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Friday, October 18, 2013

Beating the Dead Kickstarter - Myth & Magic Player's Guide - 2e Reviled and Undelivered


Time to put a fork into the Myth & Magic Player's Guide. Tom (I hope you don't mind referring to you as "Tom" and not Mr. Ryan" or something, but at this point, I feel we have a relationship) has done the big "fuck you" to those that supported his project.

Well done sir!

You've strung folks along along for over a year with pictures and promises, but in the end you are as empty as you "company's" homepage. Yes, you know how important the customers are when the homepage refers to Tom's second Kickstarter (for the GM's Guide) as "Coming Soon" when it finished funding in October of 2012. If you can't bother to update your own homepage in a fucking year, you are pretty much telescoping your priorities (hint - it ain't anything coming from New Haven Games, unless it's money changing from the company account to Tom's private account).

So, in any case, Tom said he shipped stuff out on September 26th (this is after the books spent time in a storage facility - allegedly):
Hi Everyone, 
Well, I've been a busy bee. On Sunday, I packaged up over 200 parcels (209 to be exact). Mailman came to pick up almost all of them. 
So, there is a 99% chance that your shipment is coming and will arrive within 14 business days, UNLESS a) you're international and didn't follow the updated shipping cost instructions (there are a lot of you and I will be emailing you); or b) you ordered a softcover PSG (which I've ratcheted up to a softcover PG) or c) hahaha! fuck you! fooled you all - 100% get ZERO deliveries! Tom is such a naughty boy!
The first softcover PG printing proof was just wonky. The second one was better and it's approved. I'm awaiting a shipment of them. Tracking says Monday the 30th.  
I'll come back in a few weeks to give you another update on this. 
As for the rules expansion. I've uploaded a new one HERE!!!! 
It includes all the new races and two new classes. I'll keep this in beta for a little while, because some of you are undoubtedly waiting for the books to start really digging in. After we think we have all the comments we need, we'll edit, lay art and release as a finalized rules enhancement. 
Thank you all again for your continued support and patience. I've gotten a lot of more positive emails over the last few weeks. (well, I suspect the ratio has been different over the NEW last few weeks)
Yours in the Game, 
Tom
It's a shame too. The rules are decent. The PDF isn't bad (especially when Tom finally removed the damn password protection)

Now, if you read the public comments on the Kickstarter page, one of the supporters has left a small gift for the public. Not sure how long the link will last, but I'd hate to see someone put money in this fucktard's hands for a PDF of a game that died before it arrived. Can you Pirate from a Thief? Almost sounds like class warfare.

Oh, read Redwulf's post over at the New Haven Game Forums - spot on!

24 comments:

  1. Thanks for the post Erik. Wonder if it has been spurned on by one of my recent comments. Anyhow - I really feel bad about this. Mostly because I am a fan of 2e and the system is decent and had potential to be a really cool update/alternative to 2e.

    I am happy I did not invest in this and believe me I was tempted to do so. Tom is generally probably the biggest failure in the RPG Kickstarter world. Mike Nystul at least had the balls to admit he failed everybody and Dwimmermount has handed off to somebody else to finish. So basically Tom has done 2 Kickstaters and then just dissappeared.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've posted about it fairly regularly recently:

      http://www.tenkarstavern.com/search/label/myth%20and%20magic

      Delete
    2. I know. Been following these posts and the situation around this. Tom has really earned his reputation with this one. As said - tis' a shame because the rules are good.

      Delete
    3. and "free" at the moment, assuming one has no qualms stealing from a thief...

      Delete
  2. The USPS has stepped up their game over the past year or so. Media Mail deliveries usually arrive in 3-5 days.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I sent out the Adventures Dark and Deep Bestiaries on October 8 via Media Mail, and even including the time to print them (!) they've been landing on people's doors this week. No way this is a post office issue, unless all 209 packages are sitting in a room someplace, forgotten.

      Delete
  3. I get stuff from finland in 3-5 days usually

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  4. When did Tom offer the PDF version without the password?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i thought the final PDF had no password.

      shit, the one linked in the comments on Kickstarter has no watermark or password...

      Delete
    2. my old version is watermarked, no password - OBS with my account, so i am assuming he gave out codes at some point (or maybe it's a reviewer's copy)

      Delete
  5. He gave out OBS codes/coupon links using the Kickstarter backer only updates. I missed them and by the time I found out, he had already entered his elusive phase. Despite asking, I received no response. My original copy was the password protected one. Which is silly given the standard amongst similar OSR games (or even in regards to non-open proprietary system games on PDF), especially funny for one based on an older edition of D&D and one build upon the OGL.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. use the link in the comments section of the kickstarter page (it's linked in the post)

      no watermarks, no passwords, no additional cash in Tom's pockets

      Delete
  6. You're right the PDF does look really nice. You would think he would just send that off to some cheap printer and at least get SOMETHING out to the backers. But RedWulf hit it right on the head.. I've met someone like that before.. Luckily I didn't really get burned... Just mad like he was when I found out I was being swindled the whole time.

    ReplyDelete
  7. NTRPG Con was one of the $500 backers on this (OUCH!). So using the PDF available we might print out hardcopies and sell them at next year's NTRPG con to recoup the money. Not like anyone is going to complain about it!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I came to the Tavern for news and views but I stay for the KS horrorshows.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Seems to me give the guy a deadline to communicate or file theft by embezzlement charges for those who pledged over 250 $ http://criminal.altmanllp.com/larceny.html I have always been concerned about KS policy's.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A deadline to communicate is only good if the party you asking to communicate will communicate. Tom has failed to communicate at all over the past few weeks, and failed to deliver product. Some backers are now looking at how to report him at the state level as a consumer complaining, which is important, because he is a lawyer. Yup, that's the great irony of it all. In all states, layers are held to a certain standard. No matter that this isn't the type of work that he is normally involved in, he is still held to the standards of his profession, and failure to follow through on a contract or communicated can actually cause him some problems.

      All he needs to do is communicate with the backers and ship the books he has shared pictures of. He said he has. No-one has received any. That doesn't mean he hasn't shipped them, as something may have happened that is out of is control between him and the post office, but without him refuting this and clarifying and being out of communication, we can only suspect the worst.

      Delete
  10. First, there were no pictures of books, only boxes said to hold books. Completely different things. It's a good bet there were never any books. Second, he hasn't shipped any books, nothing would happen "between him and the post office" that would bungle 400 shipments. It's amazing how much enabling goes on between a con man and his victims.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There were a couple of pictures of books, as a box was opened in update #59 - picture 3 and picture 5 show more that. However, the's no evidence the other boxes were full of books.

      There have been more comments posted on the project, including a comment by someone who has allegedly been in contact with Tom recently.

      However, I believe it's all smoke and mirrors, not books were sent, and the last update was a stalling tactic.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  11. Well. The whole thing is OGC. Hate to sound like a vulture or a ghoul, but people should take what they want from it and use it elsewhere.

    ReplyDelete

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