With Allen Divers away for the weekend, Dances With Shadows steps in answering questions.

Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2001 17:04:39 -0600
From:  Bayushi Tajiri (raven9864@mindspring.com)
To:  rageinfo@egroups.com
Subject:  Re: [Rage] Questions about new cards, etc.

      
    >Matthew R Burack
    >mrburack@hotmail.com
    >
    >* I hereby give anyone and everyone full rights to use any ideas i have
    >listed here, unrestricted by copyright, license, intellectual property
    >rights, trademark, trade secret, import/export laws, taxes and tariffs,
    >common sense, common decency, or alien/governmental mind-control techniques.
    >  The ideas weren't that great or original to begin with.

    While this is very much appreciated, I would like to come forth at this
    time and ask that everyone *not* post any card or design ideas to this
    list, even with such disclaimers.  The potential problems are just not
    worth the possible ends.

    I will also be giving my opinions on the various topics everyone has been
    discussing this weekend, and I apologize for my silence thus far.  I am
    taking in everything everyone is saying, and according the importance it is
    all due now.  It is good to see the support that still exists for these
    fine games.

    But for now, everyone needs to keep a few things in perspective.

    Do not assume what any possible investors will or will not do or back.
    Anything is possible.  Allen and I will keep everyone up to date as to what
    is going to happen with any possible set printings.  Too much speculation
    at this point is not going to do any good.

    Do not discuss any design or card ideas publically.  A proper forum will
    occur in the future when such input is desired and needed.

    *Do* discuss what you want to see in both sets as far as story, card types,
    Fan Club support, and tourney structure.  These are the things we most need
    from the fans at this point.

    Please understand that Azrael has as it's goal the support of *both* games,
    if at all possible.  Neither game is looked at by Allen or myself as
    "superior" to the other, and thus more important.  These are two sepeerate
    games, and each will be assigned the importance it deserves.  Thus, if it
    is possible for us to make both games printable, we will.  Only when the
    options surrounding this are eliminated conmpletely will we look at in any
    sort of one or the other scheme.

    Support the game publically when you can.  If not with tourneys, then with
    casual play in your local shops.  Believe it or not, casual, friendly play
    is often a stronger show of support than the random, occasional tourney.
    Retail support will be more likely with visisble play.

    Upcoming tourney activity includes Catchy Slogan in Deleware, Ohio, Scott
    Rogers Rage tourneys in New Jersey, and my own Stones River Challenge III
    slated for the weekend of April 1rst in Charleston, SC.  (More details on
    the SRC III coming soon.  Zeplyn, I'll be in touch this weekend.)  Spread
    the word amongst your friends and shop owners.

    There's a lot of energy for Rage: Apocalypse & TW right now.  Let's do our
    best to channel it in positive ways, and soon enough we just might get
    Gaia's Warriors back on the shelves.

    More this weekend...

    Dances With Shadows
    Alpha, Stones River Sept

    Bobby Turman
    Head of Marketing
    Azrael Productions

Date:  Fri, 12 Jan 2001 20:47:34 -0600
From:  Bayushi Tajiri (raven9864@mindspring.com)
To:  rageinfo@egroups.com
Subject:  Re: [Rage] 7th Gen dead?

      
    At 04:01 AM 1/12/01 -0000, you wrote:
    >Hmm, if the cards are to stay with the storyline, how are we going to handle
    >the destruction of the 7th Gen.?

    Interesting point.  Let me address in general some of the storyline
    concerns Allen and I have discussed for Apocalypse.

    1) While we intend to use elements from the meta-story behind Werewolf,
    they will not neccessarily be played out in mirror fashion.  What this
    means in plain terms:  We will adhere to the canon of the RPG, but we will
    not simply mimic it.  There will be *original* material interspresed with
    the RPG canon.  It is Azrael's intention to work closely with WW on this,
    including coordinated projects possibly.

    2)  Storyline tourney events will be used in the Apocalypse version, as
    well as the Tribal War version of the game.  It has been discussed that
    crossover type storyline tourneys could be plotted between the two.

    3) While the backstory to Tribal War will not contradict or depart from the
    RPG standard, it will forge it's own path using mostly original materials.

    For now, this is as detailed as we need to get  as far as happenings in the
    WoD universe until such time as financing of one or both sets becomes clearer.


    Dances With Shadows
    Alpha, Stones River Sept

Date:  Fri, 12 Jan 2001 20:53:41 -0600
From:  Bayushi Tajiri (raven9864@mindspring.com)
To:  rageinfo@egroups.com
Subject:  Re: [Rage] 7th Gen dead?

      
    At 12:21 AM 1/12/01 EST, you wrote:
    >
    >In a message dated 1/11/01 9:01:30 PM, street_mime@hotmail.com writes:
    >
    >>Hmm, if the cards are to stay with the storyline, how are we going to handle
    >>the destruction of the 7th Gen.?
    >
    >My guess is that we shouldn't print any new ones (unless they need to be
    >errata'd). Those would be "desperate survivors".  But I think there
    might
    be
    >other  Wyrm factions waiting in the wings...

    Nothing will be printed or issued that conflicts with WoD canon.  However,
    if it does not, then all things are possible.

    At present, both games will be revived and printed with no major overhauls.
     This was plainly a mistake the last time around.  Revisions for clarity
    and balance will be instituted gingerly at the first, but new/vanishing
    factions or anything else that drastically affects the nature of either
    game will not be done.

