Tom King

I hate that Replay is suffering for this. One person should not speak for a talented team of artists and programmers, yet it seems his employees are cutting ties with people just to keep their jobs (Banning? Unfriending? I though the soap opera days of the adventure game community were over.)
 
Let's just keep supporting SpaceVenture where it stands. If one in 10,809 backers isn't making with the support, the rest can pick up the slack.

Fantastic points, Frede.
 
I have no idea what Paul was thinking, but it's clear all agree that what he's doing is completely asinine. And I don't think that's just because we're fans of Space Quest and/or friends of the Two Guys. It's because we're all decent people, and despite not really knowing what's going on with the project, we would rather be patient than speculate and potentially hurt the project. For a CEO to do this is inexcusable. Don't get me wrong, I certainly have no regrets about my involvement in Larry and appreciate the many wonderful opportunities to work with the talents of Al Lowe, Josh Mandel, the folks at N-Fusion, and some amazing fellow volunteers; All of those people were absolutely fantastic to work with, it's just a shame the guy that's head it all and brought so many fine people together is the very person that's running it into the ground. It's more disappointing than anything, really.
 
To your point, there are plenty of things anyone could find about Paul with a simple Google search, and that's not even counting the stories former co-workers might have about him. But you're right, we have more integrity than to get into specifics and completely trash Paul, despite any of us possessing the power to do so.
 
I'm very proud of this community for not putting up with the BS while still being civil about the situation. It's these sort of friendships people like Paul cannot appreciate, which really sucks but it's the path he's chosen.

I (Tom King) left a knee jerk comment on the Kickstarter thread, which I probably shouldn't have done. But it should be no surprise that Paul isn't the most pleasant person, so I don't think I'm necessarily letting the cat out of the bag there.
 
This is nothing but a big play for attention, and is best left ignored.

What a vindictive little man. I unliked Replay's Facebook page for what that's worth.

I've written this on Facebook, but you guys really rock. It's deeply satisfying to see this happening and knowing that, in spite of everything, we're still taking the high road. Paul has brought this unto himself. I can only hope the adventure gaming press will eventually take this and run with it, as they did last time around.
 
This man deserves a lesson, and after all he's done to hurt good people I consider friends, I don't think it's petty of me to think so.

I'm sorry for you guys who volunteered for the Larry remake who are now getting backlashed by Trowe. It really means a lot to know that you have the Guys' backs and that you would sacrifice your standings for speaking your minds.
 
Tom, your post at the Kickstarter comments were a scary insight. I'm sorry it came to that. Intendent_S, I'm sorry to hear you got excommunicated for your troubles. DutchMagic, thank you for being awesome.

Also I'm going to be honest here even IF SpaceVenture fell through completely and never came out I would be sad but not pissed the Two Guys and Mr Pope are awesome and deserved the chance to do this and I am still glad I dropped a bunch of money on their project.

Actually, maybe his appearance was timed just right. For all its incensing content, it's proven a good catalyst for gauging the true fans' reactions to the project status. From what I can gather, you still have faith that The Two Guys will deliver a game that will, by the very definition, deliver, instead of skimping on things to reach milestones.

What a completely disappointing series of events. I still have a full on raging nerd boner over Space Quest it's going to be awesome. Serena I'm glad to have gotten to work with ya but I'm sure you've noticed I stopped volunteering my time with replay months ago without Josh Mandel there it wasn't the same.

So it appears speaking your mind gets punished by being kicked out of the club. Not only have I been asked to leave the team because I wouldn't take back what I've said here but I've been locked out of the Replay forums completely. I can't even read what's posted. All the time and effort I've put forth to help Larry get released was rewarded with a great big "Fuck you!" Thanks for showing your true colors, Paul. If you're still monitoring this thread then I want you to know I'm not supporting any future Larry games as long as you're at the helm.

Fantastic points, Frede.
 
I have no idea what Paul was thinking, but it's clear all agree that what he's doing is completely asinine. And I don't think that's just because we're fans of Space Quest and/or friends of the Two Guys. It's because we're all decent people, and despite not really knowing what's going on with the project, we would rather be patient than speculate and potentially hurt the project. For a CEO to do this is inexcusable. Don't get me wrong, I certainly have no regrets about my involvement in Larry and appreciate the many wonderful opportunities to work with the talents of Al Lowe, Josh Mandel, the folks at N-Fusion, and some amazing fellow volunteers; All of those people were absolutely fantastic to work with, it's just a shame the guy that's head it all and brought so many fine people together is the very person that's running it into the ground. It's more disappointing than anything, really.
 
