[DL] Re: Pinnacle sold... (REALLY OT)

["travis lide" <sinisterdexter@mindspring.com>]

----- Original Message ----- >
> Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 23:54:01 -0600
> From: darious@darious.com
> Subject: Re: [DL] Pinnacle sold... (REALLY OT)

> Possibly - but you can't assign altruistic motives to WotC - the TSR
> purchase was just part of the standard Hasbro plan of consolidation -
along
> the same lines of their ownership of Galoob, Parker Brothers, Milton
> Bradley, Microprose, Larami, Atari, Oddzon, Tiger Toys and I think about 4
> or 5 more. . . before getting to the companies of our peculiar industry of
> WotC, TSR and LUG.

Let's not forget Avalon Hill - the true King of Gaming. That Hasbro now
owns, has shut down and sullied their name with games like "Axis and
Allies." Not that it's not a good game, but it's /not/ worthy of an AH
title.

> It does seem a shame only that those companies that engage in customer
> abusive marketing ploys are those that thrive.  WotC, TSR, Games Workshop,
> White Wolf, AEG. . . of course - TSR ultimately reaped what it sowed in
the
> late 80s, and WotC just pulled out one of the underpinnings to AEG by
> pulling the L5R CCG entirely inhouse. . .

Out of curiosity, what do White Wolf and AEG do that make you think they
engage in "customer abusive marketing ploys"? Aside from selling the same 10
Vampire books in various leather editions, I can't think of much that White
Wolf has done.. And aside from the Leather Clan Books I can't think of much
AEG has done. And I don't consider any of these any worse than the Pinnacle
Deadlands deal for retailers a few years back, the Hell On Earth deal from
two years back, the Leather Edition of Deadlands or the Leatherette HoE book
that was only available through Pinnacle.

Hell, I was quite pleased with AEG's Clan War Rack Deal they did recently. I
got a *lot* of Clan War stuff, at a great discount shipped directly to me,
but sold through my distributor. Everyone was happy, including my customers
who got Daimyo Edition before it was available anywhere else. AEG even did a
stock balance to allow me to ship them old Clan War stuff for anything else
AEG made. That isn't abusive - it's supportive.

Sinister Dexter
sinisterdexter@mindspring.com