From: John M. Kahane [jkahane@comnet.ca] Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 4:43 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Market Exposure On Sun, 10 May 1998 23:17:43 -0500, Kevin C. Carpenter wrote: >John Kahane wrote: >> Frankly, I don't think that BLUE PLANET has gotten a lot of >>exposure out in the market. Before the Biohazard folks jump all over >>me for saying that, what I mean is that while the game has been out >>there for a year, it's a *single* resource at this point (there's no >>other supplements for the game yet), and thus it gets lost in the >>shuffle of the White Wolf stuff, the TSR/WotC stuff, and some of the >>other gaming company products. That is, however, changing, as folks >>come to appreciate the game and its presence on gaming shelves is >>pointed out by other BLUE PLANET players to folks in the stores. If >>the game wins the award at Origins, I think it might also get a bit >>more attention focused on it. > I can see how that might cause a problem. My local store has a shelf for >TSR, FASA and Whitewolf, with the bottom of one shelf reserved for all the >other games. That's more or less an analogy for how the industry tends to >treat new games at least. Yes, that's certainly true. Most gaming stores are like that, especially given the whole "high profile" nature of companies like TSR, WotC, WW, and some of the others. You would think that game store owners would wantt he smaller companies to start selling their products, and that would require a more prominent place on the shelves. Truth is, of course, that most game store owners want to make money. The bigger companies' stuff sells; the littler companies' stuff doesn't. That's the market truth, to some extent. > More releases will help elevate it in the market, though it is >unfortunate that the industry tends to judge games in quantity rather than >quality. I do hope Blue Planet wins an Origins award. It has my vote for >sure. I know it's got my vote, for sure. I think that BLUE PLANET is one of the best rpgs out there with a science fiction environment ever. And so is FADING SUNS. :) ... Red giant seeks white dwarf for binary relationship. JohnK jkahane@comnet.ca http://www.comnet.ca/~jkahane *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: James Kiley [tenzil@io.com] Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 7:23 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Con Gathering? On Sun, 10 May 1998, JASON KUCHERAWY wrote: > On Tue, 5 May 1998, Ghost wrote: >>[windows sucks] >[macs rule] Listen, folks, all kidding aside, I am trying to think of things I want to read less on this list than discussions about whose favorite operating systems I should try. There are Usenet groups and mailing lists specifically devoted to this. I know I'd be a very happy guy if we kept it there. jk used them all, hate them all *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: John M. Kahane [jkahane@comnet.ca] Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 4:50 To: Blue Planet Mailing List Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Skill Missing? Hullo, folks, I've been trying to compile a list of skills from the BLUE PLANET system to have handy as a handout during character generation for my players, and I've got a question... Why is is for a game system that deals with a waterworld, there is no skill called Oceanography? :) Come to think of it, does anyone out there have any additional skills they'd like to see added to the game or that they've already added to the game? ... "We'll think about you while you're down among the dead men." - Pal Kenzy (SC) JohnK jkahane@comnet.ca http://www.comnet.ca/~jkahane *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Disturbnce [Disturbnce@aol.com] Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 10:04 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Skill Missing? In a message dated 98-05-11 10:01:38 EDT, you write: > I've been trying to compile a list of skills from the BLUE > PLANET system to have handy as a handout during character generation > for my players, and I've got a question... Character generation in general is a bit clunky, I've found. I'm working on something to streamline the process, but no news as yet. Mainly, the information needs to be gathered together in table form, so there's less page- flipping. Yeah, why is there no Marine Biology skill, as separate from general Biology? I also saw no Ecology skill, which I would think would be very important. Andrew new BP owner who spent hours last night doing character creation to familiarize himself with the system, and has the beginning of a Rogues' Gallery *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Kevin C. Carpenter [keepiru@nationwide.net] Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 10:50 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Skill Missing? I hadn't noticed this, being that I'm still making my way through the background material (though I did skip ahead and read the Cetaceans chapter). That does appear to be a significant skill one would have, and something you'd think would be listed, but realistically one could go on for pages and pages listing various subsets of scientific disciplines. Still, if nothing else was included, Oceanography should have been. As for Ecology, it looks like the skill 'Environmental Engineering' would cover that. The rest of the skill list looks qutie complete, however. The only thing that I could come up with off-hand is a Cetacean culture skill under the Culture section. I'll probably think of a few more once I've started running the game. - Kevin >> I've been trying to compile a list of skills from the BLUE >> PLANET system to have handy as a handout during character generation >> for my players, and I've got a question... > >Character generation in general is a bit clunky, I've found. I'm working on >something to streamline the process, but no news as yet. Mainly, the >information needs to be gathered together in table form, so there's less page- >flipping. > >Yeah, why is there no Marine Biology skill, as separate from general Biology? >I also saw no Ecology skill, which I would think would be very important. > >Andrew *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Fred Langen [flangen@cisco.com] Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 12:17 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Market Exposure Space Seeker Kevin C. Carpenter *mentally* communicated earlier: > > I can see how that might cause a problem. My local store has a shelf for >TSR, FASA and Whitewolf, with the bottom of one shelf reserved for all the >other games. That's more or less an analogy for how the industry tends to >treat new games at least. > More releases will help elevate it in the market, though it is >unfortunate that the industry tends to judge games in quantity rather than >quality. I do hope Blue Planet wins an Origins award. It has my vote for >sure. > >- Kevin > I remember a time when the booming part of the industry WAS the new games. ...and then came Mtg and people pulled away from heavy-thought games and slid into playing quick games that didn't require a lot of overhead preparation. Sigh. --- Fred Langen (flangen) voice: (408) 526-5930 Space Seeker XVIII (Blackout) www.accesscom.com/~blackout <}=--------- Star Lance Master ----------#####* "I look into the star lance, and I kill them all" *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Disturbnce [Disturbnce@aol.com] Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 12:56 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Market Exposure In a message dated 98-05-11 13:26:33 EDT, you write: > I remember a time when the booming part of the industry WAS the new games. > ...and then came Mtg and people pulled away from heavy-thought games and > slid into playing quick games that didn't require a lot of overhead > preparation. Fortunately, the cards seem to be falling back, and there's still adult players out there who want complex storylines, intrigue, political conflict, something a bit deeper than hack'n'slash or Big Guns. Blue Planet seems to be in this category, appealing to an older, more mature audience. Let's hope it sells well. Andrew *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Auberon [fskln1@aurora.alaska.edu] Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 8:12 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Market Exposure Not just adult, either. While admittedly the high school years are the first time most roleplayers try something other than hack and slash, I run a game in which a couple of notable exceptions play. I don't know if age is the determining factor so much as length of time gaming coupled with native intelligence. Disturbnce wrote: > > In a message dated 98-05-11 13:26:33 EDT, you write: > > > I remember a time when the booming part of the industry WAS the new games. > > ...and then came Mtg and people pulled away from heavy-thought games and > > slid into playing quick games that didn't require a lot of overhead > > preparation. > > Fortunately, the cards seem to be falling back, and there's still adult > players out there who want complex storylines, intrigue, political conflict, > something a bit deeper than hack'n'slash or Big Guns. Blue Planet seems to be > in this category, appealing to an older, more mature audience. Let's hope it > sells well. > > Andrew > *************************************************************************** > To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line > 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. -- (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*) May God stand between you and harm in all the empty places where you must walk. Auberon *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Heivilin, Jim [banzai@missouri.edu] Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 16:46 To: 'blue_planet@MPGN.COM' Subject: RE: [BLUE PLANET] - Con Gathering? > -----Original Message----- > From: James Kiley [mailto:tenzil@io.com] > Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 7:23 AM > To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM > Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Con Gathering? > Listen, folks, all kidding aside, I am trying to think of > things I want to read less on this list than discussions about > whose favorite operating systems I should try. There are Usenet > groups and mailing lists specifically devoted to this. I know > I'd be a very happy guy if we kept it there. > Just as an item of interest (in case there is any) Jeff uses a Mac (Quadra 610) with Mac versions of PhotoShop (which ROCKS as he says and our cool web site graphics attest to), Illustrator and a slew of other tools. I, on the other hand, am a wintel geek (thou not a devotee of Bill). Although I do have a Mac on my work desk and know how to use it, I go with what I know and have done all the html processing on it for the web site and my writing (what there is of it). Jason also uses a PC but I don't know what Greg uses. Jim "Platform doesn't matter, it's all html anyway" Heivilin Jim Heivilin, Webmaster Biohazard Games ccbanzai@showme.missouri.edu http://www.biohazardgames.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Max Kalus [max.kalus@student.uni-augsburg.de] Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 17:00 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Skill Missing? John M. Kahane wrote: > Why is is for a game system that deals with a waterworld, > there is no skill called Oceanography? :) Yes, I missed something like that, too. There is Geology, for example, and Meteorology, if I remember right. But both do not cover the special knowledge required for a water world, which would mostly include water currents, salt content, temperature, etc. Any comments? Max Kalus. