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Latest PBWU is up.

Not even a mention of Tactics in even the vaguest "We're working on it, promise!" way.

Only bits I found interesting, is that they're still trying to rope some fool into running an RRT tournament, and they don't seem to proofread or edit their cut and pastes.
"Gen Con needs ALL game information by Mid-February."
Now, it's mid March, according to GenCon. So someone might assume that they just mistyped the date. But they've shifted it three times already (initially Jan 31, Feb 10, Feb 14, and now Mid Feb)

I find it interesting that they've announced shipping of Heroes of Humanity in March, but as of yet haven't finalized a price or page count. I mean the current speed of printing doesn't mean it will necessarily be a holdup, but it does seem weird as a publishing outsider, that significant changes (page counts by PB tend to be in the 16 page divisible range) are being left so late. That's potentially a crapload of stuff to add/subtract in the final moments, and could lead to a serious error in editting or layout. But from what I know, that'd be nothing new for Palladium.

Also, finally banned from the Palladium Facebook page. Honestly surprised it took them so long. I mean, I haven't been profane, or directly insulting, but that didn't stop many others from being punted weeks ago.

We're officially less important than the new RiftsTM BagTM. It got a big early and prominent mention (available now! buy it!) whereas the remaining missing robotech products relegated to a couple of vague words in one sentance.

As for the multiple dates, there may be a kernel of truth in there twisted as always to Palladium's immediate needs/benefit. Back when I was going to gencon (admittedly last in 2007ish), there were multiple dates. The date for prereg opening (or going back many years pre-internet for getting into the prereg book), the date for getting your badge reimbursed, the date for getting into the onsite book, the date for getting onto the onsite TV screens, etc.

My info above is admittedly out of date but they did mention last year that they were as a company being charged a large amount for each table in the minis area (maybe because they didn't register early enough to get comped or because they weren't "fan run" but rather corporate games) which was one of the reasons (mentioned iirc only once or twice) for having minis games in the RPG room for which they apparently didn't have to pay or at least pay as much. The usual oft repeated "reason" was because they wanted to supposedly keep everything together but either Palladium or the MA in charge of the games mentioned the cost issue once or twice. The roving dates might have something to do with the above as well.

I was just grousing to a friend on the way PB keeps digging its hole deeper, and he commented that at this rate they'd reach China that way. Maybe that's how they intend to reduce shipping costs.

 warboss wrote:
We're officially less important than the new RiftsTM BagTM. It got a big early and prominent mention (available now! buy it!) whereas the remaining missing robotech products relegated to a couple of vague words in one sentence.

Well, at least they moved on from the "dice bag(!!)(tm)"
I will echo my comment from the KS page that Forar may have to add a new element to the "clock" of how many days since PB stopped mentioning wave2.
From their BBB replies to me, they figure we are not "out of pocket" (anyone who ordered anything to do with a starter kit) due to retail value of what was received.

So how does that fly when they weren't SELLING us anything?

We invested in a project due to the promise of receiving certain 'rewards'. They can't have it both ways, either we backed a project and we are still due certain rewards no matter the retail value of whatever we got so far, or it was a pre-order and they owe us refunds to those that want it [or to everyone if that means they no longer have the funds to do anything more]

And of course, they can't use that wishy-washy defence with me. [paid $140, received at best $5 worth decal sheet. And they think that's not "out of pocket"?

@Conrad: Note my weasel clause in brackets:
"(anyone who ordered anything to do with a starter kit)."

The good thing is afterward the FTC had "clarified" things in their lawsuit and made it clear rewards had to be given or refunded.

I am on the hook for about $140 on backerkit orders so I keep pounding on them for that: it is the clearest means of separation I have of an unfulfilled order.

@Conrad: In your case, it's more like it fits "in the pocket". :(

@Lynx: We'll know if that is their genius plan for cost savings on shipping if they put out a call for volunteers to undertake the perilous Journey to the Center of the EarthTM to help deliver it for free.

Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know I've been here for just over 100 pages and I thought I should celebrate some sort of anniversary or something.

*party hats and balloons*
Yay! I still don't have Wave 2 or any hope of a refund!
*kazoo noises*

Solidarity fist bump.

Celebratory mix of emoticons representing the rollercoaster of this KS:

Guess Kevin wants in on the celebrations. He just posted another update about his writing and... Geese! Yay




Automatically Appended Next Post:
It's on the FB page.

I'll have to see if it's the same thing as on the new murmur.

http://www.palladium-megaverse.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=150507

New murmur just in time for the 1 year anniversary of the last real update on the remaining rewards... and it's focused on Canadians (both Homo genus and avian). They do however make mention of participating at various panels at Anime North. Perhaps that would be a good time for dakka attendees to politely but firmly press them for a non-vague jazz hand answer to why they have completely ignored showing ANY progress for over a year at that point. The firmly comes in when they reply with the typical "we can't tell you everything but we're working SOOOOOO hard" and not accepting that as a valid answer and pointing out that showing nothing is not acceptable and indicates no real work towards completing rewards in response. I'm not talking about name calling, raising voices, accusations of crimes, threats of governmental enforcement, or disrupting the panel etc. but rather factually bringing up their verifiable complete inability to live up to the expectations and promises that they chose to set during the Q&A portion of the panel. Let the rest of the panelist (if there are any besides Palladium) know about what their fellow panelists are up to or, more correctly, NOT up to. Getting it on a cell phone video and posting it up on youtube for the rest of us would be much appreciated as well. Multiple folks politely but firmly asking them about different failed aspects (no progress or real communication by one person, refusal to offer refunds after 3 years of delays by another, etc). Palladium has no power to kick anyone out of the room let alone the con and I'm not suggesting anything of the sort but publicly and firmly (but politely) making them face and address their failures would be worth a shot especially if folks are going there anyways.

I will be there Saturday.
I am not shy.
I will see what they open themselves up to for questioning.
I honestly figure nothing of substance will happen with it other than maybe make Kevin lose it.
If anything it may make him lose his taste for public appearances.
I think he is banking on the non-confrontational Canadian.
Oh well, just mention 2013 estimated delivery and no concrete information for a year now on wave 2.
I have other things to do there however and do not need to get kicked out due to making "the guest of honor" upset.

I just want to observe in case they claim "we were so busy" when if the 2013 appearance was any indication, no they really weren't

I wish you better luck than I had at Gencon. Admittedly, I didn't exactly bend over backwards to get attention, but while a couple of volunteers were generally pretty eager to approach anyone in earshot, Kevin and others working the booth were generally happy just chatting in a small group whenever I passed by, or not present, though it's possible our schedules just weren't aligning well at the time.

Oh well, I stand behind having put more effort in reaching out to them than they've apparently put into Wave 2, you gents can see what you can find out this year, and hey, hopefully next year I'll be at Gencon again, and we currently have no reason to believe that this gakshow will be wrapped up in the next 17 months, so perhaps I'll get a chance to ask them then.

Surely they'd interrupt their conversation for the opportunity to reassure one of their backers if asked politely?

Given the recent re-emergence of the Geese phenomenon, I wonder why the rest of you haven't caught on to why Kev is so happy to mention them.

1/ They don't raise criticism and spoil his perfect vision of the world.

But mainly

2/ He is one himself. Content to fly above the noise down below and relieve himself on anyone lower than him. [which of course means everyone, because surely no-one could be flying higher than Kev, right!]

That explains a lot.jajaja

 Conrad Turner wrote:
Given the recent re-emergence of the Geese phenomenon, I wonder why the rest of you haven't caught on to why Kev is so happy to mention them.
1/ They don't raise criticism and spoil his perfect vision of the world.
But mainly
2/ He is one himself. Content to fly above the noise down below and relieve himself on anyone lower than him. [which of course means everyone, because surely no-one could be flying higher than Kev, right!]

