Re: Praxpack

From: TTrotsky_at_aol.com
Date: Sun, 21 May 2000 17:44:07 EDT


Alex:

<< The only reason it seems any more 'interesting and gameable' is _because_
 it's been so well-covered, frankly. The need for new material is hardly urgent,>>

     That, I don't dispute. Its not a high priority in the way that the Heortlings and the Lunars are. But that's no excuse to ignore it altogether.

<< If we're simply going to endlessly churn the same material _because_ it's
already seen print, then we're in a self-defeating loop of almost Microsoftian proportions. >>

     It would seem to me a tad pointless to reprint a classic gaming world, and then to ignore the bit everyone knows and loves the best. If you're going to ignore the OOP stuff you did for a different game system yonks ago (rather than just making it of lower priority, which is fair enough IMO) then you could argue 'lets not do the Glorantha Book, since lots of it will have been in the old Genertela set' with as much validity. Clearly, nobody would think that sensible. In short, if you're going to reprint a classic gaming world at all, you'd better reprint the popular bits of it at *some* point. Otherwise you may as well make up a new world...

<< is there any reason why, if Prax doesn't fit in with Issaries' plans (and
they've stated to the point of laryngitis that it doesn't),>>

     From my POV, the reason they have to keep stating it is because its Obviously Silly and so many people have some difficulty believing them. Rather sadly, I do believe them, but I still think they're wrong.

<< but huge screaming hordes of fans want it anyway, to do as Ian Thompson
has done and collate existing material, and then look to web-publish or fan-publish? Past form hardly suggests that Issaries would be resistant to this, and I'd hope one might get the co-operation of the fan authors, too.>>

    If Issaries' attitude is 'we can't be arsed to publish this stuff, because fans will do it anyway if the customer base wants it' one almost wonders why they're bothering at all. Might as well have left TotRM to do the whole thing themselves...  

<< the trolls are also in the 'well-catered for' camp, as regards existing
(though now OOP) material. They're more important in what Martin would call the 'über-arc', though, >>

     I rather suspect this is the real reason. But, heck, if they're not part of the über-arc, its because certain-people-who-shall-remain-nameless didn't *write* them into it.

<<and certainly they interact more meaningfully with other cultures. >>

     You mean they don't eat them? :-)

<< Fan stuff on trolls isn't as copious as on Prax, however. >>
 

     Looks quite copious enough, though, IMO. Besides, that's hardly an excuse for giving the trolls a greater prominence than the Praxians (not that I'm saying there shouldn't be troll books, just that I think the importance of the two is about equal).

Forward the glorious Red Army!

    Trotsky


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