Sunday, April 4, 2010

The Score

Rats 2, Griffin 2. The trap got robbed of it's bait twice, and I have disposed of two of the daring little bastards. The war goes on. I believe I have enough birdseed and peanut butter to eventually vanquish the foe.

Griffin 2, Dicks 1:

Everytown got lit up on the forums of 93 Games Studio:

Re: Anyone alive?
Adam F wrote:
"Have the courage in your own work to say; 'okay here's a module on ... Kazakstan in 2013' (for example), and the confidence that people will then want to use it because you've done it as well and imaginatively as you can. This 'generic vagueness' is not a good way to go. It just means people will use the system as a rules system and not bother buying anything else from you. I'm guessing not something you want to happen?"


Keep in mind that this wasn't all of his post, and it's some guy who hadn't bought Everytown, hadn't bothered to read the description of it, and yet felt qualified to put his two cents in.

Even so, I was suprised at my first gut response, which was to administer a back-alley beating should I come across him. That reaction was far stronger than I'd have thought could be provoked in me by some stranger. I tamped that reaction down and gave this response:

"Some who purchased the product, read it, and chose to use it have said the Everytown setting is innovative. It is unfortunate that you did not enjoy it or, lacking the interest to purchase it, think it unworthy of your atttention.

Please do not question the courage of the 93 Games Studio staff and management. Writing, illustrating, editing and producing any book is a challenge that few have met, and fewer still have had any success with.


Now, I thought that a reasoned and healthy response.

His response:

"Innovative? I don't see it. It's a generic, non-specific, small town. At best it's something that's going to need work from GMs to get to useable levels for any length of play beyond the brief. The old school modules were useable just from reading.

I'm not having a go, I'm simply saying what I personally would like to buy in future from the T2013 line (ie books more in the style of the old T2K sourcebooks).

Feel free to continue producing books I don't want to buy. That's of course your perogative.


This is, in my opinion, typical hobbyist bullshit, "Don't do anything if you aren't doing what I like (And haven't even read)."

Also known as, "You can guide a man to wisdom, but he'll probably complain the whole fucking way, then complain again about how it tastes, and then finally, complain about how it felt when he pissed all over himself trying to void himself of it."

I feel better for the quality of my response and the writing of this post.

Now, to make more "generic vagueness" that sells well, fucker.

2 comments:

  1. My advice, which is also what Dave practices: Never argue with a review. You can't win. Instead, ignore them, and write the next thing.

    I'm not as good at the ignoring part as I should be, alas, but I'm working on it.

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  2. He made it easier to ignore him when it was clear he hadn't even bothered to read the introduction or sales fluff on the work.

    I shall strive all the harder to ignore fuckers like that in future, given your (and Dave's) sound advice.

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