Straight Talk from Gene Weigel

[GENEWEIGEL]

Hey there,

I just wanted to say thanks for the honest opinions on that "little" matter!

Pheww!

Was it getting hot in here or was it just me?



Anyway I just want to set the record straight on the remark that I'm some kind of mouth piece. Well, I act at the behest of no one but myself.

Let me just explain.

I love this D&D game, as a lot of you know by now as I'm often humorously cantankerous and rambunctious with a lot of you about certain flaws in the game.

But let's just put all that aside for a minute and look at the big picture.

This game has been around since the early 1970's almost 30 years by now and it went through the ringer as we all know about halfway down the road.

Blah, blah, blah, what's the point?

Now that "ringer" squeezed everything, not just the gusto out of the work but the expectations of the writers and the fans as well.

And it has affected all of us even those who came in after the fact.

There is an inherent hostility in regards to the writers of what is essentially the very same game that you hold in your hands today.

Whether it's Gary Gygax, Robert Kuntz or even Dave Arneson. The reaction is kick first and ask questions later.

When 3e came around and I asked eagerly to see some original Greyhawk ideas come back (By Gary Gygax or Rob Kuntz), I was treated like a leper.

A shocking reminder that the 2e years still perpetuate even without "TSR's Boss of Terror".

So... get to the point! Get to the point, "fanboy"!

The point is that the stuff that those who walked through the "Greenway Valley" (See Village of Hommlet) with me want to see has been denied and denied and denied.

So that is why I say what I say without prompting to set things straight on some people's opinions that are often misplaced or of just plain rotten origin.

Mr Controversy indeed.

Truth is I don't want to see anymore controversy.

Or even the best laid plans for an entire generation go astray because someone needs to cause controversy.

Nobody more than I fears the return of a one horse town where the original fans are treated like the diseased.

I act alone and I ask for the same treatment if I go down the crooked path as well.

Peace and may Zuggtmoy go with you!

Sorry.

 

[baseballfury]

I don't see this hostility you are talking about. If anything, 3E has caused the rehabilitation of Gygax's reputation. Companies like Troll Lord, Necro and even Mongoose courted the "old guard." Hell, Necro is making big bucks imitating the style of the classic AD&D material. OK, so the City of Brass thing didn't work out, but they did publish that Maze series and Troll Lord is supposed to do that Germanic book of Rob's. Now maybe you have a beef with how WotC treated Greyhawk, but you shouldn't tar everyone with that same brush.

 

[Darrin Drader]

Whether it's Gary Gygax, Robert Kuntz or even Dave Arneson. The reaction is kick first and ask questions later.

I'm not quite sure what you mean here. I (and many people I know) are much more likely to purchase new RPG supplements if they are written by one of these three, if for no other reason than just to see what they're up to these days.

Yes, the City of Brass thread was unfortunate, and I'm not going to revisit it. Starting controversy is fine as long as you stick around and add to the conversation. In that thread you showed up, gave us a topic and then deserted (much like a troll).

Anyhow, I hope Rob's new company does well, and I hope that the products you guys put out are good. I won't hold any controversy against any of you where it comes to my spending habits, provided that the material I buy is done well.

 

[GENEWEIGEL]

I'm glad everyone said what they said.

It gets it out in the open.

Let's you know who to watch out for!

Just kidding!

There's nothing wrong with folks knowing how things go down in my opinion anyway.

The word got out on the street and now people know right?

Now don't start throwing the word Troll around. I don't subscribe to that club.

 

[Melan]

I don't think the "Kick the old guard!" mentality is so widespread. So some people don't like the EGG, or RJK, or Dave Arneson (although I don't see how one could not like Dave). There are lots of people who don't like Monte Cook or Skrein or Mona or blahblahblahblahetcetcetc.

And there are fanboys.

The conspiracy? There is no conspiracy. Sometimes things don't work out. GH didn't work out. Despite, and not because of Mona. And Greenwood doesn't have anything to do with this, so you can finally lay it off. [I don't think you will, BTW. ]

The "hostility" you see is a tempest in a teapot. A few disgruntled fans, like you, bashing other disgruntled fans. Do you think your snide remarks about Greenwood are better than somebody's snide remarks about Gygax? Think again!

