From: Alex Ferguson (abf@cs.ucc.ie)
Date: Tue 11 Aug 1998 - 04:00:01 EEST
Brian Tickler sez:
> lots of people are saying "well, HW is for a new audience, RQ doesn't
> matter"; unfortunately, this is not true. Without a serious amount
> of acclaim and evangelizing from RQ players, HW is not going
> anywhere. To have RQ players evangelize the new product, there
> actually have to be some left when HW hits the shelves...
Depends by what you mean by "RQ players". Is that:
o People who used to play RQ, until it ceased being an on-going
entity? (Date that to whenever you will.)
o Ditto, who now play PDP, GURPS, homebrew, whatever.
o People who play RQ, cos it's the only game in town,
notwithstanding the above?
o People who'll play Whatever's Gloranthan?
o Hard-core "give me RQ, or give me a dearth!" fanatics?
I agree there's an existing consistuency out there -- we're it! But
I think it's to confuse matters to use a blanket term like "RQ players"
for all the above, which implies a system loyalty which may well not
be true in many cases.
I'm glad that it looks like the HW line is at least going to get off
the ground, however long it stays there. But the new gamers really are
crucial to the latter part. To be blunt, we'll get the first few books
no matter what, but the question is, will this end up being funded
through 4000 sales per item, or will it be funded by "using up"
Chaosium's and the other shareholders investment in it? If it ends up
being the second, then I don't think I need spell out how dire the
situation would likely be. (But to do so anyway: expensive way to get
some stuff into print, and a fast way to kill off Glorantha as any
sort of professionally published concern, stone dead.)
As to scheduling of releases, I have to agree with Issaries's thinking.
HW itself seems relatively ready to go, it's the background stuff, which
is what "RQ players" will be waiting for, that'll take the time. To
release the first box, and then have a large wait until the next would
not only be as frustrating for us lot as the current wait is, it'd lose
serious momentum from the "new" sales (let me for the moment assume there
will be such momentum, touch wood). Chaosium have been excorciated for
doing this in the past, including by you Brian if memory serves, and not,
it must be said, entirely without justification.
Your health, and Glorantha's (fingers crossed),
Alex.
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