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Nick, welcome back! You helped forge one of the coolest villains I've thrown at my players (via that AGC preorder thing) and for that I thank you! (some of my players are less enthusiastic, of course)
I'm glad to hear that Razor Coast *might* actually see print. I preordered it way back in the day and I have no intention of asking for a refund. I dream that it comes out in time for me to use stuff from it in my Skull & Shackles campaign (which is still many months away) but if not, that's cool. I'll just consider the payment to be me buying you a few cold beverages of your choice at PaizoCon (which I won't be attending, sadly).
Anyway, glad to have you back in the community in whichever capacity you're comfortable with as a Luddite (I had to Google the word!).
Welcome back Nick. Your talent and spirit have been sorely missed more than anything. The fact is that none of us are as alone as we think we are.
A lot of the anger towards you, i think, comes from the fact that you have a lot of fans who love what you do. You are exceptional as a RPG Designer- there are very few, if any, who are as talented and creative as you. I think we've all missed your work. It's like finding your favorite restaurant closed with no other recourse.
Lou, you are just an outstanding guy! I think those in your life are very blessed to have such a kind, responsible gentleman.
Quick question; is it possible to get the pdf of Razor Coast for those that ordered it?
Just out of curiousity, is this a real quote? If so what is the link? I cannot find it. (Note: I am guessing it could be tongue in cheek, Im just curious.) - GaussDid you mean RPGEMA? From Wikipedia:
"The Role Playing Game Emergency Management Agency (RPGEMA) is an agency of the role playing game (RPG) community, initially created by happenstance and implemented by Louis Agresta on 10 April 2012. The primary purpose of RPGEMA is to coordinate the response to a disaster that has occurred in the RPG industry and that overwhelms the resources of the responsible gaming company. The owner of the gaming company for which the disaster occurs must declare a state of emergency and formally request from Louis Agresta that RPGEMA and the ganeral gaming community respond to the disaster. The only exception is when an emergency and/or disaster occurs due to someone named Richard Pett.
While on-the-ground support of disaster recovery efforts is a major part of RPGEMA's charter, the agency provides gaming companies with experts in specialized fields to help layout and complete projects that are otherwise doomed to never see the printing press. RPGEMA also assists with organizing refund efforts for pre-orders of products by fantatical fans of popular RPG writers of the failed gaming company."
I edited a FEMA Wikipedia listing as an attempt at a lame joke. I think I succeeded.
Coltaine - as of yet, we're not sure if, let alone when RC will be finished. Lou has posted extensive comments that he will honor preorders IF the thing can be published somehow.
So no, no pdf yet and probably not for quite a while. But Rite Publishing will collaborate with Lou Agresta to bring the "Fire as She Bears"-naval combat project to us and I'm looking forward to seeing that become a reality.
Hope that helped!
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Nic
Let me echo what others have already said ...
It took a huge amount of courage to essentially lay your soul bare as you have done here and I, for one, respect you a great deal for having done so.
You made mistakes, hit a serious rough spot in life ... and now you are owning up to it, not making escuses and trying to make amends.
You can't ask much more from a person.
So, welcome back and I hope we see you writing for Paizo again soon.
Thanks End & Lou. FYI, Nick, if you have access to your harddrive, i might be able to recover the files from it. I have lots of friends who work in computer forensics.
This thread has made my year so far! To Lou & Endzeitgeist and others who have worked on this project and for even giving us an inkling of a hope of seeing it come to fruition, thank you all so much! If it happens, and you need another editor/proof-reader, let me know.
And now, it's my turn to apologize to Nic. Man, I was stoked all to hell with Razor Coast. Pre-ordered and waited eagerly like others...and waited...and waited...and then nothing. And then I was mad as hell at you. Not for losing the money, but at you for disappearing and not coming forward with an official apology. Not more than an hour ago, I ranted on you on another thread...until another member linked me here.
I hope you will accept my apology for my angry, off-the-hook comments on these boards. Others tried to cool me down, but it wasn't until I read your apology - one that I feel is truly sincere - that I felt regret about my own statements. I tell my students all the time to "man up and own up" when they make mistakes. And I truly appreciate you coming forward and talking to all of us.
