Re: [DL] Combined format? (PEG)

["B.D. Flory" <bflory@frontiernet.net>]

Let me start by saying I own every PEG book to date.  I will continue to
buy every PEG book, as long as you folks continue the level of quality that
you've established.  This is true regardless of whether the three lines are
integrated or they continue as is.

*HOWEVER*

I will not be as happy with the combined book format.  While I do like the
epitaph, there are several points on which it is weak compared to a full
sourcebook.

1) Coherency- Not only is a book more interesting to read if it contains
information hinging around a location, AB, or some similar idea, it is a
great deal more convenient to have all of the information in the same
place.  Under the current model, if I want to look up hexes, I look in
Hucksters & Hexes.  Templar Gifts? The Last Crusaders.  Information on
Junkyard society in 1877? City o' Gloom.  Unfortunately, Epitaph style
books suffer in this regard.  The information is provided piecemeal, and in
the case of larger productions, must be spread out over several issues.

2) Convenience- Many Marshals do not host their own games.  They play at
either a player's residence, or a local game store.  As such, with the
volume of product out for the WW line (and, to a lesser extent, HoE), the
Marshal is forced to pick and choose which books to bring each weak, based
on what he thinks he needs.  A backpack only has so much space, after all. 
This problem will be exacerbated by combining the three lines in the
Epitaph.  To wit: if two-thirds of each book you need to bring is
irrelevant to that evening's game, that's two thirds of the backpack
wasted.

3) Cost- While many Deadlands players do purchase books for all three
produce lines, there is a flip side.  Many players are only interested in
one or two of the games.  By removing the option to purchase books for only
the game line a player chooses to play (or read), you are forcing that
player to purchase unwanted and useless (to them) material, or not purchase
Deadlands books at all.  I suspect casual players and readers will choose
the latter option, for the most part.

Of course, all of the above problems will only snowball as the Deadlands
universe expands.  Right now, we you only need to support two product
lines.  In february, Lost Colony will make that three.  Add the miniature
games for each of the three settings, and we fragment further.  And this
isn't even including articles on the Lost Colony card game (deck ideas,
strategy articles, previews of new sets, and the like).

That's all I got,

B. D. Flory

"There are four types of homicide: felonious, culpable, justifiable, and
praiseworthy."
                                                   -Oscar Wilde