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"Industry" musings.
Dec. 22nd, 2005 11:04 pmI don't normally pontificate about the RPG industry or any of that sort of thing. In the last year, this has been specifically because I was employed by WotC. It just seemed that nearly anything I could have said was either treading upon NDA issues or generally just unseemly as I was no longer freelancing, and it's easy to ramble into theoretical zones when it's not your money or time on the line. There's a big gap between WotC and other RPG publishers, and while crossing that gap is very illuminating, it also renders one's view of the industry at large rather moot. There are so few points of comparison that can be made that, really, most theories becomes completely spurious. At least, that was my experience. I was loathe to take on the potential role of the patrician explaining to the plebs how they could better earn a daily wage, so I eschewed it entirely. It seemed the wisest plan.
The other reason I don't generally go there is a more long-lasting one, in that there's an odd sort of breach of etiquette involved. I have opinions based on my experiences and things I've both seen and heard about, but in order to justify my arguments, I should of necessity disclose how I came to them. The nature of this business, though, rebukes any such public disclosure of things I may or may not have been told in confidence, but which certainly may not be known to the general public. As tempting as it is, for good or ill (and usually to the industry's detriment as a whole), telling tales out of school comes back to bite you on the ass, and that was never a risk I was willing to take. Given that making arguments without being willing to back up how I got there seemed an equally bad plan.... well, you do the math.
The recent flurry of postings and LJ rants and unusual activity related to the health, welfare, and general rigamarole of the RPG industry, however, has made the subject much on my mind of late. I'm therefore going to indulge in a short Q&A of standard industry questions, just to formally expunge the urge from my psyche. ( Read more... )
The other reason I don't generally go there is a more long-lasting one, in that there's an odd sort of breach of etiquette involved. I have opinions based on my experiences and things I've both seen and heard about, but in order to justify my arguments, I should of necessity disclose how I came to them. The nature of this business, though, rebukes any such public disclosure of things I may or may not have been told in confidence, but which certainly may not be known to the general public. As tempting as it is, for good or ill (and usually to the industry's detriment as a whole), telling tales out of school comes back to bite you on the ass, and that was never a risk I was willing to take. Given that making arguments without being willing to back up how I got there seemed an equally bad plan.... well, you do the math.
The recent flurry of postings and LJ rants and unusual activity related to the health, welfare, and general rigamarole of the RPG industry, however, has made the subject much on my mind of late. I'm therefore going to indulge in a short Q&A of standard industry questions, just to formally expunge the urge from my psyche. ( Read more... )
