Unfulfilled Promises

[kingandy]

January has come and January has gone, and Maelstrom has failed to materialise. Allegedly the mailshot has/willsoonbe gone out, but that's just not good enough. We were promised January. I demand my money back!

It's something I've found myself saying a lot lately, but is no less true for it: if you give somebody something for free they get annoyed when you take it away. And even if you know it belongs to you - you were being generous letting them use it for a time - you feel bad about depriving them. Especially when they look up at you with their big, brown doe eyes and say "Oh please Andy, I won't be much longer, I just have to finish chatting to everyone then you can have your computer back..."

Really, it's like kicking a puppy. Which is why I found myself watching the X-Men movie last night. Sigh.

Comments

[delvy.livejournal.com]

It is, quite simply, not a poor excuse. Do you know what it is we are producing? Are you familiar with the background, the cosmology or the rules mechanics? The artwork, the photos and the text of the documents?

As the saying goes "Rome was not built in a day."

And, with the greatest of respect, you do no have any rights to demand the rulebook. You have nothing invested in it. You have paid nothing. In four months about thirty people have spent all their spare time and more trying to create a new, exciting and vibrant Fest system. This takes time, no matter how much effort goes into it; some of us only just managed to cling onto real lives.

90% of our audience do *not* have regular access to the internet despite what some people seem to think; in fact it amazes me that some users believe everyone else spends as much time on it as they do. Websites take development. We are creating a professional site for Profound Decisions; you might want the rules slapped up in a cheap and cheerful fashion but we are not going to provide that. We are trying to present a high quality product, above and beyond those that have gone before. I am sorry if you find that offensive.

Mr Raff, if you're listening, that was the end of my very long ad polite tether. I'll go and calm down now.

And as Mr Wilkin said. "It's only a fucking game"

Re:

[samharber.livejournal.com]

Must resist.... urge to provoke response....

Your right... we have no right to expect anything. However... this game has provoked an unprecedented level of expectation. It seems to be far exceeding even GDs pre and post event hype.

Its all the more amazing considering the short space of time its been done in.

However..... (theres always a however)

Most of us need to acquire costumes, sort out backgrounds etc, and we don't have a huge amount of time. I've got even less time, because I need to sort out stuff for Everichon a few weeks before.

So.... please understand our eagerness/impatience (delete whichever causes you most annoyance).

Perhaps we could bribe you?

Re:

[delvy.livejournal.com]

And you will have the information you need by next weekend. Soon enough.

Re:

[kingandy]

Chill, chill. Nobody's ungrateful for the immense work and effort that's gone into this. Nobody's suggesting just plonking the thing on a website and leaving it at that, relying on word of mouth and broadband intarweb connections to support the Volcano God.

We're just surprised that, given we have previously assumed the rulebook will ultimately be in some sequential, paper-based format, it's unavailable for download at all. Certain obfuscated hints have led us to believe it is in a format unrenderable by the inkjet printer or computer screen, leading to the hypothetical gold-ebossed calf-skin nature of the thing.

Re:

[delvy.livejournal.com]

Ultimately you will be able to dsownload it, but not in the form that it went to the printers in, and any other form takes time to produce. It is not as simple as cutting and pasting text in, especially when you have tables, or maps, or the suchlike; if only it were. *sigh*

Re:

[delvy.livejournal.com]

I should also point out that I have had a minimum of five people per day asking me if it is out yet, if the website is up, etc, etc. On average about 10 per day. Since Decemeber. I make that about a total of 600 pokes, including some real whinges about it, as Mr Raff will himself confess. This was just the last I was willing to take lying down given that we are stuffing envelopes as quickly as we can. Heh, if I'm blowing off steam here, at least it's not at teh event.... or when writing plot docs, as I am at the moment. Which group you going with Mr Mason? ;-)

Re:

[kingandy]

I'm still officially undecided (I've been holding off until the rules come out and I get to find out all about the rich, verdant tapestry that you have woven), but I am being slowly drawn in by the veritable maelstrom of froth that is the Sunderland Massive (Clan Anaguma).

I get to wear japanese clothes! And honour! Wheeee!

Re:

[myki.livejournal.com]

I'm to understand I can say whatever I want as long as I end my post with the word "fluff"... with that in mind..

So what your saying is your haven't got it done yet? Tsk, in my day we'd off destroyed the world by now.

fluff

Hmmm doesn't seem to work... makes me sound like a cretin.. Oh well, all I need to know is... Should I start making my curtains material frock coat or not? To hell with the rules! I want to be dapper.

Re:

[delvy.livejournal.com]

There are cultures with frock coats. There are some with ruffs. There are even some with turbans. And fezs.

