Marcus Bone

Another contributor passes on... very sad but also a time of celebration of his work (I remember watching his Real Ghostbuster episode on Collect Call of Cthulhu when I was knee high to a grasshopper)... 

54 minutes ago, Atgxtg said:

Maybe someone would like to do a Magic World fanzine? 

Nice idea... 

I'd be up for supporting that... maybe its a way to revive my old MW fansite? 

14 hours ago, Rick Meints said:

Let's say that 128 page book sells 1000 copies for $34.95 retail, which yields us $14 for each copy sold through distribution. We sell all 1000 copies and make $14,000 gross.

The numbers get tight on good sellers. A few ok sellers and you don't make anything for all your time and effort. Magic World didn't sell 1,000 copies. Far less.

The money just wasn't there.

Thanks Rick! Appreciate the insight... 

1 hour ago, Rick Meints said:

Out of curiosity, I see a number of people in this thread use phrases like "lots of people" and "loads of people" when it comes to the number of people interested in purchasing MW material.

Anyone care to put an approximate number on what they feel "lots of people" represents? 10 people, 50 people, 200 people, more?

As for the three types of licenses:

1. Fan Use. Quite simply, if you don't want to make any money, we don't need to either.

2. Limited license for one year ($100) or three years ($200). You can make a bit of money to cover your costs without the hassle of sales reports and royalty payments. You can make a bit of money, and so do we. If you blow past the sales cap of $2000 we would happily switch you over to a commercial license and let you carry on.

3. Commercial License. You pay no money up front, by the way. You sign a contract with us, and most deals do not take that much time to set up. You pay royalties (very small percentage) based on sales. If you want to know how our licensees feel about how well it works for them, please ask them. These deals are not sealed with an NDA. 

One of the benefits of the Commercial License is that we happily advertise your products in our Ab Chaos newsletter. We want you to succeed. 

Hi Rick, 

Looking at the various data points I know of (none being very scientific, sorry). I'd say the number is in the dozens - say up to 50 dedicated fans in its present sent form... twice that many curious bystanders. I'd be interest to know MW sale numbers over its lifetime myself... couldn't be too high I suspect.

As for the main setting (Southern Reach), I do think a number of fans have a bit of a bad taste in their mouths over the discontinuation of the line - nothing personal against Chaosium as it makes sense commercial and practically (you and the team have done fantastically to revive the company and raise the level of professionalism) - but the community was very 'dedicated' to the structure that was in place back then!   

Thanks, also for the clarification re: the Licenses, your explanation of the Commercial version definitely makes it more appealing... 

Marcus

30 minutes ago, Atgxtg said:

From a company's perspective it's a bit of a minefield. On the one hand they want fan support and commercial support for their products as it promotes the game and unilaterally makes it more profitable for the original company, but on the other hand, they also need to protect their intellectual property. On top of that, there is the fact that a company can't actually protect it's game mechanics. 

Totally agree! It's a hard line to row. 

1 minute ago, Thot said:

Founding a publishing company isn't a big deal. Depending on your location, there may be some paperwork involved, but it's not hard to do; governments want you to succeed, after all.

If you want to do it, and keep it up, don't let that legal stuff scare you away.

 

Having investigated an MW licence and then done the sums on estimated sales vs cost and effort, it doesn't quite work out (remembering that this ain't going to be a full time gig, and you're restricted in profit)...  Might be better to go do an OpenQuest route... or a different open system (for example Savage Worlds with its much larger fan base). 

That does sound very negative, but I do appreciate what Chaosium is doing with the Fan/Commercial licences, it's just that for a game with a limited foundation as MW I can't see it really working as yet. I'm sure someone, sometime will take the leap and grab a licence (hell, it might even be me), but until then...

Marcus

On 12/15/2018 at 7:22 PM, VonKatzen said:

About a year ago a friend of mine was planning to run an Age of Shadows campaign but he ended up having some health problems and hasn't been able to work on it since.

I have the game and a couple supplements for it, and it seems pretty straightforward in terms of the rules. I am wondering if anyone out there has much play experience with it?

