Letter to Decipher

[qerlin]

Well, I finally decided to go to the source concerning the Decipher RPG situation. I general, I've thought the criticisms of the company were a bit harsh, but after 6 months of delays for something 'at the printers', I figured I'd pop a line to Decipher's big boy...

Dear Mr. Holland,

I was surprised and pleased when Decipher decided to get into roleplaying games this past year. I've purchased your products for both Lord of the Rings and Star Trek. However, long delays in the production schedule seem to be plaguing your RPG division. I've noticed increasing ire from other members of the Decipher RPG community over the delays of items that are "at the printer".

Though I am not in this category, I believe your company is about to slice it's own throat in the RPG area unless you get your product out closer to schedule. "At the printers" does not take 6 months; I'm in the publishing business and know this. You might send a rocket down to the marketing department to get word out to the customers via your website or through a site like trekrpg.net to placate your customers...particularly the Star Trek ones, who are not known for their patience.

I hope you don't find my comments impertinent, but I'd like to see an RPG company other than Wizards of the Coast stay around for a while.

Scott Rhymer
Albuquerque, NM

...and the response...

Scott,

Not at all. I appreciate your thoughts.

One of the issues here is that our RPG division is in L.A. so
bringing them into the Decipher process has been hard. Still, they
do great work and all the issues you raise are on our radar for
actions. Hopefully, you will see the results of this in 2003.
That's our goal anyway. ;-)

All the best,

Warren

...so this seems to be a 'we know we've got problems and we promise we'll think about getting around to solving it sometime in the future, should it affect our bottom line' kinda answer.

Apparently, we're expected to just hang out and wait for them to get around to us. I'm continuing to use CODA, but this kind of "it's not us it's the printer" -- "it's not us, it's the RPG guys not getting into the Decipher process" leads me to believe that we CODA people should get on with coming up with our own stuff for the game. I would be shocked to see any real movement in product; I think the interest in the RPG group's pretty lackluster.

[Silverthorne]

it appears to me that they are aware of the problem.. but if it truely is a problem at the printer is there really anything that can be done about it. Other than change printer.

[C5]

Uh oh.

"you will see the results of this in 2003"... do they mean, March 2003, August 2003, or "Fall 2003" ? < /sarcasm >

Well, thanks for sharing this letter and its answer, qerlin (and thanks for writing it in the first place).

I'm now officially switching to "waiting for Blizzard games" mode (for those who aren't into computer games, Blizzard Entertainment has become famous to release their games - usually excellent BTW - something like 2 years after they've been announced).

[Joe Dizzy]

Originally posted by C5

I'm now officially switching to "waiting for Blizzard games" mode

As long as it's not FTL Games mode, we're all safe I guess.

[StyroFoam Man]

This message has been removed on request by the
poster

[Perrryyy]

Or we could just have Liz smite them

* shakes corporate magic 8 ball *

Cost-benefit analysis projections indicate a high probability of success with this procedure

[Liz Not Beth]

This message has been removed on request by the
poster

[Dan Gurden]

Yeah. thats right a tonne of junk mail and spam email will of course get Decipher up and running, because in opening all that extra mail, and having their inbox inundated with all these emails wont take up any business time at all, and most certainly wont piss anyone off...

Jeez, thats a low suggestion Styro.

But back to the point in hand.

1 - The core rule books are available.

2 - A significant portion of us still have access to the LUG rules (which I notice the most voiciferous on this subject seemed to drop like a hot potato..>)

3 - We have imagination and creativity (a given in this particular hobby)...

4 - the issue of delayed products has been repeated over and over.

5 - The tone of the Decipher guys has been civil, but I tell you, reading the same shit over and over is getting my goat, and i neither work for Decipher nor is all this shit aimed at me... I can only imagine how pissed off or frustrated Doug, Don, and all the Decipher guys must be getting.

So the solution from this situation, from just that mediochre evidence seems so simple and clear...

1 - As players we can still use the LUG stuff, of (GASP) write our own stuff... Just as has been done on these very boards this last 6 months...

2 - We can sit tight knowing that as valuable customers (and not wanting to be irritating problems) that Decipher plans to operate like a business and will get product out sooner or later. After all, no product= no business= no Trek licenced RPG= We will have to write our own stuff anyway... Maths seems simple enough to me...

3 - Well there is no three, we should just let the guys get on with it. After all dealing with the same shit every couple of days really DOES get irritating after a while. (For Example, surely you guys are getting tired of all these 'sit tight and leave them alone' responses... I know I am, it was just my turn...)

[StyroFoam Man]

This message has been removed on request by the
poster

[Ineti]

Originally posted by qerlin
...leads me to believe that we CODA people should get on with coming up with our own stuff for the game.

Join the club; some of us have been doing that since the books first came out.

Heaven forbid a GM comes up with his own stuff for his game.

In related news, you could hop over to Decipher's LOTR message board and read Matt Colville's post about Decipher looking for playtesters for their new RPG products, then contact him to apply your group.

edit: link to playtest info

[REG]

I don't know. Is it safe to visit the Decipher's messageboards? The last time I visit there I felt a sense of emnity directed toward role-players.

Did they finally use a much better board software program?

[Ineti]

Can't help you on the first question, REG. Other than a couple bad apples, I haven't had issues with the Decipher boards.

And they're still using the same crappy software.

[C5]

As I said somewhere eles, what bugs me is less the fact that I have to wait for Decipher products than how little information Decipher is giving away. Even to a personal letter, all they can answer is "yeah we have trouble, but it'll be okay, just wait next year".
Wich for me means that either Decipher doesn't care a sh*t about its customer base, or that nobody there really knows what causes the delay. I don't know wich one'd be the worst.

[RaconteurX]

Warren Holland takes the time to write a personal response to someone, and all people do is excoriate the man. If the grognards here spent as much time playing CODA as they did writing inane, whining, doom-saying drivel, there would be no complaints... everyone would be having too much f*cking FUN to bother.

Next you'll all be complaining about the quality of the books when they actually do arrive. That's all you seem to want to do anyway: complain. Give it a rest... it's boring as hell for the rest of us. Or better yet, ask Don to create a separate board just for complaints. That way those of us who actually play the game, rather than just complain about the releasr schedule, can converse in peace.

[C5]

Haven't you noticed that we just like to complain ? Be it about Decipher schedule or books quality, Enterprise quality, channels programming, lack of personal IBG, world leaders actions, or other posters behaviour.
What would we be talking about if not for the complaining ? Ah, yes, RPG. Well, talking about RPG, I'm waiting for Decipher to release the Narrator Screen because it's easier to play and I was wondering when it would be...

Post 1071... wasn't that the registration number of the USS Constitution ?