Mike Breault

[rabindranath72]

Hi all,
I asked Mike Breault to join us here at the Piazza. Hopefully he will accept the invitation and share his knowledge with us.

Cheers,
Antonio

[Havard]

Wow! He has a long list of merits in the RPG world: http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=s ... atorid=920

I have lots of things I would like to ask him about, including questions about Wrath of Olympus, the Ethengar Gazetteer (one of my favorite gazzies) and Ship of Horrors

Havard

[rabindranath72]

Wow! He has a long list of merits in the RPG world: http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=s ... atorid=920

I have lots of things I would like to ask him about, including questions about Wrath of Olympus, the Ethengar Gazetteer (one of my favorite gazzies) and Ship of Horrors

Havard

Me too! I am interested in the editing of the 2e PHB and DMG. Unfortunately, he received a quite poor welcome on a 1e site which I will not name. I guess you know the kind of people

[Havard]

Me too! I am interested in the editing of the 2e PHB and DMG. Unfortunately, he received a quite poor welcome on a 1e site which I will not name. I guess you know the kind of people

Sadly, I do know that kind of people.
Actually I havent seen those kinds of attitudes in a while. Sorry to hear they are still out there. At least this is something I have yet to see on the Piazza. I hope Mike will join us here. I like how this community has been able to embrace both new and old editions and settings while keeping things friendly.

Havard

[rabindranath72]

Sadly, I do know that kind of people.
Actually I havent seen those kinds of attitudes in a while. Sorry to hear they are still out there. At least this is something I have yet to see on the Piazza. I hope Mike will join us here. I like how this community has been able to embrace both new and old editions and settings while keeping things friendly.

Havard

I must say that the Piazza is by far my preferred community for anything related to D&D. I play and enjoy different versions of D&D, and I really see NO REASON why people cannot be civil as here. Looking at what happens on other sites, I feel that if the only thing the old-school gamers have to pass to new generations is "hate", then old-school deserves to die.

[night_druid]

Sadly, I do know that kind of people.
Actually I havent seen those kinds of attitudes in a while. Sorry to hear they are still out there. At least this is something I have yet to see on the Piazza. I hope Mike will join us here. I like how this community has been able to embrace both new and old editions and settings while keeping things friendly.

Its actually been relatively "quiet" here, other than the rare spammer. We don't have the griefer problems other sites seem to have. Hope it stays that way

[cab]

The ethos here seems to have become 'the game is important, the rules less so'. I wish that were more generally accepted to be true!

[cab]

Oh, and Mr. Brealt is responsible for some stunning works; it would be great to get him here.

[Havard]

I must say that the Piazza is by far my preferred community for anything related to D&D. I play and enjoy different versions of D&D, and I really see NO REASON why people cannot be civil as here. Looking at what happens on other sites, I feel that if the only thing the old-school gamers have to pass to new generations is "hate", then old-school deserves to die.

I feel your pain. I have seen two kinds of old school gamers. The ones who seem mostly interested in spreading their bile about "newer" editions (Even 2e or BECMI can be considered new by some) and the ones that are mostly concerned about sharing the love for their favorite games. I think most of us prefer the second group. I guess the others simply use the internet as an outlet for frustrations that may be related to other things in their life. Thankfully, we havent seen any of that here. This may be, as night_druid says, due to our relatively small size, but I also know small forum communities which are just hives of bile.

It is cool if we can get more people who have worked in the industry here. Talking to people like Allen, Tim and others is really interesting! If you can get mr Breault to join us, I will give you a gold star Antonio!

Havard

[rabindranath72]

I must say that the Piazza is by far my preferred community for anything related to D&D. I play and enjoy different versions of D&D, and I really see NO REASON why people cannot be civil as here. Looking at what happens on other sites, I feel that if the only thing the old-school gamers have to pass to new generations is "hate", then old-school deserves to die.

