Anthony Valterra breaks his silence

[Anthony Valterra]

I wish you luck in future endevors. A couple questions:

There has been alot of speculation as to what will be in the BOEF, I was wondering if you could maybe hint at a couple topics, or maybe give a preliminary list of ideas/things you would like to cover in the book.


Is your leaving WotC a sign of another round of layoffs, or is this just involving you?

What are some other products/topics we might see from you in the future?

Do you plan to stick with fantasy? or are there any chances at modern/other projects?

Almost all of this will be covered on our website including previews of the product.

AV

 

[Anthony Valterra]

EEEK! the e-tools curse lives!!!!

AAAHHHHHHH cr*p I was hoping no one would make that connection!

AV

 

[Anthony Valterra]

oh, are you accepting volunteer playtesters?

We will be, let us know on our website on our messageboards.

AV

 

[Anthony Valterra]

Do you think your product is receiving a disproportionate amount of buzz relative to the impact it will have on gaming as a whole?

Marc

Nope

AV

 

[Bendris Noulg]

3) Huh, missed that thread. Heavy Metal magazine eh? I remember reading that when I was a teenager. Yeah that not a bad comparison. I have most often thought of the Vertigo line. We are handling sex currently but I hope we can branch into a number of areas that are adult. But I am very open to suggestion from the gaming community - check our website.

Actually, I'm the one that mentioned Heavy Metal as one of many examples of Erotic Fantasy by which I was hoping BoEF would be similar to (at least in tone and tenor).

As a long-time EF fan, I'm glad to hear I was close to the mark.

 

[Anthony Valterra]

Bedtime!

AV

 

[Angcuru]

Bedtime!

AV

Don't let the bedbugbears bite!

 

[alsih2o]

Valar Project will be devoting a portion of the profits from BoEF to research the answer to this question. A question that has palgued mankind for far to long.

AV

finally!! a company with a conscience!

 

[d20Dwarf]

Valar Project will be devoting a portion of the profits from BoEF to research the answer to this question. A question that has palgued mankind for far to long.

AV

Anthony,

My company, Woodchuck & Woodchuck, would be happy to place a bid for the appropriated funds. Being comprised entirely of woodchucks (and woodchuck-lovers), we believe we are positioned to strategically utilize our unique synergy to help you achieve your business goals.

 

[seasong]

2) Gwen is spot on. Yes, the press release emphasised the more controversial aspects. Was that an error? I'm still debating it internally. I will say this - it was my first press release - I'm just glad I didn't mispell the name of my own company.

The press release... I don't want to hurt the author's feelings, but it was bad. I didn't find it particularly controversial, just bad. I reviewed it in another thread, but here are the high lights:

1. The opening sentence is passive voice*.
2. All women discussed in the press release are objects; the only actor is Conan, who is famous for treating women like objects.
3. All women in the press release are fey. Already, this is sounding damned narrow.
4. Valar Project, Inc., is not even close to the first company to take on the subject of sex in the world of elves and dragons.
5. "In 2003 all the curiosity about sex in the realms of fantasy will be satisfied." 'Nuff said - this is just bad.
6. Hyped images... sorry, a calendar is cheaper; and photoshopped images are all over the Internet.
7. The tip sheet: Doesn't even mention Gwen. That's cold, man.
8. The tip sheet: Doesn't seem relevant.

* Passive voice has a purpose. It is grammatically correct, and very useful on occasion. The wham statement is not one of them. Most writers use passive voice when they try to avoid personal responsibility for the text, lack comfort with the subject, or write scholarly acadamese.

As a side note: Personally, I did not find that the artist's web site to be a good selling point. In general, unless the artist is well known and beloved to the community you are selling it to, this sort of inclusion in the ad copy is risky... especially if you don't even MENTION the authors. Good grief.

So, anyway, I apologize if this post is pretty negative. I was really turned off by the press release. If I wanted what the press release was selling, I would buy a calendar.