[X] My Assistant

[Abschalten]

I'm glad for the official clarification at the main page about the dragon rules being a joke. While I'm sure some people liked the idea of Dragon PCs, I thought they would've taken the game in an inappropriate direction. Sure, they were hypothetical optional rules, but even so, that would've taken the focus back towards the realm of Immortal Elves and epic-level games.

Even so, it was a good prank. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[hobgoblin]

so, who is up for turning them into full fan rules? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Starmage21]

Hrmm, well im always one to wait to see before getting excited, but I do have to say im quite disappointed. Id much rather the options exist and go unused than not exist and be wanted.

[Fuchs]

And I say they would have taken the focus way from the IE and GDs - anything you can play is not special anymore, as often as it gets killed.

[jmecha]

The Cake is a Lie

[Larme]

Bah! That wasn't a prank, it was a troll! Catalyst should just post a big ol "YHBT, lol" on the front page (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

I also think it was a stupid joke, because the rules were generally so balanced that it really wasn't funny. If dragons had been 'omg teh uber lolz,' everyone would laugh and move on. But they actually seemed to make pretty balanced characters, which definitely killed the joke. And the typos, as they admit, didn't add to the joke, because people expect them, especially in pre-published materials. They're proud of that? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/question.gif)

All in all, it was a joke where only the devs were laughing. Everyone else was either happy or enraged. Though many people insisted was a joke, I don't recall hardly anyone actually treating it as humorous. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sleepy.gif)

As an April Fool's joke, the runner companion preview earn's Larme's mark of FAIL.

Don't quit your dayjobs guys.

[WearzManySkins]

Pranks or April Fool's stunts end the day of April 1 st.

This was at best LAME, at worst......

WMS

[Jhaiisiin]

Holy crap, Larme, it wasn't that bad. The idea should have been taken with a grain of salt in the first place, as so many items (timing [such as releasing RC info before Unwired, when Unwired is next), being so close to April 1 [probably late due to having to finalize it], to name a couple) pointed that the item may not be real. People jumped the gun and assumed way too much. This isn't the first time this is happened for an April Fool's joke. Hell, the most serious overreaction I can think of was when User Friendly posted a comic stating that Microsoft and AOL had worked to shut them down due to libel, and hackers subsequently shut down Microsoft's website in retaliation. Take a breather and let it slide, it's really not that bad.

[Fuchs]

Larme hit the nail on the head.

[Jaid]

Hell, the most serious overreaction I can think of was when User Friendly posted a comic stating that Microsoft and AOL had worked to shut them down due to libel, and hackers subsequently shut down Microsoft's website in retaliation. Take a breather and let it slide, it's really not that bad.

wait, people need to be given reasons to do nasty things to microsoft and AOL? dang, and here i've just been arbitrarily hating them because i feel like it all this time =P

(honestly, when was the last time you really heard anyone say something good about microsoft? they don't *have* a reputation to besmirch)

[Zen Shooter01]

This joke wasn't in the least bit funny, Mr. Taylor. You carefully crafted a very realistic preview (complete with SR's usual typos); you did not release it on April Fool's Day; then you let an acrimonious multithread controversy go on for two weeks for your private amusement.

Yes, the preview seemed early, but the schedule has been modified before. Yes, obsidimen and dragon PCs were unexpected, but that doesn't put them outside all possibility - especially when the entire fan community was waiting to see what direction the new line developer was going to take. That the new line developer has made his public debut with a fraternity stunt does not inspire confidence.

[nathanross]

To be honest, it really was the Obsidimen that gave it away. I get the feeling they wont appear until much further into the Mana cycle, and it will be a plot book. They will not just instantly appear, as that would be a great plot book.

And I am totally with Fuchs, if they make it playable they make it mundane (and for those who want it, they are still there, and are kind of balanced)

[Eyeless Blond]

This isn't the first time this is happened for an April Fool's joke. Hell, the most serious overreaction I can think of was when User Friendly posted a comic stating that Microsoft and AOL had worked to shut them down due to libel, and hackers subsequently shut down Microsoft's website in retaliation. Take a breather and let it slide, it's really not that bad.

