Paul Trowe criticism on Kickstarter update

[MusicallyInspired]

Never expected any more than that. I couldn't care less anyway.

[shoptroll]

I saw this on UMBCast's Twitter feed and wanted to chime in as a show of support for Serena, et. al. You all made the right choice to stand up to Paul who was acting like a bully.

 

While I think Paul's entitled to his opinion, the way he's acted since that post has been pretty shameful. To quote a certain movie, "You're not wrong Walter, you're just an asshole".

 

I don't know anything about the office politics around Sierra back in the day, but I have a really hard time believing that Ken Williams would let this level of animosity erupt between project teams. And, most importantly, he certainly wouldn't go about pissing off the company's most loyal fans in such a manner, based on what he's said on SierraGamers.

 

Paul seriously needs to get over the fact that Replay isn't Sierra 2.0 and that Larry Reloaded and Fester Mudd aren't selling as well as they hoped. I'm also dismayed that Josh supposedly left. I was looking forward to seeing a Larry 2 remake (which it could tremendously benefit from) but between Paul's behavior and Al's co-writer/Replay's Chief Creative Officer likely gone what enthusiasm I had left for that possible project is gone. Al and Larry deserve better than that.

 

I'm sure SpaceVenture is going to turn out fine despite what Paul thinks. Yes, the communication hasn't been the greatest, but I think the team will get eventually something out the door even if they have to scale the project back some. I'm patient and I know they're not working with an established development team (like N-Fusion) so there's going to be some turbulence in the process.

 

Anyways, that's my 2 cents.... er buckazoids?

[Fronzel Neekburm]

Paul Trowe tweeted a sarcastic "thank you" to Serena and others for an increase in Twitter followers he says he got today.

 

An increase in Twitter followers, eh?

 

I guess people don't want to be late to the party when this batshit insane PR meltdown on legs throws his next misdirected hissy fit. Not that he's got anyone left to vent his anger on, anyway.

[BigD]

Just stepping in to add my 2 cents worth and maybe add Paul Troll another twitter fan or 2! I guess its a crime to not hang on every word out of Paul's mouth. At this point, I'm honestly annoyed that I upped my pledge in LSLR to get my image in the game. Thankfully I backed a bunch of other games (like say, SQ and QFI to name a couple) so I know I'll still come out ahead. For what little it is worth, I put a note in the Replay forum that I'm done and unliked the FB page and I'm movin' on a few bucks poorer but with a couple of wonderfully drawn pictures (given the horrid subject matter)! I only hope the downfall is quick enough to keep LSL alive and that it doesn't get dragged down in the undertow. Now back to the broom closet for an old adventurer's nap!

[Frede]

Paul Trowe tweeted a sarcastic "thank you" to Serena and others for an increase in Twitter followers he says he got today.

 

Shit, he gained followers? Oh no! What are we gonna do now, my little trolls?

[tomimt]

I guess PT still lives in a world where only bad publicity is no publicity at all. That really doesn't work anymore, as I can think of a couple of KS projects that either failed because of the public image of the creators or that have destroyed the public image of a creator at least in they eyes of people that backed.

 

People all around are stuffing their faces with popcorn, the show is on.

[Frede]

I still kind of wonder if the indie game press is gonna take this and run with it. It's very tempting to get the story (and warning) out to a wider audience, but I certainly wouldn't want to manipulate someone into giving it a write-up.

 

I know I personally kind of gave up on the high road thing in some of my most recent tweets (his little display of the "tough guy"-attitude was just an obvious invitation), but in spite of that, I still think everyone but Paul was able to walk away with losing face. And as far as the volunteers go, Replay is in shambles.

 

The scale might be a lot smaller, but - Trowe-side - this is really one of the ugliest things happening online since Phil Fish had a meltdown. The difference is that I tend to sympathise with Fish...

