Why is't the new RB reprint up to date.

[Actionjick]

yep, I hope there is still an ASL hobby in twenty years though, none of us are getting any younger and there doesn't seem to be that much new blood coming into the hobby though, what with Starter Kit, I could, hopefully, be wrong

I worked in college students apartments for 18 years and in that time saw very few board games and practically no war games. Maybe one or two copies of Risk. The appetite for board gaming is not what it was but I think the advent of virtual board gaming will keep it going for quite a while. When you can draw on a potential pool of players as large as the internet makes available the prospects of continued interest in board games seems almost a certainty. After all there will always be plenty of geeks, nerds and oddballs ( lol ).

 

[holdit]

I worked in college students apartments for 18 years and in that time saw very few board games and practically no war games. Maybe one or two copies of Risk. The appetite for board gaming is not what it was but I think the advent of virtual board gaming will keep it going for quite a while. When you can draw on a potential pool of players as large as the internet makes available the prospects of continued interest in board games seems almost a certainty. After all there will always be plenty of geeks, nerds and oddballs ( lol ).

Oddly enough, my daughter (16) is heading off to the house of a bestie today to play...board games. And these girls love their MineCraft and other SmartPhone and Xbox games. "Want to borrow these?" I asked, holding out the ASLRB and Beyond Valor, just for the wind-up value. That earned me a you-must-be-joking look...

 

[Actionjick]

Oddly enough, my daughter (16) is heading off to the house of a bestie today to play...board games. And these girls love their MineCraft and other SmartPhone and Xbox games. "Want to borrow these?" I asked, holding out the ASLRB and Beyond Valor, just for the wind-up value. That earned me a you-must-be-joking look...

She must be waiting for the eASLRB.

 

[nicky_longbranch]

It is not difficult to create an electronic rule book but who has that much time. I spend more time learning and playing then i really should already. I have a 2nd Edition HTML rule book. I have never used it once. Finding what I am looking for never takes me long so having it on a tablet or my Note 10 would be cool but in the end probably wouldn't be all that helpful.

 

[Philippe D.]

Buut, doesn't a subscription model kinda fit here? There's gonna be updates regularly as new products come out (generally yearly) , errata gets discovered, and Q&A continue to come out. Not to mention new content that could be specifically enabled by the e-ASLRB like more illustrated examples.

Even if I didn't think there was much of a great opportunity for this model to be good value-added, I'd still consider subscribing because I think MMP has earned the benefit of the doubt. Of all the times and places to put one's foot down and say "Nope, not gonna do it", I'd think one would do that with a more clear-cut Bad Actor like, say, Adobe or Microsoft. They've abused their customers for years; I just don't feel that way about MMP.

Shrug. To each his own.

That depends, IMHO, on what the subscription gives you. If it's the right for updates to your already downloaded and fully functional eASLRB, then I have not problems with it. If it's to let you continue using your copy (i.e., some kind of DRM thing that only lets you use it if you're currently paying the subscription), then that would not be a problem for me - I don't expect the price to be something I'll have difficulty paying while I'm still interested in playing the game, except for one particular point: it would likely mean an added restriction as to what devices you can access the eASLRB from, or access without an internet connection, or whatever - and that would be a problem.

Currently, I have copies on an Android e-ink tablet, and on the two computers that I sometimes use to play VASL. The tablet is something that I take with me when I go to an ASL meeting - it's actually lighter than the pocket rulebook (I also take the pocket rulebook though), but it doesn't have internet connectivity unless there's a Wifi network available. This flexibility is, to me, pretty important for the (legit) eASLRB to be worth the price of a subscription.

