Press Releases that Make You Laugh

[RPGPundit]

Press Releases That Make You Laugh

Its funny, some announcements from gaming companies can make me happy, some can make me sad, a few can make me angry even; but its pretty fucking rare to read one and start laughing.

Such is the case with Chaosium's announcement that they will be publishing the BRP rules in fall of this year.  I mean, what the fuck can you do with an announcement like that other than laugh?

Chaosium has been "about to publish" these rules for the last 30 years now, roughly. And in a more direct sense, its been the rumoured release for the last several years.  I mean shit, does ANYONE who isn't an industrial-grade moron really believe these guys when they claim it, like some kind of demented Bullwinkle, "this time fer shure!"?

The announcement is also something that makes me sad. Because 10 years ago, releasing something like the BRP rules could have been wildly revolutionary and useful.  Today, it would be neither.
To make things worse, does anyone who still harbours a hope that BRP will be released either soon or eventually honestly think at this point that it will be anything other than 70% reprinted material with a couple of sloppy articles  added on?  Its Chaosium, people! Look at the mockery they've made of the concept of "New editions" with CoC!

So it'll probably never see the light of day, if it does it probably won't be when they claim, and whenever it does get released, it'll probably be crap.
And yes, this is utterly tragic because I (and I suspect many others) could have used a really good, timely, BRP Deluxe rules for any number of campaigns (not least of which the Dr.Who campaign idea I was talking about a few days ago).

Ah well. You pretty well have to laugh at Chaosium. Otherwise you'd want to cry.

RPGPundit

(May 8, 2007)

[g026r]

Edit: ignore.  Missed the date.

[RPGPundit]

Please, NOTE the date. And note that BRP is still coming out "any day now".

RPGPundit

[dsivis]

http://www.chaosium.com/article.php?story_id=246
Ooh, diss!

[RPGPundit]

http://www.chaosium.com/article.php?story_id=246
Ooh, diss!

Hardly a diss. They're only what... TWENTY FUCKING YEARS overdue? That's got to be some kind of a record.

Even from where they announced the current release, they're only like a year or so overdue...

And now? They STILL HAVEN'T RELEASED it.  Sure, I mean, it looks as though they might actually even have it out by the end of May.. or early June.. or late June at the latest... probably.

Right?

RPGPundit

[baran_i_kanu]

yay go chaosium. :mad:

i love CoC, loves it a bunch. i own most of the chaosium CoC line either print or pdf.
i would have bought the BRP, if it had come out even last year.
instead i got tired of waiting for this and Pulp Cthulhu so i bought Savage Worlds. i'll still by CoC books, but i doubt i'll bother with BRP. it's just too late and other, better options IMHO, now exist.



dave

[dsivis]

Hardly a diss. They're only what... TWENTY FUCKING YEARS overdue? That's got to be some kind of a record.

Even from where they announced the current release, they're only like a year or so overdue...

And now? They STILL HAVEN'T RELEASED it.  Sure, I mean, it looks as though they might actually even have it out by the end of May.. or early June.. or late June at the latest... probably.

Right?

RPGPundit

Yeah, I was just being a little silly. I'll call you on it if they actually do release it (har har, yeah right) before June 1st.

[ColonelHardisson]

Chaosium has struck me as being weird over the past, I dunno, 10-15 years. They gave up on a lot of their well-thought-of properties, like Pendragon or Elric or RuneQuest, and seemed resistant to even trying to revitalize themselves. I'm sure there are good financial reasons for not doing so, but damn, they're so monolithic and non-responsive, how could I know the why's and wherefore's of what they're doing?

I mean, why no reprint of Ringworld, which even Larry Niven  himself thought was so well-done that the fluff text is considered a "Bible" for the Ringworld setting? If the license cost too much to renew, why not tell us that? I'd love to have even a pdf copy of Ringworld, and would gladly pay for it - but not the ridiculous prices I've seen it go for on eBay.

I just don't get them.