Biggest Villains of the RPG Industry?

DKChannelBoredom · August 14, 2010, 04:40:34 AM

Quote from: noisms;399131EDIT: By the way, have you seen his wikipedia entry? Is all that stuff about living in Tbilisi true or just some very weird practical joke?

"Sexiest Foreigner in Georgia" in 2007 and 2008!?!? WTF

Also, you gotta give him credit for being part of the duo behind Ars Magica.

Cylonophile · August 14, 2010, 06:01:29 AM

Quote from: RPGPundit;3991282. Mark Rein·Hagen

Hmm, kind of leaning towards you there, pundster. I mean, the whole WoD may have brought in some gamers, but most of them weren't the kind of gamers a grognard like me would like gaming with.

And I thought the WoD games got a little too sick, which is why I dropped them. lastly, without VTM we'd never have had rod farrell connected to gaming...

Novastar · August 14, 2010, 01:14:44 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;399125I was also a friend of Erick's, and I don't feel that way about Siembieda. What's more, I've never heard anyone who was an honest-to-goodness friend of Erick's share that opinion, whereas a lot of people who range from "couldn't give a shit about Erick Wujcik" to "despised Wujcik almost as much as they despise Siembieda" are usually the ones who most want to present this kind of argument.

RPGPundit

In general, I agree.
But some of Palladium's last E-Bay Auctions have included items of Erick's, with signed Authenticity Certificates (not signed by Erick), that they were Erick's books.

I understand the idea of an estate sale, but the way it was presented was a little ghoulish.

Quote from: RPGPundit;3991282. Mark Rein·Hagen

You know, I'm not a fan of WW, but WoD brought in a lot of new blood, especially a female component in an industry that was very male-dominated prior to it.

For the bad it's brought, I think it's well exceeded by the good.

(But then again, you also said "Mark Rein·Hagen", not "WoD folk", so maybe you have a concrete reason to think the dude is a douche, too...)

RPGPundit · August 14, 2010, 05:28:21 PM

I think that if you analyze it carefully, the number of people who were ultimately driven away from gaming due to the direction White-Wolf's Swinery led the hobby vastly outnumbers the people who were brought into the hobby by games like Vampire; particularly when you consider that 90s "storyteller games" fans were far more likely to not engage in the hobby as a whole, and had far less staying power in terms of continuing to game after a while.

White Wolf's "Vampire boom" is the classic example of something that looks like a positive influence at first glance but when you crunch the numbers behind the scenes and look at long-term impacts turns out to have been a really bad idea.

RPGPundit

Benoist · August 14, 2010, 05:39:58 PM

It attempted to turn RPGs into some sort of "adult" hobby for pseudo-artists who want "depth" in role playing because it is "art"... and in the end, it contaminated the RPG scene that could have otherwise concentrated on cool shit like miniatures, crazy universes and stuff.

Intellectual wankery of prententious know-it-all.

Peregrin · August 14, 2010, 05:45:50 PM

Also, metaplot.

I hate fucking metaplot.

Vellorian · August 14, 2010, 08:51:57 PM

1) Anyone who was involved in TSR in a leadership capacity after about 1988.

2) Gen Con leadership ($1200 for a 10x10 space? Really? How do gun shows of the same size and caliber manage to sell the same space for $100, charge $10 admission and manage to make *more* money?)

3) Darren McClellan (Amongst the people that I know, if he asks for a copy of a game to review, he will be provided one -- at no less than double the cover price. It's sad how many games he has personally destroyed by simply expressing his opinion--which is no less smelly than his rectal orifice.)

Cylonophile · August 14, 2010, 11:51:29 PM

Quote from: Vellorian;3992341) Anyone who was involved in TSR in a leadership capacity after about 1988.

2) Gen Con leadership ($1200 for a 10x10 space? Really? How do gun shows of the same size and caliber manage to sell the same space for $100, charge $10 admission and manage to make *more* money?)

