ASL First FireFriday, February 13, 2004
Cheerleading
Periodically the online ASL community will flare up into a bit of a flame war over the state of the game, its future prospects, and the work being done by those responsible for being the game's caretakers. The most common subjects of such "flame wars" are of course, MMP, since because of their contract with Hasbro, they are the only "official" producers of ASL material, and are thus also responsible for maintaining the ASL Rulebook and core modules. The most recent kerfuffle has been the latest I Want My Maypo! discussion regarding Armies of Oblivion generated on the ASL Forums and ConsimWorld. Of course, other Third-Party producers (TPP) will occasionally be targeted, particularly Critical Hit, but the majority seems pointed towards MMP because of their vital role and high profile. Consequently, those who defend MMP (and the others) are promptly labeled "suck-ups" or "cheerleaders."
Having been indirectly labeled such myself, I thought it'd be worth going over exactly how things stand in the ASL world currently. Multiman Publishing primarily consists of Brian Youse and Perry Cocke, with Curt Schilling still involved and Russ Bunten having recently had to move on with life-matters. Others help out as well, particularly with playtesting and proofreading. MMP has been involved with ASL for many years and have had a hand in the development of a number of ASL products even back when Avalon Hill was still responsible for the game. They have an official capacity, one that was clearly available to them because of the financial resources Curt could offer, but as has been made clear many times (often by Curt himself), he is not bankrolling the operation. The company funds ASL and other games purely by income generated by other products. In the meantime, these guys still have day jobs and ASL is their hobby and what they work on in their spare time. Their "official" capacity does not change that fact. They cannot do it all themselves and depend on a number of volunteers, all of whom have a lot of dedication to this hobby.
When Avalon Hill was sold, MMP was elevated from being responsible for producing ASL stuff under the banner of Avalon Hill to being the official producer of ASL with only a token reference to Hasbro on the gamebox. This was the transition from "hobbyist" to "business", and as with any endeavor, once you begin charging for something you do, the expectations are different. The problem is that MMP is still the same people. That's pretty much how it's going to be. As has been said on the ASLML, we represent a niche within a niche hobby. It'd be great if the guys at MMP could hire people to do the grunt work (layout, collating, etc.). However, this hobby just isn't going to allow that. With the exception of a few game companies, it's simply never going to be profitable to the point that these guys will be able to quit their day jobs and do this full time.
I don't know any of these guys personally. I've corresponded them some by e-mail or through the online forums, pretty much the same as most people in the ASL online community. I certainly don't think they are necessarily above reproach. They have made plenty of mistakes in running their business in the (more than) five years since taking over as official ASL producers, a fact they themselves have admitted. Many players are disappointed in their willingness to take on other projects, especially taking over The Gamers line of games two years ago, although Brian and Perry insist that ASL is the primary focus of their time, with others handling The Gamers products. The ASL Rulebook and Beyond Valor are currently out of print and have been so for a couple of years. Clearly the hobby cannot grow without the rules and the most important core module. Armies of Oblivion is a source of much consternation right now (and frequently in the past), as it is the final "official" core module remaining (with the exception of the Finnish module) and, perhaps more importantly, because it has been promised for so long. Avalon Hill first mentioned the module in the early 90's as representing the armor and ordnance of all the "Minor" World War II combatants, before the Allied Minor countries were given their own module in Doomed Batallions. MMP themselves have been promising this module for several years, and clearly their track record at meeting promised deadlines has not been the best.
However, none of this changes the fact that these guys are still hobbyists, are still pretty much like us. They are not doing this to take our money, they are not doing this to get rich, they are not doing this for any reason except love of the game. The same pretty much applies to the other "unofficial" producers of ASL products. None of these guys are in this for any reason except love of the game. I'd love to continue to help fund their hobbies by buying official ASL products, but I'm willing to cut them a ton of slack because of the reality of their situation. They are not an ordinary business, and I'm not expecting them to act like an ordinary business. I expect them to do their best to release products as soon as they feel it's right to do so. They've done a good job of doing exactly that in the past. They are clearly committed to continuing to grow the hobby. The ASL Starter Kit and their intention to push this with retailers is clearly a step in the right direction. ASL is in good hands. Avalon Hill does not exist anymore, no matter what we all would like. MMP is only a step above desktop publishing, and given the circumstances they are doing fine.