    Growth and change in overall design and production can only come after we
    have re-solidified the fan and retail bases.


    Dances With Shadows
    Alpha, Stones River Sept

Date:  Sat, 13 Jan 2001 11:20:08 -0600
From:  Bayushi Tajiri (raven9864@mindspring.com)
To:  rageinfo@egroups.com
Subject:  Re: [Rage] Re: State of Things

               
    At 01:14 PM 1/11/01 -0000, you wrote:
    >--- In rageinfo@egroups.com, "jonathan barnhart"
    
    >wrote:
    >> QUESTION: What ever happened to the conversion document that was
    >being
    >> worked on?  The one that would have allowed the use of more cards
    >from WW in
    >> RALV.  I know this probably isn't the answer, but I was interested
    >in seeing
    >> it.
    >
    >A number of people had worked on the WWRage-to-RALV conversion.  I had
    >worked on a conversion from RALV to WWRage.  Both efforts were never
    >completed (there's that Harano again...), and were both non-official.
    >FRPG/WotC never gave the promised support for this.

    This is true, to some extent.  I completed a conversion of the Umbra set
    and Howls completed the Legacy set.  These will be making their prescence
    felt again, but only in an unofficial capacity as well.  The problems with
    issuing erratta and conversions for every single card for both games means
    simply too much to look up, memorize, etc. to support in an official
    manner, which would include tourney issues.  But efforts will be made to do
    a conversion doc for friendly game use.

    >That being said, here are some questions for the list:
    >
    >For WWRage (Apocalypse), which RALV characters should be reprinted as
    >WWRage cards?  For RALV, which (additional) WWRage characters should
    >be reprinted as RALV cards?  (For RALV, this might affect or be
    >affected by the next locale that Tribal War will feature).

    The next Tribal War set to come out will likely feature materials from the
    completed Vegas Edition set, as those are 98% ready to go.  We have already
    seen TW versions of Apocalypse characters under FRPG, and this trend will
    contiune, though not on a massive scale.  Both games we will be striving to
    give their own identity, not make clones of each other.

    >In RALV, the Totem cards were a separate card type, while in WWRage
    >they were Events.  Should WWRage change Totems to be a separate type
    >of card?  Or is the current Event - Totem good enough?  If we do
    >change the Totems, should we also change Moon Phases?

    Both games will keep their individual characteristics, changes only being
    made for clarity and balance at this point.

    >Should Moon Phases be introduced to RALV?

    One already has been, sort of.  the foil card "Blue Moon".  In the future,
    this could be an excellent model for how to handle moon phases in TW.

    >Should Caerns be introduced to RALV? (OK - this is an easy one :)

    New card types and mechanics introduced slowly has always been a method of
    operation for both versions of the game.

    >Where should the next Tribal War occur - suggestions on setting?

    Future storyline arcs will be devised by Azrael and presented in special
    tourney events, similar to the atmosphere that L5R enjoys, and FRPG was
    prepared to do with Rage under it's handling.  There were exactly two
    storyline tourneys that i know of with FRPG's approval-the one held by
    Regis Wallace, and the first Stones River Challenge, though that was
    promised with what later became obvious lack of intent by FRPG.  Currently,
    the storyarc from the SRC events and the Vegas arc are the ones that
    curently remain unresolved.  Once these are settled, we will create a new
    backstory and hold the proper events to allow for the fans to help guide
    the direction of it.  TW will follow a mostly original storyline, while
    Apocalypse will use heavily elements of the White Wolf universe.

    >For WWRage, how should we proceed with Storyline, when we are linking
    >the game strongly to White Wolf's WoD and the events therein?  White
    >Wolf sets the story in WoD; the original WWRage was produced by them,
    >so it was largely under their control; any story Azrael comes up with
    >would be largely apocryphal (e.g., not official).

    Not neccessarily.  We ahve talked to White Wolf in the past about this, and
    will be attemtping to work with them to ensure that the Apocalypse game and
    the RPG stories interact in an official capacity.  It is hoped that in the
    future, we can even stage "crossover" style story events that feature minor
    bits of info that integrate in an overall story or theme.  For example, a
    battle alluded to in an RPG supplement but not detailed, could be the topic
    of a special "global storyline tourney" held, and the outcome determined by
    the Rage players, which is then submitted to White Wolf for detailing in
    future supplements.  And vice versa, obviously.  something we are thinking
    about at this point anyway.


    Dances With Shadows
    Alpha, Stones River Sept

Date:  Wed, 17 Jan 2001 19:10:33 -0600
From:  Bayushi Tajiri (raven9864@mindspring.com)
To:  rageinfo@egroups.com
Subject:  Re: [Rage] Future Printings of Rage

      
    At 03:59 PM 1/17/01 -0800, you wrote:
    >> getting the Garou Nation back online.
    >
    >speakin of which, where should one go to sign up for
    >this (come payday, anyway) ?

    At this point, we are still working on getting the GN into a format we
    like, and trying to secure the backing needed to make it what the fans
    deserve.  Also, we are working on how to best offer those who previously
    had invested money into FRPG's GN something for the lack of support they
    received there.

    Hold on to those dollars in your eager little paws for now.  Current
    negotiations are underway to make the GN reality.


    Dances With Shadows
    Alpha, Stones River Sept