The wonderful world of Jack Chick and Chick Comics brings you...Halloween.
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Wednesday, March 30, 2005
State of the Industry 2004: Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me
State of the Industry 2004: Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me
"And in that spirit, let's drill down and focus on the RPG numbers. Usually, the top five spots in the Comics & Games Retailer list are reliable, in two senses: the companies occupying them don't shift around a lot, and the sales numbers are big enough that it's defensible to say that even the C&GR figures bear some relation to reality. If the RPG business is as shrunken as it might be, however, neither assumption is going to hold. Keep that in mind as we go forward. Unquestionably, however, the number one company in the market is Wizards of the Coast. One distributor quoted in ICv2 said that 'Dungeons & Dragons sells four times World of Darkness and World of Darkness sells four times everything else.' C&GR gives Wizards a slightly less commanding, but no less apparent, lead, with a little less than 43% of the core hobby RPG market, again roughly the same as last year. White Wolf likewise held a decisive second place, with strong sales for the reimagined Vampire and new World of Darkness core books driving a good second half of 2004. By C&GR numbers, the Wolf actually improved its standing, to 22% of the market in 2004.
"Similarly, the revised GURPS 4th Edition books rode full-color hardbacks (and commensurate price increases) uphill to 5% and a bit of the RPG market in 2004; again, ICv2 concurs that Steve Jackson Games is Number Three with a (6d large piercing attack) bullet. C&GR lists AEG at fourth place with 4%, FanPro at fifth and Palladium in sixth with around 3.5% each. ICv2 forbears to give numbers, but lists the next three as Mongoose, Green Ronin, and Hero. If I had to guess, I'd say it's most likely Mongoose at fourth (call it 3.5% or 4% of the market) and the rest of the second tier (FanPro, Palladium, AEG, Hero, and Green Ronin) in a cloud of dust somewhere down there in shouting distance of 2%. Fantasy Flight and Kenzer and Eden may have 1% each at best; the rest are bouncing around down there among the drow and suchlike. Of all the Bottom Not Two, FanPro might take a jump up this year with Shadowrun 4th Edition in August, and I've learned not to count Kevin Siembieda out, but I think Steve will be able to hang onto third place in the RPG sector as Mongoose begins to spread its energies into card, board, and miniature games."
"And in that spirit, let's drill down and focus on the RPG numbers. Usually, the top five spots in the Comics & Games Retailer list are reliable, in two senses: the companies occupying them don't shift around a lot, and the sales numbers are big enough that it's defensible to say that even the C&GR figures bear some relation to reality. If the RPG business is as shrunken as it might be, however, neither assumption is going to hold. Keep that in mind as we go forward. Unquestionably, however, the number one company in the market is Wizards of the Coast. One distributor quoted in ICv2 said that 'Dungeons & Dragons sells four times World of Darkness and World of Darkness sells four times everything else.' C&GR gives Wizards a slightly less commanding, but no less apparent, lead, with a little less than 43% of the core hobby RPG market, again roughly the same as last year. White Wolf likewise held a decisive second place, with strong sales for the reimagined Vampire and new World of Darkness core books driving a good second half of 2004. By C&GR numbers, the Wolf actually improved its standing, to 22% of the market in 2004.
"Similarly, the revised GURPS 4th Edition books rode full-color hardbacks (and commensurate price increases) uphill to 5% and a bit of the RPG market in 2004; again, ICv2 concurs that Steve Jackson Games is Number Three with a (6d large piercing attack) bullet. C&GR lists AEG at fourth place with 4%, FanPro at fifth and Palladium in sixth with around 3.5% each. ICv2 forbears to give numbers, but lists the next three as Mongoose, Green Ronin, and Hero. If I had to guess, I'd say it's most likely Mongoose at fourth (call it 3.5% or 4% of the market) and the rest of the second tier (FanPro, Palladium, AEG, Hero, and Green Ronin) in a cloud of dust somewhere down there in shouting distance of 2%. Fantasy Flight and Kenzer and Eden may have 1% each at best; the rest are bouncing around down there among the drow and suchlike. Of all the Bottom Not Two, FanPro might take a jump up this year with Shadowrun 4th Edition in August, and I've learned not to count Kevin Siembieda out, but I think Steve will be able to hang onto third place in the RPG sector as Mongoose begins to spread its energies into card, board, and miniature games."
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Ken Hite's Out Of The Box: GAMA Trade Show
A lot of this is probably already known, but some may not be. Ken's always got the good inside information on things.
Ken Hite's Out Of The Box: GAMA Trade Show
"GAMA Globulin Injection: GTS 2005 Con Report
"Vegas, baby, Vegas. This year, I cleverly got my cold in London, and shook it well before the show started, so I was able to nearly kill myself instead with drink and late nights. That's how it's supposed to work. The game industry, meanwhile, has yet to kill itself with anything, and if the general tone of blinking tentativeness is to be believed, we may have finally found the floor on this elevator. Nobody was so bold as to predict terrific new performance this year, but everybody seemed to think they'd be back next year, which is something.
"It's especially something, because the Riviera, the new home of the GAMA Trade Show, is a dive. Everybody I talked to expressed amazement that they actually missed the seedy, distant, rundown Orleans compared to the shabby, amateurish, uncomfortable Riviera. Unfortunately, there was similar agreement that the convention facility at the Riviera was, in fact, worlds better, and the GAMA staff did rather better than simply not screw up a good thing on their end. My personal business at the show was fair to middling, but it's a rebuilding year for those of us who have pretty much priced themselves out of the pure writing market. At the show, I assisted freelance superstars Matt Forbeck, Aaron Rosenberg, Keith Baker, and legal mastermind Brian Lewis with the freelance seminar track -- we presented the same seminars twice, during show floor hours the second time, neither of which struck me as particularly clever. Oh well, no doubt the 20 attendees (total, of all four seminars) benefited from the individual attention, and one of them was nice enough to buy us dinner Wednesday night, so it worked out well for me. I don't have attendance figures for the show as a whole, although it seemed about the same as last year -- call it 800 to 1,000 'buyer badges' and leave it at that for now.
