Pre-Orders, Ransoms and The RPG "Business"

Although pretty much all of a blog is a statement of opinion, this much is more so than usual.

The RPG industry is a niche one, and it is nowhere near as large as it was during it's heyday in the 80s and 90s. This ends up meaning that, a lot of the time, companies are strapped for the cash that is needed to get products developed, written and eventually produced. This can be done a couple of ways: the publisher can reach into their own pocket (either business or personal) and pull the money out, hoping that the money will be made back in sales, or they can organize a pre-order or ransom to get the money together to fund getting the book made.

Neither of these practices are bad, although with the habit of RPG publishers going out of business there can be risks for the consumer participating. All of this is a good faith agreement on the part of the consumers and the publisher that the money will be used for what the publisher says it is going to be used for, and the consumer will receive a book at the end of the process.

Lately, however, this process seems to falling down on its face. To paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld, "Anyone can take a reservation but it is holding the reservation that is important." This year at GenCon a few publishers have debuted new books that have been brought to market due to ransoms or extensive pre-order support from early adopter consumers. This isn't a bad thing, however, as new product is a good thing for publishers to have. The problem comes up that these books have been sold without first fulfilling the orders of those who ransomed or pre-ordered the books. That, in the opinion of this blogger, is a big no-no.

In some cases, on the backend there have been issues with hired warehouses not properly or completely fulfilling the orders of a publisher's customers. Ultimately, however, this is just an excuse that needs to be overcome to maintain the goodwill of a customer base.

Goodwill is important in this entire process. Geeks tend to be overly forgiving towards RPG publishers because they are blurring the lines between "these people are my friends" and "these people are a business that I have given my money to" and think that friends should be forgiven their trespasses. It is important to remember that these two thoughts should be kept separate from each other, and these businesses need to be treated like businesses.

Now, I personally no longer take part in ransoms or pre-orders. Yes, I've been burned (and keep getting burned on one that I have been involved with) and because of that I no longer have the faith or the good will to believe that a publisher will meet their obligations. Once a product is done and in the stores or on the table, I will be there with cash in hand to pick up a copy but not before hand. Not again.

Judge rules Dark Ages Spawn, Domina and Tiffany are derivative characters

A federal judge has dealt another blow to Todd McFarlane in his long-running copyright dispute with Neil Gaiman, ruling that the characters Dark Ages Spawn, Domina and Tiffany are mere derivatives of their earlier creations.

In a decision filed Friday, U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb declared that the three characters are simply variations of Medieval Spawn and Angela, co-created by Gaiman in 1993 for McFarlane's Spawn series. Therefore, McFarlane has until Sept. 1 to provide Gaiman with an accounting of money earned from Dark Ages Spawn, Domina and Tiffany. As co-owner of the copyrights, Gaiman is entitled to one-half of the profits.

Brett Bernstein Discusses The Masterbook/Shatterzone Acquisition and Precis Intermedia

Let's start out with a little background for those who may not know your or your company. What can you tell us to fill in those people?



Precis Intermedia has been around since 2002. Back then it was Politically Incorrect Games, which merged with Spectre Press in, I believe, 2005. I've always felt that the casual gamer, one who has real-life issues and family concerns, doesn't have enough games specifically designed for him. Everything these days is full-color hardcover books or core books with vast lines of supplemental material. Not only does he not have a lot of time to read a 300-page game, he probably also doesn't have the money to throw around. Games like HardNova 2 and Coyote Trail are meant for him. For $4.95, you can download a game that not only includes easy-to-learn and customize rules, but ready-to-use characters and scenarios, all in under 100 pages. I also want to empower the gamer by giving him tools to improvise and customize. My philosophy is that rules are not set in stone. They are guidelines to get you started. Once you understand the rules and why they exist, you control them rather than them controlling the game.


At what point did you think "I could be a game designer" and how did that transition into "I could be a game publisher"?


I supposed I've always wanted to create my own games. I remember seeing my friend's copy of Battletech and thinking that I can make something like that. Of course, I was only about 15 and never finished, instead buying the game, but that was probably the first urge. I worked on games with some friends who kept dropping the ball, making me do all the work. I eventually decided to take the plunge and put my collection of skills to work. That's pretty much the gist of it. I don't want to bore anyone.


While this interview is going to be about your acquisition of the former West End Games properties, this isn't the first game line that you have purchased. I know, for example, you bought Story Engine (a favorite game of mine) a few years back. What leads you to purchasing and bringing these games back to life?


One of my hobbies is collecting old and out of print games. Sometimes I find a game that makes me go "cool, this would work well with my other stuff" or "this deserves to be streamlined a bit and republished." As long as I can do it without losing money, the rest is history.


Let's talk about your acquisitions from West End Games. You purchased the rights to Shatterzone, Masterbook and Bloodshadows from Eric Gibson (the owner of West End Games). What about these games makes them interesting to you?