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Max Kalus [max.kalus@student.uni-augsburg.de] Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 17:07 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Skill Missing? Disturbnce wrote: > Character generation in general is a bit clunky, I've found. I'm working on > something to streamline the process, but no news as yet. Mainly, the > information needs to be gathered together in table form, so there's less page- > flipping. Well, it is the first edition, after all. All game systems I know of, improved their system a lot in the second editions. A couple of years of practical playing will reveal a lot of the problems of BP's system. > Yeah, why is there no Marine Biology skill, as separate from general Biology? > I also saw no Ecology skill, which I would think would be very important. But please don't split skills too much. I think the amount of skills is quite right, not too many, but many enough to specialize! That's why I wouldn't split Biology too much... or include "specializations" in the system, which narrow skills down to a specific field (bonus), but cuts general knowledge in the skill (malus). That would serve the system well enough! Max Kalus. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Greg Benage [gbenage@ix.netcom.com] Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 18:35 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Skill Missing? -----Original Message----- From: Max Kalus To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Date: Monday, May 11, 1998 4:07 PM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Skill Missing? >John M. Kahane wrote: > >> Why is is for a game system that deals with a waterworld, >> there is no skill called Oceanography? :) > >Yes, I missed something like that, too. There is Geology, for example, and >Meteorology, if I remember right. But both do not cover the special knowledge required >for a water world, which would mostly include water currents, salt content, >temperature, etc. Obviously, Jeff can offer a more decisive answer to this question, but as far as I know, oceanography is an intensively interdisciplinary field. It integrates geology, physics, chemistry, meteorology, and biology. When developing a skill list, you have to be careful to ask yourself whether something is a distinct skill, a specialized application of a skill, or an amalgamation of other skills. I think oceanography qualifies as the latter, as do some other notable exceptions from the skill list, such as "hunting" (stealth, tracking, longarms, orienteering, etc.). The point is, if your character has competent levels in the above skills, he or she can do oceanography; it's certainly possible to create an oceanographer in BP, it'll just require knowledge of more than one skill. Hope this helps, Greg Benage Biohazard Games www.biohazardgames.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: BIOHZD [BIOHZD@aol.com] Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 19:31 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Skill Missing? Hey All, Several people have made recent posts about apparent omissions from the BP skill list. Well, here's the skinny... Greg is exactly right. Many *apparent* skills are actually an amalgamation of other, more basic areas of knowledge. To include every possible discipline in a game's skill list dillutes the whole, making each skill less distinctive. In terms of game play, this makes chosing the appropriate skill for a task much more arbitrary and reduces the unique contribution each type of profession can bring to a party. When we were were developing BP, the skill list was probably half again as long as it is now, and through careful consideration (Greg's hunting example is one I remember discussing specifically) we chose what we felt were core skills. Regarding an oceanography skill specifically, as an oceanography teacher I can assure you that in reality the science is an amalgamation of geology, chemistry, physics, biology and meteorology - all skills found on BP's list. In fact, Oceanography at most universities is a *gut course*, and though way cool, it is typically a rock for jocks class. If a person actually studies to become an oceanographer, they spend the majority of their time in various classes from the above dicsiplines - I did ; ). In the final analysis though, game design demands a compromise between reality and practical playability, and that is what guided our choice of skills in BP. The really cool thing is however, that if you want oceanography as a skill...hey...BP is your game so toss it in there! Personaly, I'm still upset that Greg made me take take underwater basket weaving off the skill list - talk about *applicable* to life on Poseidon! ; ) Later, Jeff Barber Biohazard Games *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Fred Langen [flangen@cisco.com] Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 19:30 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - GM screen Jeff, are you looking for artists? I know of one that is very talented. -fred Space Seeker BIOHZD *mentally* communicated earlier: > >Hello All, > >Planeswalker and Kai ask about working for Biohazard. Well, here's the skinny: > >Almost all companies in the game industry work primarily through freelancers, >and Biohazard is no different. Yeah, some of the upper tier companies have >staff writer's and artists, but even in these rare cases the actual number of >full time employees is still pretty low. > >Though hiring staff is not currently an option, Biohazard is *always* >interested in bringing more freelancers on board. The simple fact is that you >do not have to have any special degree, background, skills, reference or >experience to work in the industry . > >If you can: > >1. write well (subjective I