Immortals Handbook Epic Bestiary (now available)

[GQuail]

Surely the best thing I can do is finish Ascension as quickly as possible. Frankly I just want to be done with it now, because all this business is starting to leave a really bad taste and sour something I had hoped would excite people.

I've got to be honest and say that, when the original pre-order was announced, I did get quite excited and was checking regularly for more information on what was going to happen with the product: but after two missed deadlines (both of which came up shortly before the deadline in question) it has somewhat dampened my enthusiasm. Sure, when it comes out, I'll read it and get excited again: but some of my glee for it has been tarnished.

While I hold my hand up and acknowledge my inability to meet deadlines (which is why I hate giving them and was forced into it with Ascension) if this represents the level of trust people have in me then I think Ascension may well be my last product.

I think that you have to accept that most people place merit on release dates in the RPG circle: just look at the threads on General discussing new press releases about upcoming products, or the threads the moment Dungeon/Dragon come out with people complaining their copy is a few days behind schedule. I know I'll oft ask my FLGS if a product I know is out this month is due in soon at the start of the month, and perhaps keep asking every fortnight if there's still no sign of it. However, whereas a print product is usually finsihed being typed months before release and thusly progress can be a lot easier to judge, PDF release like yours can run "11th hour" efforts: and that's going to jar with people's other experiences wtih RPG purchases. Temple of Elemental Evil withstanding.

It's a damned either way situation: When you give people a date, people will be dissapointed when you don't meet it: but when you don't give them a date, they're going to get frustrated that you can't offer them any idea of when the product will be released. Unfortunatly, if you're one of nature's poor deadline keepers, there's little you can do bar pull a Scotty and give all dates with a huge buffer zone. ;-)

 

[Rockhoward56]

hum

I trust Krusty , He's not a charlatan.
I can wait , because he want to publish a good book!
About the print bestiary: you have revised all the CR? Could you publish the CR revised please because he could be useful!
Algol only Cr 160? and he had a neutronium golem?????
U-K i'm thinking about this stuff:
Sandalphon is CR130 ok but if the player (evil one) would have the crazy idea to battle him?
His Cr In Upper Plane would be far beyond CR130 ( cause he could summon all Kyriotates , malakim etc, and maybe use his epic ritual to awaken a Cherubim)
I think , another CR in conjunction with the ability to summon or to be a Leader of Being(Eevils , Angels etc , would be more accurate?)

 

[dante58701]

Krusty rules...keep at it Krusty. Ignore the cynism!!! You ROCK!!!!

 

[Ace32]

Hey U_K,

I've been following your IH threads since the beginning and I just want to say that I'm ecstatic for the release of your book. I read through Bestiary and enjoyed it, although I will admit that I am more interested in your divine rules than anything else.

I will say that I am disapointed to hear that the release won't be tomorrow - but only because I can't wait to read it!

Keep up the good work! Its been years in the making, this old fan can wait a few more weeks (even if it kills him). Unlike the rest, I haven't been letting my world and enthusiasm revolve around the release date - but the product itself.

 

[Pssthpok]

Of course you can't always see the future, like the Publisher coming back while you are trying to work on Ascension, and requiring what amounted to about 45-50 hours work on the Bestiary.

Or that in finishing parts of the book, new questions would arise that would need answered and thus, more work.

This is understandable, as I mentioned in my post. Of course, it is a somewhat clearer image of the circumstances. It's one thing to come online and see "I won't make the deadline again, sorry, not happening", and another to actually know why. The ambiguous delays were casting shadows of larger problems, so I appreciate the clarification.

I appreciate your candour, but there is nothing wrong with the mechanics that I know of.

Well, that's good to know.

I know its something I'll never want to do again (after getting my fingers burnt this time), and hopefully not need to after I recoup some of the profits from the Print version of the Bestiary.

Well, best of luck to you. I reiterate that I didn't want to come across as a hardass, but I'm certain you can understand the inability of seemingly endless delays to keep up the enthusiasm for ever. From our perspective, you've had the system worked out for years now. When fortnight delays become part-and-parcel, it can wear on one's enthusiasm, trust, and interest for the product in general. Like everyone else here, I want you to finish and be happy with your work, but the deadline mirages are a bane to your reputation. Again, good luck.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

You have a lawsuit on your hands if anyone of us gamers had the money to do so, instead of spending money on unseen promised products.

As a man of honour, ...

With the threat of lawsuits flung around over a few dollars I was going to say that you are a true American... but with that spelling of "honour" you are at least an American at heart.