As a rather Alter-Middle-earth setting how does it compare in feel with other games - actual Middle-earth properties like MERP and TOR - or Burning Wheel? Obviously the rules are way different between all of these, but would you say it gets the Middle-earth vibe better than MERP?

What kind of campaigns does it play best to? Standard scenario-based adventuring, more organized campaigns, short games? Or does it, like OpenQuest, lend itself fairly equally to any of these styles?

Hey! 

I would say it best suits a slow burn, wilderness style stories. Lots of travel, discoveries and lost ruins to explore. I treat it as almost a post-apocalyptic setting, where the adventurers are visitors to locations untouched by mortals in decades or more.

OpenQuest works well as it is simple, easy to teach and learn, and is pretty brutal in combat. I've only ever run one-shot stories (with a couple of reoccurring characters). Can't add to the comparisons to MERP or TOR unfortunately, as I've not played either.

Cheers!

Funnily enough I was just thinking about it. The fantastic (and I can't state that loud enough) SlipDrive: River of Heaven soundtrack just passed through my playlist (its on Spotify BTW) and it got me thinking about finishing up the scenario. Typically, its just needing a good edit and tidy up - the bit I hate the most with writing!

Maybe the Christmas break will see me with enough time to get it done?

Marcus 

On 9/7/2018 at 7:09 PM, Newt said:

I've done the whole pushing things back 6 months, and then another 6 months, and then a year etc, and that's how the book is 4 years on from it being promised as a KS backer addon (and a small group of about 15 people paying for it) and three years from when I could have reasonably delivered it. John's got no spare time to work on it, and I'm busy with other stuff. 

As I said it was a tough decision. I'd rather see it come out with Binary Deep myself, but its simply not in a shape to publish. The whole thing is what they call in project management-speak a "blocker" on the whole River of Heaven line. Without the Companion is out there's no way in good consciousness that I release anything else for the game. 

Previous purchasers of the modules Last Witness/Message from Furthermost will get a 25% discount on To the Stars.

I think this is a good way to go, Newt. I say that as I find its the little things that always block my mental efforts to get things completed (that and a fear of failure :P). I say - get the Companion out and then on to bigger and better things

Marcus 

On 9/8/2018 at 7:59 PM, Newt said:

I'm in contact with Marcus and he's finishing off his adventure - but its still a work in progress. If we are going to use software development terms (I used to be a software developer, before I went full time with D101/stay at home carer last year) it also firmly falls outside of the scope of the project  

Damn yes... I should get this done! Sorry new contract role has had me working long hours and not much free brain space for gaming  

Will attempt to throw the last bits together in the next week... 

I've plastered everywhere else, so why not here - 😀

19 hours ago, MOB said:

Our position is unchanged. While Chaosium won’t be publishing anything further for Magic World ourselves, we will continue to sell the Magic World core rulebooks for the foreseeable future. We are happy to see Magic World material (supplements, sourcebooks and accessories) coming out as licensed/fan-produced product. 

Just a note, I have contact Michael directly as to why I made the statement I did, and this is now happily cleared up. As a big MW and Chaosium fan in general, I like the direction that Michael and the rest of the team are going with all their lines (even the new RQ looks really cool and I'm not a RQ fan :P) 

3 hours ago, soltakss said:

A World based on Magic, perhaps?

I would note that I stated on something like this - right here on this forum - but even getting people to agree on a skill list was nigh impossible

1 minute ago, Rhialto the Marvellous said:

Me too, and a shame that won't happen. 

Me three... the biggest shame is that despite what Chaosium have previous stated, they aren't interested in licensees of the mechanics... 

Marcus

13 hours ago, Newt said:

Hi 

Without wanting to sound a meanie, if anyone wants to publish River of Heaven material, fan or otherwise, they need to have a chat with me beforehand.  Neither the system or setting is OGL and while I'm not adverse to having fan material out there, I don't have an established public fan policy for RoH so need to look at everything on a case by case basis.

