[Chaemera]

Sometimes (not often, but sometimes), I hate the internet.

Before the internet, the first chance people got to see any news about movies, books or games was after the product was developed and already on the way to market. It meant that the people working on these products had a chance to make the products the best they could be.

Now, with the internet, creators announce "Hey, we're working on X!" They are immediately bombarded by fans who demand that only certain actors should be considered for the role, try to publish material without the author's permission or just try to garner new players (do I really need to link to D&D's edition wars?).

To be fair, I can point you to magazines where information on upcoming movies was leaked and people would write the producer / director / etc, or at least, write an opinion piece in their newspaper of choice back in the days before the internet.

Heck, I bet British broadsheets back in the day would pay street urchins to break into the Globe Theatre and steal Shakespeare's working notes or discarded drafts just to gossip about it.

Fact is, there was never a time or place where this didn't happen, the internet just makes it more obvious and gives it more attention. Besides, as long as writers/producers are strong willed about where they will take things, wouldn't knowing in advance what the audience want be a potential boon to the process? Take the good criticism, discard the bad. As a writer, one should be used to doing this already, I know every writing course I ever was involved in included criticism. It only made the end product stronger, as long as the author didn't bend to every critique offered.

[Bull]

Otaku:

I posted it elsewhere, and I'll post one more time, then I'm done.  I have actual writing to get back to (And even some research, though lord knows none of us freelancers do any of that .

That's an incomplete product spec.  It's missing the second page.  Also, there was some additional information in the email that accompanied it out to freelancers. 

And I'm not sure what about that doesn't sound like Shadowrun.  This is a book that's going to end up being a bit more like Mob War, I think.  Lots of story ideas and adventure hooks.  The Artifact concept has evolved a bit since Dawn originally started, and it's something I've already been playing around with in Missions.  And this, I think, builds on some of that evolution.  Sure, there's some big silly Immortal Elf plot afoot with teh MacGuffin artifacts.  But there's a lot of other scrambling and interest that's happening as well, and there are plenty of other very old magical items kicking around.  Things like the artifact from Bottled Demon.  The Dragonheart.  Half the stuff mentioned in Dunkie's Will.  Plus artifacts mentioned throughout scattered products for the last 20 years.  This product looks like it's going to focus on what some of these items are (at least in part), and ideas for adventures surrounding them that doesn't require you to be Frosty's little bitch until she steps in to save the day, or suck on Harley's peppermint flavored cock.  (Sorry, if there's one area that tends to irritate me, it's the Immortal Elves).

Bull

[FastJack]

Sometimes (not often, but sometimes), I hate the internet.

Before the internet, the first chance people got to see any news about movies, books or games was after the product was developed and already on the way to market. It meant that the people working on these products had a chance to make the products the best they could be.

Now, with the internet, creators announce "Hey, we're working on X!" They are immediately bombarded by fans who demand that only certain actors should be considered for the role, try to publish material without the author's permission or just try to garner new players (do I really need to link to D&D's edition wars?).

To be fair, I can point you to magazines where information on upcoming movies was leaked and people would write the producer / director / etc, or at least, write an opinion piece in their newspaper of choice back in the days before the internet.

Heck, I bet British broadsheets back in the day would pay street urchins to break into the Globe Theatre and steal Shakespeare's working notes or discarded drafts just to gossip about it.

Fact is, there was never a time or place where this didn't happen, the internet just makes it more obvious and gives it more attention. Besides, as long as writers/producers are strong willed about where they will take things, wouldn't knowing in advance what the audience want be a potential boon to the process? Take the good criticism, discard the bad. As a writer, one should be used to doing this already, I know every writing course I ever was involved in included criticism. It only made the end product stronger, as long as the author didn't bend to every critique offered.

You're right, but the Internet also makes it more immediate. While they may have been stealing the gossip and notes back in the day, it would still take time for them to publish their information, so that most of it might come out months after it was received.

As for taking the good and tossing the bad, how do you decide what's good and what's bad? A good example is Wizard's changes to the Forgotten Realms. They listened to a lot of the criticism from the forums that there were too many heroes and gods, leading to the idea of the Spellplague and purge. The backlash from that decision is still being felt from the fans that had been quiet in the forums because they were happy with the status quo.

