Interview with Mongoose Chris
- Thread starter Murgh Bpurn
- Start date
dmccoy1693
Cosmic Mongoose
Wizards of the Coast really should read this as an example of how to not piss off old customers. Kudos to Mongoose Chris for admitting that not every Traveller player will like your game and stating that you're just making the best game you can and hope they like it.
Mongoose guys, I really, really do hope that when all the bets are placed for next year that you guys do infact come out ahead of Wizards of the Coast's D&D. You guys are listening to old customers while trying to attract new customers. Good luck in all your success.
Mongoose guys, I really, really do hope that when all the bets are placed for next year that you guys do infact come out ahead of Wizards of the Coast's D&D. You guys are listening to old customers while trying to attract new customers. Good luck in all your success.
The interview gives me more of a warm fuzzy feeling about the handling of MGT. I'll wait to see the finished product, but it looks to be in safe hands. Then again, I might just buy it and strip it for parts like other Traveller rule-sets. Franken-game anyone?
Favorite term: "Travylon 5." I can hang a campaign off of that.
Favorite term: "Travylon 5." I can hang a campaign off of that.
Mongoose has not said "No, we're not doing a new edition" and then made their own staffers look like idiots by announcing they've been working on one for several months scarcely a month later.
WOTC has.
WOTC seems bent on alienating the old guard to get them out of the way. I know of one successful games company with that model: Games Workshop.
They are constantly ticking off old guard, knowing that the new guard will hype the game to the next iteration, and then most will get out because their favorite army just got nerfed.
WOTC seems to be taking that approach. I'm not fond of D20 (I don't like it overall, as it's a bit stilted, and doesn't fit my play style well), but I'm not hostile to it. I am put off, however, by WOTC staffers either lying to the public or being unaware of a major release under development. And, it's a bit soon for a new edition anyway...
WOTC has.
WOTC seems bent on alienating the old guard to get them out of the way. I know of one successful games company with that model: Games Workshop.
They are constantly ticking off old guard, knowing that the new guard will hype the game to the next iteration, and then most will get out because their favorite army just got nerfed.
WOTC seems to be taking that approach. I'm not fond of D20 (I don't like it overall, as it's a bit stilted, and doesn't fit my play style well), but I'm not hostile to it. I am put off, however, by WOTC staffers either lying to the public or being unaware of a major release under development. And, it's a bit soon for a new edition anyway...
dmccoy1693
Cosmic Mongoose
I could further stear this thread into a WotC hating thread, but I'm instead going to help keep it Traveller focused.
Two things I learned from the thread:
Characters from MGT will not be fully compatable with T5, although they tried to make it that way. (Kudos for giving it the ol' college try and admitting to not being as successful as you would have liked), and
"Marc Miller still has final approval on everything Traveller we produce." For licencing, that is ... most interesting.
Two things I learned from the thread:
Characters from MGT will not be fully compatable with T5, although they tried to make it that way. (Kudos for giving it the ol' college try and admitting to not being as successful as you would have liked), and
"Marc Miller still has final approval on everything Traveller we produce." For licencing, that is ... most interesting.
captainjack23
Cosmic Mongoose
EDG said:
There is. Read Gars comments here and the article cited.
dmccoy1693 said:
For licensing, it is pretty standard.
EDG said:
Anything is 'possible'. However, this is the reason we work closely with our licensors, so they know the direction we are headed in and what we are doing with their material.
captainjack23
Cosmic Mongoose
msprange said:
Good on that. As a result of not doing that initially , thanks to marvel comics and a lack of editorial oversight , Star wars canon forever includes a seven foot tall green carnivorous rabbit gunslinger and a his "friend" a hot 1970's vegas showgirl dressing bandit that Han used to work for. Jax and Amaza.
Actually, Both are pretty cool. Its just most star wars Canonistas hate them.
dmccoy1693
Cosmic Mongoose
msprange said:
Shows I've never worked on a licenced product before.
I've mulled it over in my head since I first heard it and I does make sense for it to be a standard thing. But like I said, I lack experience in that realm.
dmccoy1693 said:msprange said:
Shows I've never worked on a licenced product before.
I've mulled it over in my head since I first heard it and I does make sense for it to be a standard thing. But like I said, I lack experience in that realm.
A number of game companies got very liberal licenses back in the 80's... licenses which didn't have much oversight, if any.
For example, Chaosium's license for Elric was a handshake and headshake, based upon what's been said by Mr. Moorcock. He gave it no nevermind, and it came back to bite him (and TSR).
I'm not certain, but I suspect Paramount's oversight of FASA was pretty thin. ADB/Steven Cole/TFG's license from Franz Joseph was practically non-limited...
Heck, even the license for Elfquest was one of those "Oh, yeah, we did license that, didn't we?" kind of remarks when I emailed Richard Pini asking about it... (and it was worthy.) I told him how to contact Greg when he asked for that information.
But those heady days are quite long gone. Role-play gaming is no longer a niche market of another (larger) niche market. It has become a big business. It's still a niche, but it's hit a large and worldwide audience. ANd licenses have changed a lot.
Hunter was under similar for T20; Marc wasn't terribly proactive. He did impose a few bits on the setting material, but the rules mush was (for better or worse) Hunter's and the Lead Playtesters' fault/credit/effort...
weasel_fierce
Mongoose
I imagine its the same as Greg Stafford and Glorantha. Not terribly concerned with mechanics, but concerned with setting material.
