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jaymz wrote:

"Okay, which one of us do you want to come in afterwards to tell you how great it is?"

"Hmm....let me get back to you on that."

Actually more like...


"Okay, which one of us do you want to come in afterwards to tell you how great it is?"

"Just read this weeks update to find out which of you acknowledged my brilliance"

"Great idea Kevin"

"But Kevin, I didn't say that."

*Kevin reaches for a pink slip of paper*

"Nevermind! Glad you liked what I said! Always happy!"

Really, that should read Kevin reaches for pink slip of paper, cut to nine years worth of editing and excuses later, someone is fired.

Except no-one from PB has ever been fired, they are medically retired due to having been thrown under a bus too many times.

Would now be a bad time to mention that PB is supposedly reaching out to peoole who have done their own "wave two" minis via 3d printing? I say supposedly because it is something I cannot actually verify but it would not shock me if it were true.....

I know I've heard that rumour before, possibly here, possibly in the comments?

It would be very Palladium for them to try to get fans to do the work for them.

jaymz wrote:
Would now be a bad time to mention that PB is supposedly reaching out to peoole who have done their own "wave two" minis via 3d printing? I say supposedly because it is something I cannot actually verify but it would not shock me if it were true.....

Then the intention or actions that would result in this "reaching out" is what I am most curious about.

Would it be any of the following:
- To find out the "creators" of the 3D models and contact them for 3D editing or creation?
- To arrange some licensing(ish) agreement with them to use a master copy of their work for mold creation?
- To talk to those who have done their own casting and look at a more "home-brew" kind of pumping out miniatures with "fan-friends"?
- Expand their contacts for places that can make models "on the cheap"?

Any of these answered could give some indication of what their major malfunction is other than the usual.

They are looking for quotes.

"How much did that cost you to make?

Got a quote, now we can say we did something..."

 n815e wrote:
They are looking for quotes.
"How much did that cost you to make?
Got a quote, now we can say we did something..."

PB-"How much did that cost to make?"
Guy-"Almost nothing."
PB-"Make that for us at the same price."
Guy-"No."
...
...
PB-"Make that for us and Kevin will sign your copy of the RRT rules."
Guy-"You are kidding right? Oh, no you are not.... No."
PB-"Make that for us and we will give you a bunch of free stuff."
Guy-"Of my choosing at least?"
PB-"No."
Guy-"... take... a... hike."
PB-"We are glad you agreed to .... uh, was that a no?"

They seem more like the kind of people who would contact you about your models, try to claim they owned the rights to make them and threaten to sue you if you didn't give them the files.

Joyboozer wrote:
Really, that should read Kevin reaches for pink slip of paper, cut to nine years worth of editing and excuses later, someone is fired.

well Kevin usually waits till he needs money to pay the bills before firing someone saying they stole his precious fridge art.

Henshini wrote:
They seem more like the kind of people who would contact you about your models, try to claim they owned the rights to make them and threaten to sue you if you didn't give them the files.

Very true.

At least we know why NMI has been buying up Shapeways models, now.

 n815e wrote:

Henshini wrote:
They seem more like the kind of people who would contact you about your models, try to claim they owned the rights to make them and threaten to sue you if you didn't give them the files.

Very true.

At least we know why NMI has been buying up Shapeways models, now.

not mine, but that is because he can't.

Did someone steal the masters and files that ND provided prior to the release of Wave 1?

Another Crisis of Treachery?!?

Of course not. You can't stick a computer file to a refrigerator! And even if you did, the magnet would ruin the 5.25" floppy!

THINK before speaking!

Merijeek wrote:
Of course not. You can't stick a computer file to a refrigerator! And even if you did, the magnet would ruin the 5.25" floppy!

THINK before speaking!

