end-all of RPGs. I skimmed a copy of the Exalted core book with the intention of buying one, but changed my mind after I read the section about how you can upgrade your motivation for free if you're a new player and didn't select a suitably EPIC one.

Heh... I guess that's what they're trying to get us to do now. Upgrade our RPG because we didn't select a suitably EPIC one.

[Rutee]

STOP BEING STUPID, WHITE WOLF. Better system or no, it's just /stupid/ to tell people that their game is bad if you're genuinely trying to convince them.

Ugh. I understand that they're trying to sell... or, in this case, give away... their product, but I hate it when people treat a game system... any game system... like it's the be-all end-all of RPGs. I skimmed a copy of the Exalted core book with the intention of buying one, but changed my mind after I read the section about how you can upgrade your motivation for free if you're a new player and didn't select a suitably EPIC one.

That's.. actually a /good/ move. Exalted is too large to stick to small motivations long, unless everyone has small motivations. They pretty much explain that right there.

[Kurald Galain]

I just sent that link to the president of the D&D club at uni. His response:

Wouldn't the fact that it's a D&D club already mean that they're not buying any WW books?


(edit) does anyone remember the "John Romero is going to make you his b!tch" marketing campaign? This sounds similarly idiotic.

[Iku Rex]

How dare these arrogant fiends show confidence in the quality of their product? And give away free stuff?!




I say we all do as God and Wizards of the Coast intended, and throw our 3.5 books away in favor of 4.0 like we threw our 3.0 books away in favor of 3.5. After all, WotC have been telling us how inferior 3.5 is and how stupid it would be to stick with it since they announced 4.0.

[KIDS]

LOL, interesting marketing ploy. Though I suspect that the market will smash them but still good luck with that...

[banjo1985]

How dare these arrogant fiends show confidence in the quality of their product? And give away free stuff?!

snip

I say we all do as God and Wizards of the Coast intended, and throw our 3.5 books away in favor of 4.0 like we threw our 3.0 books away in favor of 3.5. After all, WotC have been telling us how inferior 3.5 is and how stupid it would be to stick with it since they announced 4.0.

That's actually a good point. All these 3.5 books are going to have to go somewhere. And you can bet your backside WotC won't support 3.5 when their new baby gets released.

It'll be 4th edition all the way, until they decide 4.5 is much more sensible. Might as well get another system out of it, especially one as decent as Exalted.

[Roderick_BR]

I always look too much into this kind of advertsiment... but are they shamelessly insulting D&D, and those that play it?
"break out of the Dungeons & Dragons cycle"?
"Why play a rehash of the same old game"?

Yeah. Insulting D&D to it's face, and claiming that players that enjoy D&D are... "immature" players ("graduate from D&D"?)
I think companies should refrain from making stupid comparisons between themselves and others companies (Mac vs PC anyone?) and indirectly call people that use the others products idiots.

And here I was thinking about trying Exalted after a few friends said it was a really entertaining game...

And what they are going to do with all these books anyway?

Well, they'll be screwing themselves up anyway... as Mr. Friendly said, 4E will be there, and since some people will stop playing 3.5, the book will be useless... solution? Send it away for a brand new game!

Heh, it reminded me of some news I heard once, that in one of the World Cup's soccer championships, some non-soccer sport clubs were advertising things like "get out of town as soon as possible to escape the new soccer craze" or something.