Obviously because Africa 1 was the pinnacle of Rpg setting material.
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Sorry - couldn't keep a straight face.
The only probable reason why Africa 2 was cancelled was because the manuscript probably had too much nasty icky "setting info" and not enough robots, power armor and guns (which are exactly like equipment printed in other books except for +1 damage or 10 extra MDC).
Rifts Africa and England are two books that are absolutely BEGGING for either a re-write or a second book in order to try and make up for the degree of suckitude both exhibit.
"In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own" - Thomas Jefferson
"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same god who has endowed us with senses, reason and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." - Galileo
Cardiac wrote:Obviously because Africa 1 was the pinnacle of Rpg setting material. . . . . . Sorry - couldn't keep a straight face.
The only probable reason why Africa 2 was cancelled was because the manuscript probably had too much nasty icky "setting info" and not enough robots, power armor and guns (which are exactly like equipment printed in other books except for +1 damage or 10 extra MDC).
Rifts Africa and England are two books that are absolutely BEGGING for either a re-write or a second book in order to try and make up for the degree of suckitude both exhibit.
Yeah... there's no chance that the writer just couldn't get it done, or just couldn't write well.
Daniel Stoker
Judaism - More Old School than either Christianity or Islam.
Cardiac wrote:Obviously because Africa 1 was the pinnacle of Rpg setting material. . . . . . Sorry - couldn't keep a straight face.
The only probable reason why Africa 2 was cancelled was because the manuscript probably had too much nasty icky "setting info" and not enough robots, power armor and guns (which are exactly like equipment printed in other books except for +1 damage or 10 extra MDC).
Rifts Africa and England are two books that are absolutely BEGGING for either a re-write or a second book in order to try and make up for the degree of suckitude both exhibit.
Yeah... there's no chance that the writer just couldn't get it done, or just couldn't write well.
Daniel Stoker
That's always possible, but wouldn't have to do too much to make Africa 2 better than the first one.
The manuscript probably didn't match KS's "vision" of what Rifts Africa is supposed to be like - whatever that is (which begs the question - why didn't he write it himself....oh wait...I think he wrote the first one....nevermind).
Methinks Kevin is pulling a George Lucas.
"In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own" - Thomas Jefferson
"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same god who has endowed us with senses, reason and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." - Galileo
I thought both England and Africa sucked hardcore, but Africa isn't exactly an area I ever cared about at all. So seeing it cancelled makes me glad I won't have to bother reading about some new craptastic MDC demon gorilla or more on the Phoenix Empire. Oh yay...another ally of Atlantis and enemy of humankind. As if humans didn't have enough enemies who were out to get us in all forms and fashions.
But seriously, I know the Phoenix Empire was evil...but was there any good kingdom on that whole damn continent?
At least England kinda bucked the trend and isn't to bad a place to live. If you can handle a whole bunch of Cockney accents and 10,000 "Aye!"s and "Nay foul varlet!"s.
" Books get cancelled all the time, guys. I agree that Africa and England are due for a second look and possibly a major overhaul, though."
I understand that. What I really don't like is that most of the books on the new press release are "tentative". I really wish he would post books that are on time. The way things are I probably goign to ignore any press releases. THey usually end up wrong.
ou guys realize the Africa 2 author frequents these boards?
yep. good old shades of eternity.
he was in the process of writing Africa 3 when the manuscript for 2 was turned down. from what he's posted over at the tank, his idea's for africa 3 seem close to KS's vision from africa 1.
with a bit of tweaking, and the axing of some of it, he might be able to get the revised submission published. i stress the "might".
currently, he is working on a new book for Archie3.
Author of Rifts: Deep Frontier (Rifter 70) Author of Rifts:Scandinavia (current project) * All fantasy should have a solid base in reality. * Good sense about trivialities is better than nonsense about things that matter. -Max Beerbohm Visit my Website
Excellent. I've been wondering when our favorite insane psychic supercomputer was going to get more attention. I am hoping that Shades' material does show up in some form for Africa.
omnicrondelicious wrote:WOAH! I had no idea people didn't like Africa 1. I loved most of it! I liked it because it was gritty and captured the 'feel' of many African cultures - exotic and dangerous. The 4 Horsemen I was so-so about - I've never liked mega-scale conflicts where gods walk the Earth. Phoenix Empire was OK. I guess it was really the African OCCs I liked the most.