[Troels Pleimert]

EDIT: You know, Datadog mentioned earlier about how there used to be lots of drama in the adventure community and it's true. Part of the reason I believe this backfired on Paul as much as it did is because we've all been there before. The adventure community has had quite a lot of dissention and disunity in the past. Between AGDI and IA for a brief time, there was some animosity towards POS when they first started, even the SQ community had quite a lot of what you could call a civil war for quite a long while (split right down the middle). And there are many other examples. Paul would have been right at home during that time.

 

We've all been there and we've all grown up and put it behind us. The reason these Kickstarters have been so successful is because we've all banded together to see it happen. All across the board. We're done with fighting amongst one another and that'll be the day we let somebody come along and ruin the good thing we've created for ourselves. We've shown that we won't be dragged down to that petty pit again. Cheers, guys. This is why we have overcome and why SpaceVenture will succeed (and why Paul Trowe won't).

 

This. Very this.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head there, Brandon. For my sake, at least, one of the key things that made SV happen was that so many bridges were built, animosities forgotten and sour relationships patched. That's what makes me really proud to be in this crowd. Sure, at the end of the day, we're just a bunch of nerds who like our sci-fi comedies a little on the sarcastic side. But the community spirit -- I mean, just look at how fast the SQN/Broomcloset merger suddenly happened! -- is really second to none.

 

Paul is like the Blue Meanie at the end of Yellow Submarine, trapped in a land of colors and flowers. (And, if you've ever seen that acid trip of a movie, you know he comes around at the end. Not holding my breath for that one, but still.)

[PurpleTentacle]

I still kind of wonder if the indie game press is gonna take this and run with it. It's very tempting to get the story (and warning) out to a wider audience, but I certainly wouldn't want to manipulate someone into giving it a write-up.

 

 

The most newsworthy angle, from their perspective, is probably what happened with Josh Mandel. If I read some earlier posts correctly, it sounds like Mandel is no longer with Replay. That's a big deal, if true. Had this already been public knowledge? I sure didn't know it and I'd been following all the LSL:R updates. Mandel had been announced with great fanfare as their Chief Creative Officer or something. Also, he's the one who did most of the new writing (I believe) in the new game. He was also the main PR guy online for a lot of the campaign and afterwards. Replay's community rep seemed pretty useless (not talking about the forum moderators, who were great), but Mandel was often accessible and always worth hearing from.

 

So, yeah, I can see stories being written about Mandel's apparent departure, if that can be confirmed. Then other details of Paul's antics could be provided as related details to give a broader picture of Replay's standing in the adventure game community.

 

Pitch away!

[tomimt]

Josh Mandel does seem to be the most important aspect in all this, as he was the man responsible of heavy lifting, while Al Lowe was more of a suprervisor who saw that the game was done like he'd do it himself. I had the imperssion it was him passing the torch. If Josh has parted ways with Replay Trowe really doesn't have much to play on right now, as I doubt Al wants to be that hands on with game development anylonger.

 

While I was aware Josh hasn't posted on Replay's forums lately, I didn't thought that much of it, as he and Al never were that hands on at the forums. So his departure and PT's antics would make a decent article about the future of Replay and Larry as a whole.

[Frede]

No, Josh's departure doesn't seem to be public knowledge on a wide scale. I know that Troels and I had both thought it might've happened. Especially after he deleted his Facebook account. It's only afterwards it has been confirmed, through non-official, but nonetheless trustworthy, sources that Josh has indeed left and that his departure from Facebook ties into his falling out with Replay. At least, it seems to have been an open secret among the people who were affiliated with Replay until yesterday, as well as people who know Josh really well.

 

Not sure if it can be "confirmed" as such, though. And again, I don't want to cry foul to the press myself. I was pretty much on the front lines all day yesterday, so I think I'm disqualified. It'd look better if it was brought up by someone who didn't participate as directly as I did.

[PurpleTentacle]

The person who wrote the following also posts here and is fair and respected:

http://mixnmojo.com/news/Is-Paul-Trowe-of-Replay-Sabotaging-Other-Kickstarters

 

Just a thought. Maybe the Mandel story can be confirmed?

