| From: | Erik Jameson <erikj@****.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: FASA's On/Off Course? |
| Date: | Tue, 5 May 1998 13:38:03 -0400 |
>I think they are hitting a snag that I've suddenly started putting together.
>I have noticed some things, between the more recent "editor guided novels"
and
>the sourcebooks that are either recently released or out now.
>
>Lofwyr mentions being in control of the IE's in Technobabel.
I don't think Lofwyr is really in totaly control of the IE's. It's more
like he's playing them, much like the IE's play mortals. And I'm sure
Lofwyr wasn't the only one toying with the IEs.
>There are possibilities that at least some of the IE's may be getting
"removed
>the game activities".
You mean getting killed? Haven't heard word one about this.
>The Horrors are gone (good/bad/indifferent) thanks to a Dragon's Sacrifice.
It certainly shuts down a storyline that if allowed unchecked, turns
Shadowrun into Earthdawn: 2050.
>Magic is being "reversed" in some aspects, better defined maybe, yes, that
>much I give and accept. But the development of Magic within the game
>mechanics of SR as a whole are taking a definite new tangent.
I know from private conversations with Steve that Magic is being reworked.
I don't think you can call it a tangent, that's not fair to Steve or FASA.
But some significant changes are at least being thought about. We'll all
have to wait and see what changes are actually implemented in SR3 and Magic
in the Shadows.
>If I didn't know any better, I would say that certain people now in
command of
>this "RPG Ship" are definitely changing the course of it.
That's because Mike Mulvihill has changed the course of the game. While
Tom Dowd did an excellent job, SR under him took a serious dive into the
more magical elements of the game (the Bugs & the Enemy). I'm not saying
this is bad; I love SR Magic. But Mike has a different vision; he's taking
SR back to the core ideas of the game, back to real shadowruns and
corporate infighting and that sort of thing. Making SR less like Earthdawn
and more like Cyberpunk.
>I know two, no make
>it three, people who have had conversations in attempts/negotiations to get
>material published/accepted to FASA that have given me a similar story. They
>were met with the response of "you have no idea what direction SR is
going, go
>away". At least in one of those individual's cases, the conversation was
more
>"graphically descriptive".
That's because they *don't* have a clue where FASA is going. The FASA
timeline is plotted out several years in advance. Only Mike Mulvihill
really knows what is going to happen next year. IF a proposed sourcebook
fits into that projected storyline, then it's cool. But chances are high
that it won't fit.
Mike should be applauded for what's he's doing to Shadowrun. Since he's
taken over, he's revitalized the game. He's eliminated several plot
threads that weren't as true to the core principles of SR as he would like
(the Enemy & the Invae). And has turned SR into a constantly changing and
evolving game universe. Nearly every other game system has a fairly static
universe; new sourcebooks simply delve in-depth into a portion of the game
world. But SR has upped the ante; their books not only do that, they also
push a timeline of events forward. Not only does this allow them to
publish more books (good from a business perspective) it also keeps the
game very fresh and alive. And that's one of the key reasons why I love
the game as much as I do.
>I guess that is what I am wondering. And I mean to have a description go
>beyond the concept of "it's a role playing game". I mean flat out, what is
>it? What is it going to be? What do -WE- the consumer/players of it want it
>to become overall? Are we going to have a vaguely magical cyberpunk game?
>Are we going to have a well defined game with an obvious course of direction
>to take? Are we going to have a list of ideas so vast open to us, that there
>will literally too many things to do?
FASA does listen, and care, about the people who purchase its games. But
honestly, they can only listen so much. The removal of the Enemy was at
least partially voted on by players. And we do know at least some of the
future of FASA; the BitB plot continues on through 2060, which is ahead of
the actual current SR dateline of 2059. And in that book, it projects out
how several of the upcoming sourcebooks will affect the story, or at least
expand upon the story.
>I know that people like Steve Kenson and Jon Szeto are occasional members and
>participants. I know that Steve has given a bunch of information for our
>general perusal and feedback. But I also know that the feedback didn't at
>least to the List indicate that much, if any, of it would be taken to heart.
Hey, even Steve gets turned down by FASA. But I do know that at least
Steve, and probably Jon too, honestly do listen to us and our concerns. At
the very least, we're a sort of "test market" or "market research
pool"
that allows them to look in and see what our reactions to SR are. They can
see the debates we have on magic, and the problems we have. They can see
all these things and then go back and report back to Mike and work to fix
our problems.
>Ideas, Guesses, Flames, Retorts, Commentary, Peanuts, Popcorn???
Okay, commentary, retorts and salted peanuts still in the shell, like the
sort that are mandatory to buy whenever you go to a baseball game.
Erik J.
"Forgive me FASA for I have sinned. It has been 6 days since I last played
Shadowrun and 15 days since I last bought a SRTCG booster pack."