"Among the buyees, it was also about the same, although White Wolf's booth was more aggressive, and Games Workshop was there primarily plugging their Black Library fiction line and the upcoming Warhammer Fantasy Role Play relaunch (designed by Green Ronin, shipping at the end of this month), rather than scattering orks all over the place. After several years absent, Palladium was back; Kevin Siembieda assured me that Splicers (their new, interesting sounding game of biotech war) had come out last year, and that a review copy was on its way. I likewise assured him that a review of the new edition of Beyond the Supernatural was also on the way, and we parted friends as always. Taking Palladium's crown this year as the most interesting non-attendee was Chaosium -- rather than buy a booth, Charlie Krank and Dustin Wright hit the corridor outside the hall for about five hours, met with everyone they needed to see, and left again. Let us devoutly hope this practice doesn't catch on at other shows, as I could be left with nowhere to store my swag pile.
"The Magic May Return
"The biggest news of the show was probably the Shadowrun 4th Edition announcement from FanPro. The setting jumps to 2070, the rules all change (of course), and we get a new Matrix to fly around in in our big black trench coats. Sounds exciting, as this will be the chance the FanPro folks have to truly reinvent the setting and make it their own. It's due to bow at GenCon, so get your pre-reg badge now. (This assumes you weren't already pre-registering to line up for your GenCon release copy of Mage: the Awakened from White Wolf, of course.) The other big debut at the show was Peter Adkison's new game, Clout. It's designed by Jesper 'Hills Rise Wild' Myrfors, and it's basically tiddlywinks or marbles, only with poker chips. I played it at the show, and it's fun enough, although unlike James Ernest's 'bocce skirmish minis' game Diceland, I didn't find myself writing variants on it the instant I started playing. Take that for what you will.
"Also, City of Heroes returns to the adventure game market from whence its creators sprang, to spawn a new CCG (from Alderac), and a new RPG (from Eden Studios). The CCG is due in November; the RPG will be out in July, according to the current word on Eden Street. This will accompany their Army of Darkness RPG, in time for the fourth movie in the 'Ash' series.
"And Many Many More
"Sovereign Press announced a non-d20 Firefly RPG, called the Serenity RPG, and more interestingly, a new Tom Wham card game, Dancing Dragons, both expected this summer. West End has TORG 1.5 coming out as a bridge to the upcoming TORG 2.0 release. WizKids gave away Dark Phoenix (I think), and was pushing both their clicky and foldy empires (pulp space combat game Rocketmen: Axis of Evil debuts this fall), along with a new game with a modular board. Speaking of pulp, Pulp Hero is the big GenCon release from Hero Games, which will be nice to see. Fantasy Flight was hitting their board game lines hard -- I wangled a copy of 'Axis & Allies & Orcs,' or War of the Ring, and was promised a new Arkham Horror boardgame by May. They'll also be revamping their 'Sauron won' setting Midnight for a second edition, 3.5-compatible release in May.
"Ann Dupuis of Grey Ghost is almost entirely sure that this summer we'll have that Deryni Adventure Game at long last, as well as a huge 320-page hardcover 10th-anniversary FUDGE RPG core book. Steve Jackson Games had Munchkin life-counters to give away, more Munchkin to plug, and the upcoming SPANC card game to demo. A discreet copy of GURPS Infinite Worlds was visible at the booth, for discerning cognoscenti."
Ken Hite's Out Of The Box: GAMA Trade Show
"GAMA Globulin Injection: GTS 2005 Con Report
"Vegas, baby, Vegas. This year, I cleverly got my cold in London, and shook it well before the show started, so I was able to nearly kill myself instead with drink and late nights. That's how it's supposed to work. The game industry, meanwhile, has yet to kill itself with anything, and if the general tone of blinking tentativeness is to be believed, we may have finally found the floor on this elevator. Nobody was so bold as to predict terrific new performance this year, but everybody seemed to think they'd be back next year, which is something.
"It's especially something, because the Riviera, the new home of the GAMA Trade Show, is a dive. Everybody I talked to expressed amazement that they actually missed the seedy, distant, rundown Orleans compared to the shabby, amateurish, uncomfortable Riviera. Unfortunately, there was similar agreement that the convention facility at the Riviera was, in fact, worlds better, and the GAMA staff did rather better than simply not screw up a good thing on their end. My personal business at the show was fair to middling, but it's a rebuilding year for those of us who have pretty much priced themselves out of the pure writing market. At the show, I assisted freelance superstars Matt Forbeck, Aaron Rosenberg, Keith Baker, and legal mastermind Brian Lewis with the freelance seminar track -- we presented the same seminars twice, during show floor hours the second time, neither of which struck me as particularly clever. Oh well, no doubt the 20 attendees (total, of all four seminars) benefited from the individual attention, and one of them was nice enough to buy us dinner Wednesday night, so it worked out well for me. I don't have attendance figures for the show as a whole, although it seemed about the same as last year -- call it 800 to 1,000 'buyer badges' and leave it at that for now.