 

But, yeah, I also had the impression that Al was passing the torch to Mandel. I've always thought Mandel is a great talent who had given so much creative content for Sierra games but who never got the top billing he deserved. It finally seemed like he was about to emerge as the "star" designer of some upcoming Replay adventure games. Regardless, I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more from him.

 

Anyway, put me down as another one who supports and has faith in the Two Guys. I feel like this Trowe idiocy has reinvigorated my support for them! If a completed SpaceVenture will piss off Trowe, then it must happen! :-)

[Monolith_Pig]

The Larry series holds a place in my heart just as much as the Space Quest series and the Larry 2 remake would have been the most interesting to me as it blew my mind back in '89 when I fired it up on my dual 3.5 drive, CGA Graphics, Olivetti PC1. The opening location of LA with plush pavements illustrated in generous heavy shades of red, boutique stores and TV studios leapfrogged LSL1 in design. I don't care much for the likes of PT now. I do care about Al and Josh my favourite Frontier Pharmacists and I do care about who has the rights to make Larry games. Who has the power to terminate Replay's license for further Leisure Suit Larry releases? Activision? Can we petition them asking that we would not contribute to any further Kickstarters as long as PT is involved?

[PurpleTentacle]

Monolith_Pig- I also want to see Replay and Paul Trowe out of the picture, as far as new Larry games go.

 

Remember who it was who blabbed about Telltale losing the KQ license: http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/activision-is-planning-something-for-kings-quest-franchise-rights-reportedly-recovered-from-telltale-games/

 

This apparently caused Telltale to themselves confirm the news within days.

 

Do you think Paul Trowe doesn't get a kick out of going around trying to plant doubts about his competitors and those whom he apparently seems to see as a threat?

 

Members of the gaming press, please get to the bottom of the Josh Mandel situation.

 

Why should Paul Trowe be allowed to announce the Mandel news (whatever it is) on his terms, when he wants, and in a way that benefits him? Force him to confront the issue now.

 

I really think Paul Trowe is a poisonous, destructive force within the adventure game community, and the sooner that classic Sierra IP is yanked out of his clutches for good, the better.

[shoptroll]

I've always thought Mandel is a great talent who had given so much creative content for Sierra games but who never got the top billing he deserved. It finally seemed like he was about to emerge as the "star" designer of some upcoming Replay adventure games. Regardless, I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more from him.

I think Josh was going to get his own project at Sierra at some point, but from one of the interviews on Adventure Gamers or Adventure Classic Gaming it sounds like he departed following some sleazy contractual issue with post-Ken Sierra.

 

You might be right about being the "star" of Replay. I think there was some mention of him helping out a fair bit with Fester Mudd.

 

Who has the power to terminate Replay's license for further Leisure Suit Larry releases? Activision?

Codemasters currently owns the Larry IP. They bought it from Vivendi during/after the merger with Activision when Activision-Blizzard decided to drop Box Office Bust (along with a number of other titles like Brutal Legend).

 

EDIT:

 

Remember who it was who blabbed about Telltale losing the KQ license: http://www.digitaltr...telltale-games/

 

This apparently caused Telltale to themselves confirm the news within days.

I would be greatly amused if Activision licenses out King's Quest to either Himalaya, Infamous Quests, or Phoenix Online.

[Frede]

Members of the gaming press, please get to the bottom of the Josh Mandel situation.

Is there anyone who has got any good contacts over on Twitter or anything? I don't know anyone personally, but linking people to this thread might raise awareness about the fact that there is a deeply rotten, and not wholly irrelevant, story in here. And also about the exceptionally great fans and volunteers, like Serena, Justin, Jeroen and Tom, that are out there.

[shoptroll]

Just went digging through the RPS archives and found this interview last year with Al and Paul (which was during the Larry kickstarter, so before SpaceVenture was announced).

 

Paul: Josh was already on board, so in my opinion Space Quest 6 was one of the funniest ones out of all of them, so I think to make either Space Quest 7 or to reboot Space Quest 1-6, it’s more of a legal right than anything else. I’ve been friends with Scott ever since they closed Sierra, and once we announced that we were doing Leisure Suit Larry, I called Scott immediately and I said ‘If we get the rights to Space Quest, will you hop on board and do this with us?’ and he said ‘Absolutely, yes.’