Best wishes for continued "recovery" from your personal failings (we all have 'em, Nic!), and for coming back to us! If I win the lottery, I'll see you at Paizocon! If not, it's still damn good to see you on these boards again!
Peace!
Hedgeknight,
Please don't apologize! My actions were definitely worthy of great and fiery anger. I deserved what I got and more. I'm just glad I'm finally in a position to start and try to make amends.
@Coltraine: Endzeitgeist is correct! When RC is finished pdfs come free along with hardcopies for those who preordered, but again - this is when the book comes out in the future. My earlier post details the stage we are at now (art recovery). Thanks for the kind offer on the hard drive, but sadly that computer has gone the way of the trash heap - I had some IT guys try and get some files off it to no success though they probably weren't as skilled or specialized as your contacts - do'h!
Thanks again to everyone for your understanding and kindness. I'll do my best to make amends and restore some of the faith in this hobby I betrayed. With Lou's help I can at least finally ensure no one has been financially put out by my catastrophic attempt to run my own publishing company. Humblest apologies again.
Welcome back, Nick. As with a raft of other people, I'd rather see RC in some format (hell, even without the art) than have my preorder back.
Hope things continue to work out for you and that you never lose 'that gaming feeling' again. =)
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Welcome back Nick, while we never really "met" on the boards, I always admired your work and your contributions.
I just wanted to say that I'm glad you got your health back, and I'm really sad to read a story that has so many parallels to what happened to WEG's Eric Gibson in the final stages of that company.
It really is a hobby full of passionate people, and there's nothing worse than hearing that someone's dreams have become their nightmare.
Glad to have you back, and looking forward to maybe getting a chance to meet you in person at PaizoCon.
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possible Rise of the Runelords minor spoiler.....
Together we can get through the nightmares.
Nic,
I never corresponded on the boards with you & I never ordered anything from SA. That said, I was excited with the look & feel of the website & would have bought products, if things had turned out differently. I completely understand spiraling out of control, as my own personal life has had a few bumps over that last years, coming to a head in the last 2. I have went through depression & know that it ain't no joke. I know one of the things that has helped me is gaming. Getting back into the hobby, after just hanging at the edges & staring in, has helped me. Socializing does wonders for wounded self-esteem, when with the right people. I hope things continue to improve & you get back into creating material that we gamers love. Best wishes & welcome back.
Dale "Xorial" Norman
Wow! Threads like this one make hope and heart real.
Firstly: Big ups to the stellar tenacity and workload of Louis Agresta.
Secondly: Nicolas, I first came across and purchased an old copy of the Hook Mountain Massacre in my ONVLAAGS (only not very local at all gaming store) a few years ago, here in Australia. It was my introduction to Pathfinder, though I was then unaware of PF as a system. So YOU are my gateway back into gaming. It's nice to hear you have outgrown your own "fall" and I hope to see your name reappear in the future.
Thirdly, and most importantly: Nic and Louis, definitely check out Kickstarter. Alluria's much troubled Cerulean Seas (and Alluria generally) are receiving much needed help and support via Kickstarter.
From the outpouring of support evidenced here I can only see a successful venture for you too. (you can often find the Alluria Publishing thread in Compatible Products....subject below, like I can see it right now - can't link for ya - on smart phone now...)
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This has got me flicking through the razor-coast 'Indulgences' teaser pdfs and marvelling once again at the quality. It reminds me why I was so excited about Razor Coast.
I am assuming/hoping that Razor Coast will be Pathfinder RPG when it gets released and am wandering... will there ever be an attempt to convert the indulgences to PFRPG? I'm especially thinking of Art of the Duel, Blood Waters, The Warrior's Way and Death Beneath the Waves.
Anyway, good to see that the Sinister tunnel has some light at the end.
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Thanks Lou for all your work.
Happy to get the apology, happy to see things getting sorted and happy to not ask for the money back as I'd still like RC in whatever form it might might take.
Thanks for the apology, Nic. I think for most of us that's all we were after as quite a lot of us are still hoping for RC at the end.
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It took a great amount of strength to do what you've done here Nic. Allowing others to help you clean up this mess so you can get past it was the right decision, and as long as you hold to that inner strength, those who feel the need to continue to fan the flames of turmoil will get bored, and get over it. Congratulations on your re-emergence, and welcome back.
