EGADS! We've been had!
Okay, now tell me if I've got it wrong, but...
1) Negative critcism will no longer be given an ear by GDW staff (and could
someone tell me just what `positive criticism' is?).
2) The game design will be entirely in-house. No outside rules suggestions or
assistance will be solicited or accepted.
Now, it seems to me that unless we are expected to provide cheerleading or
moral support, GDW is simply wasting its time with the TML. I mean, we can't
say what we don't like anymore, nor can we be all positive and toadeating and
talk about how we could make it better. What purpose do we serve (as far as
GDW is concerned)? None, as far as I can tell.
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Traveller is dead. I mean yes, they keep claiming that they are going to fix
it (again) and it'll be all great and everything, but I think many of us here
(if not most of us) now understand that there will be insult upon injury
to the fair Imperium, with the senseless, unplayable Hard Times being followed
by a plot device too stupid for even a Star Trek: TNG plot - the dreaded
virus. Yeah, right. Oh boy. I can just feel the excitement in the air.
Like the death of Cliff Burton turned Metallica from a leading-edge great
band into a bunch of pop singers, the lack of spirit in GDW shows. Whether
keeping Marc would have helped (MT was a disaster), I dunno. But I don't see
how things could have turned out worse. I am seriously considering not buying
any GDW product again (on principle; the lack of quality is another point
entirely), and I am certainly not alone in this.
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So what to do? Right now, it looks like we get to sit around and watch what
we once new get turned to trash (can't you just see new covers replete with
cleavage, lots or random encounter tables, and lits of redundant weapons?),
or do something else. My personal feeling is that the competence, imagination,
and enthusiam on this list far exceeds that at GDW. No one here is looking to
make a quick buck on the game, no one here looks likely to sell out.
Why not try again (TDR, sort of)? Forget the rules. There are plenty of okay
systems out there (GRURPS, Hero, etc.) that could easily be adapted. What
I mean more is to like redo the Library Data, from scratch. Using 1992 science
understanding, I feel that even as a committee we could do a lot better.
Simply have people submit library entries, and built the future from that.
Add AIs before TL 90 (or whatever), leave out the anthropomorphic aliens,
have a real engima, no grav plates, 3-D universe, etc. A collection of 2-5
paragraph entries for dozens of things , I think, could be a useful, fun
project. Much better than watching Traveller rot, anyway.
Comments, complaints, whining (GDW staff, I mean) anyone?