I feel your pain. I have seen two kinds of old school gamers. The ones who seem mostly interested in spreading their bile about "newer" editions (Even 2e or BECMI can be considered new by some) and the ones that are mostly concerned about sharing the love for their favorite games. I think most of us prefer the second group. I guess the others simply use the internet as an outlet for frustrations that may be related to other things in their life. Thankfully, we havent seen any of that here. This may be, as night_druid says, due to our relatively small size, but I also know small forum communities which are just hives of bile.

It is cool if we can get more people who have worked in the industry here. Talking to people like Allen, Tim and others is really interesting! If you can get mr Breault to join us, I will give you a gold star Antonio!

Havard

Wow a gold medal! I will try to corrupt Mr. Breault with my wife's famous chocolate biscuits
I think we all here should make an effort and discourage any edition wars or other similar stupid behaviour (however they might be exalted or condoned in other sites, or even in very famous blogs of which I will not make the name). If it takes violence (banning) to achieve it, so be it.

[Hugin]

The ethos here seems to have become 'the game is important, the rules less so'. I wish that were more generally accepted to be true!

&

Oh, and Mr. Brealt is responsible for some stunning works; it would be great to get him here.

Well, you didn't leave me much to say did you?! Truth, and truth.

And I also have to agree with Havard that the Ethengar Khanate gazetteer is among my favourites. I sure hope that Mike is able to join us here and discovers our little community.

P.S. Everybody, stop posting so I can finally get mine posted!

[night_druid]

The ethos here seems to have become 'the game is important, the rules less so'. I wish that were more generally accepted to be true!

And I am very happy for that.

[Big Mac]

Wow! He has a long list of merits in the RPG world: http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=s ... atorid=920

I have lots of things I would like to ask him about, including questions about Wrath of Olympus, the Ethengar Gazetteer (one of my favorite gazzies) and Ship of Horrors

Aside from my manditory interest in his Spelljammer editing, I would also be interested in the Dragonlance add-on Otherlands* and the adventure Wild Elves.

* = This is available as a free download if anyone is interested in seeing some of Mike Breault's work.

Wild Elves (the product that "took drow to Krynn") is one of these things that splits Dragonlance fans. There are people out there that foam at the mouth at the mere mention of the title, but I think the concept is pretty interesting.

Me too! I am interested in the editing of the 2e PHB and DMG. Unfortunately, he received a quite poor welcome on a 1e site which I will not name. I guess you know the kind of people

That is a real shame. These game designers have pretty much been paid any fees or wages due to them (with respect to the out of products we are interested in). They have no legal or moral obligation to provide us with any sort of "after sales support". So it is really an act of kindness when one of them decides to talk to RPG fans. That sort of kindness should not really be thrown back into someone's face.

But in defense of the nameless website (I don't even want to know the name of it) I think it is often a loud but small minority that do not really speak for the entire community. But when someone talks loudly and nobody wants to stand up to them, it does look like everyone is agreeing with them. And I don't think this sort of thing is limited to grognoids. I've seen early adopters who are critical of people who have not kept up with the times (again, I think they are an over-loud minority). (And the same thing has applied to non-standard D&D offshoots, like Dragonlance's SAGA game and Living Greyhawk.)

I must say that the Piazza is by far my preferred community for anything related to D&D. I play and enjoy different versions of D&D, and I really see NO REASON why people cannot be civil as here. Looking at what happens on other sites, I feel that if the only thing the old-school gamers have to pass to new generations is "hate", then old-school deserves to die.

I do write in several other D&D communities, but I really love the way that I can learn about all those things that I did not have enough cash to splash on back in the day. For me cash, space and research time meant that buying into a new campaign setting (or a new edition of the rules) was really a big deal for me.

And to be honest, I've learned a ton of useful things that I can apply to 3rd edition from old school gamers. So even if I did not have a semi-altruistic desire for people to be able to play the edition of D&D they want and the campaign setting they love, the principle of "enlightened self interest" would make me want to ensure that grognards had a place to go. In my personal experience, grognards are generally people who have a ton of experience with a campaign setting and next to encyclopedic websites (like Forgotten Realms Wiki, Dragonlance Lexicon and The Great Library of Greyhawk) the best way to find out some obscure detail about D&D is to "ask a grognard".

