We have had a serious problem come up. I have known and worked with Arthur for more than eight years and I have never seen him this troubled. In getting the last of the files ready for the printer, it was evident that some of the work was not quite ready. As painful as this is, there may be nothing we can do at this point but to press ahead and finish the work as quickly as possible.
Arthur is going into care and I will have limited access to him for the next couple of weeks. I am bringing in some outside help and will be taking over the responsibility for completing the needed work on Total War. My best initial estimate is two weeks. It is only an estimate and I will update you when we have had a chance to thoroughly review the remaining files and the work they need. During this period of finishing the game components, we will not have much time to attend the phone or most emails. If you leave a message or e-mail, I will try to get back with you as soon as possible.
Everyone connected with the project wants this wrapped up now. I will give folks a progress update every few days on this website and/or the EuropaAssociation list. There does not appear to be anything that cannot be finalized. We will also begin to put up samples from the rules, charts and OBs, starting in the next few days. We have met with the printers and they have agreed to work our remaining jobs into the printing schedule quickly. They may be able to print the remaining components as they are ready for print rather than accepting and printing them as a package deal.
Sorry to hear that things are still not right with Arthur. Hope he is serious about taking care of himself. My best friend (of 35 years) had diabetes hit him in middle age, and he went into denial and refused to deal with it for many years. When he finally did, it was too little – too late: he died last week at age 61. Quite a shock, as well as a wake-up call….
As far as the game goes, what exactly does this mean?
“it was evident that some of the work was not quite ready.”
Will this just affect the timetable once again, or is there now an issue with the accuracy and quality of the components as well?
Man, the way things have been going on this plagued project, maybe you ought to consider bringing in an exorcist…..
Thanks Gar. I’m sorry about all the hassles. There is nothing in life that is easy.
Sorry to hear that Arthur is relapsing, he just responded two days ago to an email I sent a couple months back. I hope that he is doing better and that you and Gar are taking care of yourselves as this has to be stressful to you guys too. I just lost a family member last year after a prolonged illness and remember the stress this caused me and my family and in fact am still feeling that loss.
Again I thoroughly enjoy Europa, but I would rather just break out my copy of FitE than someone work themselves to death getting Total War out.
I wish you guys all the best.