 

[nicky_longbranch]

I think once their is an official PDF, it will be pirated and disseminated and Multiman Publishing will lose revenue. I would think as one of the only board games still charging for rules today, it would survive if that changed. I think now its at least a revenue stream, no matter how small or large. I think the subscription will not work for similar reasons, people will pay until the do not think they should have to, or want to, and then pirate that version. I think they should release the rules for free and then just add a few more bucks to the games. I think the prices are reasonable when MMP releases something for what you get usually, and not only via components but replay value as well. I think the amount of play testing and historical research that goes into an MMP module usually far out does the TPP. I want to say that I think most of the TPP do an awesome job and many do impeccable research such as LFT. In the end they will probably just leave it how it is because it works pretty well so far, why "fix" it? I agree with those that say the number of players is generally fixed nowadays. I do not see a large resurgence taking place and the people who play ASL usually LOVE ASL, so they are in for the duration.

 

[Larry]

PDF documents can be managed to limit rights.

 

[nicky_longbranch]

"PDF documents can be managed to limit rights. " Larry

It takes 3 seconds to google "pdf unlocker".

 

[Larry]

The first PDF unlocker says:

We can strip your password-protected PDF file of its security if no strong encryption exists. Your PDF will be unlocked and ready for download within seconds.

The race between security and hacks will continue, not just for something as mundane as a rulebook but for other. Are the books on kindle and other ereaders secure or is it one download and the rest of the world gets it for free. There is a solution.

 

[nicky_longbranch]

I think the day of charging for rules is over. Its pure money grab now. Release the rules, let the community handle any errata, and start charging for games. I do not know how in 2020 they think this is they way forward. The only people willing to pay $80 just to have the Rule Booklet, are those who already love the game or like spending money on war games, and the group who never actually play ASL but like to "brag" about it because its the "most complex war game ever", which is just nonsense. Plus there already exist quite a few PDF's that people have made and several HTML versions as well. I think the cats out of the bag. I mean after 20 years they won't even update the rules...They add pages and pages of Errata and say you deal with it. If your going to charge all that money make sure you can justify it. When is the last time MMP put in significant time re-writing base rules.

 

[nicky_longbranch]

I really wish that MMP had updated the newly released rulebook with all the errata but I guess I can understand why they didn't. It would be a mammoth task. I guess switching to an updated E rulebook would be the answer because you could automatically update it anytime it needed it

They are charging for what, if they won't even update the errors. Imagine any other author creating a book with known errors and refusing to correct errors in the next edition but instead adds an addendum of errors? What are we paying for beside paper and ink.

 

[Sparafucil3]

They are charging for what, if they won't even update the errors. Imagine any other author creating a book with known errors and refusing to correct errors in the next edition but instead adds an addendum of errors? What are we paying for beside paper and ink.

You play warhammer? How many books have they deprecated along with mini's? -- jim

 

[Actionjick]

How much is a new rulebook really needed? Are the rules as they stand now so flawed as to make the game unplayable? How hard is it to incorporate errata into your current rulebook?

Just some questions. Plus it has to be considered that, as Alan said, it would be a massive undertaking and the people who would have to do it aren't getting any younger. What's to guarantee the new product wouldn't have as many errors as the first two?

Personally I'd wait for the CIASLRB. The Crainial Implant ASLRB. Much less bulky and always there for quick reference.

Looking at the " how many scenarios do you play a year " poll preliminary results are that greater than 89% of respondents play less than 2 scenarios a week. Do they really need or want a new rulebook?

 

[Sparafucil3]

Looking at the " how many scenarios do you play a year " poll preliminary results are that greater than 89% of respondents play less than 2 scenarios a week. Do they really need or want a new rulebook?

As someone who has played with an eASLRB for years, I can say I prefer the pocket rule book. I penciled in all the errata by hand. I can search it much faster than I can my eASLRB. If I had a Chapter H, I wouldn't likely use my eASLRB at all. If the "official" product is a simple copy, it is just a paper book that requires a plug. IMO, if you're going to make an eASLRB, it needs to be full cross-linked and indexed for searching. Anything less than that is no better than paper and certainly not worth my money. JMO, YMMV. -- jim

 

[Tuomo]

Are the rules as they stand now so flawed as to make the game unplayable?

Of course not. But do ASL'ers like dealing with errata? Nope.

How hard is it to incorporate errata into your current rulebook?

