Robert Hawkshaw's page

Firefly (2002)

Angel (1999–2004)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)

As I stroll through the forums where I give out my advice,
I took a look at General Discussion and realize it's full of vice,
And that's imperfect for a non-optimizer like me,
You know I shun things like super-optimality.

At 8:30 in the morning I'm bashing trolls,
RavingDork is querying rules and TOZ lols, fool.
And I've been pimping bards for so long that
Even Evil Lincoln thinks my mind is gone.

I'm a man of the game, I'm into cohesion,
Got a CRB in my hand, a neckbeard on my chin.
But if I finish all my advice, and you excuse my poor diction,
Then tonight we're going to party like PF outsold fourth edition.

We've been spending most our forum-going time living in a MinMaxer's paradise,
I smack trolls once or twice, living in a MinMaxer's paradise,
It's hard work and sacrifice, giving advice in a MinMaxer's paradise,
We give sound advice for free, living in a MinMaxer's paradise.

If you haven't already, take a peek at Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson.

It's a very serious storyline, wrapped up in a kinda-future setting that is about as absurd as our modern world would probably appear to 18th century dutch farmers.

It's got pizza delivery. It's got neurolinguistic hacking. It's got ancient Sumerian religion. It's got a plot to rule the world. It's a rare book that makes me laugh out loud, but it did, several times.

It's, IMO, Neal Stephenson's best work, and has a dash of Hunter S. Thompson-esque absurdity that carries it along at a brisk pace.

(His other books, IMO, are weighted down into ponderousness by their own excessive detail and lush backstory. He seems to have completely lost whatever mad spark of genius produced Snow Crash and writes books that he, tongue-in-cheek, one must assume, refers to as 'the Baroque Cycle,' which are, if nothing else, an excellent cure for insomnia.)

Given that they've actually released 4e supplements focused on individual settlements (Vor Rukoth, Hammerfast, etc.) I'm inclined to chalk this up to a mistake on the part of their copy team rather than an insidious plot by the WotC guys to trick you into thinking that this is the first book about a city ever (which is pretty much what the blog post's author concludes as well).

Let's not be the sort of people who decide to be upset over something like this.

Because clearly someone else's opinion is worth more than my opinion because you agree with them and are a fanboy of the company.

Oh, Carty. I've already refuted your alleged points many times over. As have others. Sure, there's an actual argument underlying what you're saying, but you don't have any data to support it other than your over-inflated sense of self-importance. It's sad really. Reminds me of the old chestnut about being silent and letting everyone believe you are a fool instead of speaking to remove all doubt.

And yet, you keep speaking. Each time with nothing to offer except your unfounded, self-serving beliefs about the operation of the hobby market. A topic about which you have no background, authority, or credibility. Worse, you somehow believe that the volume and constant repetition of your Very Important Opinion renders you a greater expert than the company that has been most successful at marketing PPMs because of some minor distinction in the type of product. I imagine you also believe you are better than Apple at selling tablet computers with blue plastic cases because Apple only has experience selling tablet computers with white or black plastic cases.

You've lost, the home auidence knows you've lost, why not just admit defeat and quit backing yourself into illogical and indefensible corners based on your "understanding" of what price point constitutes an impulse buy for any particular set of consumers. You don't know anything of substance about this topic and, while neither do many of the others posting on this thread, we at least have the humility and self-awareness to acknowledge the limitations of our expertise.

Frankly, given your view on the Pathfinder rpg's lack of merit, and it's astounding success, I'm somewhat surprised that you haven't grown more cautious in spouting off. Maybe constantly being wrong has made you numb to the sensation. Maybe the wonder of the myopic universe you inhabit allows you to ignore reality. Or, maybe you just live to annoy other people, and these forums allow you an outlet for that. I guess everyone needs a hobby.

I suggest Pathfinder. It's a fun game.

Lisa Stevens wrote:

Scott is totally right here. Pathfinder has surpassed D&D in most of the markets that I check.

Thanks for ninja'ing me Scott!

You're welcome!

To be clear, though, you're saying that it's your belief that the Pathfinder brand has a higher sales volume than the D&D brand?

At this time in history, that is what I have been told by people in the hobby distribution trade, the book trade, and other avenues that both games sell their products into. If you talk to the various retailers, it is a mixed bag, with one telling you one thing and another a different story. But when you talk to the folks who sell those retailers the product that they sell, then you get a clearer picture.

And I am just talking table-top RPG business. I am not talking about board games or card games or video games or whatnot. Just books and digital copies of those books for use in playing a table-top RPG.

-Lisa