Did you pass the Synnibarr exam for Nebraska?I was at the Synnibarr in Omaha and I got not just a great roll but some solid legal advice.
I am betting he was a pest, and got indignant when asked to not bother people. Just a hunch.This is what makes me so curious about how things went down between McCracken and Atkinson at GenCon. Maybe McCracken thought he had reserved a key booth at GenCon but failed to actually do the paperwork (or money) properly, or maybe Atkinson actually put some work into making sure such a gonzo presentation didn't get a prime location for the show. Either option is very believable. Maybe both?
Same here.Never really heard of this before, but what I have discovered in the past 5 minutes sounds terrible.
Yet another reason for me to kick myself for not picking up the Primal Order when I saw it back in the day.The only other interaction between McCracken's game and Wizards of the Coast that I can think of is that it was one of the games for which there were conversion notes in The Primal Order (both printings).
And that each of them was written perfectly on the first go.An example is that Raven points out that there are 1,400 spells and abilities. FOURTEEN HUNDRED.
He kinda reminds me of a certain person in a legal battle with a large company. Except this guy has actually published a game!After looking into the history a bit more, I found myself nodding to myself because I've seen this type of "game designer" a few times before.
The one who thinks they are geniuses and no one else can remotely understand their superior level. Any rejection in the industry is met with vitriol at a hyperbolic level (like his statement about wanting to do everything within his power to ruin WoTC just because Peter didn't hire him)
I can easily imagine Peter just nodding his head politely, knowing all these claims of inventing xyz aren't true, and leaving it at that. And this guy taking that rebuff very badly.
He's the kind of designer that will have ten pages of rules on how to handle the weight of a backpack in various conditions, then can't figure out why no one wants to play the game. Surely it must be their inferior intellect!
A good game designer is like a good filmaker. Sometimes you gotta leave some of your favorite bits on the cutting room floor to make it all work. Guys with egos like this never seem to be able to do that.
Also I don’t think he’s a bigot or misogynisticHe kinda reminds me of a certain person in a legal battle with a large company. Except this guy has actually published a game!
Raven was, again, this was 30 years ago now, a marijuana hippie. The look on his face when I told him I'd joined the Army was one of shock and disappointment.He kinda reminds me of a certain person in a legal battle with a large company. Except this guy has actually published a game!
Oh! Nice!Tom Moldvay's Lords of Creation came out in 1983.
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And with that I have now made a (somewhat) serious post in a thread about Synnibar. The unimaginable just keeps happening. I guess sort of like Synnibar.
Ohhh do a “I read Synnibar” thread?This makes me want to dig out my copy of Synnibar and just reread it for the nostalgia of how bad it is. If I remember right, the author blurb on the back of the book describes how Mr. McCracken was writing the game from a position of experience which allowed him to make it as realistic as possible. If I get some time tomorrow, maybe I'll dig it out and share a few choice passages for those interested in the sort of writing that went into it.
Life is too short.Ohhh do a “I read Synnibar” thread?
Well played, sir.Did you pass the Synnibarr exam for Nebraska?
I can believe that he got burned by GenCon, byt I'd bet it's more like he violated some Terms of Service agreement and is hiding a grudge that the rules were enforced, not random spite.Some of his players from back when have shown up in the thread and I’m beginning to think they may have a point about it being the first cross genre game. I dint count the claim that he was distributing it locally for several years and chaosium beats them for a generic system regardless.
However it does appear it may be the first of its kind, sort of. Not that it makes his behavior any better or lend me to believe much of anything he says.