If Paul was smart about this he'd let SpaceVenture finish up and then approach Mark & Scott about a new SQ game or making a remake. But instead, it seems like he's content to go ahead and throw some kerosene on the bridge.

[pcj]

Don't have much to add as I just caught up to the events myself, but all the motivational support is very helpful. Thanks guys!

[shoptroll]

Is there anyone who has got any good contacts over on Twitter or anything? I don't know anyone personally, but linking people to this thread might raise awareness about the fact that there is a deeply rotten, and not wholly irrelevant, story in here. And also about the exceptionally great fans and volunteers, like Serena, Justin, Jeroen and Tom, that are out there.

 

The only people I can think of are Richard Cobbett (freelancer and does a lot of stuff for PC Gamer and RPS) and John Walker (RPS). Both have written extensively about various adventure games and are very familiar with the Sierra alum. Other than that ping someone at Adventure Gamers?

 

Personally I don't think there's much of a story aside from Josh's departure. Squabbles between fans and companies usually aren't the best news items (unless it's a very big company), but an unexpected departure of a company executive is newsworthy.

[tomimt]

Just went digging through the RPS archives and found this interview last year with Al and Paul (which was during the Larry kickstarter, so before SpaceVenture was announced).

 

If Paul was smart about this he'd let SpaceVenture finish up and then approach Mark & Scott about a new SQ game or making a remake. But instead, it seems like he's content to go ahead and throw some kerosene on the bridge.

 

Yeah, he isn't playing a smart game here. Instead of antagonising the core audience and the makers as well, he should be more supportive. Now is the time to build a good ground work, because Activision is finally starting to license the old Sierra IP's out. You don't want to bad mouth those people who are either going to buy or possibly make those potential future games.

 

We all know that in the larger scheme of things these budgets most projects have gotten aren't ground breaking, but this is also a moment where support can have huge effect (though it's also a good thing to keep realities in mind as well). It always helps to push forward when people know other people are looking forward for their product despite there might be some issues along the way. We are here because we care, not because we want to gloat. Or at least I'm not, I'm not that loaded that I can take my pledge as a gloating pass.

[Frede]

The only people I can think of are Richard Cobbett (freelancer and does a lot of stuff for PC Gamer and RPS) and John Walker (RPS). Both have written extensively about various adventure games and are very familiar with the Sierra alum. Other than that ping someone at Adventure Gamers?

 

Personally I don't think there's much of a story aside from Josh's departure. Squabbles between fans and companies usually aren't the best news items (unless it's a very big company), but an unexpected departure of a company executive is newsworthy.

 

Richard's a cool guy, but yeah, you may be right about the lack of a proper story. I wouldn't know, personally. And if Josh wants this to stay under the radar, his wishes being respected is probably more important.

[Intendant S]

I'm sorely tempted to write something for the KickstartVentures blog, but I don't want to seem as petty and vindictive as Paul. It's certainly not my style to stoop to the bully's level.

[Frede]

Well, a huge difference is that you've got all the proof you need at your disposal. And I don't think it's petty if the sentiment is "Value your volunteers and don't be evil!" rather than "Down with Paul Trowe!".

[Irishmile]

I sent many of you a TEXT today.. at least those of you who I already had a number for or had it on facebook some of you may have got it in alternate ways like email such as Frede ETC... Do not worry any nudes I text you will be totally artistic... :D

[JenniBee]

The person who wrote the following also posts here and is fair and respected:

http://mixnmojo.com/...er-Kickstarters

Thanks for the kind words. :)

 

I've decided not to do a write up about this new mess. The last time, Paul directly contacted gaming news outlets, and they ran with the story before confirming it with Al Lowe, so I posted my article to try to shift the tides a bit. This time people are realizing that Paul is posting things with no proof to back it up, so they're not taking it seriously. In this case, he's really hurting himself more than the Guys From Andromeda.