 Fixed TN - what's the big deal?, Trying to understand certain objections |
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 Jul 28 2005, 08:50 PM
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#101
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Bushido Cowgirl  Group: Members Posts: 5,782 Joined: 8-July 05 From: On the Double K Ranch a half day's ride out of Phlogiston Flats Member No.: 7,490  |
...I find the same thing here in Portland, TT...er OR as well. Even when FASA still published Shadowrun, it was given less than a quarter of the shelf space that Battletech (another FASA product) was given. I have often been forced to either travel up to the Seattle Metroplex or place a special order with my local shop & wait for several weeks. Funny you mentioned Rifts. Yes Shadowrun has a "few" supplements, but when a friend of mine showed me his entire collection of Rifts rule and source books (roughly 4 feet tall when stacked), I'm just glad he failed to lure me in to playing. Between D&D, Shadowrun and various other game systems (current & out of print) I think I've been spending way too much on books already. As an aside (but somewhat related) I think it would be neat if Fanpro published Shadowrun material in CD format (Indexed of course). It would make the trips to the various gaming sessions a lot easier. and since I routinely use a deck..er notebook when I run my campaign It would also speed things along when looking things up. I have heard about the PDF formats out there, but I am not sure if my local shop can get them even on special order. |
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Jul 28 2005, 09:13 PM
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#102
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,013 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
No, your local shop probably can't get the PDFs. Well, they might be able to strike a deal. Either way, though, they're for online distribution—if you want a CD, make it yourself.
~J |
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Jul 29 2005, 12:11 AM
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#103
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,840 Joined: 24-July 02 From: Lubbock, TX Member No.: 3,024 |
Yea, my local stores don't really carry SR3. They get one or two of the new books as they come out, but they don't really support it. I find I can get them cheaper online anyway, and I do when the store is out.
You can sure buy all the damn CCGs or Warhammer you want though. |
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Jul 29 2005, 01:51 AM
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#104
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,507 Joined: 27-January 05 From: ...and I'm all out of bubblegum Member No.: 7,021 |
I got my 3rd at the freaking Barnes and Noble here, of all places. It was the only copy that store had, but even the FLGS here didn't have it (though, I can get you a great deal on the Germany Sourcebook if you want. They're clearing out all the books except for D&D 3.5 to make room for more CCG's and figureine space). The aformentioned FLGS point blank refused to order any more books for me and the guy behind me, who was ordering some GURPS books, because "we're not ordering any more books. You sure you don't want some M:TG cards?" |
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Jul 29 2005, 04:13 PM
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#105
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,840 Joined: 24-July 02 From: Lubbock, TX Member No.: 3,024 |
Nice. I guess all the old gamers can shove off now that they found something that 5 year olds can buy.
I want to retire with enough to open a game store..that doesn't sell any CCGs..well, maybe Magic, but no Pokemon or whatnot. With demo copies of games for people to use, tables, snack bar kinda thing, come networked computers for LAN gaming, etc etc. And then I can kick out anyone I want. It will be great. |
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Jul 29 2005, 04:14 PM
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#106
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,840 Joined: 24-July 02 From: Lubbock, TX Member No.: 3,024 |
Yea, I gotto look at Hasings and places like that for books usually, unless it's WotC or GW. They do have some WarMachine lately though. Otherwise, online or go to another town. |
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Jul 29 2005, 09:01 PM
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#107
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Bushido Cowgirl Group: Members Posts: 5,782 Joined: 8-July 05 From: On the Double K Ranch a half day's ride out of Phlogiston Flats Member No.: 7,490 |
I'm aware of the link from the Fanpro site for Shadowrun PDFs. Only thing is, not being a member of the plastic wielding set, ordering on line is not an option. Yeah, I'm a bit old school, but I enjoy what little privacy I have left and the fact I'm not paying 18+% on every purchase I make. |
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Jul 29 2005, 11:43 PM
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#108
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Karma Police Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 1,358 Joined: 22-July 04 From: Gothenburg, SE Member No.: 6,505 |
I know internet has taken on a lot of the rpg sales, but it still strikes me as sad that genuine rpg stores cant exist anymore. In Gothenburg, we had 5 straight up rpg stores in the 90´s. A few of them frequently visited conventions and one even published a luxurious catalog with over 50 pages that they sent out twice a year to all customers that signed a list in the store (It had reviews and articles and stuff, and glolious covers. I still have those catalogs). They sold mostly rpg´s, with a little warhammer figures and magic. Good stores that I miss. Social spaces too.