[Caine Hazen]

You know what, this topic has drifted far afield.  I'm simply going to lock it up for 24 hours and when we come back, it can get back on the topic of the book War!, or remain closed.

[Kontact]

So.. what are the odds of the rules crunch from War being copied over to the Milspec Gear web-only release for the players' benefit?

Also, whatever happened to 20 Rides?  Daddy needs his rigger candy.

[JM_Hardy]

So.. what are the odds of the rules crunch from War being copied over to the Milspec Gear web-only release for the players' benefit?

Also, whatever happened to 20 Rides?  Daddy needs his rigger candy.

MilSpecTech's gear will be different than the gear in War. New toys for everyone!

Jason H.

[Mystic]

Sweet, Christmas comes twice.

 

[Otakusensei]

Sweet, Christmas comes twice.

 

And you get to pay for it twice, too!

Which is normally fine for a roleplaying game company to do, if it didn't sound so much like having to pay for the section of gear that got bumped from War! so they could bring you the full 110 pages of Bogota...

[Mystic]

Eh, we all pay for it one way or another eventually.

[Otakusensei]

Eh, we all pay for it one way or another eventually.

If you're talking about game material, you're wrong.  If you're referring to the deeds we do in life, then I certainly hope so.

[JM_Hardy]

Sweet, Christmas comes twice.

 

And you get to pay for it twice, too!

Which is normally fine for a roleplaying game company to do, if it didn't sound so much like having to pay for the section of gear that got bumped from War! so they could bring you the full 110 pages of Bogota...

This assumption is incorrect. War was always supposed to have lots of setting material in with the gear. MilSpecTech is not stuff that got bumped from War; it's stuff that was generated because the eBook developer wanted to generate it.

Jason H.

[Otakusensei]

Sweet, Christmas comes twice.

 

And you get to pay for it twice, too!

Which is normally fine for a roleplaying game company to do, if it didn't sound so much like having to pay for the section of gear that got bumped from War! so they could bring you the full 110 pages of Bogota...

This assumption is incorrect. War was always supposed to have lots of setting material in with the gear. MilSpecTech is not stuff that got bumped from War; it's stuff that was generated because the eBook developer wanted to generate it.

Jason H.

Seems a little odd coming so close on the heels of War! though.  A web supplement of milspec gear would sell any time, as a development decision why wasn't 20 Rides slotted in there first?  At the very least you'd be avoiding the very appearance of double dipping.

[JM_Hardy]

Sweet, Christmas comes twice.

 

And you get to pay for it twice, too!

Which is normally fine for a roleplaying game company to do, if it didn't sound so much like having to pay for the section of gear that got bumped from War! so they could bring you the full 110 pages of Bogota...

This assumption is incorrect. War was always supposed to have lots of setting material in with the gear. MilSpecTech is not stuff that got bumped from War; it's stuff that was generated because the eBook developer wanted to generate it.

Jason H.

Seems a little odd coming so close on the heels of War! though.  A web supplement of milspec gear would sell any time, as a development decision why wasn't 20 Rides slotted in there first?  At the very least you'd be avoiding the very appearance of double dipping.

It's coming on the heels of War! on purpose, as the two books work together. Those that want more gear will be able to get it; those that don't, don't have to. 20 Rides was not slotted before it mainly due to the simple fact that MilSpecTech's text was complete before 20 Rides.

Jason H.

[Otakusensei]

Still seems like releasing DLC the day a game comes out.  It's a really nasty looking practice that the public puts up with only because there's no way to get access to the things they love without supporting the companies that hold the IP and maintain business practices that carry the appearance of corruption.  It's nice to have you here to answer directly for the actions of CGL, but even with your clarification it's hard to figure out if this action is corruption or simply poor planning.

[Starglyte]

Still seems like releasing DLC the day a game comes out.  It's a really nasty looking practice that the public puts up with only because there's no way to get access to the things they love without supporting the companies that hold the IP and maintain business practices that carry the appearance of corruption.  It's nice to have you here to answer directly for the actions of CGL, but even with your clarification it's hard to figure out if this action is corruption or simply poor planning.

How is it poor planning? Having a e-book with more military gear released near a book named War! sounds like good planning to me.