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Nick,
I am glad to hear you are back on the mend and my praise goes out to you for fessing up and meeting this problem. It may have taken a while to do so but the important fact is you did it. I for one hope you continue to do work in this hobby and from the out pouring I think many others here feel the same way. I will be looking forward to seeing the finished product and buying it when complete. Good luck to you on dealing with your other demons hopefully this helps you to know there are those of us out here wishing you the best and continued success in life as well as perhaps selfishly that you contemplate a return to writing for the hobby it will be good to see your name and work back out there once again.
I am assuming/hoping that Razor Coast will be Pathfinder RPG when it gets released and am wandering...
I turned over development copies completed in both 3.5 and Pathfinder. I don't think I'm sharing anything new with that detail -- I'm 98% certain that's been said before. And if not, well... I like making trouble for Lou whenever I can.
-- The Ling 9000 aka John
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It takes a big man to step up and admit his failures especially in so public a manner.
By his own admission Nick has made mistakes. But the thing is, we all make mistakes. The fact of the matter is Nick has apologised and is trying to get everyone their refund.
He should be forgiven for his errors and welcomed back into the fold. In short Nick has suffered enough so let us forgive him and not give him a hard time at Paizocon.
Everyone okay with that?
CLASSY: Lou.
CLASSY: Nick.
Nick, I don't know if you'll find this amongst the sea of comments, but I hope you do.
Louis is doing really cool stuff. He's been a straight-up fellow the last few years and has built himself a good reputation. He's helping a friend today. That's classy.
You've made public the nature of some very personal issues. You've been honest, forthcoming, humble, and repentant. You didn't have to go into as much detail as you did, but you're trying to do right. That's classy.
I just want you to know that I've adored the material you've written that I've played. I'm glad for you as a person that you're on the road to mental health. Thank you for being you. Thank you for surviving what you've been through.
I never pre-ordered, so this has never been about money for me.
Let it just be known... if you ever have an opportunity to write RPG material again, odds are very, very high than I'll be buying it. For me, you've just given the gift of knowledge that one of my favorite RPG authors is alive, well-ish, and there therefore might possibly be a hypothetical future day when I can partake of his writing. Thank you.
Be well.
I had no horse in this race, but I wanted to say that it is glad to have you back in the gaming community (if not industry), Nic! Best of luck, and I hope to officially meet you at PaizoCon--I won a Paizo adventure during a Paizo seminar at Origins one year, and you handed it to me on bended knee and with much fanfare.
Btw, I loved your Blood of the Gorgon adventure for Open Design!
Best wishes!
I had deliberately avoided the threads on this subject for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that it seemed to me that while some frustration and even anger might be warranted, the level of fiery vitriol being expressed publicly here could only have been a fraction of what was being sent privately, and I just didn't want to wade into those stormy seas.
I've been in positions where I have been the point of contact with a rabid public fan base before, and I can say from experience that the level of bile that is vented even from innocent misunderstandings can be enough to drive a person to distraction. I could only imagine the level of psychic pain had there been any more than misunderstandings involved.
Also, as a writer myself who has had his share of accolades and lemons tossed my way, I know how much of a typical writer's heart and soul goes into their work.
And finally, as a game designer who self-published a game of my own, I can absolutely sympathize with the loss of money, self-confidence and deep personal shame associated with hauling my life's savings worth of game materials to a public dump where they became a towering bonfire of my own vanity. $15,000 is a small price to pay for that lesson, I can assure you.
I am very glad to see the positive comments and hearty "welcome back" being expressed here. Having dealt with financial shenanigans by retailers going well into the thousands of dollars, I am sort of amazed by how much angst was produced by the relatively paltry sums involved here, but of course there is a principle involved.
Good luck getting things figured out and managed properly Louis, and I hope we see some brilliant new content from Nic.
But mostly I'm just glad to see that this whole unpleasant episode might finally be drawing to a close.
Lou, you manage to release RC, I'll buy a copy just because of your effort in a situation that wasn't your responsibility.
ditto!
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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Lou, you are a marvel. Is there a prize for Services to Gaming? If not, it must be created forthwith - the Lou Agresta Cup.
