MMP: going the way of the Dodo?

[Jeffrey D Myers]

Perhaps best known as the husband of June Carter Cash.

Remember to keep on the sunny side:

.

 

[boylermaker]

I think he's the guy that plays Mel Gibson's brother in Signs.

 

[GeorgeBates]

Lo and behold, this very morning we have an e-mail from MMP/Gamers featuring ASL content!

 

[jrv]

Reminds me that I just found out recently that Nick Lowe was Johnny Cash's son-in-law. But then, I've always been a little bit stupid.

Nick Lowe married Carlene Carter. Carlene Carter was the daughter of June Carter and her first husband, Carl Smith. That makes Carlene Carter the step-daughter of Johnny Cash. Is there such a thing as a step-son-in-law?

JR

 

[jrv]

Lo and behold, this very morning we have an e-mail from MMP/Gamers featuring ASL content!

Yours has ASL content? Mine just has a flamewar between Scott Holst and Mark Pitcavage. I must be on the wrong list.

JR

 

[hongkongwargamer]

Wait! Really??? How do I get on yours?

Yours has ASL content? Mine just has a flamewar between Scott Holst and Mark Pitcavage. I must be on the wrong list.

JR

 

[Khill]

It's been a long time since MMP last bothered to write up a decent update on the status of its products: almost as long a time as it's been for MMP to last produce a decent product. I've complained to MMP directly a few times over the years, and though I've gotten a friendly and patient reply, MMP never improved it's marketing communications.

The website's last "News" entry dates from 2016. Has really, really nothing happened worth communicating to thousands of customers who've committed to spending hundreds of dollars each on products whose development they are eager to have news of? Really?

The website is clunky, amateurish and disinviting. Browsing through the products page always feels to me like wondering through a cemetery of long-dead friends: out of 20 products on the first Products pages fully 10 cannot actually be bought, being "Currently out of stock!" or "Temporarily out of print!" - the meaning of "Temporarily" in Millersville needing to be understood on the same timescale as "News": geological.

There really can be no excuse for not communicating with one's customers regularly in this business, and in MMP's case in particular: when ASL fans regularly have to go for a year or more between product releases, and indeed have to wait for yearS - plural - for their pre-ordered products to take solid form, the very, very least MMP can do is crank out a nice email every other month or so with the latest on progress: a bit on play-testing, latest guesses on production dates, maybe a few pictures: wouldn't that be nice?

It seems to me the people at MMP have to ask themselves honestly and seriously if they really are doing the ASL hobby a service by being its custodians. I do feel they deliver good products - every now and then. But I also feel that they so lack in marketing sense, and indeed in apparent energy and enthusiasm, that I cannot but believe that others could do better - GMT, for example.

I realise that the present crew at MMP are not going to be able to fix what ails there. I would like to suggest that they consider - haven't they yet? it must have occurred to them? - joining GMT. Let GMT manage the marketing part, so that the crew of MMP can focus such energy as they have on making ASL and OCS and other products.

I post this here because I think the only way MMP can be convinced that their marketing is a crying shame, and that they should consider joining GMT, is if the community of their customers sends them the message that they agree this is a good idea. So: what do you think?

i can appreciate your frustration. however, i must disagree. were you in the hobby during the dark years following the death of AH? we are fortunate to have such wonderful stewards of the game as MMP has been given their size and the size of our community. you should hug Chaz and name all your children Perry because without them you would really have something to whinge about

 

[GeorgeBates]

you should hug Chaz and name all your children Perry because without them you would really have something to whinge about

Or better yet, ask Giselle Bündchen to hug them for you.

 

[Jeffrey D Myers]

Thanks, JR, step-son-in-law it is!

(My brain is going the way of the Dodo....)

 

[Honvik]

I believe some of it is down to people in the world of internet and social media are hungry for information and that includes any information even if it is small. I think sometimes its good to say XX is now 'printing' due in 4 months and then later on if it's not out of printing then a small update to indicate it. I think a lot of our customers as a retailer would for obvious reasons like reprints to come quicker than the 'years' that it can end up with or even if at all considering ASL sells and sells amazingly!.