I myself wouldn't go so far as to say I hated Rifts: Africa, but while I did like certain parts of it (mainly the gathering of heroes and the Egyptian pantheon) the book just isn't one of those I keep going back to again and again for fabulous reference material. I think it and Rifts: Vampire Kingdoms are my two least-referenced books.
All in all, though I feel for SoE's setback I'm not overly saddened by the fact that they're not releasing a sequel just yet... but if it can be sufficiently 'tweaked' (hey, manuscripts and proofs get rejected all the freakin' time -- let's not start acting like a lynch mob over this) enough to gain approval then you'll probably see it in print eventually.
Now, had this been Rifts: England II that had been cancelled I'd probably feel a bit differently...
My Artwork Samples Set on Deviant Art Hi! I'm Danger, but today I'll be Uncle Servo's Sock Puppet. -- Danger US <Uncle> saves the day again. -- RockJock And Servo has engineered another good idea. -- Sentinel
Daniel Stoker wrote:To get press generated and get feedback on demand?
Perhaps, but there are certainly less damaging (PR-wise) ways to get both of those than "Hey, we're coming out with ______! Oh, wait... no... no, we're not."
My Artwork Samples Set on Deviant Art Hi! I'm Danger, but today I'll be Uncle Servo's Sock Puppet. -- Danger US <Uncle> saves the day again. -- RockJock And Servo has engineered another good idea. -- Sentinel
Uncle Servo wrote:I myself wouldn't go so far as to say I hated Rifts: Africa, but while I did like certain parts of it (mainly the gathering of heroes and the Egyptian pantheon) the book just isn't one of those I keep going back to again and again for fabulous reference material. I think it and Rifts: Vampire Kingdoms are my two least-referenced books.
I've always wondered if people agreed with me on The Vampire Kingdoms. It would seem that at least you do not. I *love* that book! I have more of a feel of Mexico than I do for almost any other part of the Rifts world. I look for the guts and grit of the environment in a world book, and am not as interested in the equipment as I am in the politics, people, and overall feel of the place.
Now...as a secondary, I agree with you on Africa. I have very *little* feel for what Africa is like in the world of Rifts. Love what I've seen of China though.
Sorry for being off topic.
There's a reason...and a very good one...that I have certain people in this forum blocked both here and on Facebook.
I can see an illustration of that nearly every time I come here.
ou guys realize the Africa 2 author frequents these boards?
yep. good old shades of eternity.
he was in the process of writing Africa 3 when the manuscript for 2 was turned down. from what he's posted over at the tank, his idea's for africa 3 seem close to KS's vision from africa 1.
with a bit of tweaking, and the axing of some of it, he might be able to get the revised submission published. i stress the "might".
currently, he is working on a new book for Archie3.
I hope Kevin can's that one too. I hate ARCHIE three and hope he dies the slow, ignoble death he deserves. . .never being mentioned by any gamer anywhere ever again.
Sometimes, you're like a beacon of light in the darkness, giving me some hope for humankind. ~ Killer Cyborg
You can have something done good, fast and cheap. If you want it done good and fast, it's not going to be cheap. If you want it done fast and cheap it won't be good. If you want something done good and cheap it won't be done fast. ~ Dark Brandon
Comment: Remember also that the smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights, cannot claim to be defenders of minorities Ayn Rand
Svartalf- if Cherico were a character created in a point game system, he'd have all his scores in geeky skills and his youtube and weird net stuff schticks all paid through a a Terminal Bad Luck (with more nasty GM intervention) disadvantage, and probably an Uncouth (can not have social skills) disad as well... In an RPG with deadly situations that character would have had to be replaced a dozen times over[
The psychological issues alone would be excellent for a thesis.
no promises, but we'll see what we can do about it.
The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep's for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty. Plainly, the sheep and the wolf are not agreed upon a definition of liberty. - Abraham Lincoln
Hey - from a person who has seen alot of PB from the players side and a little now from the freelancers side. I can tell you that PB is actually run a lot more profesionally than most RPG companies. The big difference is that Kevin trys to clue us in more on what is up and comming than most companies. If something goes wrong, like a bad manuscript, it mucks the process up, and something gets trashed. Its life, at least PB does not hold us out in the dark untill the "next great book" is to be released and then over charges us by twice the amount it should cost, like most RPG companies do. Cut him some slack, and if Shades thinks that some of his material is still good, submit some of it as Rifter material, so we can all read it. But for EVERYONE to just sit and complain is a waste of ALL our time on the boards. Sorry, for the soap boxing, but PB gets blasted enough on RPG.net without it getting blasted on its own web site. Carmen.