Nick, its great to hear from you, especially since you're coming out of a difficult period. I know what its like to hide from the phone, email, post... Well done for getting back up again.
I will not be seeking refunds, and hope one day to see RC for real. Lou, if I can help with anything... the baby is finally sleeping at night so I have a bit of time :-)
I have no monetary interest in any of this, but I simply must say...
I love this thread.
Also, I really hope to see some more Pathfinder writing from you soon, Mr. Logue. :-)
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John is right. IF Razor Coast ever comes out, it'll be released in Pathfinder. IF Razor Coast comes out, I like the idea of converting the Indulgences to Pathfinder.
Man, reading all these posts make me proud to call myself a gamer.Thanks Lou for helping out a friend in need and helping us so we can see RC. Nick obviously you see how much you have been missed by the community at large and how forgiving we are -- Welcome Back --- I'm sure you will come back stronger. We've all been in toilet at one time or another and there are many who can't or won't own up to their #$%&*. Well, enough of that. Lou if you make these books happen I promise to buy all of them. It's good to be a gamer geek.
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Hey Nick,
Good to hear from you again! I know a lot of people were angry, but mostly
I only heard and read about people wanting you to come back and start writing awesome stuff again.
Its good to see a fellow cabbage emerge again from...wherever...!!!
I would love to be at Paizocon, but unfortunately this will not happen!
Stay strong!
Tom
Edit: Oh, and Lou...your rock, too!!! :)
Just a very quick post to say that I'm reading this overwhelming flood of goodwill and kind words and I can't thank you all enough for your understanding.
Gamers truly are a very special people and a wonderful community. Thanks again everyone!
Hey, Nick, welcome back!
I also preordered RC and I never asked for a refund so if there is a possibility to get it, it´s great. I hope living in Spain is not a problem.
But if you never finish RC, you can have my money anyway as a payment for the good moments you have given me and my friends and family at the table.
But over all, I´m glad you´re back and you have solved your problems.
Sorry for not being able to go to paizocon again (maybe one day. I promised my wife)
It's great to have you back, Nick! You've long been one of my RPG idols (Heck, I even included an ogre hootenanny homage to you in my RPG Superstar adventure proposal). Sincere best wishes to you as you get your personal and professional life back in order.
And you, Lou -- it's been said a hundred times already but it's worth repeating: you're a class act. I pre-ordered RC, but I long ago reconciled with the lost money. I'll wait and hope that RC sees the light of day one day.
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Mr Logue,
I'm glad to hear you escaped Pett's dungeon in Southend (truly, Mr Pett is a cruel, cruel ...erm whatever he is. Essex is no place for a thinking man.). I wish you the best of luck and hope you continue to recover from your setbacks. Try not to rush into too much too fast. And especially don't bring about the Apocalypse (again) at PaizoCon when you meet up with Mr Pett.
That was both terribly sad and positively uplifting at the same time.
Great news Nicolas! The only thing I'm sad about is that I can't attend Paizocon this year, have been there twice but the tickets from Finland for 2 kill me (wife or cousin must be attended). So good to hear that you are good again and you can keep my RC money even if it doesn't get finished. Be well!
Lou, thank you again!
Lou, I have to say that I hope Nick understands that friends like you are few and far between. You have stepped into the Poo Storm twice now when you really didn't have to,nd the sheer effort that you put into creating a finished product of RC was staggering. It was only thanks to my overwhelming cynicisim that I didn't preorder RC. The sheer audacity of the project seemed almost too big to be viable. I was sad to see that I was right. Even so, if RC is ever put in print, I will be first in line to buy it.
Nick, even the best of us have fallen victim to our demons. As a game author you are one of my favorites (You and Pett)and if I saw your name on a modual, I would buy it without so much as a glance at the subject matter. I knew that your work would disturb me and my players and that is no easy task. Your apology is well received (though if a bit late in the game)and I look forward to your return to the gaming world. I still remain an avid fan.
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Nick! Damn, you've been missed! I'm VERY happy you are working on a road to a well you and wish you all of the best! Sadly, I can't make PaizoCon this year. Keep healing and know that just coming back into the gaming world has given a lot of us a huge sense of happiness.
