Re: The PBM Report

From: kmgraphiks@aol.com (KMGraphiks)

Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 00:00:00 +0000

[*Note: After this post my replies to this thread will be under the subject
"PBMR-Grandel Article" so that anyone not interested can quickly delete or kill
file them. Some of my posts are bound to be long so be forewarned. Anyone on
AOL may be interested to check out the original postings in the AOL PBM Forum
in the Galactic Prisoners 4 folder...wear spittle protection.-- Ken Mitchell]

Bill Bowersox posts:

> The article that you are proposing to run on Grandel inc. in your newsletter,
>the PBM Report, is nothing short of a revenge filled attack aimed at bringing
>new life to your newsletter. Your letters to me have directly contradicted
your
>posts. This forces me to believe that everything you say needs to be
>scrutinized.

Bill please cut & paste direct quotes from both as evidence of my
'contradictions'.
When I replied to your email informing me that you were willing to do a review
or supply additional information I stated my article position very clearly as
follows:

"I am very interested in getting a short update to the game. I would much
rather do it electronically since I won't have to keystroke it and it will be
an accurate record of what you say. I'm just at a loss as to why some players
are so hostile to the outer PBM industry and so protective of GP. Is it because
it's kind of like your own private PBM club and you don't want any outsiders?
What possible harm could publicity do to the game? I'm always interested in the
classic great games I read about in my old Flagship and Paper Mayhem
collections. I would like to do an update on how and why GP has stood the test
of time. Of course I will have to mention something like..."most of you will
remember the great GP controversy of 1992..." but don't need to go into much
more than a paragraph or two about it. What's important to me is the current
state of the game....the number of players, new innovative rules, has it gone
electronic, GM evaluation, the future of the game. All this you could give me
in a few hundred words and I would print it verbatim as a quote from a loyal
player (or if I need to edit it, I would send it back for your approval)."

>    You are a first rate reporter, and with your skills Dateline should be
>giving you a call very soon. You already know the outcome of your
investigative
>report before you even investigate. You have an ax to grind with Grandel Inc.
>because they were vocal opponents of the unethical activities that took place
>at Flagship. (American) Flagship died with only a few hundred subscribers
>because of their biased reporting. If you advertised, you got good press, if
>you did not you were ripped. Now the PBM Report seems to be doing the same
>thing. Grandel Inc. Refused your attempt to get them to advertise and they
>refused to subscribe so now your going to trash them for it.

I mailed invitations to advertise along with at least a couple free issues to
every moderator I could find (40-50). Grandel was one of the many that dropped
off the list when they never replied. Using your theory I would also be out for
revenge against the other 20-30 other moderators that don't advertise with me.
Can you show me any evidence of bias in the six published issues of the PBMR
against Grandel or any of these other moderators?

>    The PBM industry has always been cutthroat. There are a huge number of
>games, and a limited supply of players, and that supply of players shrinks
more
>often than it grows. This makes it profitable to try to crush your
competition.
>Some game masters and publishers do this by putting out a superior product or
>service (like Grandel Inc, or Paper Mayhem); others do so by trying to tear
the
>competition down.
>    These others change a fun, gaming environment into a cutthroat, stressful
>race. I encourage all PBM Players not to support these ruthless game masters
>and publishers. PBM Gaming should be fun. It saddens me that I felt the need
to
>print the previous, but I feel the biased and unsubstantiated reporting in the
>PBM Report needed to be addressed.

It saddens me that you have such a low opinion of all other PBM games and
moderators. I've only been in the industry for 5-6 years but have witnessed
mostly comraderie and cooperation between PBM moderators and publications. What
type of dirty ruthless deeds do you claim have ruined the PBM industry?

Ken Mitchell
Ken Mitchell Graphics
The PBM Report
http://www.tightbeam.com/pbm-report

References

Re: The PBM Report
Carol Mulholland <Flagship@flagship-uk.demon.co.uk>
Sun, 26 Jul 1998 00:00:00 +0000