"Among the buyees, it was also about the same, although White Wolf's booth was more aggressive, and Games Workshop was there primarily plugging their Black Library fiction line and the upcoming Warhammer Fantasy Role Play relaunch (designed by Green Ronin, shipping at the end of this month), rather than scattering orks all over the place. After several years absent, Palladium was back; Kevin Siembieda assured me that Splicers (their new, interesting sounding game of biotech war) had come out last year, and that a review copy was on its way. I likewise assured him that a review of the new edition of Beyond the Supernatural was also on the way, and we parted friends as always. Taking Palladium's crown this year as the most interesting non-attendee was Chaosium -- rather than buy a booth, Charlie Krank and Dustin Wright hit the corridor outside the hall for about five hours, met with everyone they needed to see, and left again. Let us devoutly hope this practice doesn't catch on at other shows, as I could be left with nowhere to store my swag pile.
"The Magic May Return
"The biggest news of the show was probably the Shadowrun 4th Edition announcement from FanPro. The setting jumps to 2070, the rules all change (of course), and we get a new Matrix to fly around in in our big black trench coats. Sounds exciting, as this will be the chance the FanPro folks have to truly reinvent the setting and make it their own. It's due to bow at GenCon, so get your pre-reg badge now. (This assumes you weren't already pre-registering to line up for your GenCon release copy of Mage: the Awakened from White Wolf, of course.) The other big debut at the show was Peter Adkison's new game, Clout. It's designed by Jesper 'Hills Rise Wild' Myrfors, and it's basically tiddlywinks or marbles, only with poker chips. I played it at the show, and it's fun enough, although unlike James Ernest's 'bocce skirmish minis' game Diceland, I didn't find myself writing variants on it the instant I started playing. Take that for what you will.
"Also, City of Heroes returns to the adventure game market from whence its creators sprang, to spawn a new CCG (from Alderac), and a new RPG (from Eden Studios). The CCG is due in November; the RPG will be out in July, according to the current word on Eden Street. This will accompany their Army of Darkness RPG, in time for the fourth movie in the 'Ash' series.
"And Many Many More
"Sovereign Press announced a non-d20 Firefly RPG, called the Serenity RPG, and more interestingly, a new Tom Wham card game, Dancing Dragons, both expected this summer. West End has TORG 1.5 coming out as a bridge to the upcoming TORG 2.0 release. WizKids gave away Dark Phoenix (I think), and was pushing both their clicky and foldy empires (pulp space combat game Rocketmen: Axis of Evil debuts this fall), along with a new game with a modular board. Speaking of pulp, Pulp Hero is the big GenCon release from Hero Games, which will be nice to see. Fantasy Flight was hitting their board game lines hard -- I wangled a copy of 'Axis & Allies & Orcs,' or War of the Ring, and was promised a new Arkham Horror boardgame by May. They'll also be revamping their 'Sauron won' setting Midnight for a second edition, 3.5-compatible release in May.
"Ann Dupuis of Grey Ghost is almost entirely sure that this summer we'll have that Deryni Adventure Game at long last, as well as a huge 320-page hardcover 10th-anniversary FUDGE RPG core book. Steve Jackson Games had Munchkin life-counters to give away, more Munchkin to plug, and the upcoming SPANC card game to demo. A discreet copy of GURPS Infinite Worlds was visible at the booth, for discerning cognoscenti."
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Palladium Books GTS Report
And yes, the Palladium perspective on things...always guaranteed to be an interesting interpetation of facts:
"Heroes Unlimited™ RPG is Palladium’s second best selling role-playing game line. We already knew that, but we were pleased to have numerous retailers confirm it. They also told us they wanted more HU2 products because Heroes Unlimited™ was selling like crazy for the last year with no sign of letting up. Good news, indeed.
"When we asked why they thought this was, most said, 'because Heroes Unlimited™ is the best super-hero game on the market.' When we said we thought all the super-hero movies being released lately had a lot to do with it, they surprised us with saying, 'No. Maybe the movies get gamers to think about playing super-heroes, but they buy Palladium’s Heroes Unlimited™ because it’s the best...most fun to play.' We heard that almost word for word, over and over again from at least a couple dozen different retailers. Super cool!"
Enjoy the read.
Palladium Books GTS Report
"Wayne Smith and I attended the GAMA Trade Show last week. GAMA stands for Games Manufacturers Association. The organization puts together an industry show attended by store owners and managers from around the country (US & Canada) – a few are from as far away as England, France and Singapore.
"Publishers and manufacturers like Palladium set up a booth to display our wares and then we wait to chat with retailers and talk about out latest releases, upcoming products, sales, and gaming in general. This year, GAMA hosted 541 stores and 2200 attendees.
"Here’s the Palladium perspective . . ."
"Heroes Unlimited™ RPG is Palladium’s second best selling role-playing game line. We already knew that, but we were pleased to have numerous retailers confirm it. They also told us they wanted more HU2 products because Heroes Unlimited™ was selling like crazy for the last year with no sign of letting up. Good news, indeed.
"When we asked why they thought this was, most said, 'because Heroes Unlimited™ is the best super-hero game on the market.' When we said we thought all the super-hero movies being released lately had a lot to do with it, they surprised us with saying, 'No. Maybe the movies get gamers to think about playing super-heroes, but they buy Palladium’s Heroes Unlimited™ because it’s the best...most fun to play.' We heard that almost word for word, over and over again from at least a couple dozen different retailers. Super cool!"
Enjoy the read.
Palladium Books GTS Report
"Wayne Smith and I attended the GAMA Trade Show last week. GAMA stands for Games Manufacturers Association. The organization puts together an industry show attended by store owners and managers from around the country (US & Canada) – a few are from as far away as England, France and Singapore.