Now we have a few rpg books in a book store and even less in a videogame store (that used to be a rpg store), thats it. Not a single store profiled towards the rpg crowd. From five to zero in less than ten years. |
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Jul 30 2005, 01:18 AM
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#109
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,840 Joined: 24-July 02 From: Lubbock, TX Member No.: 3,024 |
Ah, the evils of CCGs, the internet, and a generation of gamers raised on Grand Theft Auto and the like.
Not that those games are bad, but they aren't quite the same as games like Fallout, Zork, or even old Final Fantasy games. |
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Jul 30 2005, 01:37 AM
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#110
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 778 Joined: 6-April 05 Member No.: 7,298 |
Um, you could pay off your bill in full every month, or get a debit card that lets you use the Visa or MasterCard network to withdraw money from your checking account.
Then you wouldn't have to worry about 18+%, just a lack of privacy. |
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Jul 30 2005, 04:27 AM
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#111
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,840 Joined: 24-July 02 From: Lubbock, TX Member No.: 3,024 |
18 percent? Huh? Are you talking about interest? Maybe you shouldn't be defaulting on loans or writing bad checks.
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Jul 30 2005, 05:45 AM
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#112
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Grumpy Old Ork Decker Group: Admin Posts: 3,794 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Orwell, Ohio Member No.: 50 |
You do know that just about every bank offers free debit cards for your checking account, and that darned near every one of these can be used exactly like a credit card (They even have the Visa or MasterCard logos on them), but the money comes right out of the checking account. Most banks I know of around here, it's totally free. No fee's or anything.
Makes life a LOT easier... Bull |
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Jul 30 2005, 05:45 AM
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#113
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 778 Joined: 6-April 05 Member No.: 7,298 |
Credit card interest rates vary by state (and country, of course, and to some extent even within states). In some locations in the U.S., 18% is actually a very good interest rate.
(Added in edit: nope, I'm wrong. See later post(s).) |
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Jul 30 2005, 06:07 AM
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#114
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,840 Joined: 24-July 02 From: Lubbock, TX Member No.: 3,024 |
No...that's not good, anywhere.
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Jul 30 2005, 07:10 AM
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#115
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Not So Great Dragon Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 59 Joined: 17-February 04 Member No.: 6,087 |
One word. "Paypal." Tie it to a checking account.
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Jul 30 2005, 10:34 AM
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#116
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Grumpy Old Ork Decker Group: Admin Posts: 3,794 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Orwell, Ohio Member No.: 50 |
You will end up paying for paypal at some point... They loves tehir fees, they do. BUt it's pretty cheap compared to a credit card. And you can get a Paypal Debit Card that will draw cash out of your paypal account, as if it was a full on checking account.
Of course, this brings us once again back to getting a Debit Card from your bank. Of course, if for some reason (possibly the above suggestion that there were lots of rubbery checks involved) you can;t get a checking account... Well, that's a whole other issue and set of problems. Ask a friend to help you in that case. Bull |
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Jul 30 2005, 11:53 AM
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#117
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Karma Police Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 1,358 Joined: 22-July 04 From: Gothenburg, SE Member No.: 6,505 |
I like using a virtual debit card from my bank every time I make a purchase online. You get a fresh virtual card every time, that you can only use for one month and only with the amount of money you specified. Makes you feel a bit safer, and its free.