I suspect he views the geese much like his customers:
We make a lot of noise but we keep coming back for handouts.
They may have their own pecking order, but he is the one with the food and that is why they hang around.
They live a life so divorced from his own, they look cute through a window but you would certainly not want to get close.
He would feel no obligation to feed them if they no longer amuse him.

<sigh> I want my money or PB closed, the models are a forlorn hope.

 Talizvar wrote:
I suspect he views the geese much like his customers:
We make a lot of noise but we keep coming back for handouts.
They may have their own pecking order, but he is the one with the food and that is why they hang around.
They live a life so divorced from his own, they look cute through a window but you would certainly not want to get close.
He would feel no obligation to feed them if they no longer amuse him.

<sigh> I want my money or PB closed, the models are a forlorn hope.

Yeah, I suspect Palladium views that their ideal customers would be much like the geese. They'll sqawk lowdly but immediately eat up practically anything you throw to them and you can scare them away quickly when inconvienent. They'll of course be back to eat more whenever you feel like throwing them scraps again but until then you can just ignore them from inside the office.

If you do end up questioning Kevin and friends at Anime North, please get it on video even if it is just shaky hand cam. If it's good enough for Blair Witch and Cloverfield, it's good enough to capture a shaky glimpse of a flustered Wonderful Wizard of Ozaddium trying to weasel out of his responsibilities.

Took them two weeks to respond, but surprisingly they did!
-----------------
Regarding your Inquire:

Can you please show me evidence that you are
working towards producing Wave 2? Your "word" is not evidence.

As stated before, per Update # 186,
"The digital files and programs used for the 3D
sculpts were incompatible with the programs
necessary for manufacturing. The manufacturer has
had to recreate all the digital files, virtually
from scratch, using the 3D sculpts as references.
This process has been complicated by the
specifications and limitations of the
manufacturing process. Which in turn, has led to
long, ponderous periods of discussion, redesigns,
changes, corrections and a lot of parts to retain
the detailed game pieces everyone wanted. There
were many other challenges and issues in other
areas that also had to be addressed, all of them
taking time and valuable resources.
We have not been able to show you physical work
as of yet, because we are exploring different
possible solutions to the piece count issue,
sprue layouts, etc. This should provide a
different end result and different number of
pieces and a different final look. Until we nail
that all down, I’m afraid there is nothing new to
physically show at this time."

When we have more information that we can share, we will post it online.

Can you please explain why you are unwilling to
refund backerkit funds when they are not part of
the Kickstarter and constitute a pre-order for product?

BackerKit is a pledge manager, NOT a store, nor a
platform for pre-orders. The additional funds
added in BackerKit, if any, are NOT purchases or
pre-orders. The rewards and add-ons you are able
to select in BackerKit are exactly the same ones
available during the primary funding period, and
are indistinguishable from them. Delivery of
those rewards is governed by the same rules as
any other Kickstarter backer rewards. The backer
is pledging funds toward the creation of the
project, with the expectation of receiving the
stated rewards if and when the project is
completed. This is entirely unlike a pre-order or
purchase for an item which has already been
manufactured and is available for retail sale.
The pledge manager acts as an extension of the
Kickstarter project, NOT as a store or an avenue to place pre-orders.
------------
So I responded asking for any information as to the status of the project, not just showing me pics of models but ANYTHING. I'm sure you guys have seen all the new names popping up on the project comments page saying how upset they are. It's been so long but people are beginning to wake up. I know at least 3 guys from my MWO group have filed, possibly more. The tide is turning...

OFFS, just admit it's never coming you pathetic weasels!

 warboss wrote:
If you do end up questioning Kevin and friends at Anime North, please get it on video even if it is just shaky hand cam. If it's good enough for Blair Witch and Cloverfield, it's good enough to capture a shaky glimpse of a flustered Wonderful Wizard of Ozaddium trying to weasel out of his responsibilities.

