From: wildcard@nevada.edu ( WildCard !!)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: BigBusiness (was Re: aaaghhh, what has TSR done!!!)
Keywords: dickweed
Date: 4 Apr 92 01:23:38 GMT
Organization: Shadowland BBS, Business Division

In article <1992Apr3.235117.1379@njitgw.njit.edu> rhr9081@hertz.njit.edu (Ray Rich) writes:

>TSR is a business.  What business does is a)make money and b)stay in business.
>That is it's full function and the meaning of its existence.
>In accomplishing its "life's goal," it must do many things. The most obvious
>of which is to sell things to those that would buy. The second thing is (now
>listen up, this is important) to get those-who-won't-buy to do so.
>This is where changing company policy comes into effect.
>Previously, TSR would not comment on any of these assinine(sp?) accusations,
	I seriously doubt that Joe Zealot is going to walk into his
bookstore, pick up a 2nd Ed book and say "Gee, they removed all reference to
demons.  Maybe I won't burn in hell if I play this."  How much press di
TSR's appeasement get?  ZERO 0!  Considering the vast amount of bad press
they've received, I don't think the general public knows.
	I think a much better response would be for TSR to publicly deny
any relationship between AD&D and Satanism or suicide.  The anti-gaming
factions use their silence as "evidence".  If a lie is told often enough, it
becomes accepted as fact.  Stuart King would have people believe that
spell-casting requires invocation by the player and that clerics perform
human sacrifice.  If TSR wanted to attract the uninformed, they should have
prevented the alteration of the uninformed to the misinformed by stating
the facts.

>like yourself. I regret to inform you that TSR doesn't care how *you* or
>the "Moral Majority" feels as long as they can accomplish their two-fold
>purpose for being.

	If they don't care how the MM feels, then why give in.  I know I
wasn't campaigning for the elimination of mind-controlling demons from
their evil books.
>>............................ If you don't believe me, you should have seen the
>>NJIT chapter of the Christian Fellowship's guest speaker Stuart King.  He was
>>the most misinformed zealot I have ever seen......................
>>    [a large sum of personal gripe against the man and his beliefs deleted ]
>>    [ various flaming of Stuart King deleted]
	The purpose of the Stuart King flaming was to alert net-users to
his presence and to organize a "welcoming" committee when he arrives in
your area to present the counter argument.  If his statements aren't 
contested, they will be likely to be believed.

>"Coerced?"..."Forced?"  Come on now. No one took TSR by it's (non-existant) arm
>and twisted it behind its (fictitious) back and yelled, "OOOOOOO!!!  YOU BETTER
>CHANGE YOUR GAME OR....or....I'LL GET ALL HOSTILE, yeah....hostile! "  Wait.
>Better yet,"STOP MAKING OUR CHILLDREN SATAN WORSHIPPERS OR WE'LL...we'll ....
>NOT BUY YOUR PRODUCTS!!" 
	Yes, coerced.  There was no other reason for TSR to do what it did
than to shut these people up.  Considering the activities of Stuart King and
the 700 Club, it didn't work.
>to appease the loyal gamers by streamlining AD&D into AD&D2)

	Oh COME OFF IT!  You said it yourself.  They released 2nd Ed, not
because it was needed (though they love that we think so) or to help our
gaming be more enjoyable.  They did it so they could resell their game in a
new, more commercially accessible format.  MONEY was their goal.  


>>........................ I get Dungeon Adventures and Dragon Magazine.  That's
>>my sole contribution to the obvious gouging of TSR.  I remember when modules
>>(the good classic ones like White Plume Mountain and The Slavers Series) were
>>$4-$5.  I haven't seen fairly priced quality scenarios in the past 8 years   
>>outside of the two aforementioned magazines.  TSR had better worry more
>>about pleasing us than pleasing Reverend Jim.

>Yeah, and I remember when coffee was a nickel and TV was black and white, so
>what!  I've seen resonably priced scenarios....they come from my own head.
>Their only cost is time.  

	I use the same method.  Creating my own scenarios is most rewarding,
but not feasible for newcomers to the hobby.  If anything, the overpriced
novel rehashes they offer now will discourage new gamers.  I learned the game
through those adventures, and if I'm a little too nostalgic for your tastes,
you can kiss my nostalgic ass.  I just want to get what I'm paying for.

>Therefore, if you want demon and devils to re-appear in AD&D, you can do one
>of two things:
>	2) put them in yourself

	I did.
                             >Sick and Tired of This Thread
                             >         - WildCard !!

Too f'in bad.  You shouldn't have acknowledged it then!

			IMHO, but that don't make it no less true,
					Raythrax