Any news on DTRPG?

[reanjr]

Hell, I doubt anyone at DTRPG even knows who I am; the emails I've had from their customer service section had a remarkable lack of "dude, your stuff rocks!" comments.

Maybe your stuff didn't rock...

I couldn't resist. It was wide open. Sorry. I was just kidding. I'll hush up now...

 

[Ottergame]

Looks to me that Mr O'Duffy had the exact experience from them that I did; a positive one. I think you might be reading into his writing for White Wolf a little too much. :\

Actually, I haven't read any of his writing as far as I know. But I do know most of the positive comments I've read about DTRPG have been made by people who do work for White Wolf, and White Wolf owns DTRPG (even the most casual search will reveal that).

It's like having a worker at McDonalds claiming that McDonalds makes the best fast food. They may very well belive that they do, and their praise is fully legit, and that no one has told them to tell customers they like McDonalds food, but someone who hears that is going to think they are being told to say that, and that invalidates their praise of their own company.

It looks bad on White Wolf's part, but that doesn't mean they've done anything wrong.

 

[buzz]

But hey, thanks for the implication that I'm a corporate shill, and that I've been encouraged or even ordered to say good things about DTRPG. That's real nice of you.

Maybe it's simply an indicator of your sympathies. Your ludography is public record. Why should it be off the table when discussing your position on this matter?

N.B.: This isn't RPG.net, so you don't have to maintain the level of hostility that's so de rigeur there. You can simply say stuff like, "That's true, but I'm sincere in my endorsement," and people will take you at your word. Rational discussion may even ensue.

Watch...

/me takes Patrick at his word.

See?

 

[Patrick O'Duffy]

Actually, I haven't read any of his writing as far as I know. But I do know most of the positive comments I've read about DTRPG have been made by people who do work for White Wolf, and White Wolf owns DTRPG (even the most casual search will reveal that).

Actually that's not true. White Wolf don't own DTRPG; the people who own White Wolf also own DTRPG?

Think that's a meaningless difference? I don't. It means that I don't work for DTRPG or have any stake in its success or failure. It also means that, since the two of them are seperate entities, they stand and fall on their own merits. If DTRPG goes under, White Wolf won't be affected - and more importantly, from my point of view, I won't lose work or have books cancelled on me if DTRPG does badly.

I don't benefit from DTRPG's existence as a writer. I only benefit from it as a customer, and that was the context in which I commented.

 

[Patrick O'Duffy]

Watch...

/me takes Patrick at his word.

See?

Good to know. Thank you.

 

[Ottergame]

Actually that's not true. White Wolf don't own DTRPG; the people who own White Wolf also own DTRPG?

Yeah, I think that's how it actually works out. But in my mind at least, that still means White Wolf owns DTRPG.

 

[Arcane Runes Press]

Yeah, I think that's how it actually works out. But in my mind at least, that still means White Wolf owns DTRPG.

The Altria Group owns both Philip Morris and Kraft Foods. Does that also mean that Kraft owns Philip Morris?

Time Warner owns both New Line Cinema and HBO. Does that mean HBO owns New Line Cinema?

Hasbro owns Wizards of the Coast and Milton Bradley. Does that mean Wizards of the Coast owns Milton Bradley? Cause I'll tell you, they'd be really happy if they did.


There are hundreds of examples of companies that own other companies. And even when those companies don't compete with one another, that doesn't mean they support one another.

 

[Ottergame]

The Altria Group owns both Philip Morris and Kraft Foods. Does that also mean that Kraft owns Philip Morris?

Time Warner owns both New Line Cinema and HBO. Does that mean HBO owns New Line Cinema?

Hasbro owns Wizards of the Coast and Milton Bradley. Does that mean Wizards of the Coast owns Milton Bradley? Cause I'll tell you, they'd be really happy if they did.


There are hundreds of examples of companies that own other companies. And even when those companies don't compete with one another, that doesn't mean they support one another.

In the first example, Philip Morris owns Kraft. Philip Morris formed the Altria brand so that their secondary holdings wouldn't be thought of "tobacco subsidies". However, Philip Morris still owns Kraft, because Philip Morris IS the Altria brand.

In the second example, both companies are AOL Time Warner companies.

In this example, again, both are Hasbro companies.

In the case of White Wolf and DrivethruRPG, there isn't a parent company, it's just individuals, so yes, it's pretty much "White Wolf owns DTRPG".

 

[Ottergame]

To give an old example...

West End Games had a president by the name of Scott Palter. In addition to WEG, he owned a shoe import business. Big deal, right? Well, the reason WEG went boom was because Mr. Palter was pulling money from WEG to support his failing shoe business, which eventually led to him missing payments on the Star Wars license, which Lucas eventually pulled from him and sold to Wizards.

In effect, it could be said that WEG owned the shoe busines, or the shoe business owned WEG, or whatever. The same man was in charge of both companies and ruined both.

 

[Crothian]

But they don't have to be run like that, if the person who owns both is running them as two seperate companies (and not using money from one to support the other), then they are in fact two seperate companies owned by the same person.