"Publishers and manufacturers like Palladium set up a booth to display our wares and then we wait to chat with retailers and talk about out latest releases, upcoming products, sales, and gaming in general. This year, GAMA hosted 541 stores and 2200 attendees.
"Here’s the Palladium perspective . . ."
Sunday, March 20, 2005
The Dave Trampier Wormy Archive.
This is an archive of the Wormy comic strip that ran for years, back in the day, in Dragon Magazine. Full of old school D&D references, and was always a pretty funny comic. Between it and SnarfQuest, they were two of the main reasons that I picked up Dragon so many years ago. Enjoy...
The Dave Trampier Wormy Archive. [link removed since the website seems to have disappeared from the net. 12/10/10]
[Edit: I've also closed comments for this post. I post links when I come across something interesting on the internet, if the site I link to goes down I don't find further links to the same material.]
The Dave Trampier Wormy Archive. [link removed since the website seems to have disappeared from the net. 12/10/10]
[Edit: I've also closed comments for this post. I post links when I come across something interesting on the internet, if the site I link to goes down I don't find further links to the same material.]
Saturday, March 19, 2005
GamingReport.com -- GAMA Trade Show Anouncements
Some of the many products that were announced at the GAMA Trade show this year. It looks like it is going to be a big year for the industry. Amarillo Design Bureau has too new iterations of their Prime Directive game coming out this year, one being a d20 version written by Jonathan M. Thompson and the other being a version for WEG's d6 system and written by the creator of the d6 system, Scott Paltier.
GamingReport.com -- GAMA Trade Show Anouncements
Its nice to be able to finally talk about some of these things, having inside information sucks if you can't share it.
GamingReport.com -- GAMA Trade Show Anouncements
Its nice to be able to finally talk about some of these things, having inside information sucks if you can't share it.
Science fiction author Andre Norton dies
Science fiction author Andre Norton dies
"MURFREEBORO, Tenn. Science fiction author Andre Norton, who wrote the popular 'Witch World' series of books, died today at her home in Murfreesboro. She was 93.
Her death was announced by friend Jean Rabe, who said Norton died of congestive heart failure.
"Norton was born Alice Mary Norton on February 17th, 1912 in Cleveland. She penned more than 130 novels during her career of nearly 70 years.
"The 'Witch World' series, which detailed life on a planet reachable only through metaphysical gateways, included more than 30 novels.
"Her last complete novel, 'Three Hands of Scorpio,' is set to be released next month.
"The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America recently created the Andre Norton Award for young adult novels, and the first award will be presented in 2006.
"Rabe says Norton requested before her death that she not have a funeral service."
"MURFREEBORO, Tenn. Science fiction author Andre Norton, who wrote the popular 'Witch World' series of books, died today at her home in Murfreesboro. She was 93.
Her death was announced by friend Jean Rabe, who said Norton died of congestive heart failure.
"Norton was born Alice Mary Norton on February 17th, 1912 in Cleveland. She penned more than 130 novels during her career of nearly 70 years.
"The 'Witch World' series, which detailed life on a planet reachable only through metaphysical gateways, included more than 30 novels.
"Her last complete novel, 'Three Hands of Scorpio,' is set to be released next month.
"The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America recently created the Andre Norton Award for young adult novels, and the first award will be presented in 2006.
"Rabe says Norton requested before her death that she not have a funeral service."
Whedon Woos "Wonder Woman"
Whedon Woos "Wonder Woman"
"Joss Whedon has tackled ghastly aliens and dastardly vampires. So, why not work on something Wonder-ful?
"The Buffy the Vampire Slayer mastermind has officially lassoed the writing and directing job on Warner Bros.' big-screen version of Wonder Woman, the studio announced Thursday.
"'We are excited about working with Joss,' Warner Bros. Pictures President Jeff Robinov said in a statement. 'He brings great energy and creativity to the process.'
"Added Whedon: 'Wonder Woman is the most iconic female heroine of our time, but in a way, no one has met her yet. What I love most about icons is finding out what's behind them, exploring the price of their power.'"
"Joss Whedon has tackled ghastly aliens and dastardly vampires. So, why not work on something Wonder-ful?
"The Buffy the Vampire Slayer mastermind has officially lassoed the writing and directing job on Warner Bros.' big-screen version of Wonder Woman, the studio announced Thursday.
"'We are excited about working with Joss,' Warner Bros. Pictures President Jeff Robinov said in a statement. 'He brings great energy and creativity to the process.'
"Added Whedon: 'Wonder Woman is the most iconic female heroine of our time, but in a way, no one has met her yet. What I love most about icons is finding out what's behind them, exploring the price of their power.'"
Sunday, March 13, 2005
D&D re-enactment vid remixed to Bon Jovi tune
Lightning Bolt!
D&D re-enactment vid remixed to Bon Jovi tune
"Someone posted [this Stileproject] video clip of adults dressed up and re-enacting a Dungeons and Dragons melee to our forums, then decided to remix it in slomo to the tune of Bon Jovi's Blaze of Glory.
"The result is fantastically humorous. An homage to all things geek." [via Boing Boing]
D&D re-enactment vid remixed to Bon Jovi tune
"Someone posted [this Stileproject] video clip of adults dressed up and re-enacting a Dungeons and Dragons melee to our forums, then decided to remix it in slomo to the tune of Bon Jovi's Blaze of Glory.
"The result is fantastically humorous. An homage to all things geek." [via Boing Boing]
Black Crawling Systems Archive
Black Crawling Systems Archive
"The Black Crawling Systems Archive was founded by Brian Oblivion. Originally a Boston based BBS from 1990-1993, Black Crawling Systems moved to the web in '93 and had a home at LØpht where Brian was a member.
