Gooey Praise, Florid Prose: WAS RE: Maximizing ship designs

>----------
>From:	(Ground Zero Games)[SMTP:jon@gzero.dungeon.com]
>Sent:	Tuesday, April 01, 1997 1:38 PM
>To:	FTGZG-L@bolton.ac.uk
>Cc:	George,Eugene M
>Subject:	Re: Maximizing ship designs
>
>>On Tue, 1 Apr 1997, Ground Zero Games wrote:
>>
>>> Exactly, hence the intention to rate drive power as a % of mass in
the
>>> revised system.
>>
>>Now, the $64,000 question:
>>
>>Will there be some kind of rebate or upgrade plan for loyal customers,
or
>>>do I get to buy it all over again?
>>
>
>Provided we can get it sorted and tested in time, we intend to use the
>revised construction system in the Fleet Book, along with introducing
some
>other ideas and changes, so the FB will be a "bridge" for existing
players
>between FTII and FTIII - if you have FTII and the FB when it comes out,
you
>will have most of the important changes for playing FTIII. But, of
course,
>FTIII will be SOOOOOO cool that you won't be able to LIVE without your
very
>own shiny copy..... :):):)
>Oh, and it won't cost $64,000; who do you think we are, G*m*s
W*rksh*p???
>
>Jon (GZG).

Let me see, Gumas Warkshup, Gemos Wirkship, Gimus Werkshep, nope,
doesn't ring a bell. 

Frankly, GW's stuff doesn't hold a candle to your work at GZG. 
Not to soapbox or anything, but FT/MT/D2/SG2 are some of the best games
I've seen (in 15+ years of gaming). 
Sure they're not perfect, but they give a good enough jumping off point
to be worked with. 
GW's stuff has always had about as much believability as a W.W.I.
propaganda poster. 
Space Marines are all giant Tommies or Doughboys with bulging muscles
and lantern jaws, Orks are Over-brutal Huns. 
It's amusing for a while, but I always get drawn back to a more centered
approach to games. 
FT/MT/D2/SG2 are science fantasy games, but sometimes you can taste the
acrid smoke of burning circuit-boards as your corvette
comes about for what may be it's last gun pass, or hear the whine of the
hoverfans as your tank section pops up from cover to 
take off in pursuit of fleeing militia, dislodged from their positions
by your regiment's artillery barrage. 
To me, that's considerably better than the Adeptus Deadicus, troops so
mean, malicious, and deadly that they have to pull off their 
own heads to join their Local Space Marine Chapter. 

Keeping it simple, believable, allowing room to work, and making sure
that the consumer knows that after he plunks down the hard-earned money
for the product, it's HIS to do with what he will. Dump the background,
play with it, who cares.
Whatever few rule flaws the games have is made up for in their great,
fun attitude. So as long as GZG keeps the good stuff coming, I'll pretty
much buy anything that comes down the pike....... Goodness knows I've
bought enough marginal stuff for reading material, GZG's stuff is a joy.

Gushing Praise mode off

Gene
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