A Question About Mongoose Advertising

[sotterraneo]

I was flipping the pages of Dragon magazine 308 and I noticed at page 13 the ad for "Armoured Companies", a supplement for Armageddon 2089. The truth is: I noticed most the cover art, with the Eiffel Tower hit and in flames and the text "They counted on America to be passive. They counted wrong". Now, I haven't read the entire Armageddon 2089 book but I have read some of the posts about the background during the development of the game. I thought at the time the designers "read their papers", but mainly the Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Economist (wait... I read this too...) and Tory europhobic literature (the EU as a possible tyrannical state, an economy ossified and quite socialist, the UK attemting to 'flee' and evil continentals invading it to stop such secession, etc.). with the poor European Union being a quite close cousin of the Good Old Evil USSR.

OK, perhaps I'm a bit prejudiced, but this is not the point.

I was curious to know if that ad was a deliberate attempt to get attention on the US market using a little of French bashing, a specialty seemingly popular in the US at the moment, from the White House. I had this impression: am I wrong? Somebody else noticed this?

 

[trancejeremy]

This is one of those threads that should be deleted, because it deals with politics...

Anyway, as to the EU, I do find it fascinating that so many ex USSR hard core communists just love it...

 

[MongoosePaul]

Quick answer

Just as a quick answer - We came up with the idea of having a cover of the Eiffel tower in flames way, way back - long before any US-French cooling of relations.

 

[Benedict]

Hey, I have a practical question about that picture.

How can the Eiffel tower be on fire?

I've never been to Paris, but I did months of labor on the Eiffel tower in Las Vegas. It's supposed to be a very accurate copy... other than being a little less than 1/2 as tall.

The whole darn thing, with the exception of the restaurant on the "11th floor" is made of steel.

I'm not trying to be a wiseacre, I'm really curious.

thanks,

benedict

 

[Mytholder]

Looking at the picture, the Tower isn't on fire per se - it's just been hit by a bomb or something. The flames are from the explosion.

 

[sotterraneo]

This is one of those threads that should be deleted, because it deals with politics...

Politics? Who is talking about politics? Let me tell you that, having Matt Sprange of Mongoose written at the time that Armageddon 2089 designers were told "to read their papers", I expressed my opinion about the background given in the book (from a partial point of view) and their apparent sources. It seems odd to me that a comment on a 'modern' game with a 'realistic' background- so of course a game talking about politics too- would be considered out of context.

About the comments about the EU, this is really politics so you should delete your own post . Anyway, I'll let myself a reply: you should know more about the things you comment on and this comment shows once more that most americans know almost nothing about the EU.

Of course, we could debate in private if you wish...

 

[Eternalknight]

bye bye thread

 

[Cergorach]

Re: Quick answer

Just as a quick answer - We came up with the idea of having a cover of the Eiffel tower in flames way, way back - long before any US-French cooling of relations.

What's next, a big mech battle in a tulip fields with a burning Dutch windmill in the background?

 

[Morrus]

Hmmm.... this one is teetering on the edge of the cliff.

OK, it's a game product, so feel free to discuss it. But the only way that'll work is if you can discuss Mongoose's marketing strategy *without* interjecting your own political opinions. If you don't feel you can do that, then please avoid posting in this thread.

I'll leave it open for the moment, but I'm keeping an eye on it.

 

[Mongoose_Matt]

Hi guys,

First off, any discussion about Armageddon 2089 that does not revolve around the Meks themselves is likely to involve politics - that is just the nature of the game. So long as we all remember that it is just a game and that no one is the 'good' or 'bad' guy, we can all keep cool in these threads

To answer your points;

I was _wondering_ when someone would raise the point about this advert. There was me thinking that we had spent all that money and no one had seen it

Basically, we wanted to show something in Europe blowing up. We could have done a Euro Mek, but that would only ring true for people already really into the game. If you want an easily recognisable structure in Europe that responds well to high explosives, it has to be the Eiffel Tower. If we had set the cover in the UK, it would have been the Tower of London or (more likely) Big Ben. In the US, we might have had a crack at the Statue of Liberty, though the Golden Gate going down would make for a fiercesome cover in the hands of the right artist. But I digress. . .

Paul is correct about the commissioning of the artwork, it was done months in advance - however, these little things do seem to keep happening to Armageddon. Quite scary in a way The slogan was, I have to admit, my idea, as it fit the tone of the time and Armageddon _so_ well. But basically you can read what you like into it - we are just here to sell games, not provide political commentary. To us it is just source material. . .

Oh, and I have to stick my hands up and admit they are not my words either - bonus points to the one who correctly guesses which old Def Leppard track it is from (you won't have to go on a long mental journey to figure it out ).

Burning Tower: It can burn, with the right weapons, of which there are many in the game Personally, I would have gone with a tacnuke, but at least this way there is something to rebuild. . .