"When LØpht ceased to exist on December 27, 1999, the Black Crawling Systems Archive soon followed.
"We really liked this archive and could not bear to see it die. Although some of the files may be outdated, and may only pertain to Americans, most of it will always be relevant and interesting to everybody. Not to mention its historical significance in our culture. "So, we've scrounged up a fairly complete mirror of it and put it back online. It is pretty much the way it was when it died. We've cleaned up all of the HTML and hunted down many of the files that were missing. We're still missing a few, so if you find any of those, please let us know. We had a difficult time finding a decent copy of the "Cellular Telephony Utilities" section of the archive, so we decided to merge what we could find with our own collection of cellular files while keeping it as much like the original as possible.
"We may add to this archive from time to time, but only when a file meets the old-school spirit of the rest of the archive. Many respects to the former LØpht for their enormous contribution to the scene. Long live the BCSA."
"The Black Crawling Systems Archive was founded by Brian Oblivion. Originally a Boston based BBS from 1990-1993, Black Crawling Systems moved to the web in '93 and had a home at LØpht where Brian was a member.
"When LØpht ceased to exist on December 27, 1999, the Black Crawling Systems Archive soon followed.
"We really liked this archive and could not bear to see it die. Although some of the files may be outdated, and may only pertain to Americans, most of it will always be relevant and interesting to everybody. Not to mention its historical significance in our culture. "So, we've scrounged up a fairly complete mirror of it and put it back online. It is pretty much the way it was when it died. We've cleaned up all of the HTML and hunted down many of the files that were missing. We're still missing a few, so if you find any of those, please let us know. We had a difficult time finding a decent copy of the "Cellular Telephony Utilities" section of the archive, so we decided to merge what we could find with our own collection of cellular files while keeping it as much like the original as possible.
"We may add to this archive from time to time, but only when a file meets the old-school spirit of the rest of the archive. Many respects to the former LØpht for their enormous contribution to the scene. Long live the BCSA."
Seven Soliders #0 Preview PDF
A preview of the zero issue of the latest mind-blowing comic from Grant Morrison. A thirty issue "mini" series made up of seven four issue interlocking mini-series and two front and back bookend issues to introduce and wrap things up. Briefly introduced in his storyarc for the JLA Classified book, this series is going to blow from one end of the DC Universe to the next, going places that only the psychedelic imagination of Grant Morrison can take us.
Seven Soliders #0 Preview PDF
Seven Soliders #0 Preview PDF
Saturday, March 12, 2005
PlayNC: Federal Judge Dismisses Claims and Strikes Allegations in Marvel Lawsuit Against NCsoft
PlayNC: Federal Judge Dismisses Claims and Strikes Allegations in Marvel Lawsuit Against NCsoft
"LOS ANGELES, March 11, 2005—A U.S. district court judge in Los Angeles dismissed several key claims by comic book publisher Marvel Enterprises, Inc in the company’s trademark and copyright infringement case against online computer game publisher NCsoft® Corporation and game developer Cryptic Studios™. Marvel sued NCsoft and Cryptic Studios in November of last year, claiming that the City of Heroes® online computer game allows players to imitate comic book characters owned by Marvel.
"In a March 9 order, U.S. District Court Judge R. Gary Klausner agreed with NCsoft that some of Marvel’s allegations and exhibits should be stricken as “false and sham” because certain allegedly infringing works depicted in Marvel’s pleadings were created not by users, but by Marvel itself.
"The judge also dismissed more than half of Marvel’s claims against NCsoft and Cryptic Studios, including Marvel’s claims that the defendants directly infringed Marvel’s registered trademarks and are liable for purported infringement of Marvel’s trademarks by City of Heroes’ users. In addition, he dismissed Marvel’s claim for a judicial declaration that defendants are not an online service provider under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The judge dismissed all of these claims without leave to amend, meaning that Marvel cannot refile these claims.
"Although the judge allowed certain claims to survive the motion to dismiss, NCsoft and Cryptic Studios are pleased with the result and are confident that both the law and the facts will support their case. In fact, citing a 1984 Supreme Court case holding that the sale of video cassette recorders did not violate copyright law, the Court noted that “It is uncontested that Defendants’ game has a substantial non-infringing use. Generally the sale of products with substantial non-infringing uses does not evoke liability for contributory copyright infringement.” Only “where a computer system operator is aware of specific infringing material on the computer system, and fails to remove it, the system operator contributes to infringement,” the Court stated."
"LOS ANGELES, March 11, 2005—A U.S. district court judge in Los Angeles dismissed several key claims by comic book publisher Marvel Enterprises, Inc in the company’s trademark and copyright infringement case against online computer game publisher NCsoft® Corporation and game developer Cryptic Studios™. Marvel sued NCsoft and Cryptic Studios in November of last year, claiming that the City of Heroes® online computer game allows players to imitate comic book characters owned by Marvel.
"In a March 9 order, U.S. District Court Judge R. Gary Klausner agreed with NCsoft that some of Marvel’s allegations and exhibits should be stricken as “false and sham” because certain allegedly infringing works depicted in Marvel’s pleadings were created not by users, but by Marvel itself.
"The judge also dismissed more than half of Marvel’s claims against NCsoft and Cryptic Studios, including Marvel’s claims that the defendants directly infringed Marvel’s registered trademarks and are liable for purported infringement of Marvel’s trademarks by City of Heroes’ users. In addition, he dismissed Marvel’s claim for a judicial declaration that defendants are not an online service provider under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The judge dismissed all of these claims without leave to amend, meaning that Marvel cannot refile these claims.
