Any news on DTRPG?

[Ottergame]

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.

Ok, the same people who own White Wolf own Drive Thru RPG. How's that?

 

[Crothian]

Ok, the same people who own White Wolf own Drive Thru RPG. How's that?

That seems to be what it is, but that is different then White Wolf owning Drive Thru RPG. That's all I was saying. Personally, it doesn;t matter to me either way.

 

[Ottergame]

That seems to be what it is, but that is different then White Wolf owning Drive Thru RPG. That's all I was saying. Personally, it doesn;t matter to me either way.

But it SEEMS to be more than just "oh, they happen to be owned by the same people". White Wolf seems to actually have it's hand in the business. Cook was allowed to break his "exclusive" aggreement with DTRPG and sell with White Wolf. If they were strictly seperate companies, that wouldn't have likely happened.

 

[Crothian]

But it SEEMS to be more than just "oh, they happen to be owned by the same people". White Wolf seems to actually have it's hand in the business. Cook was allowed to break his "exclusive" aggreement with DTRPG and sell with White Wolf. If they were strictly seperate companies, that wouldn't have likely happened.

We are not seeing the full picture. We saw Monte be able to break the exclusive deal, but we don't know what happened to make that happen. Also, they can still be two seperate companies and show favoritism toward each other.

 

[trancejeremy]

2 additional points...

It's been mentioned that White Wolf tried to buy RPGNow. White Wolf, not the people who own White Wolf.

Back before DTRPG showed up, the Traveller 20 guy mentioned that they were going to sell e-versions of old Traveller stuff, and it was backed by a big RPG company. I guess it was SJG, because they were working on E-Warehouse 23, and already put out Gurps Traveller. Turns out it was DTRPG, and so the company must have been White Wolf.

Furthermore, we've heard claims that many of these other companies only signed up with DTRPG because they wouldn't have to do anything, DTRPG would do all the work, and that had never been offered before. Except, that is also false - RPGNOW sent GMS around to various publishers with the same deal.

It's very very clear to me that the White Wolf guy is using his contacts, both personal, and company (White Wolf) to enlist other publishers.

Therefore, to claim that DTRPG is not in practice a subsidiary of White Wolf, or at least an very closely associated company, is false. And those who say otherwise (especially White Wolf employees) are disingenuous, at best.

Personally, I do find it very suspicious that the main people pushing how great DTRPG is happen to work for White Wolf. If it quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck. Or in this case, a wolf.

 

[Ottergame]

We are not seeing the full picture. We saw Monte be able to break the exclusive deal, but we don't know what happened to make that happen. Also, they can still be two seperate companies and show favoritism toward each other.

Montee aparently was one of the people who worked with White Wolf to set DTRPG up to begin with, at least that is the impression I get from reading posts and blogs from other publishers approached by DTRPG.

 

[Funksaw]

General FYI Part Two: I have no relationship with DriveThruRPG in any way. I write for White Wolf, yes, and some books that I have worked on are sold through DTRPG. I don't make any additional money from those sales, and don't recieve any kind of discount or preferential treatment from DTRPG. 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.

I pay my money and download my stuff the same way anyone else does, and if the company closed up tomorrow my working relationship with WW would be completely unaffected.

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.

When did I ever give you the impression that I was going to give you the benifit of the doubt? I do think you're a corporate shill, and don't really care much what you think about that.

 

[Funksaw]

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.

Excuse me, but yes, I consider Phillip Morris and Kraft the same company. That's why I try to avoid buying Kraft stuff - I don't want to put money into the same hands of Phillip Morris.

Time Warner owns a number of different media companies - the media conglomerates that control this nation's media have dwindled to FIVE but few realize it because they *hide* behind a number of different corporate names.

For any practical purpose that matters, White Wolf and DTRPG can be considered the same company.

 

[Jim Hague]

It's amazing, really, the amount of mind-reading and extrasensory perception that pops up on these threads in regards to DTRPG. Because I'm apparently masochistic, I'm going to throw my own comments into the shark pen.

Point the first: I'm a freelancer writer, but I don't work for WW.

Point the second: I downloaded the GW d20 PDF from DTRPG no problem. I'm not running a state of the art system, nor is my DSL what you'd call squeaky clean.

Point the third: I don't like the implications of DRM, or that the technology might be rendered into obsolescence.

All that said - no one who's posted here, to the best of my knowledge, is either an insider at WW nor were they looking over Monte's shoulder when he made whatever decision it was to remove DRM from Malhavoc's products. Nobody here either reads minds nor do they have hidden cameras in DTRPG or WW's offices. And yet what's being thrown out is a lot of knee-jerk hostility, politically-biased assumptions and One True Wayism.

Guess what, kids? It's pretty damn unlikely that the Evil Game Company Conspiracy is out to get you, to take your money and laugh at you, or otherwise disrespect you. If anything, it might be considered reassuring (if maybe a bit wrongheaded in using DRM to try and avoid piracy) that your favorite game companies are actually trying to run themselves like a business instead of a half-assed hobbist's second job.

By the way, Funky? Verbal assault like the kind you're engaging in is called libel. Patrick's entitled to his opinion and, by your own ethics, an assumption he's telling the truth. Unless, since you consider him an Evil Corporate Fascist Amerika Company Shill (tm), the rules change. Lay off the man, huh?

 

[Morrus]

When did I ever give you the impression that I was going to give you the benifit of the doubt? I do think you're a corporate shill, and don't really care much what you think about that.

I'm guessing you don't like posting at EN World, Funksaw. I can't think of any other reason that you would so blatantly break the rules around here. Let me know if you'd like to not be banned for a week, please, otherwise I'll assume that this is a request for me to do so.

Let me clear up the rules for you, in case you don't understand them:

1) You get to crticise DTRPG's policies.

2) You get to state your feelings and opinions on the subject in a civil manner.

3) You don't get to insult other members - in any circumstances.