Tuesday, 24 June 2008

The BeerTender is bunk

The subject of this post is intentional.

It is designed to spike Google searches on the BeerTender by Krups and Heineken. It is designed to inform consumers and to lead to better purchasing decisions.

Buy the BeerTender only, and only, if you like Heineken.

Do not buy the BeerTender if you are beer advocate. If you enjoy variety from the tap, then the BeerTender is not for you. Period. Consider other options immediately.

We are returning the BeerTender I got for Father's Day.

To Krups and Heineken:

The BeerTender: great idea, poor execution.

Heineken would do well to begin aggressive licensing of the "draught keg technology" and Krups would do well by aggressively encouraging Heineken to license. Around the world, beer enjoys a renaissance that is not about brand loyalty, but broad palates. And my wife and I are not going to dedicate counter space to a product that only pours one beer. In Europe the offerings might be more, but in the USA, only Heineken is available. And then the outlook is that only Heineken brands will be available.

Krups, Heineken and retailers lose in this current game of "monopoly." Consumers lose too. Sad really.

Posted by caffeinated at 8:42 AM in kaffehaus
Responses (0)

WFRP fanboy

If you have not gathered, I'm a Warhammer Fantasy Role Play fanboy.

Certainly in the last few posts I have not been shy about it. From confessing my one-sourcer position regarding most other games, to pictures of life-size Space Marines outside GW retail stores.

The latter is a bit misleading. Because, generally speaking, the W40K RPG does not remotely interest me.

Sorry.

W40K as a table-top miniature wargame. Yes. As a RPG. No.

I will admit that in college I ran a WFRP 1st ed. campaign where the PC's patron was a retired Judicial Champion, secretly a Space Marine that befell a space warp. I don't recall the thread that had me create this patron, but I believe it stemmed from a White Dwarf introduction to Space Marines, c. 1990. Eh. I doesn't matter, suffice to know that Dark Heresy has not captured my imagination.

And yet I'm not without my criticisms of Warhammer Fantasy Role Play 2nd. ed. As a game, it is A+. True to the 1st ed., the long suffering fanbase, and everything I loved about 1st. ed. Kudos to Chris Pramas and Green Ronin for the great job. As for the current canon, Storm of Chaos and all that, I could do without it. In fact, I do.

My current campaign is set in the year following the SoC. Intentionally. It allowed me to push aside must of the fluff, getting the world and its machinations solidly past the events and cut all of the old and new together very smoothly.

So if you want to ask me anything about another system, I'll entertain a grognard outlook and conversation with you. I may even play, as a player. But I'm not likely to invest time or money in another system. I'm very happy with Warhammer Fantasy Role Play.

And all the baggage being a fanboy brings.

Posted by caffeinated at 7:43 AM in d10
Responses (0)