Re: [BNW] Re: bnw-digest.19990926

["Sidhain" <sidhain@earthlink.net>]

> Most companies release a separate setting book all it's own (ie Quick and
> the Dead, the Wasted West, Star*Drive, San Angelo, etc.).  It's
> not Matt's fault, not Pinnacle's, it's the way of the industry.  If you
> don't like it, make your own world.  Fill-in whatever gaps you find in the
> main book with your own info.  But let's stop trashing Matt with all these
> posts that really boil down to insuinating that Matt and Pinnacle are
being
> greedy and insensitive.  Nothing could be further from the truth.
> Otherwise, he wouldn't even be responding to your emails, much less be a
> part of any listserv.
>

Yes but how many rules are in those books? StarDrive as far as I recall has
no real rules, neither does San Angelo just lots of data on the setting.
Same with Providence's worldbook, and let's see: Delta Green all source
material (though it is made by a different company than CoC)
And many others--all they have is source material Who'se Who type things,
location description, and usually some adventure hooks. I would happily buy
Ravaged Earth for just that information. Except it has power packages which
I need to be able to appropriately represent the character in BNW, which is
the type of information which should have gone into the main rulebook--it's
not that I am against supplements, or setting information its that I am
against the fact that important information that isn't setting, but IS
important to the nature and choices of PC's isn't in the main book.
> I'll be blunt.  Matt's got to eat.

Yes good for him I hope he can make money enough in this hoby so he can.

  He's got a family to support.
Same as above



Bills to
> pay.  So does everyone at Pinnacle.  In fact, so do I.  And so does
everyone
> else.  No one should have to apologize about trying to make a living.

I am not asking for that, did I ever say it was wrong to write more books?
No what I have been saying and it seems the reason I repeat it is someone
pops up who still doesnt get it, what I have said is this: Why is it that
important information that is critical to character creation the driving
force behind any RPG is split up among three books, instead of in one.
Personally I don't like White Wolf because they do put Merits and Flaws in
the Player's guides rather than in the main books, however Merits and Flaws
are less important than having all the Werewolf Tribes in the main book.
And that's what power packages are "tribes/clans/classes" and I they should
all have been in the primary rulebook (until somewhere down the line someone
goes "oy we need a Matter Eater that would be a cool delta" and adds it) but
having divvied up that information among two books (I am not including
Defiance since it isn't out yet) both of which are expensive hard covers
seems illegetimate to me. I probably wouldn't have said two words if the
Main Rulebook had 15 packages and Ravaged Earth had 3...and Defiance 4 or 5
because the bilk of information would have been placed in my hands at the
start.
But when the First two books divide twenty packages evenly down the
middle???


  Hell,
> the more books he sells, the more he makes.  Yes, it'd be grand to have
one
> book for 30 bucks that did everything.  But then every company who did
that
> would have to close it's doors and go back to selling insurance or
whatever
> to make ends meet.  Let's be realistic.
>

Hero (Hero Games)does it.
Ars Magica (Atlas Games) Does it.
Sengoku  (Gold Rush Games ) does it

Hero isn't a big company, neither is Atlas or GRG, but they are making
enough money to stay afloat last I heard --and put out new high quality
products.

I have never said one book is all they should ever produce---what I said is
one book should be all I "need" to run the game....but the way they are
written it requires two, to have the majority of power packages  (and you
still don't get all the packages) that information really is vital to the
setting, because those power packages help differentiate pc's NPC's
etc...they define what they can do beyond the scope of more mortal men.....

Here's the problem as I ahve dealt with before:

Player 1: Hey this is neat can I play a guy with claws, and tusks, and looks
animal like?

Gm: Well no, because those don't exist in BNW.

Player 1: Oh, what's the closest I can get then (makes pc)


Some time later

Player 1: Hey I saw a new BNW book and it had Animal like pee cees
and you said they didn't exist in BNW.

Gm: well look they didn't but now they do.

Player 1: But you said they didn't at all

Gm: Well they aren't mentioned in the main rule book.

Player: But they are in "Generic Supplement B"

Gm: I don't have that book.



That's one example of many.

My main concern is how can I accurately portray a setting.

When extremely important information: Types of Superbeings allowed, is
missing.







> I think that Matt made his point.  He even offered to refund your money on
> it.  We've heard how you're upset and why, so let's kill this thread.
> Personally, I don't agree with your opinions, I think things are fine the
> way they are, and I was THRILLED to grab everything at once, rather than
> having to wait.
>
> Seeya,
> Mark M.
>
>
>
>
>
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