To your point, there are plenty of things anyone could find about Paul with a simple Google search, and that's not even counting the stories former co-workers might have about him. But you're right, we have more integrity than to get into specifics and completely trash Paul, despite any of us possessing the power to do so.
 
I'm very proud of this community for not putting up with the BS while still being civil about the situation. It's these sort of friendships people like Paul cannot appreciate, which really sucks but it's the path he's chosen.

Like Tom, I have no regrets for helping Larry become a reality and that I've enjoyed fostering friendships with the people that I've dealt with. That said, I also have respect for Paul. However, with antics like this and the other ones I've had the (dis)pleasure to be a part of it's kind of hard not to wonder if that respect is misplaced. His actions are inexcusable and it does leave a bad taste in the mouth.

Fantastic points, Frede.
 
I have no idea what Paul was thinking, but it's clear all agree that what he's doing is completely asinine. And I don't think that's just because we're fans of Space Quest and/or friends of the Two Guys. It's because we're all decent people, and despite not really knowing what's going on with the project, we would rather be patient than speculate and potentially hurt the project. For a CEO to do this is inexcusable. Don't get me wrong, I certainly have no regrets about my involvement in Larry and appreciate the many wonderful opportunities to work with the talents of Al Lowe, Josh Mandel, the folks at N-Fusion, and some amazing fellow volunteers; All of those people were absolutely fantastic to work with, it's just a shame the guy that's head it all and brought so many fine people together is the very person that's running it into the ground. It's more disappointing than anything, really.
 
To your point, there are plenty of things anyone could find about Paul with a simple Google search, and that's not even counting the stories former co-workers might have about him. But you're right, we have more integrity than to get into specifics and completely trash Paul, despite any of us possessing the power to do so.
 
I'm very proud of this community for not putting up with the BS while still being civil about the situation. It's these sort of friendships people like Paul cannot appreciate, which really sucks but it's the path he's chosen.

First thing, I do have my own concerns about SV, and if you've seen my post elsewhere you might know what they mostly are.
 
But, I do think what, and how, Trowe has commented SV current progress is very unprofessional and out of the line. You could even say it sounds spiteful. I can't honestly say I know why he comments the way he does, I've never met the guy nor communicated with him directly, so I really don't know that much about him. Perhaps there is some amount of jealousy in him. He, from the posts and interviews I've read, seemed to think he was a sort of a herald of "Sierra's new coming", which was IMO a baseless claim as he only had rights to one series and everyone else was doing their own thing. Maybe it even is that because Larry Reloaded, and now I did like the game myself so nothing agains it, hasn't really been setting the world in fire in terms of sales Trowe is desperate in trying to find something worthwhile to latch on to.
 
I don't know what other projects Replay has going on at the moment, but from the looks of it Larry is at the moment their only big name and even that may go under. If Reloaded doesn't sell, the series won't continue. And at the moment it looks like Replay is desperately trying to make Larry relevant again with, of all things, freemium Larry poker game. Getting his hands on SV would be a continuation plan.

I don't think your comment is out of line at all. Paul has had plenty of chances to man up, back out and leave SpaceVenture alone. Instead, he just kept going, even after publicly "apologising" for his behaviour. And your comment proves what I stated earlier - it's surprisingly easy to dig up dirt on Paul Trowe. He must think we're complete idiots; any of us can tear his work life apart with a couple of clicks and the insiders here might even be able to ruin his personal life as well. But that's just not the way we do things. That's not meant to come across as a threat, but Paul (provided he reads this) needs to realise he's not dealing with a bunch of fellow weasels here, and that he doesn't have a single shred of authority left.
 
Still. If you keep spewing out BS, you should at least expect some of it to rain back on you. As long as everyone here continues to adress the issue in a civilised manner (kudos to everyone who's taking a stand), I don't see what the problem is. We have a right to want this guy off our backs. And showing him that his tactics aren't working might actually be more effective than just ignoring him. Come to think of it, all of us Keronian Undergrounders tried to do the latter during the campaign, and he obviously didn't get the clue back then.