You're assuming John was referring to a COMPUTER file. This is palladium after all (re: wax machine layout until 2007ish). It's just as likely that it was a physical file folder filled with crumpled papers and 3d printed masters clipped via their feet to the fridge by a magnet.

jaymz wrote:
Would now be a bad time to mention that PB is supposedly reaching out to peoole who have done their own "wave two" minis via 3d printing? I say supposedly because it is something I cannot actually verify but it would not shock me if it were true.....

I hope you are wrong. Very wrong. The only thing I could imagine about that is PB harrassing 3D sculptors for the rights of Robotech TM (R) (C) that Kevin still has and blah blah blah... just promising them hell for sculpting the designs.

Contacting them to offer jobs? buying the designs? LOLMAO

Honestly, I would suspect they would be contacting them so they can get them C&D's because they are devaluing Wave 2.

How can they be shopping around for free help on things that they have stated are already done?

Wow, right when you think this kickstarter has hit rock bottom, the web of lies collapse and drops it further into the abyss of failure.

Maybe the folks they contacted could post an update...since you know, Kevin and PB won't.

This is Kevin Simbieda - there's always farther down to go.

Kevin Simbieda thinks he did no wrong... It is really sad that he is at the level of most criminals..
Once a great publisher.. now more than likely almost bankrupt and a pile of dept.. not understanding
and no one around him showing him the errors of his ways..

Bankrupt? Nah.. he's probably sitting on several hundred thousand of our dollars while his staff likely "work" on the project only for a few minutes a day when averaged out based on the lack of results. Even if it's not enough to actually make wave 2 because they supposedly spent our money on extra retail wave 1 copies, it's still a sizeable slush fund to keep the lights on and bills paid while things "boil" on the project.

 warboss wrote:
Bankrupt? Nah.. he's sitting on several hundred thousand of our dollars while his staff likely "work" on the project only for a few minutes a day when averaged out based on the lack of results. Even if it's not enough to actually make wave 2 because they supposedly spent our money on extra retail wave 1 copies, it's still a sizeable slush fund to keep the lights on and bills paid while things "boil" on the project.

you are deluding yourself if you think they still have money, they are broke.

 warboss wrote:
Bankrupt? Nah.. he's sitting on several hundred thousand of our dollars while his staff likely "work" on the project only for a few minutes a day when averaged out based on the lack of results. Even if it's not enough to actually make wave 2 because they supposedly spent our money on extra retail wave 1 copies, it's still a sizeable slush fund to keep the lights on and bills paid while things "boil" on the project.

Quite possibly Genoside was meaning insolvent, rather than bankrupt. I know some people have stated all the Kickstarter money has been spent, and that's possible, but I wouldn't bet my house on it. But I do think it's highly probable if not all but guaranteed, that the amount of cash remaining on hand, plus liquid assets PB control, aren't sufficient to complete the remainder of the project or provide refunds to backers, and having no outstanding projects or accounts that will cover that difference.

I know there's a difference regarding accounting/legality there, but to the layman (including me), they're arguably a difference without distinction.

I just felt most likely bankruptcy because in the past around 2006 and another time I think they were almost bankrupt.
Insolvent could possibly work also..But I'm a hillbilly and we can't afford big words like that..

What products are really selling?? I don't think any distributor are ordering RRT for restock and I know game stores are not..
Most of the time I seen it on clearance racks verses regular stock racks..

What keeps them afloat? I don't have a clue... Outside of misspent kickstarter money

Other than one game book and two rifters this year I don't know.

Afloat may not be the word, circling the drain might be more appropriate.

Morgan Vening wrote:
But I do think it's highly probable if not all but guaranteed, that the amount of cash remaining on hand, plus liquid assets PB control, aren't sufficient to complete the remainder of the project or provide refunds to backers, and having no outstanding projects or accounts that will cover that difference.

That is my guess as well. I also suspect that they occasionally reach out to get quotes hoping that by some stroke of luck that the price will come down to what they have left over on hand after gamblng too much of our money instead of just their own on retail stock (on top of rising costs after 3+ years of limbo). That is of course simply conjecture based on their lack of progress and choice to not comment on the real questions backers keep asking. In the absence of real information that would qualify as them keeping us updated per their own kickstarter contractual terms, conjucture is all we have (and frankly has turned out to be more accurate in practice than official spin/statements to the contrary).