In an ideal world WotC would be doing high profile publishing of 4th edition, but allowing grognards to buy old stuff from some sort of print on demand outlet. In an ideal world 3e fans would help OD&D fans to convert Eberron to Classic D&D and AD&D fans would help convert Jakandor to 4e. D&D is a pointless game that is supposed to be fun and while it is a big shame that the old stuff isn't more easily available there is no valid reason for any of us to take that as an excuse for fan vs fan squabbling.

Anyway, I hope that Mike Breault comes onboard. I'm sure that he will be as welcome here as some of the other games creators we have here already.

[Havard]

Wow a gold medal! I will try to corrupt Mr. Breault with my wife's famous chocolate biscuits

Hehe, excellent!
Let us know if there are any leftovers...

I think we all here should make an effort and discourage any edition wars or other similar stupid behaviour (however they might be exalted or condoned in other sites, or even in very famous blogs of which I will not make the name). If it takes violence (banning) to achieve it, so be it.

If the problem should arise, I am sure we will find a way to deal with it. I actually think that as long as everyone keep behaving like they are now, acting respectfully towards the opinion of others, it might actually discourage those kinds of people we dont want here to even sign up.


Havard

[night_druid]

If the problem should arise, I am sure we will find a way to deal with it. I actually think that as long as everyone keep behaving like they are now, acting respectfully towards the opinion of others, it might actually discourage those kinds of people we dont want here to even sign up.

I find edition wars to be extremely boring. Usually people talking past one another and trying to "score points". Blech, waste of time and text. Rather devote that energy to writing. gaming, and exchanging ideas/having fun here instead.

[night_druid]

Me too! I am interested in the editing of the 2e PHB and DMG. Unfortunately, he received a quite poor welcome on a 1e site which I will not name. I guess you know the kind of people

Couple of months ago, I might have made a guess, but I've discovered there's actually several devoted 1e forums, and quite a few (if not most) are havens for those types.

But back to the original topic, I'm always interested to see more professional writers post here!

[rabindranath72]

Me too! I am interested in the editing of the 2e PHB and DMG. Unfortunately, he received a quite poor welcome on a 1e site which I will not name. I guess you know the kind of people

Couple of months ago, I might have made a guess, but I've discovered there's actually several devoted 1e forums, and quite a few (if not most) are havens for those types.

But back to the original topic, I'm always interested to see more professional writers post here!

I know two or three sites, and probably it's the same few, vocal people, who always produce the same trash, and seem to take the mantle of "saviours of the race". Probably as has been said above, these guys vent their frustrations through those sites I have no idea, but I find it unnerving at best. I too like 1e, but only the idea of being associated with those fanatics makes me retch . Instead of going out trying to show the modern players that there are other versions of the game still worth playing, they indulge in zealotry. I have had success introducing AD&D to 3e and 4e players, at least now they can appreciate the differences and enjoy different styles of play.
Those zealots were throwing trash on David Cook (the usual story that he is evil, that he ripped Gary Gygax etc.), that's why Mike Breault felt he had to intervene as a person who was informed of the facts (it seems he worked at TSR from 1984 to 1989). I know he has read my invitation, and I hope he will accept despite the treatment he got there

[night_druid]

I know two or three sites, and probably it's the same few, vocal people, who always produce the same trash, and seem to take the mantle of "saviours of the race". Probably as has been said above, these guys vent their frustrations through those sites I have no idea, but I find it unnerving at best. I too like 1e, but only the idea of being associated with those fanatics makes me retch .

Probably the same couple of sites I'm thinking of; I find it best to just ignore 'em. They've got their place to do what they want to do (vent), we've got ours. There's always going to be differences of opinion and attitudes, and so long as they stay on "that side of the pond" (figurately speaking), I'm happy.

