Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 16

Thread: Decipher PDFs once again available on DriveThruRPG

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Canyon, TX, USA, Sol III
    Posts
    1,783

    Decipher PDFs once again available on DriveThruRPG

    I'm not at all certain what happened to take the files down, and I'm not certain we'll ever really know all that transpired.

    In any case, the PDFs for both the STAR TREK and LORD OF THE RINGS lines are back up for sale on DriveThruRPG,
    Patrick Goodman -- Tilting at Windmills

    "I dare you to do better." -- Captain Christopher Pike

    Beyond the Final Frontier: CODA Star Trek RPG Support

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 1999
    Location
    Worcester, MA USA
    Posts
    1,820
    Hurray!!!


    Not to put a downer on this, but where does that leave the PDF players guid an other CODA products?

    Are they still going to be released "shortly"?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    445
    Sigh. Come on, Patrick - it's just so damn obvious, in hindsight. There was an ion storm, and some of the Drive-Thru staff got exchanged with their goateed Mirror Universe counterparts while they were taking the company station wagon through the car wash; a multitude of havoc resulted before the miscreants were locked in the Drive-Thru brig. Fortunately, the Webmaster managed to effect a reversal before the field density increased - or the Buff'n'Wax job on the station wagon started to fade, whichever - and life now resumes on its own sweet keel.

    But thank you for letting us know it's back in action; putting us at least back to homeostasis, as far as the existing works are concerned. Now, on to securing The Damned Klingon Book...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Canyon, TX, USA, Sol III
    Posts
    1,783
    Quote Originally Posted by tonyg
    Not to put a downer on this, but where does that leave the PDF players guid an other CODA products?

    Are they still going to be released "shortly"?
    I don't have an exact date on the Player's Guide, but I know it's soon. I'll let you know as soon as I have an exact date.

    As for the other books in both lines...I'm not sure. I feel a little better about it all happening, but I'm not there in Norfolk, so I'm not able to look in on the staff and see what's going on. I'm continuing to keep a fire burning under them (what, you thought that "Keeper of the Flame" line had to do with something else?), but Scott's been straight with me so far on what they're able to do and what their goals are. I'll ask him what all is going on at the moment, and what all I can share, and you'll hear from me on that anon.
    Patrick Goodman -- Tilting at Windmills

    "I dare you to do better." -- Captain Christopher Pike

    Beyond the Final Frontier: CODA Star Trek RPG Support

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Canyon, TX, USA, Sol III
    Posts
    1,783
    Quote Originally Posted by D.S.McBride
    Sigh. Come on, Patrick - it's just so damn obvious, in hindsight. There was an ion storm, and some of the Drive-Thru staff got exchanged with their goateed Mirror Universe counterparts while they were taking the company station wagon through the car wash; a multitude of havoc resulted before the miscreants were locked in the Drive-Thru brig. Fortunately, the Webmaster managed to effect a reversal before the field density increased - or the Buff'n'Wax job on the station wagon started to fade, whichever - and life now resumes on its own sweet keel.
    That would actually explain a lot of things here at work, too....
    But thank you for letting us know it's back in action; putting us at least back to homeostasis, as far as the existing works are concerned. Now, on to securing The Damned Klingon Book...
    I prefer homeostasis to "falling backwards."

    As for the DKB: I'm working on it. I'm almost certain the next things I'll work on are the Narrator's Guide and the Enterprise Update for that book (especially since I've already started the latter). After that, we'll have to see how sales of the new card sets have gone, but I'm trying quite hard to get the DKB moved up in the queue if we're in a better position to do a new book as opposed to a re-release. No promises, but we'll see how things shake out.
    Patrick Goodman -- Tilting at Windmills

    "I dare you to do better." -- Captain Christopher Pike

    Beyond the Final Frontier: CODA Star Trek RPG Support

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 1999
    Location
    Salt Lake City
    Posts
    2,923
    I'm clearly not in this loop anymore ("there's a loop?") but is the Enterprise Sourcebook that I wrote ever going to see the light of day?

    Morbid curosity at this point, more than anything.
    Mass Effect Fate RPG | "Mass Effect meets Fate meets awesome = FREE"
    Contributor, Gnome Stew
    "In every revolution, there's one man with a pizza."
    Star Trek (TOS) "Pizza, Pizza" (Second season), story by D.S.McBride

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Canyon, TX, USA, Sol III
    Posts
    1,783
    Quote Originally Posted by Don Mappin
    I'm clearly not in this loop anymore ("there's a loop?") but is the Enterprise Sourcebook that I wrote ever going to see the light of day?

    Morbid curosity at this point, more than anything.
    I tried to put you into what loop there is.... The offer still stands, by the way.

    I don't think it's going to see the light of day, per se, but a significant portion of it is going (abundantly credited) into the "Enterprise Updates" for the PG and NG.
    Patrick Goodman -- Tilting at Windmills

    "I dare you to do better." -- Captain Christopher Pike

    Beyond the Final Frontier: CODA Star Trek RPG Support

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 1999
    Location
    Salt Lake City
    Posts
    2,923
    Quote Originally Posted by PGoodman13
    I don't think it's going to see the light of day, per se, but a significant portion of it is going (abundantly credited) into the "Enterprise Updates" for the PG and NG.
    Ah, a cut-and-paste job with the soul removed. That's a shame.

