My problem with Monte Cook...

[KDLadage]

Re: Re: Re: Re: My problem with Monte Cook...

Then perhaps you should follow his example, and either 1) email your rebuttal to him; or 2) post it on his board, which is where he specifically asks for feedback. His rant has nothing to do with roleplaying, D&D, d20, or his job as a game designer, and neither does your rebuttal.

Don't want to e-mail him. Don't care to converse with him.

Don't care to sign up to his message boards.

He comes here. If he cares to reply, he can.

Sorry if I stole a few moments of your day needlessly.

 

[derverdammte]

So your example CEOs' salaries aren't that high.

However, what makes you think that all of a CEO's compensation is in salary? In many cases, CEOs and highly ranked people in the company receive stock options as part of their payment. In theory, the stock awards make the CEO's interest more inline with the interests of the shareholders.

Good point. Total Equivalent Compensation (TEC), as the admin people where I work call it, is much more important and significant than salary alone. You have to include benefits and perks in your calculation of someone's level of compensation; otherwise you get an unbalanced picture. That includes use of the corporate car, expense accounts, and pretty much everything else.

 

[JoeBlank]

If I understand the OP correctly, he is complaining about a common phenomenon: The idea that the opinions of celebrities somehow matter more than the opinions of us "regular" people. But if this is your point, why argue with the point Monte makes? Why should your opinion of his opinion matter to us? I thought your complaint was that he was posting a rant about something outside his area of expertise. If he had posted a column with which you agreed, would you care that it was about a non-RPG topic?

That said, I think Monte does know something about this topic. His primary point concerns the effect of corporations on the creative process and the end product. He has produced creative products for a large corporation, and for his own small company.

As if my opinion matters, I for one like columns such as this one from people like Monte. It helps us to get to know him a little better, and I like buying and reading products from people I know a little about. This is similar to the discussion of whether Morrus should be putting his own personal style and opinion on the news page here. Although it makes the news a little more dense, I like hearing Morrus' "voice" rather than reading a list of headlines with links.

 

[Uruush]

I have a problem when people don't mark their 'OT' subject matter as 'OT.' It's difficult enough to sift through the huge volume of material on these boards. At least Monte has his non-RPG rant neatly sectioned off from the main part of his site, and it's labeled as a rant.

I also have a problem when people presume that someone has to have a strong professional background in a particular subject for them to have a valid opinion about it. I have several years background as a corporate manager, but I occasionally have strong opinions about role-playing games. If I had my own website, I might voice those opinions more often. So what?

I happened to agree with the 4 subject lines in Monte's rant. Yes, he exaggerated to some degree, and he was a bit light in substantive evidence for some of his points, but uh.... it's a rant, not an exhaustive treatise.

My only problem with his rant is he didn't mention the least attractive aspect of corporations as far as societal costs. Large corporations are able to spread the responsibility for any ill-considered actions across so many individuals that the effect is to put them beyond responsibility. Yet since the late 19th century, they've received all the protections accorded to an individual under the law.

Enough. I'm glad you like Monte. I think you have just as much of a right to an opinion about corporations, Pakistani rugs, or Dadaism as he, or anyone else does. Please just label any such posts under 'General RPG Discussion' as 'OT.'

 

[Slacker]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: My problem with Monte Cook...

Don't want to e-mail him. Don't care to converse with him.

Don't care to sign up to his message boards.

He comes here. If he cares to reply, he can.

Sorry if I stole a few moments of your day needlessly.

So you call your rant a rebuttal, even though you didn't take the time to send it to the person who wrote the piece in the first place? Just somehow "hoping" that he may take a look at it?

 

[hammymchamham]

Re: Re: My problem with Monte Cook...

Anyway, corporations haven't ruined the music industry. Oh wait, they have. Or do you like Creed and all their clones?

I don't remember stating what bands or styles of music I like, but it does seem that you have stated, in an atempt of objectifity, that the Music industry is ruined.

Where as the original poster did attempt at some objectivity by stating facts and his source.

In other words, Music, Televesion, and Movies.. when it comes to what styles people like, is all subjective. And the music corporations are going to continue to promote what sells. If this 'ruins the music industry' then thats fine with me. Since it would actually ruin the music industry if the corporations developed bands that, well, didn't sell. Then their would be no music indusry. And that would ruin the music indusry, quite literaly

 

[Furn_Darkside]

Take, for example, Monte Cooks recent "Another Rant" column...

Heh, I am glad everyone did not bite their tongue.

I was tempted to do a similar response, but felt it was pointless.

I do wish game designers would not take advantage of their audiance to speak about such stuff, but it is his website. He can do what he pleases- and I will do as I please.

At this point, I am not going to allow it affect my decisions of purchasing his products. Most of his rants are amusing.

If, in the future, his essays begin to regularly take stances that I don't agree with, then I will reconsider purchasing the products.

FD

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Right off of the bat, the column gets under my skin. He makes the first mistake of debate -- he assumes what the audience believes is exactly what he does.

Actually, I assumed he meant: "well, if you know me, this won't surprise you." It didn't seem he was assuming the reader would agree with him. He was assuming the reader was somebody who was familiar with him and his views, which is a valid assumption to make. I would hazard a guess that the majority of people who frequent his website are familiar with not only his work, but his viewpoints.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Re: Re: My problem with Monte Cook...

Heh, I am glad everyone did not bite their tongue.

I was tempted to do a similar response, but felt it was pointless.

I do wish game designers would not take advantage of their audiance to speak about such stuff, but it is his website. He can do what he pleases- and I will do as I please.

I think the whole point is that he is inviting replies. He does, after all, have an entire forum on his site devoted to his Another Rant column. What do you think it's for?

 

[JacktheRabbit]

What were the cirumstances of Monte leaving WOTC? I read his little "rant" and assumed it was a bit of a bitter attack against his former employer.

If you want to talk about something truly annoying about Monte then lets stay on a DnD topic.

I have always felt that Monte talks like an anti-muchkin gamer, yet his products (RTTOEE, and the Malhovic Press) are the exact opposite. They appear to me at least to be just about the most muchkin oriented products you can find out there.