I think MasterBook is a very underrated system. It's a little more complex than I normally prefer, but it runs well in play once you get used to it. I like the variable outcomes and damages, as well as the value scale for determining distance and sizes. Bloodshadows and Shatterzone are just cool settings. The latter was never marketed well, so not too many people even have a clue what it is about. It's a bit too involved to go into that here, but adventures can be so diverse, from emulating Star Trek and Star Wars to Serenity and Babylon 5. As far as Bloodshadows goes, it's got magic, monsters, and film noir - a great combination.


What sort of plans do you have for these game lines now that you own them?


The only concrete plans right now are to reprint them. That includes the MasterDeck cards for both MasterBook and Shatterzone. I'd like to see an updated and streamlined version of MasterBook, but I couldn't guess how long that would take. Shatterzone and Bloodshadows could possibly be seen for other systems.


Many people keep predicting gloom and doom for the table top gaming industry. However, your purchases of other game lines and your continuing release schedule seems to say otherwise. What is your opinion on the "state of the industry" for gaming and how do currently non-traditional methods like selling games in PDF and POD formats figure into your opinion, and how you do business?


I have a very unique business model, one that focuses on digital content (PDF), but does not shy away from printed books. Most of the PDF books in my catalog can be printed to order, either at the time of purchase or at a later date. This provides a try before you buy option for printed books, while also keeping prices low. This appeals to the gamers who are not only familiar with shareware software, but also the casual gamers who prefer roleplaying games that require only small investments in both cash and time. That said, I can't really comment on the "state of the normal industry," because I'm not part of it. In my opinion, I'm working in a different fragment of the overall industry, one that works for me. The "normal industry" is not one in which I could compete, since there are too many middlemen and it is driven by eye candy.


What is upcoming for Precis Intermedia?


Lots. I've been trying to finish up the layout for Peter Spahn's Stormrift game, while also focusing on the new Classic Story Engine Plus universal rules. I'm also working to get some playing cards printed for the Two-Fisted Tales pulp RPG along with a new adventure supplement for it. And as usual, a new Disposable Heroes Paper Minis set beckons my attention. Beyond that, more miniatures games, a GMing guide, solo wargaming guide, new diceless game, and more.


Where can people find you and Precis Intermedia out on the internet?


As always, www.pigames.net.

She Has No Head! – Interview With The Man Who Would Resurrect DV8 (aka Brian Wood)

I’ve talked pretty openly about my love for Brian Wood’s new DV8 mini-series Gods & Monsters, from the fact that I think it feels both modern and also somehow like a throwback to really good superhero character pieces, but it’s also been one of the inspirations for why I’ve been talking so frequently about how much I’d like to see more independent creators given a chance to show what they can do on more mainstream characters. Not that DV8 was ever totally mainstream, but there’s no reason why DV8 can’t emerge as a powerhouse of a title from Wildstorm, if done right. And with able assists from Fiona Staples on covers and Carrie Strachan delivering beautiful colors, Brian Wood and Rebekah Isaacs are doing it SO right. The way I feel a lot more indie creators could if given the chance to run wild on a title the way Wood and Isaacs have cut loose on Gods & Monsters.

Comic-Con 2010: Young Justice & Characters

This looks like it's going to be a cool cartoon when it comes out.

How Did Marvel Lose Control Of Wolverine?

If you plan on attending any of the Marvel Comics panels at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, here's a question you may want to consider asking: Why does the company not seem to have any idea what to do with Wolverine?

I ask because not only is the character getting killed off so that his soul can go and get into a few fights in Hell in a new series launching in September, but it now looks like he'll also be turning into a vampire as a result of the newly-launched 'Curse of The Mutants' storyline at the same time. Oh, and in a third series, he'll also be fighting immortals and a guy whose blood is some kind of killer virus... and that's before you get around to any alternate universe Wolverines (Although, interestingly enough, both Marvel's Ultimate and Forever lines have permanently offed their versions of the character). What's with all the new, contradictory directions all at once?

Comic Book History vs. Will Eisner

One of the important moments of comic history has always been the case that DC Comics (even if that wasn't their name at the time) made against Fox Comics for infringing on Superman with their Wonder Man character created by comic great Will Eisner and Jerry Iger. Interestingly, the version of these preceedings that Eisner has a bit of a discrepancy from the actually court transcripts that have recently appeared.

This is a quote of interest to those who like to follow comic history.

If you’ve made it this far, I assume you’ve read Eisner’s testimony in total. And if you have, you too have noticed the obvious discrepancy between Eisner’s oft-repeated version and his words before the court.

[full disclosure: This posed a true dilemma for me. Part of me wanted to protect the image of my idol by keeping this information to myself. Part realized the importance of this document to comic history and my responsibility as a reporter. I can't deny history, so as much as this truly pains me, I set my personal emotions aside.]

Hastings – The First National Comic Store Chain In US?