I will see what I can do.
I will not really have a partner in crime to record it... I am not letting my wife and kids view the man-child hissy fit I am expecting.
Maybe Jaymz will assist since I plan to meet him.
Please note this is not my main reason for being there and I honestly expect to not get much out of used car salesman Kevin.
I assume you expect him to twist in the wind, no, he will just get angry and claim I am "being unreasonable" and a heckler... the trick is to remain calm.
I fully expect he has gone through this scenario a hundred times in his head since he is all about being blameless.
We shall see.

Now jeffer and Tom Roach will warn their God. Be careful you don't get kicked out Talisvar.

 Cypher-xv wrote:
Now jeffer and Tom Roach will warn their God. Be careful you don't get kicked out Talisvar.

You can't get kicked out for asking a fact based question politely but firmly during the Q&A, no matter how uncomfortable it will make the slimeballs on the stage. If they give the typical pass the buck "we can't show you everything but we're working SOOOOoOOO hard!" response, you simply point out that the other extreme of showing nothing in progress and having nothing to show for all that work is not necessary; there are plenty of reasonable options available for the past YEAR between the two extremes. You then walk away. Victoriously pimp walking away after dropping the mic are entirely optional but not recommended.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Talizvar wrote:

I will not really have a partner in crime to record it... I am not letting my wife and kids view the man-child hissy fit I am expecting.
Maybe Jaymz will assist since I plan to meet him.
Please note this is not my main reason for being there and I honestly expect to not get much out of used car salesman Kevin.
I assume you expect him to twist in the wind, no, he will just get angry and claim I am "being unreasonable" and a heckler... the trick is to remain calm.
I fully expect he has gone through this scenario a hundred times in his head since he is all about being blameless.
We shall see.

I fully expect a slimey non-commital used car salesman promise about snake oil delivery right after you take him to task about a full year of used car salesman snake oil "updates". It's what they do... but it'll be nice to get the Q and the resultant A on video to show exactly how bad they are. As I've said multiple times and you posted above, the key is to be polite but firm and to respond to the typical slimeball buck passing with a reasonable fact based retort. I'll frankly be surprised if there will be alot of folks at the panel (both fans and/or con staff). If my experience is anything, they'll probably have one or two folks running inbetween multiple panel rooms checking up on things that have little to no interest in the exact topic being discussed. If they see you're being reasonable about the issues both in your tone yet firm (but not disruptive or angry), they'll have no reason to do anything no matter what shade of color Kevin and friends turn. You ask your question, let them dig their hole, and then kick some dirt over them by responding factually... and walk away.

I will gladly accompany you and record it to boot Tal

 Talizvar wrote:

I fully expect he has gone through this scenario a hundred times in his head since he is all about being blameless.
We shall see.

Actually, I'd be more inclined to believe the opposite - he hasn't thought about it as no one would dare shatter his illusion that everything is going EXACTLY to his expected timetable and being worked on to the fullest extent of his ability.

jaymz wrote:
I will gladly accompany you and record it to boot Tal

Ooooh! Can I have the little blacked-out rectangle over my eyes to preserve my anonymity?

Maybe Kevin will run away from the panel stage and hold up a con guide to cover his face from the camera like a politician caught sending genitalia pics to teenagers.... Nah, that would require him to be capable of shame.

pity enough can't go to the point the only questions being asked is where is wave 2, that would definitely wake them up, can see it now,

1st Question: Mr. Siembieda me and many others would like to know where wave 2 is on the RRT KS project?

response: we are working diligently on it, next person

next questor: Mr. Siembieda to re address first questors question, where is wave 2 and proof of its existance?

response: like I said we are working on it and it is so awesome when you will see it it will blow your mind. next person?

Next Questor: Mr. Siembieda you have failed to give an adequate answer to the first 2 people and have basically given the middle finger to all your backers in that they want to know what is up with wave 2.

Response: I don't need to put up with this lynch mob you will get it when you get it.

no more questions since how many would waste time to go talk to him at an anime convention?