Post originally by Ezekiel Black at 2004-10-15 22:05:46
Converted from Phorums BB System

Matt Drake wrote:
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Ezekiel, I wholeheartedly agree. I do not mean to say that just because a game is free, it's crap, and just because I paid for it, it's not. That would be not only narrow-minded but ridiculously asinine. There are a lot of good free games, and a whole damned lot of bad ones you might accidentally pay for. I've seen expensive games with horrific layout, piss-poor art, and editing that would make a fifth-grader laugh out loud.
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You've seen Rifts? Just kidding, I was once a Rifts fan, long ago. Talk about totally off topic. I'm somewhere around Neptune.

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I've also seen free games with impeccable production values, innovative ideas, and exceptional writing.
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I might be going out on a limb here, but I'm guessing you're not talking about FATAL. I was once thinking about writing a book on how not to write a RPG, and then I stumbled across this masterpiece and realized that I didn't need to. Orbiting Pluto.

A few of my fav FReePGs that I believe are rather innovative and produced well (some may be reprints from last post): Runebearer, Final Stand, Dragon Fist (a few Groups out there still have a copy), Evil Dead d6 (Hail to the King), Fallout PNP (technically, the CRPG it is based on is innovative), and Pokethulu all leap to mind. I'm sure I left a few out, though. I just downloaded a game called LowDie which looks rather promising, mechanically. We are now exiting the Milky Way, please keep your hands and feet inside the craft at all times and thank you for flying Zeke's-Tangent Air.

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My statement regarding free games and their perceived value was basically intended to illustrate my point about the beauty of Fate. It was not meant to be a generalization that all free games suck. It's just that, pound for pound, I've seen more crappy free games than crappy games you pay for, and I'm always more impressed by a good free game than a good expensive game.
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I understand, and like I said last post, it had nothing to do with you or your views, but many gamers do misconcieve that "Free=Suck". I've actually seen a lot more "Expensive=Suck " out there recently, so for now, I only buy games with a premise I automatically love. Under these guidelines, I have bought Feng Shui, All Flesh Must Be Eaten, Sengoku, Tibet, and Mutants & Masterminds. None have disappointed me thus far. Especially not Feng Shui. M&M came closest (to disappointment), but only due to d20's constraints.

I've recently been having issues with certain game makers charging practices, which I've taken up with them.

Klatero,
EB