3) Darren McClellan (Amongst the people that I know, if he asks for a copy of a game to review, he will be provided one -- at no less than double the cover price. It's sad how many games he has personally destroyed by simply expressing his opinion--which is no less smelly than his rectal orifice.)

If you're talking about the rpg.net mod darren maclennan, I agree with you.

BTW, his review of wraethu was originally so laden with hate speech and abuse it had to be edited heavily because in some areas it was considered hate speech and incitement to violence.

Simlasa · August 15, 2010, 12:43:10 AM

Quote from: Pseudoephedrine;398626RPG.net

The culture there is consumeristic, derivative, shallow and focused on high concept games that are unplayable. The "What System for [Ephemeral Pop Trend]?" threads are paradigmatic of this problem.

I'm not sure about the bigger picture but on my own personal level that site had a negative effect on my gaming outlook... the 'culture' of that place just turned me right off gaming till I realized that most of those sorry bastards aren't playing anything at all... just buying shit and wishing.

Games Workshop for being so fucking corporate and shitting all over every good thing they've ever made.

thedungeondelver · August 15, 2010, 01:44:29 AM

Who was that who had a shit fit over Hackmaster winning an award? Yeah, that guy.

Also, most of you people.

edit: the Blume brothers, too.

Benoist · August 15, 2010, 01:48:50 AM

Quote from: thedungeondelver;399272Also, most of you people.

I feel warm inside. :pundit:

DKChannelBoredom · August 15, 2010, 02:16:12 AM

Quote from: RPGPundit;399204I think that if you analyze it carefully, the number of people who were ultimately driven away from gaming due to the direction White-Wolf's Swinery led the hobby vastly outnumbers the people who were brought into the hobby by games like Vampire; particularly when you consider that 90s "storyteller games" fans were far more likely to not engage in the hobby as a whole, and had far less staying power in terms of continuing to game after a while.

White Wolf's "Vampire boom" is the classic example of something that looks like a positive influence at first glance but when you crunch the numbers behind the scenes and look at long-term impacts turns out to have been a really bad idea.
RPGPundit

I am having a hard time understanding that argument, could you elaborate? Are you saying, that roleplayers that were already there (playing D&D and Shadowrun) stopped because of WW/WoD, or that the influx of new members to the hobby stopped because WW/WoD were the (most)prolific game and genre? Or just that the gamers who joined playing Vampire, left when they didn’t wanna play Vampire anymore?

No matter what, I don’t see White Wolf could cause more people to be driven away from the hobby, than actually joined it? Out there, a lot of people are still playing Vampire...

Novastar · August 15, 2010, 02:24:35 AM

Quote from: Benoist;399274I feel warm inside. :pundit:

Oh, you know the old truism:
"Give a man fire, he's warm for a night; light a man on fire, he's warm for the rest of his life..."

noisms · August 15, 2010, 03:35:08 AM

Quote from: RPGPundit;399204I think that if you analyze it carefully, the number of people who were ultimately driven away from gaming due to the direction White-Wolf's Swinery led the hobby vastly outnumbers the people who were brought into the hobby by games like Vampire; particularly when you consider that 90s "storyteller games" fans were far more likely to not engage in the hobby as a whole, and had far less staying power in terms of continuing to game after a while.

White Wolf's "Vampire boom" is the classic example of something that looks like a positive influence at first glance but when you crunch the numbers behind the scenes and look at long-term impacts turns out to have been a really bad idea.

RPGPundit

I don't think a single person stopped playing RPGs because of the direction White-Wolf's Swinery led the hobby. I think lots of people during the 90s stopped playing RPGs because they get older and family, employment and other entertainments, hobbies and distractions took over.

I'd like to see what numbers you've crunched to back up your argument.

Cylonophile · August 15, 2010, 04:07:57 AM

I've heard that quite a few people who've worked for or with SJG think it's lord is more than a bit of an asshole.

Seeing how the guy who wrote, I think it was, gurps russia got treated on the SJG forums (Being refrred to as "He who must not be named" and other petty, childish bullshit.)they may have something there.