enshook wrote:As gamers we love to analyze things in the absence of information. Analysis is a large part of what gaming is all about! And as well, as the industry is now so small, we feel a strong stake in it. This would be especially true among the old guard here on The Acaeum. I feel the same way. It would be nice to see PPP having continued success, and because there is business involved and principles seem to be failing, it is frustrating.Of course, some can afford to be more patient than others; while even others are more restrained in their appraisals simply due to having been around for so long that these things come as no surprise or shock. I recall TSR being accused of screwing their printers month after month after month, totaling years, actually. But no one much remembers that now, because we have the positive and wonderful artifacts of its productive years, in spite of this negative. In fact, now that I think of it, if PPP goes out of business due to Rob's incapacity, his collectibles skyrocket soon after, don't they? Of course, this is a mere speculation. I'm not that familiar with the market here.But I do see speculation going on in this thread, of another sort, and some of it hasn't been all that pretty, naturally. People fill in a blank with nuts and bolts. Cry the glass half empty, etc.I'd just like to look at a positive business case concerning Rob's recent success: his continuing business with Eric Mona has always been supported by Eric's remarkable even-handedness, and a willingness to negotiate fluidly and fairly with Rob. There has never been an attempt by Eric to wrest creative control from Rob. Thus, it has been a very good and continuing business relationship, which Rob delights in having. He values Eric Mona's aid and contribution to his successes greatly.The same goes for Allan. I know firsthand that Rob feels tremendously indebted to Allan's cheer, excellent advise and immense help in crafting PPP product. If it were not for Allan, PPP probably wouldn't exist, but that doesn't mean Allan has any control by which he should be held responsible for PPP's recent problems.Given Rob's health issues, which Allan is at a loss to fix, and which are certainly more than just a single issue with his lungs, each of us needs to fill in the picture a bit more on their own. I can't do that for you, but I can suggest a direction to go with it. For instance, add the dour spirit that this kind of thing would contribute to anyone's daily functioning.Some of us in this thread have naturally expressed the expectancy that if we were terribly sick, then we would engender the help of others.But, would you if you were Rob? Now, I don't mean to be mean here. I don't even mean to be the least bit irritable sounding. I'm just trying to help out with this a little bit, to make it sensible to each of us, much in the same way it's sensible to me after knowing Rob well after all these years. I find very little fault with his actions, knowing him as I do and knowing the circumstances.Under lighter conditions an offer of help would be MORE likely accepted. In fact, as of this last year he had intended to have me come over every other weekend to help pack orders as he upped his writing production. However, to accept this under the current conditions, when I offered it in December, and again recently, it would have been like giving into the notion of a downhill ride. You simply cannot expect someone like Rob to accept such a thing. I felt at that time I shouldn't push him, since he seemed hopefull of an impending recovery. Are you going to say to Rob, "No! You must accept my help. What will they say about your refusing it?" Well, the reaction on your part might be, "Come on in!" But, on Rob's part, you can see the inner dialog as he thanks you dearly and graciously, and then experience no surprise at all as the stoic that he is asserts his immanent recovery.I know when it's time to get intrusive. That was not it. I was convinced he was close to giving it a heave-ho because I could see that HE was convinced. We're not talking about a willful abandonment of his duties here.Add to this picture a *very* private life, and add to that an intensely strong set of religious beliefs.Even when not sick, Rob's apartments would not be ready for a visit on any one day, since his work is strewn about in his acts of creativity. Things would be everywhere accumulated over months, like a Hobbit having out with it all, all at once. You would hardly be welcome in that space until after it was reassembled! But, the rub is, a sick Rob would be incapable of reassembly. Having been a past room mate, I offered to help with that, as well. But, again, that would be more likely if he were well, for the same reasons above. Would you insist such under conditions of accusing him of being close to his deathbed? Hardly. In fact, one hopes he does do it himself, since it would be a sign of a greater recovery.I'm sure we've all had things we couldn't get to while sick. Absolutely. I'm sure we've all had business only we could be trusted to do and do right.In fact, I will admit herein that I'm absolutely certain that I've denied myself help for YEARS, never recognizing that my crippling anxiety after the Navy wasn't being dealt with successfully, since it kept recurring. Only recently did I submit myself to the VA to discover the real problem and have it treated. I suffered for decades, because we all construct normalcy as best we can, and it often never occurs to us that our most stable actions are preventing us from having it easier in life.Perhaps that's because we all want simple answers, black and white comings and goings, such as is so satisfying in our game worlds, or when we find moral clarity in the otherworld. In fact, we needn't be particularly stubborn since it is in all of our nature to insist that we KNOW the answers. It's true in sickness, and it's true in health, even while posting to the Acaeum. We are not always right when we think we know a thing. Not even about ourselves.A last thing I'd like to point out, in the spirit of gaming.Robilar was not a solo adventurer.You've all accepted that stalwartness in this mythical Greyhawk character.I have only to add that what made it mythical wasn't something brought about by the mere retelling of stories. Those things that made it so are able to be found in Rob's character.That is, until it became someone else's intellectual property and thus it also became their job of characterization, at which time they freely wrote him in for something he wasn't....................Ahem....
Go-Captain Suzdal wrote:Hey, gain a customer for AGP... Tell me what it stands for, so I can look them up .
enshook wrote:Ahem....
mandalaymoon wrote:Forget the apology, just ship the product... and not to NKG but to all of us who preordered because we wanted to support the project and read it first. Just ship the friggin' module already, it's not that friggin' hard to do.
dcas wrote:Rob was snowed in and couldn't get to the post office. He says that all of the remaining orders should ship this week.The reason the standard editions shipped first was that the limited editions needed special mailers because of the maps.
g026r wrote:Go-Captain Suzdal wrote:Hey, gain a customer for AGP... Tell me what it stands for, so I can look them up .Adventure Games Publishing. (Hope I got that right.) Check the Judges Guild sub-forum for more information.
islestrike wrote:As an exercise tally up Robilar's publishing credits (mostly collaborations with other authors) and divide by 33 years (Greyhawk was published in 75). That gives you the approx. time you need to wait on average before you can start your beeyatch fest. Time goes up dramatically if you only count fully authored works so be warned!Cheers!
gyg wrote:Please do this math for me - I can't be bothered!
Le me assure you that the people complaining in this thread are mostly not the people with deep pockets, if any of them are present at all. These people order copies of special edition books years in advance of publication, like those reprints of Clarke Ashton Smith's works that we're all waiting for to be produced, which illustrates their patience and understanding. In fact, several of them have posted or emailed that they wouldn't mind being put to the end of the line in the roll out of orders if Rob is having health problems.