Comments for Bob Space

Comment on Memoir #5: PlainLabel Game System by Bob Portnell

Bob Portnell — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:25:21 +0000

Sheesh, I’ve got to start paying attention when people go to the trouble of posting comments.

In a nutshell and third-hand: Greg had been developing super-hero rules for TFT when Metagaming closed its doors. They sat for a while, while Guy & Greg did other things, and then they a) developed a new base system to replace TFT core and b) found a likely publisher. A chapbook for the game, In The Name of Justice, circulated at Gen Con ’97 to some favorable response.

At some point here, the decision was made to offer a fantasy version first, on the premise that the market for fantasy games was somehow better. This became Pocket Fantasy, printed wee small and sold in a CD-ROM jewel case.

The authors and the publisher parted ways around this point, and the authors extended the system to embrace wargaming as well. This, to me, is the stunning elegance of PlainLabel, that Greg could make it jump through all these hoops but still be essentially the same -play- … roll 2d10 for action, roll 2d10 on the effect card.

Anyway, the usual trials and tribulations of a self-publisher followed. Compact Combat and Compact Sorceror came out (following the model of Melee & Wizard, for better or worse). The guys (with Gary aboard now making things much more visually attractive) first opted out of the distribution chain, and then out of print publishing, going to electronic products.

The Battlefield and scenics products flowed out swiftly, the Armory supplements for Compact likewise, but RPG products … just take a lot of time. I don’t think we ever really got good traction there. For my part, after 2001 when second child was born, it got increasingly tough to find writing time. By 2006, as I was trying to finish up the fantasy/magic extension for SR!, and then finally finish off the super-hero extension (which is where it all began) … I had a new, more demanding job, Greg had a new, more demanding job, Gary had a new, more demanding job … the thing seemed to have run its course.

Sorry I missed this back-when. Hope you and Barbe had a great holiday!

Comment on Memoir #5: PlainLabel Game System by Robert Saint John

Robert Saint John — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 04:54:37 +0000

I’ve always been curious as to how that all came about. I wish I’d been in the scene when SR came out. As it happens, I came back in just about the time that Microtactix seemed to be going quiet. But it’s great that the time you did spend in “the industry” was with guys like the 3 Gs!

Merry Christmas, Bob!

Comment on Game Memoir, #1: The Fantasy Trip by Joe Hartley

Joe Hartley — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:51:05 +0000

Very nice remembrance of what remains my favorite gaming system.

Comment on Game Memoir, #1: The Fantasy Trip by Robert Saint John

Robert Saint John — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 03:41:16 +0000

I’d love that! The Interplay mags are a great resource for TFT as well. When you get to that point, ping me for the PDFs if you need them.

Comment on Game Memoir, #1: The Fantasy Trip by Bob Portnell

Bob Portnell — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:56:09 +0000

Hey, Robert! Nice to see y’all over here.

Well, GURPS is what it is. I’ve settled into the medium realm between “every ruleset unique” and “universal rules for every setting.” There’s a place for commonality, but it doesn’t have to be every place. Funny, looking back, how d20 almost, almost “got” this. But it, like GURPS, fell into the “rules instead of rulings” trap, which isn’t the sort of game I want any more. (Oh, I was horrible for wanting to use the rules, back in the day. I’m glad I got over it.)

One thing I have pangs about, every time I re-read AM/AW/ITL … is how LITTLE of it we actually used. But then the group I joined had moved out of the “dungeon-delving/wilderness-exploring” mode, so those rules very seldom came up.

I am sorely tempted, though, to go through the Space Gamer PDFs and mine them for TFT stuff. I’ve already got the Handicaps and extra Skills … meanwhile, after y’all get re-settled, maybe a window will open for you, me, and maybe a couple others to play online. TFT works pretty well with Gameboard and Skype…

Comment on Game Memoir, #1: The Fantasy Trip by Robert Saint John

Robert Saint John — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:24:54 +0000

That makes two of us. Back in ’99, I actually owned thefantasytrip.com domain for a few years, with all sorts of grand (unfulfilled) plans. But it’s still my favorite system, and I easily adapted it for many genres and settings over the decades. I’d been sooo anxious for the release of GURPS, hoping it would make up for ITL/AM/AW, but there was something about it that went a bit too far in terms of complexity. Little did I know how much worse it could get!

Comment on One Voice by Bob P

Bob P — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:00:49 +0000

I may try to work out how to “echo” to FB and G+. I wasn’t happy with FB’s RSS “listener”, so it’ll definitely have to be some sort of “push” thing. My friend Mia uses a plug-in that copies to one’s status … I don’t like that, I want it to go to notes … but I may have no choice.

Ideally, what I’d dream of is something that pushes the title, and the first para or two …

Anyway, thanks for the feedback, Chad! Even if it takes me days to remember to look for it…

Comment on One Voice by Chad

Chad — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:14:22 +0000

I, for one, applaud your return to blogging as your primary vehicle for sharing your thoughts with the wide world.

If you want draw folks from your social media circles to your chosen One Voice platform, you could always use Facebook and Google+’s blog publishing features and point folks back here. I know there are WordPress tools for such things.

I’ve been woefully underutilizing social media of all forms, and especially my blog. I rarely (VERY rarely) post on Facebook, although I do check it relatively frequently to see what my far-flung friends are up to.

Comment on Project Wings^H^H^H^H^H Update by Chad

Chad — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:09:36 +0000

I think it’s very honorable of you to place your family’s needs above your own. That’s not a terribly popular sentiment in today’s culture… people more prone to ask, “what is my family doing to fill my needs?” rather than “what I can I do to better fill their needs?”

The issue you’re describing is also a concept and a line that I’ve been wrestling with in my life. The only time I have to work on the things I feel passionately about–my fiction writing–has to be cut directly out of my evening time with my family. Is it right of me to do this? I just don’t know. Is there a place for me, or should I fill that place with something for others? Is there a line somewhere?

Something I’m thinking over of late, for sure. Interesting to see where another soul has gone with the thought. Thank you for sharing.

Comment on What Matters: Being Free by Bob Portnell

Bob Portnell — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 21:56:27 +0000

Thanks kindly. Truly, I’m not saying anything new here. Others have done the same kind of shouting before. I’m just rephrasing them in a way that matters, emotionally, to me.