know) >2. follow creative and editorial guidelines >3. use your imagination >4. meet deadlines (do *not* get me started!) > >:then you have what it takes. > >Biohazard offers several venues for the budding freelancer to get his or her >feet wet (no pun intended); Undercurrents, TimesNew's net, the Archipelago >intro contest (yeah Kai!), etc. I will gladly review any submissions made to >UC, and you can count on other "open writing invitations/contests" for BP in >the future. If you can proove yourself though your work we would be happy to >consider you for future freelance assigments (are you listening Kai?). > >Thanks for the interest, > >Jeff Barber >Bioahazard Games *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: tun kai poh [poh@cis.ohio-state.edu] Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 22:29 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Market Exposure > > In a message dated 98-05-11 13:26:33 EDT, you write: > > > I remember a time when the booming part of the industry WAS the new games. > > ...and then came Mtg and people pulled away from heavy-thought games and > > slid into playing quick games that didn't require a lot of overhead > > preparation. > > Fortunately, the cards seem to be falling back, and there's still adult > players out there who want complex storylines, intrigue, political conflict, > something a bit deeper than hack'n'slash or Big Guns. Blue Planet seems to be > in this category, appealing to an older, more mature audience. Let's hope it > sells well. > > Andrew > *************************************************************************** > To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line > 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. > *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: tun kai poh [poh@cis.ohio-state.edu] Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 22:35 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Skill Missing? > Character generation in general is a bit clunky, I've found. I'm working on > something to streamline the process, but no news as yet. Mainly, the > information needs to be gathered together in table form, so there's less page- > flipping. Or spiral bind your rulebook, so that it can be laid flat for easy reference... Character generation isn't as much of a pain as it is in, say, Twilight: 2000, but it does take a while, even for an experienced GM. There's just so many darn options! > Yeah, why is there no Marine Biology skill, as separate from general Biology? Because it would make Biology almost useless in comparison. Better to just treat Biology as covering marine aspects for Poseidon characters. > I also saw no Ecology skill, which I would think would be very important. Hmmm... > Andrew > new BP owner who spent hours last night doing character creation to > familiarize himself with the system, and has the beginning of a Rogues' > Gallery I'd be surprised if you got more than 1 character done per hour... Kai Poh Otaku no Bataku *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: tun kai poh [poh@cis.ohio-state.edu] Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 22:37 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Skill Missing? > > Hullo, folks, > > I've been trying to compile a list of skills from the BLUE > PLANET system to have handy as a handout during character generation > for my players, and I've got a question... > > Why is is for a game system that deals with a waterworld, > there is no skill called Oceanography? :) > > Come to think of it, does anyone out there have any additional > skills they'd like to see added to the game or that they've already > added to the game? Sports Culture would be quite useful for anyone who plays or is a fan of hydroshot; I've suggested it for one of my contributions to Undercurrents. Kai Poh Otaku no Bataku *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: tun kai poh [poh@cis.ohio-state.edu] Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 22:47 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Market Exposure > Yes, that's certainly true. Most gaming stores are like that, > especially given the whole "high profile" nature of companies like > TSR, WotC, WW, and some of the others. You would think that game > store owners would wantt he smaller companies to start selling their > products, and that would require a more prominent place on the > shelves. Truth is, of course, that most game store owners want to > make money. The bigger companies' stuff sells; the littler > companies' stuff doesn't. That's the market truth, to some extent. Here's my take: It's still possible to overcome this by producing enough supplements to get your game into the view of the public. Hollistic did it by putting out lots of supplements for Fading Suns, on a regular basis. Although many stores in my area don't carry Fading Suns, those which do carry lots of it, thanks to the diversity of product. Same goes (to a lesser extent) for Pinnacle, who finally have a decent amount of stuff out for Deadlands, to take advantage of all the good press they got for their Origins award. The point is this: people are more willing to order a game if it looks healthy. If there are plenty of supplements out there on the shelves, it's more of a prospect than some obscure game sitting alone out there with no support for it. How many times have people been burned by picking up a promising game only to see the company vanish or die? If there haven't been supplements in a long while, people who were considering picking up the game might just turn away rather than inquire to find out if the game is still alive. [rant ON] That's why Archipelago should've been in the making long ago, and should have been out earlier. Even with any setbacks from late freelancers, Biohazard ought to have had backup plans to make sure it came out not more than six months after the main