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Thread: Relaunch

  1. #1
    Kurt Wiegel
    Guest

    Relaunch

    Here's a question:

    In the back of the most recent Dragon annual, it mentioned that
    Birhtright will be "relaunched" sometime in 1998. Why? And what
    constitutes a relaunch? Inquiring minds wuld really like to know.

    Kurt N. Wiegel
    wiegelkn@wave.st.usm.edu

  2. #2
    Geniver
    Guest

    ReLaunch

    I realize that 'me, too' comments are a no-no. He asked for it! And I
    have more to add.

    Go to any of the gaming stores in my area and they have lots of
    Birthright material. They don't have the RuleBook. I guess that means
    they are only selling to the choir. No way is anybody new going to buy
    BirthRight materials without the Rules.

    Seems like the path to bankruptcy. Oops, been there, done that!

    I understand the illogic that figures there are x many players per DM
    and you can sell x times as much player stuff as DM stuff. Not enough
    DMs to make DM stuff profitable? Package it as player stuff! Did
    somebody say 'downward spiral'?

    I also realize that there are also people that buy every item that comes
    out. They are called collectors. TSR needs to decide: 'what business are
    we in, games or collectibles?'

    I'm biased. I'm a gamer. Five out of the seven people in my gaming group
    are also collectors. If that is typical, then TSR *IS* in the
    collectibles business. Does that mean they should produce games that
    only collectors can enjoy?





    James Donald Lail wrote:
    >
    > Am I the the only person who would rather have the Rulebook separate
    > from the Portion dealing with Anuire ?
    >
    > ....
    >
    > IMHO this is one of the things that has hurt the game somewhat....
    >
    > So what ends up happening is that those who decide to try it out have to
    > spend inordinate anounts of time because there is only one copy of the
    > rule book.And even if they like the game there is something about buying
    > a boxed set just for 1 part...

  3. #3
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    ReLaunch

    - -----Original Message-----
    From: James Donald Lail
    To: birthright@MPGN.COM
    Date: Saturday, January 03, 1998 3:34 AM
    Subject: [BIRTHRIGHT] - ReLaunch


    >Am I the the only person who would rather have the Rulebook separate
    >from the Portion dealing with Anuire ?

    'lo all.

    You are not alone. I would like to see DM stuff and Player stuff
    separated, AND a DM/Player mini-box set that has both. Best of all worlds.
    :)

    Now, I have fairly honest players also. However, I have one player that
    is not honest when it comes to 'not looking at the forbidden texts'. He
    also DM's, but not the same gameworld (i.e., Birthright). [NOTE: My
    definition of a DM is someone who prefers it to playing and does it at least
    75% of his gaming time].. Now, when one of my more honest folk are
    looking for a rule or something in the rulebook, they look at the table of
    contents...and then maybe the index...and then it is page-flipping time.
    Therein lies the problem. They start to flip, and there eye catches the
    words "...Belgar is in actuality a doppelganger.". Whammo! He now knows
    that Belgar (a prince of the PC's homeland) is an evil doppelganger. Sure,
    he can *as a player* ignore what he just read, but the thrill of finding out
    the truth through his characters eyes is forever gone. This REALLY sucks
    for him and the DM.
    Even if the player tries diligently to not look/glimpse into the DM
    section, by hook or by crook it will happen at least once. And that is not
    a good thing.

    Of secondary importance: cost. It is simply cheaper to buy the DM book
    for $15 than to buy the DM/Player book for $25.

    Thats how I see it. I don't like the idea of my players accidentally seeing
    something that they were not meant to know. It annoys them and myself. Its
    almost like someone going on and on about this great novel they just read
    and then as they are handing it to you, they say something like..."That
    butler sure was evil for doing all that! But you'll find out."

    Denakhan the Arch-Mage.
    a.k.a. Paul L. Ming
    a.k.a. Yukon-11

  4. #4
    James Ruhland
    Guest

    ReLaunch

    >
    > I also realize that there are also people that buy every item that comes
    > out. They are called collectors. TSR needs to decide: 'what business are
    > we in, games or collectibles?'
    >
    > I'm biased. I'm a gamer. Five out of the seven people in my gaming group
    > are also collectors. If that is typical, then TSR *IS* in the
    > collectibles business. Does that mean they should produce games that
    > only collectors can enjoy?
    >
    A lot of gamers are also collectors of game materiel. I live in the back of
    beyond, so I don't often have a chance to pen n paper game anymore. But
    even when I did a lot of gaming, I often bought stuff that never saw
    (direct) use in any of our campaigns, just for the backround, or to get
    some insight or ideas, whatever. A portion of a long response to a simmiar
    question:

    "There are at least two constituencies. . .which I will call 'players' and
    'collectors.' Naturally there is extensive overlap between these two
    groups, so the division is perhaps best thought of as two poles of
    interest, between which all gamers are streached to varying degrees of
    agony. . .thouse who gravitate more toward the collector pole get their
    primary enjoyment out of being immersed in the large mass of interesting
    pseudo-reality source materiel [backrounds, histories, ideas, stuff that
    makes you think. I.E. just like a good novel, but more open-ended, IMO.]
    "Neither pole, player or collector, is better or worse than the other.
    However, material targeted more toward one pole than the other will not be
    wholly satisfactory to the untargeted group*. . ."

    I.E. player-types want more adventure materiel, and sourcebooks that are
    useful directly in their *own* campaign. Collector-types (or, if you
    prefer, reader-types) don't mind; they want stuff packed with information
    describing anything (if it's well written).
    By the inherent nature of Birthright, though, I think it will always have
    a tendancy towards the latter. Why? Because of the very nature of the
    campaign; a continent, with gamers scattered (clustered in their own
    campaigns, but otherwise scattered) among many cultures, ruling realms of
    diverse nature. So, while any kind of adventure can be easily designed to
    fit just about any group in the Misbegotten Realms, it is harder in BR
    (take King of the Giantdowns; *great* adventure for thouse who want to
    forge their own realms. "Worthless" for a group of players ruling Medoere,
    Illien, Roesone et al. . .except as a "collectable" and source of ideas.)

    *(oh, btw, that quote is from a *long* response to a long letter, published
    in Challenge #77 & written by Dave Nilsen. Of course, that company, GDW,
    *also* went bankrupt. . .)

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