From Bleeding Cool, and the mind of Rich Johnston, and reported better than never by this blog:

Hastings is a national media store, selling books, DVDs, games, music, that sort of thing. Of late, the word is that its music sales have suffered most significantly, as digital downloading takes the lion’s share.

But I was told that in response, the company was moving into comics. Big time. Already stocking graphic novels as part of their book mix, they had approached publishers and distributors nationally talking about increasing their comic books selection. Including selling brand new comics distributed by Diamond as well as stocking back issues in depth. In almost 130 stores nationwide.

While I think this might have a good short term effect on comics (how many of the largest comic store "chains" have 147 stores?) I am still not entirely sold on the long term viability of Hasting entering into the "friendly local comic store" market. They chose to start selling comics because the marketplace for music sales moved to a diret market digital model, rather than attempt to keep up with the digital evolution of sales in that market, what should we expect them to do with the inevitabe move for the comic industry into the digital domain as well?

While I applaud Hastings for selling comic books (even though it will never impact me in this part of the country) I wonder how much forward thinking went into this decision, rather than it being a stop-gap method to bolster profits. Does Hastings' target audience care about the sales of monthly comics? Are comic buyers even a large enough of a demographic to make the sales bump that Hastings is looking for with this move? I guess time will tell. I will be hopefully optimistic that it will come out for the best

DDOJ, Inc. Announces Acquisiton of Majority Share in Indie Press Revolution

June 19th, 2010- New York City, NY: DOJ Inc. is proud to announce that they have closed a deal to acquire a majority share of Indie Press Revolution, the industry's leading direct-sales network of high-quality small press game publishers, and will be taking over administrative operations of the company beginning July 1st, 2010. The minority shareholders have all approved the sale and will be retaining their ownership shares in the company.

"I'm delighted to be taking over a sales organization with the brand strength and reputation for quality that IPR has built over the last several years," says Darren Watts, President of DOJ Inc. "IPR has a very strong business model and has done an outstanding job representing its client creator-publishers, and we intend to carry forward with the same philosophy in order to bring great new games to the public from the cutting edge of game design."

"I'm excited to be working with Darren, Jason, and the rest of the DOJ team," said Ryan Macklin, General Manager of IPR, who will be remaining in that position. "They have an excitement about IPR that I relish, and I'm looking forward to the future they'll bring to this company."

"DOJ Logistics has already been providing IPR and its publishers complete shipping and warehousing services since August 2008," said DOJ Logistics Director Jason Walters, "so both the publishers and the customers of IPR should receive the same fine service they've come to expect."

"DOJ Inc has been providing IPR great service and over the years we have developed a close relationship with the warehouse staff. I can't think of any better partner for IPR to help the business grow and thrive in the years to come," said Brennan Taylor, owner of Galileo Games and outgoing President of IPR. Mr. Taylor is retaining a minority share in IPR, as well as remaining a client publisher, and will be assisting DOJ in the transition.

###

ABOUT INDIE PRESS REVOLUTION

Indie Press Revolution is a consolidation house and direct-sales network of quality small press game publishers, dedicated to establishing a community in which creator-publishers can flourish and share their ideas and visions together in a cooperative environment. IPR sells exclusively to retailers and the public through their website, at www.indiepressrevolution.com. They currently represent over ninety outstanding independent small publishers, including such industry standouts as Cubicle 7 Entertainment, Evil Hat Productions, Arc Dream Press, Pelgrane Press, and Galileo Games, to name only a few.

ABOUT DOJ INC.

DOJ Inc. are the owners of Hero Games, publishers of Champions and other roleplaying games using the award-winning Hero System, and of DOJ Logistics, providing warehousing and shipping services to the tabletop gaming industry.

MEDIA CONTACT
Darren Watts
darren (at) herogames (dot) com.

ThunderCats writer Stephen Perry missing after grisly discovery

Police in Florida are searching for ailing ThunderCats writer Stephen Perry, who disappeared from his Zephyrhills home under suspicious, and possibly ghastly, circumstances.

His van was found Sunday abandoned in a motel parking lot. Nearby, FOX 13 reports, was a man's severed arm. More remains were discovered at a gas-station dumpster two miles away from Perry's home, which had been ransacked.

On Friday authorities arrested Perry's two roommates, Roxanne D. Davis, 49, and James W. Davis, 46, who had been missing since Sunday. The St. Petersburg Times reports that James Davis is charged with trafficking of controlled substances, possession of paraphernalia, possession of controlled substances and two warrants for failure to appear in court. Roxanne Davis is charged with violation of parole, grand theft and burglary.

Police have avoided publicly referring to the case as a homicide investigation, but signs obviously point to that. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement told The Tampa Tribune the agency had been called in to assist with an apparent homicide, but wouldn't say whether it was related to the missing persons investigation. However, Zephyrhills Mayor Cliff McDuffie said, 'I assume it is the same investigation. I assume it is a homicide.'