Korean War: Pusan Perimeter

[campsawyer]

What was the strategy to make ANY change to begin with? Is this something other wargame manufacturers are having an issue with? I thought part of the reason for the switch was to stabilize the cost and quality of the finished product.

Did MB make the change to be an innovator? I don't know the back story (and don't want this to turn into a flame war for or against him) but is this like Ray Tapio and the whole TT ATS fiasco, ie making a change nobody requested that wasn't necessary?

I cannot claim any inside information, but a someone who has been around APL games for quite a while I will give you some impressions. Let's take the questions from the top.

With regard to strategy, APL and Mike B. has only one, generate money to keep APL afloat. Despite the flood of products, it is only to generate money to pay for the many missteps that Larry has outlined in the post. Any changes that Mike B. has made was to try to cut costs, but it has compounded the problem by creating quality and customer relation problems.

Is it a problem for other game companies, this to is subjective. I believe that some companies are looking for cheaper printing and laser printing offers some hope. Other companies are doing this, but others are still using die cast printing as well. So I am not sure that it is a silver bullet for savings, just another option.

As for APL being an innovator, when it comes to production, I don't believe that they are. As said, it is the cheapest cost so they can generate revenue. They are innovative when it comes to obscure game topics.

What it basically comes down to is that Mike B. is a good writer and has a passion for history and the company. But his degree is not in business administration and he has stumbled quite a bit with the company and tends to compound his problems with other business decisions. His business survives with the grace of God and a fan base that will buy the PG and WAS series despite the business issues. As long as he has this going for him APL will continue, but it is a tough way to run a business.