(hypothetical) What would you ask Dave Nilsen?

[daryen]

LKW,

While I am posting, I do want to also thank you for all of the answers you have already given, whether to me, or to others.

I know that you really can't answer many of them, especially the GT scheduling/future plans ones, but you have always answered as much as you can, and usually answered them very directly.

Thank you.

And thank you also for still staying out in the forums. Considering the reactions you sometimes receive, that is saying a lot.

 

[LKW]

Originally posted by daryen:
However, I am curious about the whole TNE changeover. Dave seems to get the worst of it in regards to TNE, but how involved were the rest of you at GDW with the changeover to TNE? I assume everyone was on board, but were there any concerns about the change to TNE? It was a pretty massive change, both in setting and in rules.

Everyone at GDW was "on board" as you say. I was involved in the background design, and wrote some stuff for it, but I was primarily concerned with keeping Twilight: 2000 going, so my day-to-day involvement was less than it might have been.

Also, what do you think of MJD's 1248 effort? Have you had a chance to check it out?

I haven't read it -- not enough time to read the things I _have_ to read, let alone the things I want to read.

Oh, one more. At what point (in terms of MegaTraveller products) was it decided that Strephon wasn't really dead?

My fault: When MT was in the planning stages, I suggested that one of the parties in the Rebellion be "The real Strephon" -- based on the career of Pugachev in Russia (an imposter claiming to be Czar Peter III).

As time passed, it became clear that the fans _really,_ REALLY wanted it to be Strephon, and would have lynched us is we had revealed he was an imposter . . . so we changed it, and in the process came up with a reason for him not to have been in the Palace.

 

[LKW]

Originally posted by daryen:
LKW,

While I am posting, I do want to also thank you for all of the answers you have already given, whether to me, or to others.

I know that you really can't answer many of them, especially the GT scheduling/future plans ones, but you have always answered as much as you can, and usually answered them very directly.

It is against SJ Games policy to discuss specifics about products more than 4 months in the future. That said, I can say that I am currently looking over an e23 GT product, and soliciting authors to create others.

Thank you.

And thank you also for still staying out in the forums. Considering the reactions you sometimes receive, that is saying a lot.

You are welcome.

I've found the reception here to be pretty friendly, all things considered.

 

[parmasson]

“I've found the reception here to be pretty friendly, all things considered.”

We are all Traveller junkies. As such I think we can be a bit twitchy on occasions when we are looking for a good fix. Thanks for stopping by, I like to lurk in here.

 

[Cymew]

I'll probably never understand why people are so attached to Strephon. The way he is presented in "Arrival Vengence" is pretty unsympathetic to me. On the other hand that folio is the worst of DN condensed, IMHO. Great that tastes differ, right?

I find the idea of an imposter both likable and fairly likely.

BTW Loren, I have recently gotten a serious illness, i.e. painting minis and planning about new minis I'd like to get!

You mentioning it here happened at a bad moment when others were working on me for a more minis positive attitude! Now I'm sitting with a bunch of 15mm goth and a brush in my hand...

 

[LKW]

Originally posted by Cymew:
BTW Loren, I have recently gotten a serious illness, i.e. painting minis and planning about new minis I'd like to get!

You mentioning it here happened at a bad moment when others were working on me for a more minis positive attitude! Now I'm sitting with a bunch of 15mm goth and a brush in my hand...

There are worse things that could happen to you

 

[mike wightman]

Loren, I've just been re-reading Dave's comments on this thread, and a couple of times he mentioned that you did a lot of work of Clipper modules and deck plans.

Any chance you will publish them sometime?

 

[TheDS]

Originally posted by LKW:
There are worse things that could happen to you

Reminds me of a favorite saying, that most people screw up when repeating, or miss the point.

"If you swallow a frog first thing in the morning, nothing worse will happen to either of you for the rest of the day."

 

[LKW]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
Loren, I've just been re-reading Dave's comments on this thread, and a couple of times he mentioned that you did a lot of work of Clipper modules and deck plans.

Any chance you will publish them sometime?

Yes. Please don't ask for specifics (like when, and how much $) : )

 

[jfetters]

You shouldn't tease us like this...

 

[LKW]

Originally posted by Jim Fetters:
You shouldn't tease us like this...

How would you prefer to be teased?

 

[Eduardo]

Originally posted by LKW:
In the meantime, any questions for me?

It would be nice if you or Mr. Nilsen would clear up some minor snivels regarding the World Tamers sourcebook, as posed in this thread:

Economic Issues

... here in the TNE Forum. They should be easy ones that don't take a lot of time. Or a small FAQ from somebody who worked on the economic model would be even better, if you or him aren't the primary writers involved with that aspect of it?

 

[LKW]

Originally posted by Eduardo:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by LKW:
In the meantime, any questions for me?

It would be nice if you or Mr. Nilsen would clear up some minor snivels regarding the World Tamers sourcebook, as posed in this thread:

Economic Issues

... here in the TNE Forum. They should be easy ones that don't take a lot of time. Or a small FAQ from somebody who worked on the economic model would be even better, if you or him aren't the primary writers involved with that aspect of it? </font>[/QUOTE]Dave and Frank worked up the economics stuff. The depth of my ignorance of the subject will be clarified when I tell you that I was 1 semester away from being licensed to teach the subject in Illinois high schools.

 

[Eduardo]

Ah, so Nilsen and Chadwick are the culprits ... oh, well, it was worth a shot.

 

[jfetters]

Originally posted by LKW:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Jim Fetters:
You shouldn't tease us like this...

How would you prefer to be teased?

</font>[/QUOTE]With pictures!

Wait... that doesn't sound quite right...

Seriously, though, I find that my interest in the Clippers has rekindled with the 1248 release and my first successful assembly of a clipper miniature.

I'm not sure how much information about the ship you can/can't share, but do you know what the approximate dimensions are of the fore and aft compartments? Or the number of decks? (Come to think of it, I can probably calculate it assuming the miniature was designed to the correct scale).

 

[LKW]

Originally posted by Jim Fetters:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by LKW:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Jim Fetters:
You shouldn't tease us like this...

How would you prefer to be teased?

</font>[/QUOTE]With pictures!

Wait... that doesn't sound quite right...

Seriously, though, I find that my interest in the Clippers has rekindled with the 1248 release and my first successful assembly of a clipper miniature.

I'm not sure how much information about the ship you can/can't share, but do you know what the approximate dimensions are of the fore and aft compartments? Or the number of decks? (Come to think of it, I can probably calculate it assuming the miniature was designed to the correct scale). </font>[/QUOTE]All my development notes are stowed on a hard drive of a very old Mac I used at GDW, but haven't fired up for several years. I'd need to set the beast up again, translate the files into something my new machine can read, and then finish the work on the project (it was not complete 10 years ago, or it would have been published).

As it happens, one of the things I never worked out completely is the dimensions and layout of the for-and-aft sections.

So there is going to be a slight delay.

 

[jfetters]

Thanks, Loren! No worries. This gives me something to do - I have been pecking around on some graph paper and design software looking at the miniature and just doing some basic calculations.

Of course, when I throw the Manta mini into the mix, the numbers go all wacky, but that's why we do this, right?

 

[robject]

* Long-delayed update *

I've gathered and posted this Q&A session in one linked HTML document here: http://eaglestone.pocketempires.com/library-data/Dave_Nilsen_On_COTI.html

 

[Jame]

I, years later and having only now bought and read the FFE Challenge Magazine PDFs, have to ask, who is the lady in black on the TNE core book cover?
And WHY did LKW have to be taken from us?!?

 

[Dragoner]

The lady in black is the dream of the empress wave.