Hey there!
This'll probably be my last post on this forum - it's clear that I'll have to go the "serial numbers scraped off" route for this and will likely just self-publish it - I'll distribute info on other boards (like rpg.net or enworld) when this happens.
However, I wanted to address these comments and questions:
Strom said:
...Unless, the quality of the finished project was not up to the standards Mongoose set or did not fulfill the agreed upon criteria for the project. In other words, perhaps there was not a coherent plot that made sense and could progress the characters from 1st to 20th level as originally advertised. Add in the lateness due to health problems and the project had to be shelved. If that is the case then we will not get this project.
Also, there can be no doubt that this poll translates into dollars for Mongoose - I just do not think they have a campaign to sell us. I'm just grasping at straws here because I would love to buy it but I'm convinced the Goose don't want it for a reason other than it would not sell.
I'm obviously not the person to judge the quality, but:
- SotS follows the detailed outline I submitted, and that outline was approved by the former line developer who approved and developed most of the other books in the line prior to his dismissal.
- SotS was never intended to take characters from levels 1-20. The level range advertised was 1st through 7th or so.
- I suspect the real reason was simple dollars, not lateness. I've noticed that regardless of their quality, the two existing boxed sets have not moved from the three local game stores I've seen them in since they were first put on the shelves. I asked the guys behind the counter, and they said they were too expensive for most folks, and the sealed boxes were a sales turn-off (no ability to see stuff inside). Given that two days before the project was axed, Matthew Sprange was on rpg.net informally asking "Do folks want boxed sets?", it makes me wonder how committed they were to publishing further box sets.
- as noted, the project was sort of bungled from the get-go on Mongoose's end. It was announced and scheduled before the contract was signed, and before the plot was even in their hands. The initial announcement overestimated the campaign's size by almost 200%, and incorrectly named "The Nameless Isle" as one of the settings.
- the set price for SotS was too expensive, flat out. I was stunned when I saw that they had solicited it for $60. I suggested it become a single book, or a series of smaller adventures (three books of three), or even .pdfs, but they were uninterested in publishing the project they'd solicited.
- I have another suspicion that another reason is that I'm also the principal author of
Deluxe Basic Roleplaying, Chaosium's new edition of their classic rules system. Since Mongoose is in the progress of developing a rules system for Mongoose that is admittedly extremely similar to the BRP system, there is bound to be some territoriality there.
- they'd have a publishable campaign if they wanted it. I've told them how much is left to do, and it's easily achievable in a short time by me, or even by another author.
- this isn't the first time Mongoose have given a
Conan project the axe. Matthew promised a bestiary some time ago, but it is nowhere on the schedule, despite the immense positive reactions.
So, there you go.
Bye now! It's been fun.
- Jason