Uncle Servo wrote:I myself wouldn't go so far as to say I hated Rifts: Africa, but while I did like certain parts of it (mainly the gathering of heroes and the Egyptian pantheon) the book just isn't one of those I keep going back to again and again for fabulous reference material. I think it and Rifts: Vampire Kingdoms are my two least-referenced books.
I've always wondered if people agreed with me on The Vampire Kingdoms. It would seem that at least you do not. I *love* that book! I have more of a feel of Mexico than I do for almost any other part of the Rifts world. I look for the guts and grit of the environment in a world book, and am not as interested in the equipment as I am in the politics, people, and overall feel of the place.
Now...as a secondary, I agree with you on Africa. I have very *little* feel for what Africa is like in the world of Rifts. Love what I've seen of China though.
Sorry for being off topic.
Hey, I'm certainly not bashing anyone who like Rifts: Africa or Rifts: Vampire Kingdoms -- everyone's entitled to their favorites. Those two just aren't mine.
Now, as for all the grief that KS is getting over the release schedule/upcoming projects... Yeah, I have to admit that I'm guilty of making a few comments along that line. For the most part though, they've been more tongue-in-cheek than malicious criticism.
Even my 'less damaging (PR-wise) ways' comment wasn't intended to imply that he's purposefully trying to get press generated -- but as I posted that one in a hurry I guess I didn't get my point across. In fact, going back and reading over it I would say that my point didn't come across well at all. Basically I was trying to say that announcing stuff and then cancelling it simply to get attention can easily backfire with negative effects, so while I can't discount it completely (as I don't know what goes on inside the company) I can't see someone that's managed to stay in business as long as KS has resorting to such 'shock tactics.'
My Artwork Samples Set on Deviant Art Hi! I'm Danger, but today I'll be Uncle Servo's Sock Puppet. -- Danger US <Uncle> saves the day again. -- RockJock And Servo has engineered another good idea. -- Sentinel
Carmen wrote:Hey - from a person who has seen alot of PB from the players side and a little now from the freelancers side. I can tell you that PB is actually run a lot more profesionally than most RPG companies. The big difference is that Kevin trys to clue us in more on what is up and comming than most companies. If something goes wrong, like a bad manuscript, it mucks the process up, and something gets trashed. Its life, at least PB does not hold us out in the dark untill the "next great book" is to be released and then over charges us by twice the amount it should cost, like most RPG companies do. Cut him some slack, and if Shades thinks that some of his material is still good, submit some of it as Rifter material, so we can all read it. But for EVERYONE to just sit and complain is a waste of ALL our time on the boards. Sorry, for the soap boxing, but PB gets blasted enough on RPG.net without it getting blasted on its own web site. Carmen.
Not to be antagonistic or anything...but what's wrong with going through the following process: propose a new idea, submit a summary of idea, idea is tentatively approved, manuscript is written, manuscript is reviewed by publishing editor, publishing editor oks, THEN advertising begins, editing is completed, book is printed.
It just seems like PB is doing the process out of order, with the book being advertised as soon as an idea is proposed--manuscript sight unseen.
Actually that is the order has been done in the past, the only difference is that once a proposal is sent in and accepted the advertising has to begin (depending on the date the author "says" he can complete a manuscript), if not you have no pre-sales and have no idea how the distributors will order or IF they will pick up a book. The lead time with most distributors is 3-6 months. You have to be able to trust your freelancers abilities. However, because of freelancers who couldn't make a deadline or couldn't complete manuscripts when promised or who could write a proposal but couldn't write the book Palladium doesn't accept any outside submissions any longer. The few who have gotten through the door have done a great job so far, lets hope it keeps up.
Snoopy and Charlie Brown are (c) Peanuts Worldwide. "Besser ein Ende mit Schrecken als ein Schrecken ohne Ende." ( A frightening end is better than an endless fright) -- Nelly You called down the thunder, well now you got it! Oh what A tangled web we weave ...
