"Monte Cook Presents" Iron Heroes?

[Particle_Man]

Why the "Monte Cook Presents" in the title?

Why not just call it "Iron Heroes"?

Isn't Mike Mearls the author?

This looks rather vain and crass, IMO.

I'm tempted to take a pass on this book for this reason alone, as this kind of needless self-promotion strikes me as exceedingly vulgar ...

:\

Give me a break. A lot of the appeal of Castles and Crusades (one of your favourites, and mine) is that Gary Gygax is working on a supermodule for it. But Gary Gygax is not working on the rules for Castles and Crusades itself.

The only thing I wish is that Monte had made Mearls rename the "Archer" (that gets abilities that work with many missle weapons, including, but not limited, to bows) and "Hunter" (Oy!).

Personally, I would by the game if it said "Jerry Bruckheimer presents Iron Heroes", based on what I have seen so far of it.

 

[Akrasia]

A bit like posting the same thread to multiple websites is vain and crass, IMO.

Why?

Not if the poster in question is a regular member of both communities.

Exactly.

I was simply curious to see what other people thought, and the ENworld and RPGnet communities are not coextensive.

Anyway, I made the original post out of irritation at first reading the title. As people have pointed out, this practice is rather common in marketing, etc. It still annoys me, though.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Thanks. No wonder his name doesn't ring a bell.

Then how about Ars Magica? He was one of the creators of that.

 

[Nyarlathotep]

Personally, I would by the game if it said "Jerry Bruckheimer presents Iron Heroes", based on what I have seen so far of it.

that made me laugh.... but if it did say Jerry Bruckheimer on it, I would not only not buy it, I would make it my life's work to malign it! Damn that dirty, evil Jerry Bruckheimer!

 

[Felon]

that made me laugh.... but if it did say Jerry Bruckheimer on it, I would not only not buy it, I would make it my life's work to malign it! Damn that dirty, evil Jerry Bruckheimer!

CSI: Hyboria

 

[Gez]

Bruckheimer redeemed himself by producing Pirates of the Caribbean. This one is one fun movie. Sure, it's just entertainment, not art, but it's damn great entertainment.

 

[FreeTheSlaves]

Frankly I regard Monte Cook & co. to be visionary pioneers in the D20 game industry. I don't like some of his material or even use much, but there is no doubt that his influence over such things as meta-magic, PrC, PDFs productions, alternate handbooks (& etc) commands respect.

He wants to set up his own company to sink or swim by putting himself on the line? Good on him. He wants to add his name to promote a product that he wants (/needs?) to succeed? Ditto.

This thread to my understanding smacks of anti-corporatism but Monte runs & owns a small business struggling in a small market. Save it for the IMF.

 

[JoeGKushner]

CSI: Hyboria

By studying the entrails that were used as opposed to those left behind, we can determine if it was a black magician or a priest who sacrificed your husband mama.

 

[DaveMage]

As others have said - it's probably marketing.

I think we should all be so fortunate as to be able to put our names on the cover of something and have it stand as an incentive to purchase the product.

I can see why it might be a turnoff - if viewed as arrogant self-promotion, but if putting my name on something I'm financing helped to sell more copies, I'd certainly put it on there too.

 

[GMSkarka]

I can see why it might be a turnoff - if viewed as arrogant self-promotion,

Which is something I still can't quite wrap my head around.

In over a decade in this business, I've seen this attitude time and again from a small vocal segment of gamers---a vehement reaction against anything percieved as "arrogance", "pretentiousness" or the setting of something "higher than its place"....it's gotten to the point where I think it might be a pathological kneejerk reaction against the ghosts of the past, when some gamers were oppressed or otherwise put down by the "popular kids", and now lash out at anything that smacks of any sort of hierarchy. Almost like a "if something is being promoted, it's at my expense, and must be fought against" kinda thing.

Strange.

I'm not saying that's what's happening here...only pointing out an odd sociological trend I've noticed in this particular subculture.