That actually happened? See, now that's comedy! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rotfl.gif)

What bothers me, really, is that the rules themselves were so unbelievably bad that they had to be a joke, but the expectations of the player base are so low that the badness is actually expected. That should be a bit of a sobering message to the devs, as they pat themselves on the back for pranking everyone with rules that most of us wouldn't be overly surprised to actually see in the books themselves.

You want to see a joke done well, look at the April 1st Errata released on the WotC site. This... wasn't.

[hobgoblin]

To be honest, it really was the Obsidimen that gave it away. I get the feeling they wont appear until much further into the Mana cycle, and it will be a plot book. They will not just instantly appear, as that would be a great plot book.

manaspikes...

[fool]

Bah! That wasn't a prank, it was a troll! Catalyst should just post a big ol "YHBT, lol" on the front page (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

I also think it was a stupid joke, because the rules were generally so balanced that it really wasn't funny. If dragons had been 'omg teh uber lolz,' everyone would laugh and move on. But they actually seemed to make pretty balanced characters, which definitely killed the joke. And the typos, as they admit, didn't add to the joke, because people expect them, especially in pre-published materials. They're proud of that? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/question.gif)

All in all, it was a joke where only the devs were laughing. Everyone else was either happy or enraged. Though many people insisted was a joke, I don't recall hardly anyone actually treating it as humorous. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sleepy.gif)

As an April Fool's joke, the runner companion preview earn's Larme's mark of FAIL.

Don't quit your dayjobs guys.

usually,the only ones laughing at a prank are the perpetrators. Thats the nature of playing a joke on someone.
I think everyone needs to take a chill pill and lighten up. Let the new guy have a chance before you totally shred him a new one.

[Fortune]

All in all, it was a joke where only the devs were laughing. Everyone else was either happy or enraged.

Well, that's absolutely untrue. I was laughing my ass off the entire time. I thought it was quite funny, and the little details (lateness and spelling/grammatical errors) added immensely to the joke. YMMV. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[BookWyrm]

I despise pranks like that.

[Ancient History]

Hell, I thought it was funny. I reckoned y'all would get it when you read the bits cribbed from Dragons of the Sixth World.

The obsidimen was a nice touch, though. Kudos Syn!

[Maelwys]

I'm going to have to agree with the people upset about this.

There's a reason April Fools Day jokes are on April 1st. Poking fun of yourself is fine, but then don't sit around snickering for 2 weeks about it.

AS for the other "clues" lets face it, if we judge the validity of SR and BT products by the amount of errors in them, then most of the products since SR4 and Total Warfare (and before) have been April Fool's Day jokes.

As for releasing previews this early, dunno about the SR side, but the BT side has released previews well in advanced of the release of the product.

[hobgoblin]

nott everyone have memorized the full content of all sr books ever released, ah. thats your job (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

i suspect that the big issue is how long the joke got to live before killed. most april fools jokes are either revealed on the spot or at the end of the day.

but then i hate the day in general...

[Maelwys]

but then i hate the day in general...

Which makes the fact that they posted on April 2nd even worse, neh?

[Kyoto Kid]

...yeah I remember the last supposed "joke" back in March '05...

...then we found out it was real.

[Particle_Beam]

Haha, we think that because the game designers put out badly written work mechanically and grammatically, we may believe that the Runner's Companion-preview might have been real... Oh man, I know that as a game developer, I wouldn't be proud of that. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ork.gif)
There is nothing more sad than a half-assed joke that almost everybody believes to be real because your last products have been perceived as quite half-assed. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/extinguish.gif)

[O'Donnell Heir]

I think it's funny, and we all fell for it. You have to have a sense of humor about yourself, you/we fell for (and consequently ran with, torn down, built up and argued over) a well crafted joke!

I don't know a gaming company out there that isn't jumped on by forum jackals for every typo and misspelled word in a book ("YOu wrote 'Armansipal' it's 'Armanzipal' lolz!"). Similarly there isn't a gaming group out there that isn't hounded by fans to put some "leetzor" bit into their game, or magically produce a preview...from thin air....on command. They just reacted to the symptoms of the industry, and we fell for it.

Bravo Mr. Talor and team, bravo.

I doff my rubber chicken to you.

[Daier Mune]

awww, booo! Booo!

and here i thought they were doing something new and interesting.