A friend of mine (one of the publishers of Dog Soul Publishing) is being harrassed by Gareth Skarka. He's apparently threatened legal action. If you want to read about it, check it out here.

She's pretty shaken up by the whole thing. Skarka seems like a real dick and I was wondering if anyone else has had any dealings with him and if he's just a blowhard.

I checked out the thread , and have this to say:

1) GMSkarka is capable of being, on a regular basis, an ass of epic proportions. This is one of those occasions.

2) Your friend stepped out of line the moment she posted emails from him on a public message board.

There's enough bad behavior all around on this one that I don't feel bad for either party.

Quote from: EnkhiduI checked out the thread , and have this to say:

1) GMSkarka is capable of being, on a regular basis, an ass of epic proportions. This is one of those occasions.

2) Your friend stepped out of line the moment she posted emails from him on a public message board.

There's enough bad behavior all around on this one that I don't feel bad for either party.

I agree she stepped over the line but I was curious about the "legal action" part and if he's been known to back things like that up.

Quote from: revealI agree she stepped over the line

Yeah, she did.

Quotebut I was curious about the "legal action" part

She should get legal representation.

Quoteand if he's been known to back things like that up.

Does past history really matter? She could be the first.

Regards,
David R

Quote from: David RShe should get legal representation.

One thing I failed to mention is that they had no signed contract or NDA with Skarka. Should she still get legal representation?

Okay, I hope I don't come off as rude, but, here's the thing. You posted a link to a thread, which showed your friend going on a rant and engaging in behaviour which may have crossed some ethical/legal line.

Now I don't know how the industry operates. In most other sectors of the corporate world, a business would normaly have legal representation or at the very least have access to such services.

When I suggested that she get legal rep, it was more in the "this ain't our/your business" kind of way, and certainly my view is that posting something like this on a public forum does not help your friend in any way.

Getting legal representation is a common business practice as a safeguard to situations your friend seems to have gotten herself into.

On a personal note, when you post a link to a thread, where most of the posters take a collective dump on another poster and then get worried when one of them is threatened with legal action, well that tells me a lot about the maturity of the posters and the professionalism of the one in the gunsights of a potential lawsuit.

Regards,
David R

I scanned the thread briefly and pretty much no one looked good in it.  Public airing of dirty laundry makes both sides look like asses.  The best thing to do is to walk away and forget it unless he actually does sue - why waste expensive lawyer fees on a small possibility?

Unless there's a previous agreement, publishing emails isn't illegal but it is sleazy.

Quote from: David ROn a personal note, when you post a link to a thread, where most of the posters take a collective dump on another poster and then get worried when one of them is threatened with legal action, well that tells me a lot about the maturity of the posters and the professionalism of the one in the gunsights of a potential lawsuit.

Regards,
David R

Eh, I'm not worried about legal action and neither is anyone else except for the publishers. But even they've calmed down by now. As for the "collective dump," of course we did because a friend of ours was threatened.

Quote from: NicephorusI scanned the thread briefly and pretty much no one looked good in it. Public airing of dirty laundry makes both sides look like asses. The best thing to do is to walk away and forget it unless he actually does sue - why waste expensive lawyer fees on a small possibility?

Unless there's a previous agreement, publishing emails isn't illegal but it is sleazy.

That's pretty much how I felt but I figured someone else would know better than I do.

The management of Nutkinland hereby refuses to have an opinion on any aspect of this sordid little affair.  

Though it does personally amuse me to see the little monkeys dance.  Dance, monkeys, dance!  :deviousgrin:

Quote from: revealEh, I'm not worried about legal action and neither is anyone else except for the publishers. But even they've calmed down by now. As for the "collective dump," of course we did because a friend of ours was threatened.

Which didn't help, and probably exacerbated the situation by making him angrier and more defensive. So it was worse than useless to dogpile the guy if you wanted to "help" her. I actually would've been interested in seeing how it played out between just the two of them. It's unethical to post the content of emails without consent, but on the other hand, I can understand the frustration of trying to get the attention of someone who owes money and is avoiding my attempts to communicate.

All this for 90 bucks? Wow. Welcome to the world of shitty pdf rpgs I guess. Does anyone actually make 90 bucks on these things?

Quote from: AcinonyxAll this for 90 bucks? Wow. Welcome to the world of shitty pdf rpgs I guess. Does anyone actually make 90 bucks on these things?

You have to remember the Mearls Rule of Low Stakes: the lower the stakes in the game, the more viscious the infighting gets.  And you don't get much lower stakes than RPG PDFs.

If it was even less money -- say 40$ -- she probably would have hoped a plane and shot him by now.  :heh:

Quote from: revealSkarka seems like a real dick and I was wondering if anyone else has had any dealings with him and if he's just a blowhard.

He's been a "real dick" and a "blowhard" for as long as I've been aware of him.

He's managted to piss off people who I thought weren't subject to "whiny Nonsense"

Miracle of Miracles, it always--in Skarka's opinion--is someone else's fault.

Reminds me of this poster...



I only have two guys on my "Do Not Purchase" list.

He's one.

reveal - with friends like that girl who started that other thread you linked to, you don't need enemies....

I read the whole thread. And what I got out of it was that the snippet of email from GMS that she quoted in post #13 was very close to the mark with the description GMS gives of her.

Her actions in that entire thread appear to prove that description true. She isn't mad about the payment being late. She is mad because of what GMS said to her (quoted in post #13) because she had been badgering him (at least that is the impersssion that I am getting from that quoted bit in post #13, and in the other post where she shows snippets of at least half a dozen more emails (all of which apparently were sent in a relatively short time span maybe a week or two at most).

Simply put, even though GMS may be a right bastard at times, she was looking to start trouble for him with that thread, and she was looking to do so because of a perceived personal slight, not because of a payment issue (which he apparently promised to pay this month and which she accepted, and said payment date has not yet even been reached).

Sorry, but I cannot have any sympathy for a person who has to play those sorts of emotion/mind games with people. And that is exactly what she was doing there. GMS may be a bit of a bastard, but at least he is straightforward about it.

Wow. I just went back and read that whole thing. Shit man, I feel a lot better about our dumbasses at NTL now. What a screaming bunch of twits. Reveal, wtf man, I hope you're banging that chick because you sure as hell come off like you want to.

That thread can be summed up perfectly by the 'arguing on the interent' macro. No wonder I don't take pdf products seriously.