"Although the judge allowed certain claims to survive the motion to dismiss, NCsoft and Cryptic Studios are pleased with the result and are confident that both the law and the facts will support their case. In fact, citing a 1984 Supreme Court case holding that the sale of video cassette recorders did not violate copyright law, the Court noted that “It is uncontested that Defendants’ game has a substantial non-infringing use. Generally the sale of products with substantial non-infringing uses does not evoke liability for contributory copyright infringement.” Only “where a computer system operator is aware of specific infringing material on the computer system, and fails to remove it, the system operator contributes to infringement,” the Court stated."
Steve Jackson Games 2005 Report to Stakeholders
Last year's report to the stakeholders was pretty informative. Makes me wish that more companies did this sort of things. I bet that companies like Guardians of Order would not be having some of the troubles that they are having, if they were as open as SJG is.
Steve Jackson Games 2005 Report to Stakeholders
"Steve Jackson Games Incorporated has a single stockholder . . . me. But we have a great many STAKEholders — that is, people who have a stake in the success of the business. These include our employees, our distributors, the retailers who carry our line, and, of course, the people who PLAY our games! Less obvious stakeholders, but very real, are the creative talents who produce our games, the printers who create the finished product, and the convention organizers who depend on us for game programming, prizes, and so on.
"We try to stay in good communication with all our stakeholders. The main avenues of communication are our website, the catalogs and other marketing material that we distribute, and the quarterly letter that goes to the 100+ people and companies to whom we pay royalties. But last year, as an experiment, I wrote a report not unlike the "report to the stockholders" that you would expect from a public company. It was a useful exercise for me, and I got a surprising amount of favorable feedback from all levels of the hobby. So let's do it again. Note that, unlike the typical "report to the stockholders," this report does not strictly start and finish with the calendar year 2004. There have been significant developments since December 31, and I'll discuss them."
Steve Jackson Games 2005 Report to Stakeholders
"Steve Jackson Games Incorporated has a single stockholder . . . me. But we have a great many STAKEholders — that is, people who have a stake in the success of the business. These include our employees, our distributors, the retailers who carry our line, and, of course, the people who PLAY our games! Less obvious stakeholders, but very real, are the creative talents who produce our games, the printers who create the finished product, and the convention organizers who depend on us for game programming, prizes, and so on.
"We try to stay in good communication with all our stakeholders. The main avenues of communication are our website, the catalogs and other marketing material that we distribute, and the quarterly letter that goes to the 100+ people and companies to whom we pay royalties. But last year, as an experiment, I wrote a report not unlike the "report to the stockholders" that you would expect from a public company. It was a useful exercise for me, and I got a surprising amount of favorable feedback from all levels of the hobby. So let's do it again. Note that, unlike the typical "report to the stockholders," this report does not strictly start and finish with the calendar year 2004. There have been significant developments since December 31, and I'll discuss them."
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Andre Norton Nears End
This will be a great loss indeed. She will be greatly missed as one of the greats of the genre. I'm glad to hear, though, that her name will live on through an award.
Andre Norton Nears End
"Andre Norton, who had been hospitalized with flu and pneumonia prior to her 93rd birthday on February 17, unfortunately is not expected to survive and according to her wishes has returned home under 'hospice care.'
"'She is losing the battle with her illness and is tired of fighting,' wrote Sue Stewart on a Norton message board. 'I made the decision late yesterday evening to bring her back home to be with us, her cat and her books when she departs... You're more than welcome to send your cards and flowers here. I want you all to know that she's aware that you care and she appreciates it.' The address published on the SFWA News site is: Andre Norton c/o Sue Stewart, 1007 Herron Street, Murfreesboro, TN 37130.
"In the meantime, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) announced on February 20 that it has created the Andre Norton Award, a new literary award to recognize outstanding science fiction and fantasy novels that are written for the young adult market."
Andre Norton Nears End
"Andre Norton, who had been hospitalized with flu and pneumonia prior to her 93rd birthday on February 17, unfortunately is not expected to survive and according to her wishes has returned home under 'hospice care.'
"'She is losing the battle with her illness and is tired of fighting,' wrote Sue Stewart on a Norton message board. 'I made the decision late yesterday evening to bring her back home to be with us, her cat and her books when she departs... You're more than welcome to send your cards and flowers here. I want you all to know that she's aware that you care and she appreciates it.' The address published on the SFWA News site is: Andre Norton c/o Sue Stewart, 1007 Herron Street, Murfreesboro, TN 37130.
"In the meantime, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) announced on February 20 that it has created the Andre Norton Award, a new literary award to recognize outstanding science fiction and fantasy novels that are written for the young adult market."
Required Reading for Open Gaming Developers
From the Livejournal of game designer Mike Mearls. He is usually a source for interesting ideas, and this bit of discussion isn't a disappointment.
Required Reading for Open Gaming Developers
"If you work with any of the material released under the OGL you must read The Cathedral & the Bazaar, by Eric S. Raymond.
"There's an online version available.
"It's long enough that the print version from O'Reilly is a good resource.
"I'm two-thirds of the way through it, and I feel that I finally understand both the potential of the OGL and how the gaming industry has managed to bungle that potential. In short, RPG companies have been given a powerful tool yet their reliance on closed development styles keeps them from seeing it."
[Back to me now...] I don't see what he proposes happening. The example that he sites, and the model that he seems to be groping towards may work for open source software development, but I don't see it as a model that would work for RPG publishers. No one is going to follow the model because it flies in the face of "nobody is going to buy the cow if the milk is free" logic. Too many business models are built to follow the "cow model," and I don't think that enough people are going to think changing to an open source model will work. Hell, I don't think it would work.