book. It took them years to get the first book out, but there should be a learning curve at work: it's expected that the next book shouldn't take a whole year to put out, and it's already been more than ten months! While we fans can wait patiently, the market might not be so forgiving. Ten months means that many more retailers who might give up on the game. And while getting two whole issues of Undercurrents out for free on the web site was an excellent boon for the existing players who had online access, that energy could have been better spent helping Archipelago come out on time. At this point, it's a good idea to produce the GM screen as soon as possible, because it wouldn't require as much work as a whole new supplement. It won't take that much effort to reprint all the helpful tables in one place; most of the work will probably go into the new illustration for the screen and the Access Denied book. This way, the company can get a third Blue Planet product into stores that much sooner. [rant OFF] I apologize if I sound overly critical of Biohazard. I'm sure they're trying their best, and I know Jeff and Greg have day jobs that keep them from working on Blue Planet 24 hours a day (which I'm sure they'd prefer to do - either that or _play_ Blue Planet 24 hours a day...). In fact, I'm willing to bet that they already figured most of this out a while ago, and have plans of their own to pick up the pace (like the GM screen idea). Right? To provide a counterbalance to all the gloomy things I've said, keep in mind that Blue Planet is more of a niche game than a mainstream thing. It doesn't have the guns-blazing, zombie-splattering mass appeal of Deadlands, but then again it's not supposed to. The level of detail is much more attractive to experienced gamers and hard SF fans, who are more willing to wait than the typical teen "fanboy" (pardon my French). So while the Archipelago delay is a setback, it's not as serious a setback as, say, the delays Feng Shui suffered after it came out (Daedalus took too long to get the first sourcebook out, choosing instead to focus on the collectible card game version, and lost a lot of potential market. Of course, it died because of mismanagement, but the delay in its RPG line hurt a lot, too). As for me, I'll keep waiting for Archipelago, as long as it takes, and I'm happy with Undercurrents, but I'd be much happier to see Biohazard support its sole games line with saleable products that keep Blue Planet visible in stores. That's it. I'll stop kvetching now. Kai Poh Otaku no Bataku *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Disturbnce [Disturbnce@aol.com] Sent: Monday, 11 May, 1998 23:18 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Skill Missing? In a message dated 98-05-11 11:58:55 EDT, you write: > The only thing that I could come up with off-hand is a Cetacean culture > skill under the Culture section. I'll probably think of a few more once I've > started running the game. Yeah, I've been adding Cetacean Culture to a couple of the characters I'm building. Come June, we'll see what I run, after the relocation... Blue Planet is high on the list. Still need to develop a Combat Tracking form, some sort of grid with round numbers down the side, so I can keep track of who moves when, and when moves resolve. Andrew *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Hilarion [rhogan@mnsi.net] Sent: Tuesday, 12 May, 1998 0:09 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Market Exposure On 12-May-98 tun kai poh playfully chanted: |> Yes, that's certainly true. Most gaming stores are like that, |> especially given the whole "high profile" nature of companies like |> TSR, WotC, WW, and some of the others. You would think that game |> store owners would wantt he smaller companies to start selling their |> products, and that would require a more prominent place on the |> shelves. Truth is, of course, that most game store owners want to |> make money. The bigger companies' stuff sells; the littler |> companies' stuff doesn't. That's the market truth, to some extent. | | Here's my take: [snip pragmatic rant] | That's it. I'll stop kvetching now. Heh. Yah, I can see where all of that came from, especially with all of the enigma surrounding the eventual and past world setting information in the (shall we call it 'main'?) book. A quick trump would have done pretty good, but I think Greg and gang were hedging their bets on SF being a hard sell, relatively speaking, and to front themselves slower in terms of development so that they lose less. (A fine paradox, huh? Just don't hand me a tesseract and call it a Rubik's cube; I'm a likely candidate to lose our continuum in the process.) In a certain kind of way, any SF book can be said to be part of the shared world more than a fantasy setting can--there are presumptions of the past that are hard to throw, of which fantasy tends not to own at all a bit of tote baggage. I found it refreshing to go to the store and try it out as something likely to purchase for a change (of pace?). While Ursula K. LeGuin rightly says SF is child to fantasy, there are also some points to be made that divert the two in certain mannerisms of popularity in practical terms. I find it interesting that just the last week people were finally talking about skill sets, and second editions naturally popped up out of nowhere. Is it really time? My last thought before I go stomping off into the hydrofoil is this: are people really that pro-product as it seems they are from what i've been hearing lately on this list? DO you guys really need continuance, both thematically speaking and as consumers? I think there are lessons to be learned in this and applied to the setting. --- rhogan@mnsi.net Do we chase our tail or the moon when we follow the path of self-modification with out objectivity? *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message.