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Autarch wrote:
Other than one game book and two rifters this year I don't know.

Afloat may not be the word, circling the drain might be more appropriate.

Don't forget the officialTM RiftsTM PokerTM deckTM of CardsTM. They blew through 150 copies in the month or two surrounding gencon at iirc $12 a pop and even had to order a restock! You can see why they prioritize that global market over getting out robotech wave 2 product from the measly $1.4+ million kickstarter. Logic would dictate that those cards sell better than RRPGT given the progress on the former and the lack of any on the latter. Oh, and dice bags, commerative mugs, pencils, and embroidered glitterboy jackets.

 Genoside07 wrote:
I just felt most likely bankruptcy because in the past around 2006 and another time I think they were almost bankrupt.
Insolvent could possibly work also..But I'm a hillbilly and we can't afford big words like that..

What products are really selling?? I don't think any distributor are ordering RRT for restock and I know game stores are not..
Most of the time I seen it on clearance racks verses regular stock racks..

What keeps them afloat? I don't have a clue... Outside of misspent kickstarter money

Apologies for speaking for you.

As to what they're selling, this year it appears to be one book (of the 8+ promised), a couple of preorders (that continually get pushed back), and a large (at least for PB) push to sell Christmas Gift Bags. With maybe the exception of conventions, that seems like their primary income for the year.

Sure, there might be some additional periods of selling back catalog stuff, but frankly, anyone who doesn't wait for CGB or CIJGB (in July) sales for that kind of thing, is arguably wasting money. That, and a few licensing renewals (counteracted in part by their own), and that seems to be it. As others have pointed out, at least anecdotally (as you have) their market penetration seems to be almost non-existent. And it seems like with the exception of Q4 2014 (when RRT went retail), that's it since CoT (2006?).

 warboss wrote:

Morgan Vening wrote:
But I do think it's highly probable if not all but guaranteed, that the amount of cash remaining on hand, plus liquid assets PB control, aren't sufficient to complete the remainder of the project or provide refunds to backers, and having no outstanding projects or accounts that will cover that difference.

That is my guess as well. I also suspect that they occasionally reach out to get quotes hoping that by some stroke of luck that the price will come down to what they have left over on hand after gamblng too much of our money instead of just their own on retail stock (on top of rising costs after 3+ years of limbo). That is of course simply conjecture based on their lack of progress and choice to not comment on the real questions backers keep asking. In the absence of real information that would qualify as them keeping us updated per their own kickstarter contractual terms, conjucture is all we have (and frankly has turned out to be more accurate in practice than official spin/statements to the contrary).


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Autarch wrote:
Other than one game book and two rifters this year I don't know.

Afloat may not be the word, circling the drain might be more appropriate.

Don't forget the officialTM RiftsTM PokerTM deckTM of CardsTM. They blew through 150 copies in the month or two surrounding gencon at iirc $12 a pop and even had to order a restock! You can see why they prioritize that global market over getting out robotech wave 2 product from the measly $1.4+ million kickstarter. Logic would dictate that those cards sell better than RRPGT given the progress on the former and the lack of any on the latter. Oh, and dice bags, commerative mugs, pencils, and embroidered glitterboy jackets.

See, that's what we know. Palladium is making inroads into the casinos, where the real money is...

 Stormonu wrote:
Honestly, I would suspect they would be contacting them so they can get them C&D's because they are devaluing Wave 2.

Can it get to negative values? Because right now, that's the only way I see of devaluing it.

Henshini wrote:
They seem more like the kind of people who would contact you about your models, try to claim they owned the rights to make them and threaten to sue you if you didn't give them the files.

Bingo. This is exactly what happened to the artists for the rifts card game.