It's actually pretty darn annoying. I stopped after maybe 4-5 iterations, when my 1st edition rulebook became a mess. I bought the Pocket Rulebook to use as my primary, and marking that thing up is a nightmare.

Plus it has to be considered that, as Alan said, it would be a massive undertaking and the people who would have to do it aren't getting any younger.

Please.

What's to guarantee the new product wouldn't have as many errors as the first two?

Um, basic quality control? The entire purpose of the exercise being to incorporate errata into the body of the text so as to clarify things?

What kind of questions are these? I'm really tempted to push the "Arrant Nonsense" button that Bruce Probst hit me with many years ago.

Looking at the "how many scenarios do you play a year " poll preliminary results are that greater than 89% of respondents play less than 2 scenarios a week. Do they really need or want a new rulebook?

WHAT ARRANT NONSENSE.

There. Don't make me do that again. You're better than this.

 

[Actionjick]

Of course not. But do ASL'ers like dealing with errata? Nope.


It's actually pretty darn annoying. I stopped after maybe 4-5 iterations, when my 1st edition rulebook became a mess. I bought the Pocket Rulebook to use as my primary, and marking that thing up is a nightmare.


Please.


Um, basic quality control? The entire purpose of the exercise being to incorporate errata into the body of the text so as to clarify things?

What kind of questions are these? I'm really tempted to push the "Arrant Nonsense" button that Bruce Probst hit me with many years ago.


WHAT ARRANT NONSENSE.

There. Don't make me do that again. You're better than this.

Sorry, done without Captain Bacchus's input. He's a moderating influence on me.?

 

[Tuomo]

Sorry, done without Captain Bacchus's input. He's a moderating influence on me

No problem. I'm sorry to come off like an ass. Could I be your first flamewar? You really haven't experienced ASL on the internet without one

 

[Actionjick]

No problem. I'm sorry to come off like an ass. Could I be your first flamewar? You really haven't experienced ASL on the internet without one

No problem, I have thick skin, and a wife of 44 years. I've got all the flamewar I need, and more!!?

 

[nicky_longbranch]

You play warhammer? How many books have they deprecated along with mini's? -- jim

We are talking about ASL here not Warhammer/WarMachine/Flames of War, those are table-top miniatures games that also rip people off.

 

[apbills]

As someone who has played with an eASLRB for more than 20 years, I can say that in the current html format, I prefer it to the hardcopy rulebook. It is far easier to update errata (i.e., it is done electronically when the new errata is released and it is inserted exactly as it was intended into the rules). Since it is html, it is completely searchable using the browsers search function, although for the most part I rarely search that way (most likely due to 40+ years of playing SL/ASL and understanding the layout of the rulebook). With it in html, every rules reference is hyperlinked. It contains scanned pdfs of every scenario I own (with the exception of some very old TPP that will just wait until I retire), which right now means 1,998 linked scenarios. More importantly, it means when I go to a tournament I have ALL my paper on my laptop for reference. With the duffel of game counters and mapboards it is very handy to reduce weight and space by this method.

When a new product comes out, it is not very hard to update and add as necessary. In the case of errata, it is a text update in my editor and I am good to go. In the case of a new scenario pack, it is simply adding in the list of new scenarios, potential SSRs (like Death to Facism) and then linking to the scanned pdfs. New historical games take longer, there is usually 20+ pages of new material to sift through. Q&A will get added back in some day, I have just been too busy with paid work to decide on how I want to link it in effectively, but as retirement gets closer, I know my available time will soon expand .

I can see why people who don't have the time would like to have an electronic version available to purchase. I didn't want to wait for the official electronic version, which was talked about over 20 years ago. I will not pay for an electronic version, since I already have one that does everything I want it to do, as well as the fact I will buy a published version of any product I am interested in anyway, and I can (and do) add anything to my eASLRB that I want to add to it, fully linked and integrated, no matter who published the material. There is no doubt in my mind that, for me, an official eASLRB would be a step back, if only due to all the TPP material that is linked in, along with all the Historical ASL material. I would think that any official eASLRB would be geared towards newer players and it has functions to help them learn and understand the rules easier.