If you plan on continuing business in that fashion with your products, get yourself a lawyer.

Yup, the heart of an American.

 

[Anabstercorian]

Heck, you want some people who can't meet deadlines? www.godlike.com . Now THEY can't finish a product.

 

[JonnyFive]

U_K
keep it up man. after purchasing and reading the epic bestiary for a game here, i was thourly immpressed with your work. when i saw an add for your book on pre-order, i ordered it WITHOUT knowing the release date, and i didn't even know that there was one till i started following this thread and all the people winning about it.

i personaly want to applaud you on taking the time to get your material straight. if software designers and other writers had the strength of will to delay this to make sure we get the quality you showed in in the Bestiary. keep up the good work!

 

[Arg-ha Lardgoa]

Some people need to relax, it may seem like a long delay for those that have just recently joined us in the quest for the Ascension, but for those of us who have supported UK for the last three-four years in his writing of these awe inspiring books a few more weeks makes no never mind for us, we want UK to succeed and not to put out any old product

 

[CR_UNLIMITED!!!]

Wow...do you guys read the posts of just get frustrated when you see someone who's not kissing UK's butt?

Never once did I threaten legal action, never did I say I will be at his door with a laywer, i'd hope he'd like to know that what he's doing can warrent legal action and there are a lot of people among teh mases who don't care for excuses when they see you as a business and not some chum on the boards.

What then is the point of the whole pre-ordering scheme? If you have the thing finished then surely pre-ordering is irrelevant. Therefore if, as you attest, the work must always be finished before transactions take place, what point is pre-ordering?

No, they have a finished product. The point of pre-ording is to build euthusiaism for their product. If anything the only thing not finsihed buy that stage is the something minimial like Box Cover art not the whole product. Like I said, otherwise everyone can put something up for pre-order and spend 2 years making that product if they wish. They make these rules not to only protect the consumer but it also protects the company as well. I'm sure that companies that follow these rules never see such a distaste for their product before it's even out.

Before I released the Bestiary pdf, no one would have had any reason to trust me, but I would like to think since then I have cultivated some sort of relationship with people, enough to get them to trust me past a few weeks of delay (knowing what I am like with deadlines) without getting upset

They trusted you because before the Bestiary you had the project pumped for 3-4 years before hand. When they've come so far, it'd be ridiculous to give up. You can expect your buddies that trust you know to not be upset, sure, but not those who are just purchasing the product, which I hope is the purpose when you put it up for interent sale. I'd hope you'd want your product to be successful outside of your buddies and if you do, good business is the only way to go since you can't give them smileys say "Hiya Mate" and tell them you're bad with deadlines.

Well if you believe a lawsuit is warranted because of a few weeks delay over a matter of $12.50 then the world has just become an overly cynical and distressing place to live in.

The worlds already like that. I've seen lawsuits for worse. Again, never said i'll be doing squat, just letting ya know there is a legal reason now for someone to take you to court for this and win. You'd be better off with not putting out release dates. Just like with your previous comment about release dates, You have to have something to sell before you put it for pre-order, not throw it together once you put it for sale.

Surely the best thing I can do is finish Ascension as quickly as possible. Frankly I just want to be done with it now, because all this business is starting to leave a really bad taste and sour something I had hoped would excite people.

It is the best thing you can do, as well as take off any advertised released date. It's oddly funny, if I was a business and was told what I did was wrong and can lead to legal liabilities, i'd make sure I didn't lose my business. But everyone is so stuck with this UK trend that just a graze of fresh air going in the opposite direction is a 'threat'.

While I hold my hand up and acknowledge my inability to meet deadlines (which is why I hate giving them and was forced into it with Ascension) if this represents the level of trust people have in me then I think Ascension may well be my last product.

If you were forced into it, i'm curious as why you weren't forced into finishing it on time. You claim to have done publishing before, you know how sticklers people can be for deadlines, especially when you work with people who don't care about your personal affairs only their business.

I once knew a man who didn't get his way and walked out of this theatre I work at. We called it "taking his toys and going home". If you can get that frustrated and quit from someone telling you reality with rules of business, i wonder what the heck WoTC is still doing in business, lord knows their line of trust from their people wavers immensely.

I didn't get into this to upset people, and I certainly didn't get into it to be called a charlatan and threatened with legal action.

Neither did I. I no has called you a charlatan nor threatened you with legal action. Maybe that's why it's taking so long to do texts, I mean, if you read my posts carefully I did neither of the above.