| From: | Steven A. Tinner bluewizard@*****.com |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Wait and see. (Was SR Narrowing of focus) |
| Date: | Tue, 17 Aug 1999 05:57:25 -0400 |
>>When I buy an SR book, I want action, and I think I'm not alone.
>
> Action for action's sake is a waste of time and motion.
For you.
Not for me, or many other player apparently.
Also, please note that I never said, "mindless violence" or even "action
for
action's sake"
Given a choice though, I think the general target audience for SR would
choose a Target book over a Neo-A book nine time out of ten, and the sales
prove me out so far.
> What is lacking is in the newer books is any motivation other than the
>Almighty Nuyen and being a Dunky Culty.
Which are good solid motivations for beginning players.
If an experienced player can't think of anything else to do ... I'd just as
soon not play with anyone that creativity-impaired thanks.
>>Prove me wrong, show me how the Neo-A's ever added anything of value to
the
>>SR universe and I'll cheer your name to the skies.
>
> Flavor, just like ORC, and Humanis, and MOM, and finding out what the
>Desert Wars really are, and data on the new sport (Urban Brawl for one),
>and other socio-political flavorants. They make the game more than just
>run-and-gun. I want to be able to look up who the folks to be seen with
>are seen in (I've been around "society" dams once or twice, and I'm hoping
>it isn't sheer), how bad the average homeless shelter looks like, that kind
>of thing.
This stuff is still being covered in SR canon, just not in the sourcebooks.
Get the novels. All this and more is there.
Want a TON of info on Miami, street life, metahuman prejudice, and how it
affects the average person?
Read Shadowboxer.
Wanna know how a street kid gorws up in Boston, how homosexuals are treated
in 205X?
Read Crossroads.
The falvor is out there.
However, it's been placed where those who want it can get it, while those
who don;t care can ignore it.
Smart marketing if you ask me, not to mention all the additional sales for
FASA.
>>I've talked to Mike, he's a reasonable man.
>
> A man who supposedly admits to being prejudiced against atmoshpere books,
>is not, if those reports are accurate (if they are, please disprove, and
>I've asked Twist to prove), a resonable, unbiased opinion. Not when he has
>the final say about what does and doesn't get published.
Being reasonable does not presuppose being unbiased.
I'm glad Mike isn't unbiased.
A line developer NEEDS a vision of what he wants in the game, and according
to sales - which ultimately are ALL that matter, Mike's vision is good.
As for just what Mike is predjudiced against, I don't want to speak for him,
but IIRC the gist of what he said was not that he didn;t like atmosphere,
but that atmosphere books by themselves did not sell.
I think it's atmosphere for atmosphere's sake that Mike is avoiding.
If it doesn;t add directly to the game, then it can be sandwiched into a
Target book et. al.
Steven A. Tinner
bluewizard@*****.com
http://listen.to/tinner
"God is my co-pilot, but the Devil is my bombardier."
