Re: [DL] [HOE] Long time lurker sharing position

["Christopher L. McGlothlin" <cmcgloth@halifax.com>]

At 11:09 PM 1/5/2001 -0800, "twilight@vbe.com" wrote:
>---  <twilight@vbe.com> wrote:
>> A lot of list members are blaming cybergames.com for
>> the current malaise
>> (book delays, etc.), unfortunately, I can't really
>> blame this company.
>> If it is anyone we ought to be angry at, it's
>> Pinnacle Entertainment
>> Group for selling out.

Greetings all,
	Please don't be fooled by the .sig; I'm simply someone who has been so
richly blessed as to freelance for PEG over the past couple of years. I'm
writing here as someone who's been even more richly blessed by having known
Shane Hensley for ten years, and who's honored to call him my friend.
	Whatever else anyone may suspect, believe, know or think they know about
Cybergames' acquisiton of PEG, I can attest to one simple fact: to malign
Shane in any way, shape or form is completely and utterly misplaced. In my
life, I have met few with Shane's passion for this quirky little hobby we
share and love, and none who have personally sacrificed more so that others
might continue to participate in and enjoy it.
	In the years PEG has existed, Shane has never once done made a decision
aimed at anything other than producing the best, most enjoyable games
available. We as DL fans have not always been happy with the results, and I
think I divulge no secret when I say that Shane hasn't always been pleased,
either. Despite this, I can attest here and now, in the sight of the
Almighty God, that to suggest Shane has done anything--selling PEG
included--with his eye solely on the bottom line is demonstrably false.

>From the beginning, PEG's webpage has always carried
>free errata, adventures, new rules, ideas, whatever.
>And they updated it regularly, as much as they humanly
>could. Shane and John Goff and John Hopler, and other
>writers of the DL universe like Steve Long and
>Christopher McGlothlin have been encouraged to post
>errata on this listserv, answer questions, and
>generally make this list feel like a home.

	It is truly very gratifying for me to read that our contributions did not
go unnoticed, and I thank you very much for that. However, let us not
overlook the fact these talented folks (of which I do not consider myself
in any way the equal of) ultimately came together and were made to feel
their ideas were welcome because of one man: Mr. Shane Hensley.
	This is in no way meant to diminish the invaluable contributions made by
Hal Mangold, John Goff, John Hopler or any of the other amazing people who
helped make the magic at PEG, but without the inestimable Shane Hensley,
we'd all never have had the opportunity to work together at all, much less
on such an amazing thing as *Deadlands*.
	It therefore saddens me a great deal to hear the term "sell out" applied
to the man who made it all possible. I can fully understand your
frustrations with recent developments, but let us not talk falsely of nor
malign nor crucify Mr. Hensley, who quite simply does not deserve it.  
	As a final thought, I appeal to everyone to be judicious and temperate in
all their remarks concerning the changes wrought as a result of the PEG
buyout. It has been my honor and pleasure to meet and talk with many of the
gentlemen associated with Cybergames, including Messrs. Steve Peterson and
Bruce Harlick. By all my faculties, both are good and worthy gentlemen, and
while we may disagree with many things done by and for CG, they both are
worthy of our respect. In any event, hostile words always run the risk of
obscuring the truth, and that is something we should hazard only after
careful consideration. 
	Thank you all very much for your time and attention.  


Deo Vindice,
Christopher McGlothlin, M.Ed.

Additional Developer: Deadlands: The Weird West Revised Edition
Co-Author: Tales o' Terror: 1877, Back East: The South & the JLA Sourcebook
Reviewer: Games Unplugged Magazine
Southern by the Grace of God