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<H1>RE: [MUD-DEV] a shrinking pool of players?</H1>
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<LI><em>To</em>: "'<A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A>'" <<A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A>></LI>
<LI><em>Subject</em>: RE: [MUD-DEV] a shrinking pool of players?</LI>
<LI><em>From</em>: "Travis S. Casey" <<A HREF="mailto:efindel#io,com">efindel#io,com</A>></LI>
<LI><em>Date</em>: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 13:26:01 -0600 (EST)</LI>
<LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI>
<LI><em>Sender</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev-admin#kanga,nu">mud-dev-admin#kanga,nu</A></LI>
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<PRE>
On Thu, 17 Feb 2000, Bryce Harrington wrote:
> > And yeah, I think the number of people actively playing text muds is
> > probably shrinking. I think this is the last echo of what happened to the
> > paper-game industry in the 1980s and early 1990s. Too bad too. (FWIW, one
> > of my pipedreams along these lines is to put out paper RPG
> > systems/supplements as a labor of love, without worrying about turning a
> > profit, as that's almost impossible to do these days in that part of the
> > industry. Who knows, maybe someday...)
>
> Hmm, I've been thinking along the same lines... Do you think a paper
> RPG rules system, if strongly associated with a computerized version of
> the game rules, might do better? I.e., would the fact that there are
> umteen thousand players of such and such online rpg give a publisher
> enough incentive to perhaps try publishing the rules system behind it?
> In this situation, would be be wise to keep the game rules "secret"
> until the publisher can publish them, or would it be better to open them
> freely, thus gaining public feedback and enhancement (and maybe users)?
I don't think it would do better -- you might be more likely to find
someone willing to publish a paper RPG based on a popular mud than one
without such a basis, but beyond the initial spurt, I don't think it would
help much, if at all.
If you're using rules simple enough to also be used as a paper RPG, I
don't think you have much hope of keeping them secret -- there are a lot
of players out there who are eager to reverse-engineer such "secrets."
Note as well that few paper RPGs do well on the basis of just a good
system -- it's setting and quality of supplements that turn the trick.
--
|\ _,,,---,,_ Travis S. Casey <efindel#io,com>
ZZzz /,`.-'`' -. ;-;;,_ No one agrees with me. Not even me.
|,4- ) )-,_..;\ ( `'-'
'---''(_/--' `-'_)
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<LI><STRONG><A NAME="00379" HREF="msg00379.html">RE: [MUD-DEV] a shrinking pool of players?</A></STRONG>
<UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> Bryce Harrington <bryce#neptune,net></LI></UL></LI>
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<ul><li>Thread context:
<BLOCKQUOTE><UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00351" HREF="msg00351.html">RE: commercial muds and cable TV (was RE: [MUD-Dev] code base inquiry )</A></strong>,
Sellers, Michael <a href="mailto:MSellers#maxis,com">MSellers#maxis,com</a>, Wed 16 Feb 2000, 02:07 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00366" HREF="msg00366.html">RE: commercial muds and cable TV (was RE: [MUD-Dev] code base inquiry )</A></strong>,
Matthew Mihaly <a href="mailto:diablo#best,com">diablo#best,com</a>, Wed 16 Feb 2000, 17:29 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00352" HREF="msg00352.html">RE: [MUD-DEV] a shrinking pool of players?</A></strong>,
Sellers, Michael <a href="mailto:MSellers#maxis,com">MSellers#maxis,com</a>, Wed 16 Feb 2000, 02:07 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00379" HREF="msg00379.html">RE: [MUD-DEV] a shrinking pool of players?</A></strong>,
Bryce Harrington <a href="mailto:bryce#neptune,net">bryce#neptune,net</a>, Thu 17 Feb 2000, 18:06 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00392" HREF="msg00392.html">RE: [MUD-DEV] a shrinking pool of players?</A></strong>,
Travis S. Casey <a href="mailto:efindel#io,com">efindel#io,com</a>, Thu 17 Feb 2000, 20:47 GMT
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<li><Possible follow-up(s)><br>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00353" HREF="msg00353.html">Re: [MUD-DEV] a shrinking pool of players?</A></strong>,
PartyG2816 <a href="mailto:PartyG2816#aol,com">PartyG2816#aol,com</a>, Wed 16 Feb 2000, 02:13 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00355" HREF="msg00355.html">Re: [MUD-DEV] a shrinking pool of players?</A></strong>,
J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#kanga,nu">claw#kanga,nu</a>, Wed 16 Feb 2000, 03:04 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00354" HREF="msg00354.html">Re: [MUD-DEV] a shrinking pool of players?</A></strong>,
PartyG2816 <a href="mailto:PartyG2816#aol,com">PartyG2816#aol,com</a>, Wed 16 Feb 2000, 02:35 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00360" HREF="msg00360.html">Re: [MUD-DEV] a shrinking pool of players?</A></strong>,
Ryan P. <a href="mailto:ixiterra#earthlink,net">ixiterra#earthlink,net</a>, Wed 16 Feb 2000, 05:34 GMT
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</UL></BLOCKQUOTE>
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