Re:

[myki.livejournal.com]

Another satisfied customer...

Re:

[arwel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Fez's are just great aren't they. Must get one for when I GM next.

Re:

[ghostbritain.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah. You've (or somebody like you) has hyped (or allowed it to be hyped) the system beyond all expectations.
People loved Omega, and then when they were still in mourning, Maelstrom was announced.
Then the froth started as people started suggesting things, and, frankly, it IS THE MOST ANTICIPATED LRP EVENT THIS YEAR, OR JUST ABOUT ANYOTHER YEAR!
Then you make promises that you don't keep.
So far, as i can see, it's entirely bells and whistles, and currently no substance.

You may as well be proclaiming that you've developed safe and reliable cold fusion, then not actually letting people see the lab test.

Re:

[kingandy]

Seriously: STFU. The current delays are due to printers failing to deliver. When you get Ghost Britain off the ground you will have room to twine about how easy it is to produce a LRP system in six months, but until then keep schtum.

Re:

[ghostbritain.livejournal.com]

I havn't set up a website, or fed fanboys scraps.
Plus, i am bored. And jaded with the next best thing in larp. We should all go to the gathereing and count ourselves lucky.

Re:

[arwel.livejournal.com]

You can hardly blame the organisers for the frothing fanboys who proclaimed Maelstrom the best thing ever as soon as Matt Pennington mentioned the possibility on pagga. So they're a bit late with the mailshot, does it really matter? It's not like they've taken our money and run or anything. I think the Grolsch adverts have an important point to make on the matter.

Re:

[kingandy]

Wait, never mind. I just remembered what's in the mailshot.

Alright, you win.

Re:

[delvy.livejournal.com]

I was waiting for you to remember. Well done. I put the total data size of all that is contained in the mailshot at substantially over a gig. Even corporate nabndwidth would choke.

Re:

[kingandy]

It would still be nice to have some platinum-embossed calfskin though ... just if you, you know, have some lying around.

Re: Cliched Book openings.

[samharber.livejournal.com]

This is the closest I could find. Platinum pen in an embossed calfskin case.

Re:

[ghostbritain.livejournal.com]

Wait, i've just thought!

Currently Maestrom only exits as a pagga board and as a word of mouth myth.

That is why i believe most of those who are interested in the system have net access.
Because it only exists on the web.

I for one have not been made aware of any other format it exists in.

Also, i'm not demanding a rule book, i'm suggesting that the website should be up, with a basic, temporary, version of the rules, which would instantly stop wankers like myself pestering you.

The only person i know who has any solid idea of the system is Katy Bacon, who sneeked a peek at Matts paper copy of the rules.

Now, if Matt has a paper copy of the rules, then i guess that the rest of us can as well.

I've nothing against fancy rule books, i own limited edition fancy WoD books that cost £50.
But really, they make no actual difference, and i would have been happy with a straight, normal copy.

Currently i'm reserving judgement on the whole thing until i can actually see the finished product. I don't want to turn up thinking it's the best thing ever (as all froth suggests) and then leave thinking it wasn't all that.

Re:

[kingandy]

"Currently Maestrom only exits as a pagga board and as a word of mouth myth."

True, but this does not comprise a goodly portion of the mailshot. The rules and associated snackies are being sent to everyone on the Omega mailing list, each and every customer who ever went to Omega, including the ones who've never heard of Pagga.

Re:

[ghostbritain.livejournal.com]

So, those who didn't get to go to Omega are ignored?

I don't read pagga that often, i was never at omega, all i know is what bacon tells me, really, and that i've been watching the maelstrom site since before Jan 1st, and it actually doesn't exist anymore (that i can see).

Re:

[arwel.livejournal.com]

The organisers have to know you exist before they send you the mailshot. Send Matt Pennington your address. The Omega mailing list is one source of potential intrested parties along with their addresses. I suspect when the web site is back up there will be some means for you to contact the organisers and request the mailshot. Eventually.

Re:

[kingandy]

There's been an open call for people who want a mailshot and never went to Omega to send word to the Volcano God. Presumably people who want to go to the event and don't find out until after the mailshot will still be able to send off for one, as with any normal system.

Think about how other games operate ... a website goes up, or word of mouth spreads, and then people send off for booking forms and player packs. That stage is still going to happen, only there's also an initial stage, before the website goes up, where all the Omega players are thanked for their custom by being given an advance screening of the Maelstrom system. Then the website goes up, then people start booking etc.

[blue-room.livejournal.com]

Mark W: No of course not, the organisers will have picked your address out of your brain at range with their telepaths. You won't have to tell them where you live because they already know.

*sheesh*