...

Meanwhile, in another galaxy, massive quantities of people are buying RPG materials because they like them, or not buying because they don't. And they don't give a flying ----- about Internet messageboards, anyway. Of my six-seven players, I am the only one who bothers to read them. Some food for thought.

 

[GENEWEIGEL]

I don't see how Greenwood enters into this.

Wait thanks Melan for the great association!



Everyone that I know is quite tired of the Elminster world. And the Elminster style. And the Elminster this and the Elminster that.

What's it been? 25 years of Elminster products?

Compare that to a little more than ten years of original products.

Sure you can say from his mindset that it was just a chance to show the world his world but it wasn't his world was it?

It was an amalgam world of all the TSR things that didn't involve Gygax's Worlds (Elminster's forgotten realms, desert of desolation, the redo at the last minute oriental adventures world KaraTur, Jeff Grubb's simplified Toril home campaign.) and therefore didn't involve the current AD&D fans at that time.

But he held onto the public notion that it was still his world for quite some time rather than the malicious orchestrations of the TSR president.

The Ed Greenwood company mentality is the virtual destroyer of all things that were good about original AD&D.

The faster we forget about "his" work or rather the rogues gallery of traitors to the D&D dream's work the better.

So how does this hallowed opinion of mine fit into the scheme of things?

I'm sick and tired of things get the "shaft" by anti-fans is all.

Now some may say that certain folks aren't anti-fans well let me ask you something, how are the current maneuvers going to help the fans?

They're not. They're all self serving and haven't considered anything except the promotion of one person's vanity.

When that "one person" is caught in a lie everyone goes to blame the person wronged who exposed the lie for poor taste and unprofessionalism due to their need to justify their previous associations with that "one person".

Now he can say he's justified by these supporters til the cows come home but quite frankly this is almost as bad as bad business gets.

Nobody has been waiting for that version.

He did it to undermine the original version and that is what the "Forgotten Realms technique" was all about and we are seeing it happen now all over again.

Bury the original to promote yourself.

 

[Nightfall]

And here comes the diatribe...

At any rate, as one of the unfortunate participants in that Flame of City thing...I will say that I honestly could care less if Greyhawk was brought back or not. I have my own world, that's fine by me. If some disgruntled people want Greyhawk back the way it was, I'd say "Do it yourselves!" There's very little stopping you.

 

[GENEWEIGEL]

Well one can also say, "Here we go with the "my world's best" diatribes!"


Look, "Greyhawk" isn't about draping names over things like they did with Living Greyhawk. Anyone can do that.

Its a lost style of adventure.

 

[Psion]

As the saying goes "You can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time..."

Y'know what. I want Planescape back just like you want "old school" greyhawk back. But in either case, it's not to likely to happen. But you can't always get what you want, eh?

But life goes on. I press on without official support and without feigning the need to get approval from internet forum posters I don't even know. I recommend you do the same.

 

[MEG Hal]

I'm sick and tired of things get the "shaft" by anti-fans is all.

Now some may say that certain folks aren't anti-fans well let me ask you something, how are the current maneuvers going to help the fans?

They're not. They're all self serving and haven't considered anything except the promotion of one person's vanity.

When that "one person" is caught in a lie everyone goes to blame the person wronged who exposed the lie for poor taste and unprofessionalism due to their need to justify their previous associations with that "one person".

Now he can say he's justified by these supporters til the cows come home but quite frankly this is almost as bad as bad business gets.

Nobody has been waiting for that version.

He did it to undermine the original version and that is what the "Forgotten Realms technique" was all about and we are seeing it happen now all over again.

Bury the original to promote yourself.

Gene---this is not straight talk it is a soapbox. I do not care if you have issues with publishers but this one sided rant is getting a little boring. And for the record I read the other thread and went to your links on the PP site. I also have no issues with Pied Piper or RJK personally, but this is a bit over the top and you are not doing any good for PP by stating this stuff and having their banner in your sig.

I understand the fact of feeling upset, you have said your piece, but stop slamming and start promoting PP's CoB. What is soooooo cool about it that we must have it!

Ok, go for it!

My opinion-not a MEG post!