Re: [HOE] Long time lurker sharing position

["Nick Zachariasen" <zacharin@pluto.dsu.edu>]

> But to call PEG sellouts. uh-uh. I think everybody
> here that still stands by Shane ESPECIALLY in this
> time in the company's life better make your damn
> voices known.

I'll give you a big "Hell, yeah" here, Mark.  You and Allan both said very
well what I'm sure we're all thinking.  At this point PEG seems to have one
foot in the grave, and it seems that CG is doing all that is humanly
possible to push them all the way in.  If there's negative cash flow, well,
you knew what you were getting in to.  Granted, I don't know much about Hero
Games.  I'm really not that worldly as far as gaming is concerned, but when
I find a product I really like, I stand by it. The Deadlands family is one
of those products.  How can you people at Cybergames expect Shane to handle
*FOUR* different product lines- writing, managing, editing, proofreading- BY
HIMSELF?!?!?!?!?  Grante,d you *CAN* expect it, but nowhere near
realistically.  Shane is one Hell of a man, but he's just that- a man.  If
he was from Krypton, maybe he could do it, but he's not.  He's from Virginia
(and damn proud of it, too!).  Shane has got to be the hardest working game
designer out there today, and you're not supporting him very well.

Negative cash flow?  No problem! Just cut the job of one of the people he
relies on to do the things at PEG that need to be done.  That's the
solution, isn't it?  How in the holy Hell do you expect to see any profit
come out of PEG when they can't support their product lines?  If GM or Ford
didn't put out new cars just because some previous models didn't sell well,
do you think anyone would just buy more of the old ones sitting around?
Hell, no!  Granted, there are still some old products that I have my eye on,
but things like Waste Warriors and The Black Book (the mythical Hunting
Grounds supplement) are higher in priority for me.  That doesn't mean I'm
not going to buy them, though.  Point blank, PEG needs to put out some new
things.  Otherwise, less-informed people are going to just figure the PEG's
gone under and totally abandon buying Deadlands.

Steve, I'm sure I speak for a good majority (if not all) of us when I thank
you for joining the listserv.  Cybergames finally has what we've wanted on
here for so long- someone to respond to our questions about the health of
Pinnacle and to also hear our gripes and pleas as they pertain to our
favorite game and company.  You can finally hear directly how we feel about
your management decisions to date.  You can finally see that we want books.
You know the demand exists, so why don't you release things that *WEREN'T*
already done when you acquired PEG?  I'll tell you.  The only thing done is
Waste Warriors.  This is a problem.  get one of the Golden Freelancers, such
as the inestimable Messrs. McGlothlin and Long, to write some books.  Go
ahead and go light on the proofreading if need be.  As long as these two are
writing, I know the content will be outstanding and brilliant, despite any
potential editorial mistakes.  After all, I managed to make it through
Shattered Coast, and despite the fact that the proofreader must have had a
Fatal Heart Attack(tm) on that one, I still enjoyed the book.  The key to
PEG's continued success is to get books out, and what better a way to regain
the ground that's been lost than to have two of the best writers in
Deadlands history make some books for you?  After they're done with that,
hire them as full-blown staff, if they'd agree (dear Shaft, please let them
agree).  They'd be damn good investments in PEG's future, as we already know
they'd do excellent jobs.  And while you're at it, get Hopler back.  He's
been the backbone of the Hell on Earth line, and it needs him.

I'd also suggest, if I didn't know that he left to pursue more lucrative
ventures, that you get Hal Mangold back as a staff member.  I didn't know
him well, but I do remember that he was damn good at what he did.  I'm sorry
that both he and Goff had to leave, but sometimes you've gotta do what
you've gotta do, even if it really hurts.  That's what you have to do, Mr.
Peterson.  You have to take it on the financial chin and just wait for the
swelling to go down, which it will.  Look at the Legion of Rabid Fans(tm)
that PEG has on this list.  Then consider the members of that Legion that
AREN'T on this list, like my friends Chuck and Ian.  Chuck's beginning to
amass a reasonable collection for as rarely as we play, but if nothing new
gets put out, stores won't carry ANY of the stuff and he won't have anything
of yours to buy.  You have people who WANT to throw money at your feet, but
you're not letting them.  This is foolish.  Actually, I take that back- it's
idiotic.  I fancy myself a fool, and I wouldn't do something like that.  I
don't know how feasible what I've said sounds, nor do I know how you'll
react to it.  We don't know you well enough to make judgements of that
nature about you, Steve, but I hope that you're the kind of man who cares
about the people who are willing to give you their undying loyalty as long
as you give yours to them in return.  We've done it with Pinnacle already,
and I'm sure we'll all gladly do it for you if you just give us half a
chance, but you've been (probably unknowingly) working to prevent that so
far.  Please, Steve- turn our opinions around.  You have the resources, and
more importantly, you have the Man.  Just give him some manpower to back him
up, and you can't go wrong.  Let him make the important decisions and he
will do right.

Long live the king!
Long live Shane Hensley!
Long live Pinnacle!

Nick Zachariasen