D&D 4th Edition (4E to the l33t) is a completely new game system for all intents and purposes. Wizards of the Coast kept the game's flavor, but changed the mechanics in a big way in order to appeal to the World of Warcraft/Age of Conan/etc. crowd that's draining the base of support for their pen-and-paper game. They encounter significant resistance from the entrenched user base, so they get some of the most well-respected gamers around (the boys from Penny Arcade and PvP's Scott Kurtz) to play the game and record a podcast about it. Smart move, right?
...and that's when they sabotage themselves. Instead of just letting everyone in on the fun, they force everyone to create an 'Insider Account' at a completely separate site, including entering personal information and agreeing to a lengthy Terms of Service document, in order to see the content. You know, the content that's basically AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR THEIR GAME.
You read that right, they want you to jump through multiple hoops in order for them to show you why you should buy it. On the Internet. Where giving people content (that WotC didn't even create, mind) is basically free.
Fail.
Update: Even some of the static pages with general 4E information are hidden away under the Insider membership requirement. Who thought that was a good idea?
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