I don't know, I think that it is yet another case of someone letting philosophizing get ahead of pratical concerns. While Mike Mearls is a very good game designer, it should be pointed out that he isn't a business owner. Perhaps he would feel differently about business models if he were. Who knows...
Required Reading for Open Gaming Developers
"If you work with any of the material released under the OGL you must read The Cathedral & the Bazaar, by Eric S. Raymond.
"There's an online version available.
"It's long enough that the print version from O'Reilly is a good resource.
"I'm two-thirds of the way through it, and I feel that I finally understand both the potential of the OGL and how the gaming industry has managed to bungle that potential. In short, RPG companies have been given a powerful tool yet their reliance on closed development styles keeps them from seeing it."
[Back to me now...] I don't see what he proposes happening. The example that he sites, and the model that he seems to be groping towards may work for open source software development, but I don't see it as a model that would work for RPG publishers. No one is going to follow the model because it flies in the face of "nobody is going to buy the cow if the milk is free" logic. Too many business models are built to follow the "cow model," and I don't think that enough people are going to think changing to an open source model will work. Hell, I don't think it would work.
I don't know, I think that it is yet another case of someone letting philosophizing get ahead of pratical concerns. While Mike Mearls is a very good game designer, it should be pointed out that he isn't a business owner. Perhaps he would feel differently about business models if he were. Who knows...
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Israeli Army frowns on Dungeons and Dragons
The pictures with the article are great. Someone, somewhere down the line over there seems to think that S.C.A. stuff is D&D...because all of the pictures of people playing D&D shows a bunch of guys in fake armor having sword fights.
Israeli Army frowns on Dungeons and Dragons
"Does the Israel Defense Forces believe incoming recruits and soldiers who play Dungeons and Dragons are unfit for elite units? Ynetnews has learned that 18-year-olds who tell recruiters they play the popular fantasy game are automatically given low security clearance.
"'They're detached from reality and suscepitble to influence,' the army says.
"Fans of the popular role-playing game had spoken of rumors of this strange policy by the IDF, but now the army has confirmed that it has a negative image of teens who play the game and labels them as problematic in regard to their draft status."
Israeli Army frowns on Dungeons and Dragons
"Does the Israel Defense Forces believe incoming recruits and soldiers who play Dungeons and Dragons are unfit for elite units? Ynetnews has learned that 18-year-olds who tell recruiters they play the popular fantasy game are automatically given low security clearance.
"'They're detached from reality and suscepitble to influence,' the army says.
"Fans of the popular role-playing game had spoken of rumors of this strange policy by the IDF, but now the army has confirmed that it has a negative image of teens who play the game and labels them as problematic in regard to their draft status."
RPG Company List Entries:
It is nice to start to be listed for my work...
RPG Company List Entrie
"Battlefield Press
Small-press makers of the Luftwaffe 1946 RPG, Eric Flint's 1632 Resource Guide and Role Playing Game, and the superhero rules system Beyond Mortal Men (by Christopher Helton). All three are based on Gold Rush Games Action! system. In addition, they publish a number of 3rd edition D&D (aka 'D20') adventures and supplements, including 'Cityscape' (2002) and the upcoming 'Sherwood' and 'Pulp Fantasy'. Founded in 2001 by editor Jonathan M. Thompson with authors B.L. Sisemore and Adam R. Thompson."
RPG Company List Entrie
"Battlefield Press
Small-press makers of the Luftwaffe 1946 RPG, Eric Flint's 1632 Resource Guide and Role Playing Game, and the superhero rules system Beyond Mortal Men (by Christopher Helton). All three are based on Gold Rush Games Action! system. In addition, they publish a number of 3rd edition D&D (aka 'D20') adventures and supplements, including 'Cityscape' (2002) and the upcoming 'Sherwood' and 'Pulp Fantasy'. Founded in 2001 by editor Jonathan M. Thompson with authors B.L. Sisemore and Adam R. Thompson."
Monday, March 07, 2005
Dwarfstar Games
Way....way back in the day, there were these cool things called Microgames. Not really role-playing games, but also not really minatures games either, they still have a niche in the history of the development of games in this business.
Nostalgia games indeed!
Dwarfstar Games
"The Dwarfstar Games were a line of small-box science fiction and fantasy themed boardgames published in 1981 and 1982 by Heritage USA.
"Reaper Miniatures has graciously granted limited permission for you to download and print six of these games, for your personal use.
"While this site was created in conjunction with permission granted by Reaper Miniatures, this site was not created by Reaper Miniatures and they are not responsible for the content posted here.
"The page devoted to each Dwarfstar game contains the descriptive text from the back of the game box, scans of the front and back of the box, selected quotes regarding the game, links to other websites related to the game, references to vintage magazine articles, and a set of game files for download."
Check these out, and enjoy. Obviously, in order to Download you click on "Download," and then go to the "Index" page. A few hoops to jump through, but worth the effort.
Nostalgia games indeed!
Dwarfstar Games
"The Dwarfstar Games were a line of small-box science fiction and fantasy themed boardgames published in 1981 and 1982 by Heritage USA.
"Reaper Miniatures has graciously granted limited permission for you to download and print six of these games, for your personal use.
"While this site was created in conjunction with permission granted by Reaper Miniatures, this site was not created by Reaper Miniatures and they are not responsible for the content posted here.
"The page devoted to each Dwarfstar game contains the descriptive text from the back of the game box, scans of the front and back of the box, selected quotes regarding the game, links to other websites related to the game, references to vintage magazine articles, and a set of game files for download."
Check these out, and enjoy. Obviously, in order to Download you click on "Download," and then go to the "Index" page. A few hoops to jump through, but worth the effort.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Flame Warriors
A humorous listing of online "archetypes." I am sure that you have encountered at least some of these individuals.
