Biggest Villains of the RPG Industry?

David Johansen · August 18, 2010, 11:42:57 AM

T-shirt guy? Man, what was his name? Ken something or another.

Used to work for TSR's GenCon division, published the Wizards rpg and Extreme Vengeance, major player in Imperium Games / T4, republished Dark Conspiracy, had a POD business that fell apart, and then the T-shirt thing.

That's the right guy, isn't it, what was his name again.

If you can't remember their name does that make them a better or worse villain?

Koltar · August 18, 2010, 12:06:35 PM

Ken Whitman maybe?

Ken Whiting?

Nah, I think it was Whitman. He even managed to get an ad for his T-shirt business into the last or 2nd-to-last issue of COMICS & GAMES RETAILER magazine.

- Ed C.

Settembrini · August 18, 2010, 12:34:26 PM

Mr. Whitman fucked up Imperium Games and thus Marc Miller's Traveller IIRC.

David Johansen · August 18, 2010, 02:02:25 PM

That's it Ken Whitman!

Actually he left Imperium Games shortly after the core book for T4 came out. I'm sure the people who remained fired off all the blame in his direction but frankly things got even worse after he left.

I suspect he's more like WEG's Eric/Helsreach fellow. A sad sack who's been the butt end of a lot of failures.

SgtSpaceWizard · August 18, 2010, 03:33:15 PM

As long we are singling out some rpg.net mods for mockery and derision, Let's not forget Curt. There was a guy with some issues who had no business having even the insignificant authority of a forum moderator.

Of course the villainy of the rpg.net mods doesn't compare to Lorraine Williams but they do, as a whole, suck. Just goes to show how even a petty amount of power can corrupt.

StormBringer · August 18, 2010, 03:57:31 PM

Quote from: SgtSpaceWizard;400220Of course the villainy of the rpg.net mods doesn't compare to Lorraine Williams but they do, as a whole, suck. Just goes to show how even a petty amount of power can corrupt.

The people are so vicious because the stakes are so small.

ggroy · August 18, 2010, 04:26:58 PM

Quote from: StormBringer;400224The people are so vicious because the stakes are so small.

The battles are so vicious in academia, because the stakes are so small.

More generally, this seems to be the case in just about any highly specialized niche which is far enough removed from the real world.

For example, try attending a conference in a highly specialized area of mathematics, and see the feathers being ruffled and flying around.

StormBringer · August 18, 2010, 04:37:00 PM

Quote from: ggroy;400232The battles are so vicious in academia, because the stakes are so small.

More generally, this seems to be the case in just about any highly specialized niche which is far enough removed from the real world.

For example, try attending a conference in a highly specialized area of mathematics, and see the feathers being ruffled and flying around.

Exactly.

ggroy · August 18, 2010, 04:56:48 PM

Quote from: StormBringer;400236Exactly.

Arguing about tabletop rpg mechanics or D&D tropes, isn't much different than arguing about theoretical universe expansion models (in astrophysics) or arguing about philosophy at a coffee house in Vienna or Paris.

None have any final definitive answers.

David Johansen · August 18, 2010, 05:03:01 PM

Curt probably did as much harm as Darren but he was pretty balanced as a mod at first until someone needled him into a frenzy.

But I still think Darren holds the bag because he set the tone. For years he was the rudest, nastiest, most aggressive poster around and then for years he was the rudest, nastiest, most aggressive mod around.

Curt, Blackberry, heck even Kuma were all just symptoms of the administrative problems.

StormBringer · August 18, 2010, 05:31:54 PM

Quote from: ggroy;400239Arguing about tabletop rpg mechanics or D&D tropes, isn't much different than arguing about theoretical universe expansion models (in astrophysics) or arguing about philosophy at a coffee house in Vienna or Paris.

None have any final definitive answers.

Properly executed, however, they each have boundless capacity to expand the knowledge or application of a subject.

jcfiala · August 19, 2010, 05:43:56 PM

Quote from: Mostlyjoe;399565More recent products like Exalted 2nd Edition, ICONS, and the all-but end of their print runs have proven to me that WW's business model is way off as a publisher.

Interesting discussion, but you threw me off here - ICONS is a tiny FATE-like Superhero RPG produced by Adamant Entertainment - what's that got to do with White Wolf?

Maybe you meant a different game?

Ghost Whistler · August 21, 2010, 06:11:46 AM

Having read a review posted on rpg.net, i'm tempted to nominate ffg for villain status. Again they manage to fuck up 40k. I have a lot of time for them in most other areas; the books look stunning. But to not include - again - vital background information on antagonists is bloody ridiculous. Deathwatch gets chaos space marines, tyrannids and tau - but you can be sure they will get the same short shrift orks kroot and eldar get in RT. This is just ridiculous. They've had enough time now to get out a proper sourcebook for antagonists/xenos in lieu of anything else and still they fuck it up. I also don't think that book size is any excuse either. Their interpreation of the 40k universe has just been, well, chaotic. Badly organised.

David Johansen · August 21, 2010, 04:27:33 PM

FFG also messed up Mutant Chronicles. I sure hope it was because the rights for Siege At The Citadel were held by Pressman and not because they were too dumb to see that a new edition with new figures was the way to go.

I think FFG gets their boardgame market fairly well but really doesn't get the rpg market which is why they've never gotten very far with their own rpg lines.

Ghost Whistler · August 21, 2010, 05:38:15 PM

I'm not sure what FFG's design goals are with 40k. I doubt it's a licensing thing; they just suck at portioning out information. Can anyone confirm the level of detail the antagonists in Deathwatch go into? Is it one chaos space marine, one tau fire warrior, one tyrannid, like with Rogue Trader - 1 of each race (eldar corsair, for instance)?