Quote:
Originally Posted by TheAmishStig
I'm not proud of being able to say this...no, that doesn't go far enough, I'm ashamed...but I do distinctly remember fiery outrage in response to a statement along those lines, because I took part in such outrage. Now I'm pushing 40 instead of pushing 21, and thinking 'Man, I was a dumb (fnord) back then, wasn't I...'...but it's one of those things that remains forever seared into a brain cell or three.
If I had to guess, that statement would have come from Topps...
|
I edited this down a bit to these two statements, since I think they're most-relevant to what I'm trying to say here.
I also remember feeling outraged circa 2000. In fact, it was a personal message from Paul Sjardin - a longtime behind-the-scenes contributor to BattleTech - that snapped me out of it. This, eventually, led to me joining the tabletop development team about a decade later. But not everyone can have the benefit of such direct contact. One of the things I love about SJ Games is that the company's officers and authors are fully willing to get out there and give their side of the story, unvarnished and honest. If CWC's sales don't warrant further reprints (or, fingers crossed, new material), then Phil, Andrew, or even SJ will tell us so, likely with an apology.
Back to BT, I don't think Topps - at the time, actually Wizkids - ever made the direct statement that MWDA was a replacement for BattleTech. I believe the outrage stemmed from awkward early marketing. MechWarrior: Dark Age was originally named BattleTech: Phoenix Rising and billed as the future of the franchise; this ruffled not a few feathers. Then, because collectible miniatures games were the New Hotness, MWDA could be found at a lot of places that never carried BattleTech in the first place, leading to frustration both among fans and sellers. Add in your usual internet echo chambers, and you've got a misconception that's lasted almost two decades.
SJ Games has, I believe, done what they can to avoid the same problems with Car Wars. It's now on us, the old-school players, to act as "brand ambassadors." If we see people getting worked up over the new design, then we can pour water on the flames. Remind folks that Car Wars simply ran out of steam back in the 90s, and yet SJ Games kept the core game in print for years and years. They've even reprinted a huge number of the most-iconic games and supplements. If they bring up MWDA, show how the new game is different: no hidden stats, no randomized boosters, gameplay that tries to capture the essence of car vs. car combat while hiding a lot of the math.
Anyway, I think that's far more than my two cents. If you couldn't guess, I am a wee bit passionate about the topic.