Flame Warriors
Flame Warriors
T.E. Lawrence
I saw a movie about him last night on television (one of Ralph Fiennes' early movies) about his life after Arabia. Great movie, and it made me realize how under-utilized Lawrence is/was as a character in RPGs. Sure, the "notorious" individuals like Crowley becoming gaming cliches, but someone like Lawrence never gets used, despite his importance to Middle Eastern history. Well, here is some information for all of those people running games (or writing them) for that period betweent the World Wars.
T.E. Lawrence
"British archeological scholar, adventurer, military strategist, and the writer of THE SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM (1927), an ambitious work, which combines a detailed account of the Arab revolt against the Turks and the author's own spiritual autobiography. T.E. Lawrence's enigmatic personality still fascinates biographers and his legend has survived many attempts to discredit his achievements. T.E. Lawrence was better known in his lifetime as 'Lawrence of Arabia' because of the dashing role he had in helping Arabs against the Turks during World War I. At 31 Lawrence was an international celebrity but embittered by his country's policy he chose obscurity and died at the age of 46 after a motorcycle accident."
T.E. Lawrence
"British archeological scholar, adventurer, military strategist, and the writer of THE SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM (1927), an ambitious work, which combines a detailed account of the Arab revolt against the Turks and the author's own spiritual autobiography. T.E. Lawrence's enigmatic personality still fascinates biographers and his legend has survived many attempts to discredit his achievements. T.E. Lawrence was better known in his lifetime as 'Lawrence of Arabia' because of the dashing role he had in helping Arabs against the Turks during World War I. At 31 Lawrence was an international celebrity but embittered by his country's policy he chose obscurity and died at the age of 46 after a motorcycle accident."
Friday, March 04, 2005
Gone But Not Forgotten - Dead 80s Pop Stars
Interesting lists...
Gone But Not Forgotten - Dead 80s Pop Stars
"The world of rock and roll never fares well when the Grim Reaper comes calling. In fact, it seems like it does worse! So, curl up in the fetal position in front of your computer with a libation, perhaps a Bloody Mary, and find out how many of our favorite 80's Musicians shook off their mortal coil."
Gone But Not Forgotten - Dead 80s Pop Stars
"The world of rock and roll never fares well when the Grim Reaper comes calling. In fact, it seems like it does worse! So, curl up in the fetal position in front of your computer with a libation, perhaps a Bloody Mary, and find out how many of our favorite 80's Musicians shook off their mortal coil."
"We Are The World" Celebrates 20 Years
Maybe it's not dorky, but I thought that I would throw this up on my blog in light of the Tsunami Relief project PDF that I am working on (currently in editing/layout...hopefully to be done very soon). Actually it was a line from this song that helped me to decide to organize this project, "There comes a time when we all must lend a hand."
Twenty years ago? Wow...I was 17 way back then and I had never heard of the Internet. I'm not sure if Al Gore had invented it yet...yes that is sarcasm.
"We Are The World" Celebrates 20 Years
"This week marks the 20th anniversary of 'We Are the World,' a song that made music history. To commemorate the occasion, a new DVD is being released with behind-the-scenes footage of the recording session."
I would probably buy a copy of this, I always thought that it was a good thing (whether I liked some of the artists or not). It is always good to do something to help others.
Twenty years ago? Wow...I was 17 way back then and I had never heard of the Internet. I'm not sure if Al Gore had invented it yet...yes that is sarcasm.
"We Are The World" Celebrates 20 Years
"This week marks the 20th anniversary of 'We Are the World,' a song that made music history. To commemorate the occasion, a new DVD is being released with behind-the-scenes footage of the recording session."
I would probably buy a copy of this, I always thought that it was a good thing (whether I liked some of the artists or not). It is always good to do something to help others.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Planetary Photojournal
Another good image resource for publishers. This page is a repository of royalty-free images from the Jet Propulsion Lab/NASA archives. Some interesting stuff here.
Planetary Photojournal
Planetary Photojournal
Steve Darlington's Role-Playing Website
This site has some pretty good general articles on role-playing games, as well as being the home of the free Matrix RPG (There Is No Spoon). A site that is well worth checking out.
Steve Darlington
"In 1997, I founded the now infamous internet fanzine Places to Go, People to Be, and worked as editor for it for four years. I have also written many articles for PTGPTB, one of which was published in the now-defunct British RPG magazine Arcane, and nine of which formed the quite well-renowned History of Roleplaying. More recently, I have work appearing in the Eden Studios magazine, Eden Studios Presents and penned one of the settings for the print version of Spectrum Games Studios' Cartoon Action Hour.
"On top of this is a large number of reviews written for RPGNet (email me if you would like me to review your game). Plus some rules for Unisystem and other games I have come up with.
"And my Matrix RPG, There is No Spoon, which is proving very popular, can also be found on the rules page."
Steve Darlington
"In 1997, I founded the now infamous internet fanzine Places to Go, People to Be, and worked as editor for it for four years. I have also written many articles for PTGPTB, one of which was published in the now-defunct British RPG magazine Arcane, and nine of which formed the quite well-renowned History of Roleplaying. More recently, I have work appearing in the Eden Studios magazine, Eden Studios Presents and penned one of the settings for the print version of Spectrum Games Studios' Cartoon Action Hour.
"On top of this is a large number of reviews written for RPGNet (email me if you would like me to review your game). Plus some rules for Unisystem and other games I have come up with.
"And my Matrix RPG, There is No Spoon, which is proving very popular, can also be found on the rules page."
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
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