Either way ASL is healthy and in our opinion growing here in sales wise for us so clearly the demand is there.

Thanks

Phil
Second Chance Games

 

[RobZagnut]

MMP is a great steward of ASL. My only wish...

Is that I had a shock collar on Chas Argent and every time he reaches for a Bocage mapboard or overlay, I could hit the button and shock the living sh!t outta him.

That is all.

 

[takai]

Is that I had a shock collar on Chas Argent and every time he reaches for a Bocage mapboard or overlay, I could hit the button and shock the living sh!t outta him.

Are you crazy? Bocage is by far the most interesting tactical terrain in ASL! Drive your opponent crazy with the wall advantage rules...

 

[Peter Quant]

Guys,

Please understand I really like the stuff MMP makes, and that part of the work done by people at MMP is excellent. The quality is wonderful, and when I do not gripe about the communications and marketing I do complement them on that quality. I also occasionally buy other games from MMP, and the quality of those is good too.

Still I can't help being surprised at how few people seem to agree that the MMP website really is no invitation to new players to try out this hobby (which, if we're going to talk stewardship, should be their nr. 1 concern) and that the lack of fair updates doesn't matter. I think it matters: if you're publishing, in ASL at least, maybe one or two decent products a year and expect people to put up money months, years in advance, then keeping them informed about progress IS reasonable, and indeed just makes good marketing sense.

Let's not go overboard in being grateful to Chas and Perry and others involved: let's love what they do well, but not refrain from pointing out what should really be done better, and can be done better at a really modest cost: a regular newsletter, and keeping the website up to date.

Thanks, PQ

 

[Bob Walters]

Guys,

Please understand I really like the stuff MMP makes, and that part of the work done by people at MMP is excellent. The quality is wonderful, and when I do not gripe about the communications and marketing I do complement them on that quality. I also occasionally buy other games from MMP, and the quality of those is good too.

Still I can't help being surprised at how few people seem to agree that the MMP website really is no invitation to new players to try out this hobby (which, if we're going to talk stewardship, should be their nr. 1 concern) and that the lack of fair updates doesn't matter. I think it matters: if you're publishing, in ASL at least, maybe one or two decent products a year and expect people to put up money months, years in advance, then keeping them informed about progress IS reasonable, and indeed just makes good marketing sense.

Let's not go overboard in being grateful to Chas and Perry and others involved: let's love what they do well, but not refrain from pointing out what should really be done better, and can be done better at a really modest cost: a regular newsletter, and keeping the website up to date.

Thanks, PQ

I get the impression that a lot of people in the hobby are really NOT computer people.

 

[klasmalmstrom]

...I think it matters: if you're publishing, in ASL at least, maybe one or two decent products a year and expect people to put up money months, years in advance, then keeping them informed about progress IS reasonable, and indeed just makes good marketing sense.

For the record, MMP does not "expect people to put up money months, years in advance" - they bill when a product is shipped.

 

[clubby]

You don't put up money months in advance. You put up a commitment to spend that money at a later date.

 

[larrymarak]

I know almost everyone here is an ASL enthusiast, but remember that MMP is a multi-focused wargame publisher. ASL is just one of their product lines. At least their website is more informative than Critical Hit's.

 

[clubby]

Ain't that the truth. I mean this hobby doesn't really acquit itself very well on the internet. BFP has an excellent website that could be so much better (months away from Schmidt and NOTHING on the site). MMP I think we already established is not very good. CH looks like a site where you would be discounted knock off prescription medications. Lone Canuck looks like it was done on GeoCities in the late 90s.

 

[Robin Reeve]

MMPs site is ugly and could suffer some kind of lifting.
Finding one's order history, for an example, is not easy - and you have to click on a tiny sentence in blue on a black background.

 

[Bob Walters]

MMPs site is ugly and could suffer some kind of lifting.
Finding one's order history, for an example, is not easy - and you have to click on a tiny sentence in blue on a black background.

At least it is better than some that do not even have that basic functionality.