I'll definitely go along with that question and wish I could predict it myself, but I frankly just don't know. I certainly think improvement is needed in this case.
>> Can contradict 'official' material (which despite some digester's loathing
>> of it, is still important to the majority of new gamers in the industry)
>
>Yes, in the more normal cases. But when the 'official' material is only
>being produced many years *after* pioneering fan material, this *needn't* be
>such a problem. Glorantha is rather an exception in this regard.
Agreed, and so this general premise doesn't apply as much in the case of Glorantha. It certainly needn't be the problem it is currently.
>Also, I think there can be greater difficulties when 'official' material
>contradicts previously printed 'official' material. Let's all hope Issaries
>products don't greg themselves too often. (Can the leopard change his
>spots?)
Frankly I don't think he can. Too much damn creativity. However, a good line developer makes consistency one of their jobs.
>> Can flood the market with lower quality products. (Causes both pricing and
>> quality issues)
>
>Going forward, I can see how this might be a problem. In the past, however,
>fan material was hardly overwhelming a Gloranthan marketplace that was
>*already* saturated with high-quality official products. :-)
Absolutely, this really isn't a concern for dead games, only live ones.
>> Can cause more work (less profit) trying to gather existing parts than to
>> write something new.
>
>Possibly. Can also cause less work (more profit) getting input from authors
>who've already written something of mostly acceptable quality. This is a
>tricky one to balance. How are the empirical studies turning out?
In my discussions and observations at many game companies I've regrettably noted that it is much more profitable and easier to deal with issues when a company completely ignores all but its own creations and assigned works. However, I also think this causes them to often not live up to their full potential. I'm hoping here we might see a balance, but I can't predict whether it will work or not.
Cheers,
Eric Rowe
wizard_at_wizards-attic.com
www.wizards-attic.com
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