You never know I may want to publish what folk come up with. John Ossoway always intended RoH to provide other writers with a setting to work with

 

Totally understand... no harm intended and I fully support everthing  d101 😀

Marcus

All this RoH Talk has got my creative juices flowing... so I'm a few days away from a first draft of my own fan adventure...

On 4/27/2018 at 10:18 PM, Newt said:

Ok here's the latest on the River of Heaven Companion.

The book is currently in final editing/art commission but hasn't gone as quickly as I had hoped.

I'm away this weekend at North Star, a  new small convention dedicated to sci-fi rpgs, where I'm actually running River of Heaven, a scenario of my own devising called HOPE (which will get published at some point). 

When I'm back I'll be sticking my head down and gently pushing to get the Companion out.  I want it out by early June, and definitely, early August when I'm off to Continuum.

As for commissioning more material, that's coming to along with commissioning scenarios for both OpenQuest and The Company. I'll be making a proper announcement when I'm less busy, but if interested please drop me a line at newt@d101games.com. 

Cheers Newt! Good to hear that RoH is to get more love...  I look forward to the companion when it comes out... 

All good things take time

On 4/26/2018 at 10:38 PM, Conrad said:

One of my friends asked the same question on the D101 games Facebook page. Here was the answer. I hope it helps, Marcus. 

 

Thanks Conrad!

Hi Newt! Just wondering if you could give us an update on the state of the Companion? I wasn't in a position at the time of the KS to be involved at the higher level pledges... and so I was wondering its current status?

No harm and no foul, just a curious mind who is about to prep a RoH adventure to play with friends

Marcus

Hi Oni,

Thought I'd throw a few comments up...

- After now playing 7th edition, I've discovered that it actually slows games down (not too much), especially in regards to the Difficulty level... I prefer a simple flat 'roll under' number that BRP traditionally uses, as what happen now is that the Keepers (or 7th Ed scenarios) are always looking to have the characters roll 'Hard' or 'Extreme' rolls. BRP type characters are already pushing it to roll under on skills that they only invested a few points in....

- Bonus and Penalty Dice really screw up success/failure chances... again for little benefit. If you have a hit skill already it adds little and if you have a low skill (say default 10%) then all you're getting is another 1 in 10 chance to succeed.

- I find it funny, in a weird way that they added the Difficulty and Bonus Dice mechanics, but removed the Resistance table (which was a prefect generic tool) as being too difficult to use.

That might sound all too negative, but on the whole I've enjoyed the 7th ed games I've played in... plenty that I do like...

Marcus

On ‎13‎/‎04‎/‎2018 at 10:53 PM, NickMiddleton said:

Fond as I was of Stormbinger back in the day, I struggle to see how this would in anyway be a viable product - it sounds like a blatant attempt to use Moorcock's ideas / IP without getting permission / a license, which is just a non-starter.

My thoughts exactly - and talking to others I get the feeling they think the same - the age of a NEW Stormbringer is over, the IP isn't worth anything beyond aging fans etc. That's not to say there isn't a place for a game, but maybe more as a play set for another existing system (Stormbringer Fiasco anyone?)...

One thing I found also (as you will find searching through the older posts on this board), there is no such thing as a united vision for EC gaming - Hey I couldn't even get people to agree on the skill list

Marcus

Just as an aside, in the one big campaign of Stormbringer I've been involved in, the characters all ended up dying in the Sacking of the Dreaming City... a fitting end for a group of not so nice warriors of the Balance. 

On ‎1‎/‎04‎/‎2018 at 4:40 AM, Scrivener of Doom said:

Understood.

I didn't actually mean as an official product but a fan-based conversion.

While my preference is for a BRP derivative for Stormbringer... if some one writes a conversion, I'm more than happy to host it on my SB site!

Marcus

Not at the moment. With SB having no English licensee everything is in limbo in regards to the the old titles.

I do note that if you've previously purchased PDFs through Drivethru etc. they still exist in your library however, which is nice (although I know this doesn't help you, Pittel).

Marcus

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