Those zealots were throwing trash on David Cook (the usual story that he is evil, that he ripped Gary Gygax etc.), that's why Mike Breault felt he had to intervene as a person who was informed of the facts (it seems he worked at TSR from 1984 to 1989). I know he has read my invitation, and I hope he will accept despite the treatment he got there

Eh, that's silly. The whole "Gary" thing was a fight between owners; I highly doubt Cook, Breault, or any other writer, editor, or even manager had any say in the matter. Ultimately they're doing a job; their job may be fun, but its still a job and they take their orders from higher up. I have a feeling that particular time was one of those "keep your head down, hope nobody notices you until the storm blows over" things for the vast majority of the people at TSR.

[rabindranath72]

Eh, that's silly. The whole "Gary" thing was a fight between owners; I highly doubt Cook, Breault, or any other writer, editor, or even manager had any say in the matter. Ultimately they're doing a job; their job may be fun, but its still a job and they take their orders from higher up. I have a feeling that particular time was one of those "keep your head down, hope nobody notices you until the storm blows over" things for the vast majority of the people at TSR.

That's EXACTLY the point that Mike Breault was trying to address. No way. Cook is evil, Breault is evil, everyone else who worked on 2e is evil. And there is always some guy that "was there", but he won't give any proof of the fact. Oh, and 2e is for wussies.

[night_druid]

That's EXACTLY the point that Mike Breault was trying to address. No way. Cook is evil, Breault is evil, everyone else who worked on 2e is evil. And there is always some guy that "was there", but he won't give any proof of the fact. Oh, and 2e is for wussies.

AND they wonder why none of the writers/editiors/whatever want to associate with them...

[JoeNotCharles]

You know, every post in this thread says "Mike Breault" at the top in big letters, so I think it's finally him posting!

[cab]

Eh, that's silly. The whole "Gary" thing was a fight between owners; I highly doubt Cook, Breault, or any other writer, editor, or even manager had any say in the matter. Ultimately they're doing a job; their job may be fun, but its still a job and they take their orders from higher up. I have a feeling that particular time was one of those "keep your head down, hope nobody notices you until the storm blows over" things for the vast majority of the people at TSR.

There have been multiple accounts given of various of the battles that went on for control of TSR. Its kind of got a morbid fascination, but in all honesty none of us have got anything to gain from taking a partisan position in such affairs. Undoubtedly these things did impact upon game development in some way, but its now a matter of history. People who weren't there (like I'll guess pretty much all of us) still get worked up about it, and it ain't worth it.

[BlackBat242]

In defense of most of those at that site, they were mostly polite, even while noting that they prefer 1E and "OD&D"... it was only a couple, and one a&&& in particular that were nasty... and I called the a^^%& on it.

It is, however, a site that specifically lists itself as a "OD&D/1E (pre-UA)/clones of those only" site, so a lack of appreciation for his work is to be expected from those there... however polite they may be to him as an individual.

I personally prefer 1E to 2E, and don't play any of the later ones, but I have no problems with individuals that do. I enjoy the atmosphere here, and often use "3E+" material from here as base material for my "TSR-AD&D" games.

I think Mike would be an asset here, and hope he gives us a try.

[BlackBat242]

PS... I'm grabbing a lot of Blackmoor stuff, Havard... to go with my Supplement II Blackmoor and Judges Guild First Fantasy Campaign books.

[rabindranath72]

It is, however, a site that specifically lists itself as a "OD&D/1E (pre-UA)/clones of those only" site, so a lack of appreciation for his work is to be expected from those there... however polite they may be to him as an individual.

The problem is that "lack of appreciation" translates into personal attacks. The problem is that a matter of tastes becomes something apparently OBJECTIVE (i.e. 2e is crap vs. I do not like 2e; or, those who play 2e are wussies etc.). This is, plainly put, juvenile if not outright pathetic. And there is no excuse for such behaviour. Hopefully the majority of people simply stays silent, and the few idiots make a lot of noise.

The last exploit: calling Larry Elmore a "whore"; when art is the most subjective thing in the world. These guys need a life.