| From: | Mark Fender markf@******.com |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Apology and stuff |
| Date: | Tue, 14 Sep 1999 10:42:41 -0500 |
> And yes, you do have the right to disagree. But do so intelligently and
> tactfully. A *LOT* of people on this mailing list are involved with FASA
> in some fashion, whether it be playtesting, convention support,
> freelancers, or all of the above. Shit, I think we even have a full time
> FASA employee or two kicking around (Is Rob Boyle still here?). And I
> *KNOW* I speak for at least a few of those people when I say that it's
> really annoying and frustrating to listen to people bitch and moan about
> something that isn;t gonna change. And especially when it's something
> that
> we've had a hand in shaping. Especially when I say from experience that
> you are, right or wrong, the very vocal minority. People who like the way
> things are going don't say much. People who don't, say it often and loud.
>
>
Well, I'm one of those few people who didn't see anything grand about SR3. I
wasn't participating in this little dialogue, as pretty much all my points
have been said and I'm never gonna' get Bull to agree with me, so I just
gave up.
I'm not here to discuss SR3 again. That's been done. What I would like to do
is comment on this one little posts of Bull's and then move on. The fact
that I'm not an "old school guard" of SR should not, in any way, invalidate
any points one might make in this argument. I've been playing this game
since '89, been on the list off and on throughout the years since then, and
kept up on all the latest FASA news, including attending some of these same
conventions that Bull mentioned. I've also talked with Mike, Tom, and
several others who weren't wearing their name badges, but did indeed know
what they were talking about when it came to SR.
This list saddens me. There's an attitude on here that only those "old
school" people matter. It's like a bunch of friends are sitting in the
cafeteria at school and various others come up and talk to them. There isn't
a lot of interest in new ideas or sharing the faith of SR. Instead, those
"in the know" comment, others "in the know" comment back, and the rest
of us
are left out of your conversation. I could name names of people who possess
this attitude, but you know who you are, and so does everyone else.
Now, you have a right to be proud. I'm extremely proud of the "Wall of SR"
in my own home. It's one of the highlights on the tour. But not all of us
can be close personal pals with Mike, nor can we all be playtesters,
writers, or any of the other sordid activities that go into making you the
"SR Old Guard."
So, I'm sorry that it's really annoying that your labor of love is being
trashed by people that don't have the "ins" that you do at FASA. I'm sorry
we all can't be best personal buddies with FASA so that we'd have the skinny
on what's going on. I'm sorry that not all of us can participate in what
happens with our favorite game because we're not deep in the pockets of
various FASA staff members.
Normally, when something's wrong, people complain about it. There can be two
responses 1) aid them in helping them with their problem by pointing out
things they might have missed, directions that the line is going on that
might assuage their fears, etc. or 2) dismiss their opinions because it
didn't "obviously" didn't come from an enlightened source. There has been
far too much dismissing of late around here and it's really annoying. I
personally would LOVE to love my copy of SR3. I spent a lot of damn money on
it, SR2 isn't being supported anymore, and I'd love to get some use out it.
I was practically begging people to help me like this book.
So, finally, Bull's post was very inspiring from a gamer's perspective. I
was right there with him until the little part I posted. I have had these
same experiences with various different games, different companies, and
different people associated with this industry. I think we're lucky enough
to participate in a hobby that is pretty small and it's easy to get to know
the people who write what we use. (Try to be best friends with Bill Gates.)
I'm slightly jealous of you folks who do contribute to the line, whether it
be actually writing or playtesting stuff. But that is no reason to allow it
to go to your heads.
So, in closing, I'd like to apologize to the list for wasting your time. Not
only for reading though this, but all my other posts I made over the few
months I've been back on. They did not come from a person who has a close
personal relationship with anyone at FASA and should be discounted for that.
I apologize for attempting to express an opinion that didn't meet the
approval of the Grand Poobah of SR, and I apologize for attempting to get
across my points to any of you. You obviously weren't listening to me anyway
because I haven't had your depth of experience with the game. For all of
those on this list who don't have this attitude, I apologize for lumping you
into this category. For those of you who do possess this attitude, thank
you. You've managed to save me quite a lot of income. I would also like to
apologize for writing a very long "Why I'm leaving the list" message. No one
likes those. Especially me.
I hope that in the future, we could all get along on this list. I hope that
day will come. In the meantime, keep living the life of being the only one
that opinion matters. I hope it takes you far. If any of you care to discuss
this with me, I'm always happy to oblige you. Bull, I hope to see you on the
7th Sea list soon. Now, someone start a gun conversation or something.