Lou, you're a freakin' exemplary human being, as always!
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Reading all this really made my day. I've been skimming the boards for month, hoping to some day find this exact thread, with the good news that things are finally turning for you, Nic. And to have it spiced up with the outstanding actions of Lou just helps me recover a bit of my faith in humanity.
I always had a feeling that it was a bad trip to some personal hell that got the better of you, Nic, and not disregard for the fans and the community. Here's to hoping that those long gazes into the abyss will some day be turned in to yet another soul shaking Logue-adventure, that will once again shatter my faith in humanity.
FINALLY!
Logue, welcome so much back! I am glad it all is working out better for you now.
I never preordered, so I did not have a personal stake in this, but even if I would have, my first priority would have been to get you back into writing. My group and I loved Hangman's Noose, Hook Mountain Massacre, the Kobold King adventures, Edge of Anarchy... Let's say I meant it when they said they needed their fix of Logueness. Putting Logueness-addicted people on abstinence is... not entirely a healthy thing to do. I have been trying to stretch the material, but I did run out, and I need more, or... I don't want to think about it.
Sadly not going to Paizocon due to being swedish, but I'd have so loved playing in your game.
Welcome back, and for the love of God, give me more stuff soon!!!
Glad to read your life is getting better Nic. I pre ordered RC, I remain happy to wait, good luck with getting it finished Lou. The fact you are trying to get it done speaks volumes.
Nic, I always figured if you couldn't get RC out it meant your life was closely resembling a toilet rather than you were enjoying my preorder dollars in the south of France.
I ran Hook Mountain Massacre a few years ago for a group that gets together for a weekend of gaming about 3 times a year ( I had also recently run for them some of the falcons hollow modules). Even now if I describe a room or an event and it has any gross or offensive descriptions someone says " oh no, is this a Nic Logue adventure? ". We all enjoyed the adventures and they made a lasting impact. Nic, my players equate your name on an adventure with an enjoyable evocative adventure where the gloves are off.
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Wow, I'm really happy I stumbled on this thread. I don't post much here, but I've been coming to the site for many years and have come to "know" many of you. I've always felt a bond and kinship with gamers, especially roleplayers, since I don't run into many in real life. I've really enjoyed Nic's writing and have many of his adventures on my shelf, so I was really saddened by the troubles he had.
I thought it was great when Paizo announced he would be at PaizoCon, but part of me worried about the reception he might get. Glad to see by this thread that won't be the case.
Nic: I've been there right where you've been and, I suspect, many others on these boards have too. I very much respect you for coming back here; not many people have the chance or take the opportunity to make amends, and you've done so with class and sincerity. I wish I were going to PaizoCon, because I'd definitely offer to buy the first round.
Louis: Holy cow, man; are you actively trying to win Best Guy on the Internet Award? Because it sure looks like a lock this year. You don't know me, but I now know you, and will look forward to seeing anything you're involved with in the future.
As for RC; I hope it comes out, and I will be a lock to buy if, or when, it does. I think it was just laziness that I didn't preorder before, but there's no question I'll buy it now.
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Just wanted to chime in and express how glad I am that you're back Nick. You were one of the main reasons I rekindled my love with Dungeon Magazine back in the days and got attached to Pathfinder before it even started and it was really depressing to see you suddenly vanishing without even knowing if you were well personally.
Obviously you wasn't so it's a big relieve to see you back again. I still regard you as the monk 5/thespian 6/freelance writer 6 of "Chimes at Midnight" fame (I may have gotten the numbers wrong but I'm to lazy to look it up ^^) which means that you still have to write a bit before reaching the epic levels.
So when RC eventually will be published, I will be happy to reward you with experience points in form of gold coins and I certainly look forward to being scorned in the near future.
And for Lou: One can only hope for such a great friend like you are. You're really a class act, thank you for that.
Lou, you manage to release RC, I'll buy a copy just because of your effort in a situation that wasn't your responsibility.
Ditto, I didn't per order at the time, so no worries there. However, I thought it was a nice concept for a campaign setting.
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I should have let Thomas Edison speak for me. Check out his quotes sometime. He was quite the inspirational speaker!
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
and
"I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward."
I think that just about says it.