    Poor Dec Trek. We knew you so briefly.
    Mass Effect Fate RPG | "Mass Effect meets Fate meets awesome = FREE"
    Contributor, Gnome Stew
    "In every revolution, there's one man with a pizza."
    Star Trek (TOS) "Pizza, Pizza" (Second season), story by D.S.McBride

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Canyon, TX, USA, Sol III
    Posts
    1,783
    Quote Originally Posted by Don Mappin
    Ah, a cut-and-paste job with the soul removed. That's a shame.
    I actually tried to keep the soul in there, though I suppose it's open to interpretation as to whether or not I succeeded.
    Poor Dec Trek. We knew you so briefly.
    I'm working on that part, actually.
    Patrick Goodman -- Tilting at Windmills

    "I dare you to do better." -- Captain Christopher Pike

    Beyond the Final Frontier: CODA Star Trek RPG Support

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 1999
    Location
    Salt Lake City
    Posts
    2,923
    My point is that the ENT SB was entirely laid out and approved prior to the demise of the studio and the line. ("It's dead, Jim.") There's no need to do a cut-and-paste job when the 32 page booklet could be put up on its own as, say, a free download.

    Instead of getting the material in the way it was intended, they're going to get it piecemeal. I suppose there's the school of thought "better something than nothing," however.

    As for bringing Dec Trek back, I've tried and we've covered this ground; it requires Dec to be amenable to the idea and willing to discuss it. Returning my phone calls would have been a good start.
    Mass Effect Fate RPG | "Mass Effect meets Fate meets awesome = FREE"
    Contributor, Gnome Stew
    "In every revolution, there's one man with a pizza."
    Star Trek (TOS) "Pizza, Pizza" (Second season), story by D.S.McBride

  11. #11
    ...ô_o

    Back as what? Something other than PDFs?
    Portfolio | Blog Currently Running: Call of Cthulhu, Star Trek GUMSHOE Currently Playing: DramaSystem, Swords & Wizardry

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 1999
    Location
    Worcester, MA USA
    Posts
    1,820
    No offense to PGoodman13, Don Mappin, Douge Burke, or any of the other people who personally shed tears, blood and flesh to get TREK stuff out the door but, I can't really understand why DEC didn't PDF all the preexisting stuff anyway? I mean if all that stuff is stitting there, paid for, and only good until the liscening runs out, why not? Even selling it as a TXT file with no arm or tables would take very little time or money and generate some income. What is the downside for them? No sales = no money.


    P.S>It's nice to see Don posting again. Somehow this place just ain't the same without him.
    Last edited by tonyg; 09-08-2006 at 04:24 PM.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    445
    This is pure inference, based on what I've seen posted here by Don, Doug, et al - but the impression I get is that Decipher just doesn't care. The RPG issue for them is a complete non-starter; to even take the time and effort required to work out a deal with Paramount/Viacom, amend the licence for the .pdf release/s, make negotiations with Drive-Thru, and - most inconvenient and exasperating - put the works into some kind of publishable, attractive format through the auspices of an art director would just be too much like work.

    The profit/loss gurus and Oracles have spoken: Decipher is simply best advised to not proceed with .pdf releases for dead game lines. Far smarter to simply get the next CCG out the door and hope to fend off Chapter Eleven for another fiscal quarter or two. We know all you boys and girls were waiting for us to fufill our raft of promises - because, hey, we're not like Last Unicorn - but them's the breaks in this best of all corporate worlds.

    Sigh. As Patrick related in a previous post, I'm pretty damn cynical about Decipher, and anticipate that any further releases will only come about after new management has taken over the company - that is, if Decipher survives long enough for such a turnover to take place. I know that Patrick has stated that Scott Gaeta (sp?) has been pretty straightforward with him so far - and this much is encouraging - but we've still got one hell of a long row to hoe before we even get close to seeing promises made become promises fulfilled.

    BTW, I agree one hundred percent - it's very nice to see Don's presence on the boards again. Just wish the news were a little more positive re the unadulterated ENT supplement - but at this point, I'll definitely take whatever we can get.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 1999
    Location
    Worcester, MA USA
    Posts
    1,820
    At least if the killed it we'd have closure. Limbo is a fate worse than death after awhile.

    I'm happy that we got a couple of PDFs, like Worlds, but it does seem like not too many at Decipher have much intrerest in supporting the RPG lines.

    It just gets frustrating knowing that stuff has been written but will probably not see the light of day, again.

    Did they handle their CCG lines like this?

    Sorry for the rant. JUst a few years frustration boiling over.

  15. #15
    At the risk of melodrama, the lack of the Klingon sourcebook–containing material which we've been waiting for since LUGtrek–kind of makes closure difficult.

    I don't know what costs are associated with publishing this material as a PDF; whether it passed licensing approval or not, what their freelancer costs are, or what further editing it needs. The fact that there's plenty of people here willing to do whatever needs to be done, for free (*cough*), just to see it released–that's the frustrating part.
    Last edited by The Tatterdemalion King; 09-08-2006 at 09:50 PM.
    Portfolio | Blog Currently Running: Call of Cthulhu, Star Trek GUMSHOE Currently Playing: DramaSystem, Swords & Wizardry

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •