More of the Same...

So WOTC is announcing their fall adventure theme, which is yet another hardcover adventure path for levels 1-15. Apparently, the plan is to endlessly create 1st level characters and run them up in a closed adventure system every six months. Why can't they create these hardcovers as campaign settings like the old Greyhawk box, or leveled mini-adventures like Dungeon Delve? Let the expensive books explore the cute and clever areas of the universe, or pack them full of encounters and skip the fluff. Better yet, do both! They've obviously made some nice adventure arcs, but how many 1-15 runs do you need? Ooh, let's do dragons! Ooh, let's do elementals! Ooh, let's do hell!
You can't count on an endless supply of newbies to the game to keep jumping in at the ground level and working up. At some point, they're going to want to continue with those characters at a higher level. Far more likely, they'll try it for a third of the book, then want to use their 5th level characters in a different adventures. These arcs aren't set up for that kind of play. They're set up to be run through fairly sequentially. If you start it, you stick with it to the end, or quit playing.
I don't want to quit playing, and I don't really want to be stuck with their flavor of the month setting. Everything about WOTC seems to be geared toward sanctioned adventures sourced out through game play stores. They aren't concerned for the home groups, or the do-it-yourselfers. They want you to fit a mold, and they want you to come to them to get pigeon-holed.
I hate the way they run this company, but the product is still top-notch, and I'll keep sinking money into it. I just wish they'd reward the long years of loyalty with something of more substance.

Dragon+

I'm going to take credit for this, deserved or not. WOTC has created a free iPhone/iPad app periodical. I've taken the last couple of surveys they've offered, and freely expressed my desire for the return of Dragon and Dungeon magazines. Particularly, I've expressed the need for the kind of content they routinely provided, namely a mix of maps, game theory, adventures, and so on. This is a good start along that route, so I'm going to claim they listened to me.
Ok, the content is as thin as the website. Ok, there really isn't anything new that can't be found already on the website. But, it is the right direction to go, and seems to be a useful Newsstand item. The value will come as content is developed for it, and one hopes for a similar adventure based offering to come soon.