Why the "Big Release" Polls Are Flawed

[Super Squirrel]

Re: Why the "Big Release" Polls Are Flawed

 

So George Bush won the election 'cause all the other candidates were dogs???

Well, perhaps in the primaries.

[Publius]

Re: Why the "Big Release" Polls Are Flawed

 

Something like a big packet of 1" scale folding hexmaps of things like a bank' date=' an office building, hotel, a villainous lair or two, stronghold, a supermarket, warehouse, industrial site (like a chemical plant or steel foundry) and things like that? To increase cross-genre appeal, have the flip side have a fantasy inn, a manor house, high-tech something, etc.[/quote']Been there, done that. I test marketed a book of maps at Ambercon (the Convention in MI for the Amber Diceless Roleplaying System). I had everything from a Cathedral (although I wasn't happy with how that one turned out) to a typical office suite to Warehouses and storefronts, two throne rooms, restaurants, bars, a medieveal house setup as well as a traditional native American Longhouse, European longhouse etc.

 

It was an eccelectic mix, suffering somewhat from the fact that I was operating under a rather tight deadline (my own fault) and I was writing for a game that even more than HERO allows you to go literally anywhere.

 

Plop.

 

I sold something like 3 at the convention (the GOO President was there and didn't sell much there by comparison either he told me) and one more on consignment from a local Hobby store (I started them off with two just to test the waters). The problem could very well be my stealth marketing technique, and I have long thought about selling the collection online as a pdf (perhaps even in concert with a larger more well established company ). I would for instance love to work in concert with the fellow that is doing the see-through hex sheets and put together maps in 8.5x11 sections for use with his product.

[Roland]

Re: Why the "Big Release" Polls Are Flawed

 

So George Bush won the election 'cause all the other candidates were dogs???

 

Which election? 2000 or 2004? Primary or general election?

 

If American-style democracy actually picked the candidate a majority of Americans wanted, John McCain would now be serving his second term. He was clearly the popular favorite in 2000, especially among rank-and-file Republicans and independents. But independents can't vote in most states' party primaries, and the hacks who run the parties can manipulate things in favor of "establishment" candidates.

 

Any system that involves multiple rounds of voting on different combinations of issues/candidates is easy to manipulate. A well-positioned, well-organized minority can often thwart the will of the majority.

[Supreme Serpent]

Re: Why the "Big Release" Polls Are Flawed

 

Been there, done that. I test marketed a book of maps at Ambercon (the Convention in MI for the Amber Diceless Roleplaying System). I had everything from a Cathedral (although I wasn't happy with how that one turned out) to a typical office suite to Warehouses and storefronts, two throne rooms, restaurants, bars, a medieveal house setup as well as a traditional native American Longhouse, European longhouse etc.

 

It was an eccelectic mix, suffering somewhat from the fact that I was operating under a rather tight deadline (my own fault) and I was writing for a game that even more than HERO allows you to go literally anywhere.

 

Plop.

 

I sold something like 3 at the convention (the GOO President was there and didn't sell much there by comparison either he told me) and one more on consignment from a local Hobby store (I started them off with two just to test the waters). The problem could very well be my stealth marketing technique, and I have long thought about selling the collection online as a pdf (perhaps even in concert with a larger more well established company ). I would for instance love to work in concert with the fellow that is doing the see-through hex sheets and put together maps in 8.5x11 sections for use with his product.

 

Sounds like a nifty packet. Perhaps part of the reason for the initial cold reaction was the market? From my Amber experiences, they tend to be pretty map-light affairs, given that many tactical considerations like range penalties, cover, movement rates and the like are extremely subjective matters. I would think that a more "crunchy" audience (such as HERO gamers) would find much more use for such a product. Our group has a big collection of home-made laminated posterboard maps, but I'd always be interested in more options. (we also have a bunch of to-scale 2-d vehicles, many of which also have stats on the flip side...one of our players/GMs is quite good at doing such things and used to have a lot of time to do them... )