Quote from: Lawbag;387180What makes KS think that this MMORPG company has money?

Most of their cash would be committed already to developing the project, and rest spent on wages and advertising.

MMORPGs fail at an alarming rate.

They're local to me (at least, their Austin office is), and I know a few people on their team, and game industry devs gossip like no one's business.

Trion has a lot of money. Most VC-based startup MMO's do. In fact, I'd wager that their monthly burn rate in Austin alone is equal to the entire Palladium yearly budget.

Quote from: Spinachcat;387183Nope, but I would not want his future avenues of film and video games for his IP to be lost due either.

Kevin is doing more of a job of closing doors to the computer games space than anything a hundred Trions could do.

If you build a reputation for being difficult, developers may still talk to you. If you have a rep for being litigious, publishers will steer clear of you by a country mile.

Yeah, I had thought that. Same with films; i mean, could you imagine Siembieda on the set, trying to tell the director how it should be done?

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;387340Yeah, I had thought that. Same with films; i mean, could you imagine Siembieda on the set, trying to tell the director how it should be done?

RPGPundit

...which is why a live-action Robotech film tickles me pink.  Guy must be having an aneurysm over it

I think a lot of people knew that Kevin would one day pick a fight with someone who was bigger then him and wouldn't bow to his crap.

I think Trion was that company.   They not only won the first round, they are also working to invalidate some of Palladiums copyrights (Regarding RIFTS).

Kevin is an idiot, news at 11

Regardless of how this turns out for him, though I assume he will probably lose. I hope he ditches his counsel and solicits a half-competent lawyer for future incidences of ridiculous litigation.

Quote from: VictorC;387579Regardless of how this turns out for him, though I assume he will probably lose. I hope he ditches his counsel and solicits a half-competent lawyer for future incidences of ridiculous litigation.

What, by using a telephone???  If they don't take cases submitted via carrier pigeon, KS won't have anything to do with them!

According to this, Trion Renews Legal Assault Over Rifts, Trion has sued Palladium in California to get a court to say there is no trademark infringement in the video game area.

Talk about the chickens coming home to roost.

This whole mess is fucking poetry.

I have some mixed feelings here, really.

 On one hand KS was a bit of a dick and the stupid sod just would not listen to reason on the subject of allowing rifts conversions, which could have gotten him some sales and not hurt him or palladium at all.

 He did come off as being just so full of himself there was no room for anyone else's opinions of valid points in his world view, and I generally hate that.

 On the other hand KS was a talented game creator and his early work, like the mechanoids, may have had a system that sucked vacuum but it showed a tremendous sense of vision and scale, not to mention great artistic talent.

 I normally love seeing smug, arrogant types get their just desserts, but I still hate to see an old school gamer from the early days take a headshot. I'm just not sure how to feel here.

Quote from: Cylonophile;387621I normally love seeing smug, arrogant types get their just desserts, but I still hate to see an old school gamer from the early days take a headshot. I'm just not sure how to feel here.

Since the wound is completely, absolutely, 100% self-inflicted, I can't even begin to feel even a twinge of sympathy for this litigious douche.

Quote from: Cylonophile;387621I normally love seeing smug, arrogant types get their just desserts, but I still hate to see an old school gamer from the early days take a headshot. I'm just not sure how to feel here.

This is intentionally self-inflicted. It's also not the first time... just this time, he bullied someone who decided to have a go at ending the bullying once and for all. Why would that confuse you? In any way?

If I had to measure the merits and virtues of an old school gamer from the early days, I would go with how well they kept their word. If I had to measure the merits and virtues of an old school game designer I would go with how well they kept up with their production schedule.

KS has missed the production schedule he set pretty much for the entire first decade of the new millenium. Conditions have changed in publishing, and its not the same as when he started. RPGs used to be so popular, it was like minting money. Not so any more, as too many middlemen have greedily entered the arena looking for their slice of the pie. Attorneys, I'm looking at you, Also Hoteliers, Convention Centers, Printing Press Designers, Print Houses, et.al., etc. etc.

The lifeblood of any small to regional convention is its special and honored guests. A good lineup in any given year can bring in considerably more attendees and financial success. In a bad year, it can make the difference between the financial success and failure of the convention, and the continuance of the convention itself. While the prize support was great, it didn't really make up for the one-eighty when it came to making that appearance.  

If a convention invites you. If they agree to compensate you for making an appearance, and you agree to attend, one should not later back out, especially after the convention has made a public announcement, and is publicizing your appearance.

I guess that's why I really like the old school RPG guys... you know. Bob Bledsaw, Lou Zocchi, Jim Ward, Tom Wham, and artists like Larry Elmore.

If one of them tells you in the first place they are going to attend a convention, you know they would actually hitchhike to make it if some problems came up. It's that difference that sets them apart.

I remember one year Troll Lord Games was looking like a no-show at a local convention I was working. I called him, Steve Chennault, and he said he was a bit delayed, but would be there. So Steve pulls up alone... about four in the afternoon on Friday, already one day of the show is gone, and he apologizes for being late. I put a crew to work unloading his truck and helping him get his booth setup.

Turns out Davis was driving earlier that day, and while they were going through Tennessee, managed to get pulled over for speeding or some such thing. Davis then got into an altercation with the Tennessee Sherriff over the incident, and was subsequently arrested.

After the show, I think Steve sold every single extra book he had brought with him to Marcus King at a fire sale price, just so he could bail out his brother who had spent the weekend of the convention cooling his heels in the jail of the Sherriff.

That's dedication. That's the kind of committment that gets my long term support as well. Steve calls me up and needs anything, I'll do my best to see he gets it. You know, just because.

Unfortunately, I don't seem to have a true story like this for Kevin Siembieda.

Quote from: thedungeondelver;387588What, by using a telephone???  If they don't take cases submitted via carrier pigeon, KS won't have anything to do with them!

Jesus Christ, he's Mr.Burns!

"I need this letter sent by ornithopter to the Prussian consulate in Siam post-haste!"

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;387915Jesus Christ, he's Mr.Burns!

"I need this letter sent by ornithopter to the Prussian consulate in Siam post-haste!"

RPGPundit

"Cease your ingress!  I am operating the telephonograph quite efficiently!"