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Message: <blockquote data-quote="aramis erak" data-source="post: 8052780" data-attributes="member: 6779310">I've seen a number of people with significant lack of certain key skills succeed in the industry. The best example is Kevin Siembieda.He's a lousy editor - typos galore.He's not a great game designer - several other games from a similar time to his own core design from 1979-1981 are both smoother to play and written better, while taking a similar approach to skills. The Arcanum has the d20 roll-high, simplified combat mechanics, d100 skills, skills by class, reduced hit point gains by comparison to D&D, a magic system that does away with the «daily memorization to cast, forget when cast» process of Vancian magic, but retains many other aspects of vancian magic... He's not a great businessman - constantly behind schedule, has had multiple financial crises of great import on his company... and a huge embezzelment that he missed for years...If you listen to the various freelancers who have worked for him, and they describe the work experience, one begins to wonder if he even passes as a decent human being...And there are a lot of people he's had negative interactions with at conventions.He also sent out a lot of cease and desist letters - it it mentioned game and Palladium, he sent a C&D. My page about the element and working it into FRPGs got a C&D for trademark and copyright infringement... despite not even mentioning him, his games, nor his company. And it got him a nastygram from my Uni's lawyers.He's a decent artist - his own art in The Mechanoid Invasion is actually pretty good - but he's not selling art, at least in theory.He is a pretty good setting designer - Mechanoids, Palladium Fantasy, Robotech... all show his abilities.(And yes, while Robotech was licensed, Kevin's expansion of the setting for the RPG was adopted and expanded only a little for the novels. It's largely consistent. At least, as long as you ignore the typos... And it's a good expansion.)But what about Rifts? Largely, not his writing. And wildly inconsistent.He really seems to believe his game engine is one of the best. And he's had a 40 year and counting business turning a profit and feeding him and his family... despite himself. Was it his worldbuilding? Is that enough?</blockquote>

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