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Jul 30 2005, 07:35 PM
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#118
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 778 Joined: 6-April 05 Member No.: 7,298 |
Hmkay, credit card interest rates have gone down since I checked last. 18% is average in some states, not good.
Heh, maybe even a bit worse than average. Jeez, I'm out of date. |
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Jul 30 2005, 11:28 PM
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#119
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Freelance Elf Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 7,324 Joined: 30-September 04 From: Texas Member No.: 6,714 |
Time to download a new patch! Upgrade, upgrade, upgrade!
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Aug 1 2005, 07:29 AM
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#120
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Target Group: Members Posts: 13 Joined: 31-July 05 From: The Island of the Mosquito Women Member No.: 7,527 |
In every game I've run, no matter the system, I've had a sheet of pre-rolled results for use in hidden TN situations (usually perception-type tests). Just a list of numbers that I tick off as I/the players use them. Yes, I could implement "phantom rolls" so that they never know whether this test is a real one or not, but this way is much easier and doesn't break up the game so much. The best thing about it is that the players then don't know when/if they're making the tests. The whole process is completely hidden from them. The other best thing about it is that it's great for armchair roleplaying and/or games where you use lots of dice and you can't be arsed to roll them all. :sleepy: |
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Aug 1 2005, 08:50 AM
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#121
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panda! Group: Members Posts: 10,331 Joined: 8-March 02 From: north of central europe Member No.: 2,242 |
and with a computer and a bit of code you should be able to generate a full page of those in a matter of seconds :P
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Aug 1 2005, 05:51 PM
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#122
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Target Group: Members Posts: 18 Joined: 15-January 03 Member No.: 3,911 |
21% is high end for credit cards and 18% isn't much better. Of course if you have NO credit, then that's what you'll get. Also you have to bug the hell out of the credit card companies to get lower rates, or switch to other cards. Sometimes threatening to switch will make them lower it, other times you go through the whole process of cancelling the card and they stop at the end with a better rate.
Mine are at around 5-6% thanks to my wife who likes to play hardball with them. Of course, as someone here said, you can pay it off at the end of the month for no fee. |
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Aug 1 2005, 08:41 PM
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#123
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,512 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 392 |
Just give MMO's another 5-10 years...pen and paper gaming is going to slowly disappear |
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Aug 1 2005, 09:22 PM
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#124
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,013 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
I call bulldrek. It may not involve pens and paper anymore, but there are things that are offered by decidedly non-massive role-playing environments that are not duplicated by MMOs and won't be duplicated by MMOs in anywhere near that timeframe. ~J |
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Aug 2 2005, 03:59 AM
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#125
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 778 Joined: 6-April 05 Member No.: 7,298 |
I think the long-term future of RPGs is actually in exactly the opposite direction from where FanPro's been going with SR4--i.e. trying to appeal to younger, less sophisticated players with a simplified, less realistic ruleset. That direction forces traditional RPGs into conflict with increasingly sophisticated MMOGs. Eye-popping 3D graphics are more compelling that a good imagination in many cases.
Where MMOGs cannot compete (or at least not for a very long time) is in the crafting of stories. If you view RPGs as collaborative fiction rather than an action game then MMOGs aren't even on the map. Rules are used to help guide outcomes along in ways that are characteristic for the world, but the drama and excitement comes from the players, from plot and story and shared history more than "lol 8 hits the gaurd is so dead lol rofl". Anyway, I don't think collaborative fiction will be dead in five to ten years, and I don't think all gaming companies will try to compete in the action/excitement genre that MMOGs live in, so I expect that RPGs will be alive and well although probably with a reduced market. The industry probably will feel the squeeze, though, and I expect increasing casualties as game designers forget that they can't compete with accelerated 1600x1200 24 bit graphics with hardware vertex shaders and physics engines. |
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