Having been indirectly labeled such myself, I thought it'd be worth going over exactly how things stand in the ASL world currently. Multiman Publishing primarily consists of Brian Youse and Perry Cocke, with Curt Schilling still involved and Russ Bunten having recently had to move on with life-matters. Others help out as well, particularly with playtesting and proofreading. MMP has been involved with ASL for many years and have had a hand in the development of a number of ASL products even back when Avalon Hill was still responsible for the game. They have an official capacity, one that was clearly available to them because of the financial resources Curt could offer, but as has been made clear many times (often by Curt himself), he is not bankrolling the operation. The company funds ASL and other games purely by income generated by other products. In the meantime, these guys still have day jobs and ASL is their hobby and what they work on in their spare time. Their "official" capacity does not change that fact. They cannot do it all themselves and depend on a number of volunteers, all of whom have a lot of dedication to this hobby.
When Avalon Hill was sold, MMP was elevated from being responsible for producing ASL stuff under the banner of Avalon Hill to being the official producer of ASL with only a token reference to Hasbro on the gamebox. This was the transition from "hobbyist" to "business", and as with any endeavor, once you begin charging for something you do, the expectations are different. The problem is that MMP is still the same people. That's pretty much how it's going to be. As has been said on the ASLML, we represent a niche within a niche hobby. It'd be great if the guys at MMP could hire people to do the grunt work (layout, collating, etc.). However, this hobby just isn't going to allow that. With the exception of a few game companies, it's simply never going to be profitable to the point that these guys will be able to quit their day jobs and do this full time.
I don't know any of these guys personally. I've corresponded them some by e-mail or through the online forums, pretty much the same as most people in the ASL online community. I certainly don't think they are necessarily above reproach. They have made plenty of mistakes in running their business in the (more than) five years since taking over as official ASL producers, a fact they themselves have admitted. Many players are disappointed in their willingness to take on other projects, especially taking over The Gamers line of games two years ago, although Brian and Perry insist that ASL is the primary focus of their time, with others handling The Gamers products. The ASL Rulebook and Beyond Valor are currently out of print and have been so for a couple of years. Clearly the hobby cannot grow without the rules and the most important core module. Armies of Oblivion is a source of much consternation right now (and frequently in the past), as it is the final "official" core module remaining (with the exception of the Finnish module) and, perhaps more importantly, because it has been promised for so long. Avalon Hill first mentioned the module in the early 90's as representing the armor and ordnance of all the "Minor" World War II combatants, before the Allied Minor countries were given their own module in Doomed Batallions. MMP themselves have been promising this module for several years, and clearly their track record at meeting promised deadlines has not been the best.
However, none of this changes the fact that these guys are still hobbyists, are still pretty much like us. They are not doing this to take our money, they are not doing this to get rich, they are not doing this for any reason except love of the game. The same pretty much applies to the other "unofficial" producers of ASL products. None of these guys are in this for any reason except love of the game. I'd love to continue to help fund their hobbies by buying official ASL products, but I'm willing to cut them a ton of slack because of the reality of their situation. They are not an ordinary business, and I'm not expecting them to act like an ordinary business. I expect them to do their best to release products as soon as they feel it's right to do so. They've done a good job of doing exactly that in the past. They are clearly committed to continuing to grow the hobby. The ASL Starter Kit and their intention to push this with retailers is clearly a step in the right direction. ASL is in good hands. Avalon Hill does not exist anymore, no matter what we all would like. MMP is only a step above desktop publishing, and given the circumstances they are doing fine.