In my view, there would have to be a lot more than bipolar disorder going on. Granted, I haven't had the "pleasure" of dealing with the man himself, but I am privy to a certain amount of inside information that I've pretty much sworn I'll never share. Suffice to say, Paul Trowe is anything but your average Joe.
 
I don't personally mind that he doesn't believe in the project. He's not the first and he probably won't be the last. That's part of the package when it comes to crowdfunding, and even to adventure games. But he's been exploiting his professional status to privately harass Scott and Mark (especially the former), to deliberately delay the project and to discredit Chris Pope. There's documentation for every claim I've made here available. Some of it widely; I find it important to note that there are no baseless accusations in this thread.
 
I may come across as outrageously unsympathic here, but I don't even care much if he's suffering from mental disorders. If he is, I'm sorry for him, of course, and I hope he eventually seeks treatment, but a mental disorder is just not a licence to be as much an asshole as he has been since this campaign kicked off. There's just no excuse.
 
The funniest, and most tragic, thing in all of this is that he seems to really expect that Scott and Mark will jump ship and join Replay. It's just so obvious that he's aiming for that to happen. Is he really that delusional? At this point, it's a no-win scenario for him. Even if he was to step in and replace Chris Pope, his reputation would forever be in ruins among us "Space Quest" fans, and some of us might even choose to end our support for the project if this was to happen. I love Scott and Mark dearly, but I would personally pretty much be done with this, were it helmed by Paul Trowe. Just as I wholeheartedly support Al and Josh returning to the industry, but wouldn't dream of throwing money after the Replay LSL games.
 
And yes, Brandon is very right that this discussion is happening publicly. In my view, there's nothing harmful about that. Paul Trowe presumably knows that what he's doing is not okay by any definition, so we may as well talk about it. There's the old saying that "silence gives consent" and while I don't want to play as dirty as Paul clearly does, he sure as hell isn't going to catch me accepting this kind of behaviour either.

I (Tom King) left a knee jerk comment on the Kickstarter thread, which I probably shouldn't have done. But it should be no surprise that Paul isn't the most pleasant person, so I don't think I'm necessarily letting the cat out of the bag there.
 
This is nothing but a big play for attention, and is best left ignored.

Holy shit! The Troweman is at it again! Somebody fetch me some fucking popcorn! :D

Hey, gang. Maybe you've seen this on the Kickstarter comments page; maybe you haven't. Here it is, in all its dubious glory:
 

Source: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spaceventure/two-guys-spaceventure-by-the-creators-of-space-que/posts/615568?cursor=4596069#comment-4596068
 
If you're late to the party, meet Paul Trowe. He's the CEO of Replay, who did the Leisure Suit Larry remake. And he's taking a mighty big interest in what the Two Guys are doing, for reasons that we of course can only speculate about (but are really quite obvious when you think about it).
 
It's no secret that the SpaceVenture project has had a rocky ride -- first with people sabotaging the Kickstarter funding itself, and now with difficulties in the programming department. That a programmer left because he "wasn't being paid," however, is pure speculation on Paul's part.
 
This isn't the first time Paul Trowe has tried his best to sow distrust in Chris Pope as manager/producer of the SpaceVenture. The irony is that he's calling out for transparency when, as some of you Superfans already know, Pope and 2GFA were planning a big announcement on the 16th where everything would be revealed.
 
What are your thoughts on this whole shebang?
 
Update: Paul's response to the negative backlash:
 

Source: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spaceventure/two-guys-spaceventure-by-the-creators-of-space-que/posts/615568?cursor=4620757#comment-4620756

I tend to stop commenting on projects long since finished, but I just had to say something, myself.

I (Tom King) left a knee jerk comment on the Kickstarter thread, which I probably shouldn't have done. But it should be no surprise that Paul isn't the most pleasant person, so I don't think I'm necessarily letting the cat out of the bag there.
 
This is nothing but a big play for attention, and is best left ignored.

Sigh.. this is wrong on so many levels..
Why not offer suggestions on helping fix things? Isn't it in everyones best interest that adventure games will make a great comeback?
*sigh*

I (Tom King) left a knee jerk comment on the Kickstarter thread, which I probably shouldn't have done. But it should be no surprise that Paul isn't the most pleasant person, so I don't think I'm necessarily letting the cat out of the bag there.
 
This is nothing but a big play for attention, and is best left ignored.