Federation Commander

Personally I feel a lot better about patronizing a family-owned business than some anonymous conglomerate. One example: You can call ADB if you have a problem (which I've never had) and speak to one of the owners on the phone and have it corrected right then and there. You're not likely to get that kind of personal service from some big company. Since the Steves and Leanna own the company and depend on it, they have a vested interest in keeping their customers happy.

I do agree with the part about ADB's fantastic products though.

[Mod: Since DG deleted his post, I am editing this one to get rid of the quotes. This is IN NO WAY a reflection on Wolverin61! This is ONLY a thread cleanup.]

I have to agree with all of Wolverines points... especially the last one.

I've called ADB many times and spoken with Steve, Leanna, and Steve Petrick. Tjey're always cordial and go out of their way to help out.

The last call was from CoastCon in Biloxi. We had a three-way disagreement about a rules question. I called ADB, Petrick answered the phoe, and in 2 minutes - we had the official answer.

Try that with WotC of GW.

...biting tongue...

Mike wrote:...biting tongue...

Me as well. Darn near bit if off.

I apparently didn't anticipate the vivid loyalty many of you have for small-scale mom and pop franchises.

Being in business school, I am simply more comfortable with the corporate model. Aloof, impersonal, and suit & tie professional.

Doesn't business school teach anything about looking at businesses which are successful?

ADB has remained in business for three decades, which suggests they are doing something right. Excellent customer service and listening definitely being among the aspects which are "right". They have also successfully sustained a dominant position in a niche market within a niche market (star trek games within the games market) for a very long time and weathered several major changes in the hobby, which also suggests that they have a realistic and viable business model and know their market well.

Corporates are not the only business model! And I don't know how things are looking for you guys in the States these days, but over here we have a heap of mess to clear up thanks to the corporates acting without the kind of integrity that small businesses such as ADB live by. Big does not necessarily mean better.

Loyalty to a "Mom and Pop" style company has nothing to do with this. ADB has produced a darn fine game...make that, several darn fine games. I could care less whether ADB is run by 3 or 4 people, 25 people, or has hundreds of employees. It is the product and the service after the sale that are important.

And, to be honest, I think from time to time I have reacted/purchased with a little emotion because ADB is a small company rather than a big company.

One aspect you may be ignoring DG is the designer's authonomy in this case.

I consider game design a form of art. And the SFU has definetly grown to include a very rich fiction background and history which is very appealing in its own right (have read posts from veterans who bought SFB material over the years just for the reading, not the gaming).

The big problem I have with corporations when it comes to any form of art (books, music, movies, games) is the type of creative restrcitions they usually impose on the creators and the excessive control over the final product. Look of what happened to Star Trek itself. At the end it turned into a type of soap opera. A noble exception would be the fourth and final season of ENTERPRISE exactly because , due to the cancelation of the show, the creators were given almost full freedom. Just google it and you will find this story.

In my opinion, the products from the ADB are so amazing BECAUSE it is a small private company, not inspite of it.

Off-topic, but speaking of ADB's great creative design.

Any hopes of ADB giving out rights to Star Trek Comic book publishers such a IDW to use Star Fleet universe races and stories?

I just read a very well-done graphic novel called Alien Spotlight set in the TOS-theme about Gorns and Orions (recent novel 2008). (2 races that are prominent in SFU and not so in the regular Paramount Star Trek universe)

IDW is planning to write several more TOS themed comics over the next several years. E.g. - Alien Spotlight II which is supposed to include more Gorn, Romulans, Klingons. Now they just need to get some Kzinti and Hyrans in there.

Considering the vast amount of fiction already in the captain's logs it would just be a win-win for IDW since they could base their stories off them already.

I'm guessing that Star Fleet Command a few years ago was a boost to ADB and the Star Fleet Universe.

Paramount's Star Trek universe too often overshadow's Star Fleet's despite ours being much more exciting. We need to promote the SFU.

I think you will find that SVC has already answered the question of sub-licencing under other threads.

Dorian: You are so wrong on so many counts that I cannot even begin to count them. For one thing, Leanna and I are only 2/3 of the owners of the company, and about 1/3 of the workforce. Nobody cares that the company includes a husband-wife couple. The whole game industry knows Leanna and would have far less respect for me if she wasn't part of the company.

Your thoughts are the kind that should have been a private email. They come across as pontificating, and showing off, and acting like you know more than I do. May or may not have been your thought process, but it puts you in an exremely negative light, and makes you someone that the company ownership and managament do not want to hear from.

Deleted. I was just outspoken and I was probably wrong.

I'm still very much a ADB loyalist and hope to continue to grow the hobby.

[Moderator]
OK, I cleaned up Wolverin61's post to get rid of the quoted text. Unfortunately, I have been very busy this last week (and will be again this week), so I can't read the forum as often as I want. (Having to use a 240x320 screen to cruise the net is a big disincentive. ) Fortunately, everyone kept things in control.

DorianGray: If you want to make comments about actual people, please make sure of the details before doing so. Thank you for backing off quickly and doing your best to clean it up. Please don't do that again.

Mike and 'dood: Thank you for causing your tongues to bleed instead of my eyes. I really appreciate that.

Wolverin61: That was a very good post, and incredibly well measured. I am sorry for having to hack it.

mjwest wrote:[Moderator]Wolverin61: That was a very good post, and incredibly well measured. I am sorry for having to hack it.

Censorship!

No problem. I appreciate all the work you put in on here, especially setting us all straight on our rules confusion.

I just hope Mike and 'dood have recovered from their tongue trauma

It was nothing some good ice cream couldn't fix.