lawrence.whitaker Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 More details on RuneQuest availability and price. RuneQuest will be 456 pages, soft cover, black and white interior, colour cover. Price is $62.00 (£40, €50). There will be a discount for pre-orders, which we hope to begin very soon. You will be able to order RQ directly from us via the Products page of the Design Mechanism website. Shipping within the US and Canada will be $10. International orders $15. We will be distributing to the retail trade via our fulfilment and distribution partner, Alliance. This means RQ will find its way into game stores across the world. RQ will be available as a bookmarked PDF close to the release date of the hard copy. If you buy the hard copy directly from us, you'll get the PDF free of charge. If you decide to order the PDF singly, it will cost $25. It will be available through DrivethruRPG and the other One Book Shelf sites. I cannot give a precise date for publication, but it should be no later than mid-July and, hopefully, a little earlier. We will open pre-orders the minute the production files are in the hands of the printer. It usually takes about three weeks for production, so factor-in a fourth for transit to our warehouse. We will be releasing a free PDF, available on the Design Mechanism website and on Drivethru, for Games Masters. This will contain all the major charts and tables, a two page character sheet, a combat tracking sheet and an introductory scenario called 'Meeros Falling'. This scenario uses the setting found throughout the examples found in the rules and is a mixture of investigation, intrigue and combat. It directly continues 'Anathaym's Saga' as found throughout RQ6. So, more information to come, but I'm pleased to say that RQ6 is nearly with us. Stay tuned for more details regarding release date and pre-orders. Quote The Design Mechanism: Publishers of Mythras Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GianniVacca Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 There was a RQ6 panel at Bacharach, with Loz and Pete participating through a G+ hangout. Here's my transcript of the seminar: Timinits & Trolls: Design Mechanism Seminar, 27 May Quote 「天朝大國」，https://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/92874/celestial-empire 很有意思: http://celestialempire.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawrence.whitaker Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 There was a RQ6 panel at Bacharach, with Loz and Pete participating through a G+ hangout. Here's my transcript of the seminar: Timinits & Trolls: Design Mechanism Seminar, 27 May This is excellent Gianni. May I cross post the link on the Design Mechanism forum? Quote The Design Mechanism: Publishers of Mythras Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GianniVacca Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 This is excellent Gianni. May I cross post the link on the Design Mechanism forum? Of course Quote 「天朝大國」，https://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/92874/celestial-empire 很有意思: http://celestialempire.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrippyHippy Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 It is good news, and I'll be buying it. My favored format these days is PDF, although I have a handful of hardbacks for really special games I like (Call of Cthulhu, mainly). The soft back isn't preferable to me, and it needs to be said that it will be an expensive book for casual gamers. I am also surprised at the size of the book - 450+ pages, phew! The best bet is to market the game as a 'classic', and as a complete game, which in turn means that it really needs to be made into a hardback as soon as possible as a 'luxury item'.. I do recognize that overheads are expensive for small companies, but it is worth noting that one of the major reasons why Avalon Hill failed with RuneQuest III was because it was simply too expensive. Like I say, I will buy it partially because I want to support the game and the writers, but that is just me and I'm hardly a 'market'. In normal circumstances, I'd just be buying the PDF and/or waiting for the hardback. The Mythic history supplements are really exciting though. What differentiates RuneQuest from D&D, among other things, is that pure historic settings like these actually work within the RuneQuest framework. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawrence.whitaker Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 It is good news, and I'll be buying it. My favored format these days is PDF, although I have a handful of hardbacks for really special games I like (Call of Cthulhu, mainly). The soft back isn't preferable to me, and it needs to be said that it will be an expensive book for casual gamers. I am also surprised at the size of the book - 450+ pages, phew! The best bet is to market the game as a 'classic', and as a complete game, which in turn means that it really needs to be made into a hardback as soon as possible as a 'luxury item'.. I do recognize that overheads are expensive for small companies, but it is worth noting that one of the major reasons why Avalon Hill failed with RuneQuest III was because it was simply too expensive. Like I say, I will buy it partially because I want to support the game and the writers, but that is just me and I'm hardly a 'market'. In normal circumstances, I'd just be buying the PDF and/or waiting for the hardback. The Mythic history supplements are really exciting though. What differentiates RuneQuest from D&D, among other things, is that pure historic settings like these actually work within the RuneQuest framework. Thanks for the support Trippy. I've investigated hardback costs and at the moment, its too costly. But once we have some sustained sales we do intend creating a Collectors edition. Trying to do it right off the bat would be ruinous - but we did look at it as an option. Compared with AH RQ3 we're quite cheap, if you take inflation into account. That boxed set would be about 80 quid in today's money, if not more, and the booklets weren't wonderful (although mine have stood the test of time, it has to be said). Its a question of, ultimately, cost vs value, and we do think that RQ6 represents VFM. Again, thanks for the supportive words! Quote The Design Mechanism: Publishers of Mythras Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanszurcher Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 $62.00? Think I'm going to pass on this one. Quote I don`t play monsters. I play men besieged by fate and out for revenge. ~Vincent Price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omro Gamer Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 $62 with a free PDF. My only question is, when can I pre order? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vortigern Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I am interested, despite the relatively high price. The previews have given me an indication of consistent quality and improvement on the system, and I can't wait to see it. Though the price factor does worry me for the sales/long term propects of the line... I hope it succeeds anyway. Best wishes on this venture, I am sure you are full anticipation, positive and negative. Congratulations on seeing it through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mankcam Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 $62 USD? That is a bit steep (but doable), but IF you can access a pdf copy with it for that purchase price then it works out more than reasonable It looks great to me, for RQ fans there's no question that it will be an essential book to have, and personally I can't wait to have a new copy of RuneQuest in my hands! Although without a hard cover book it may not attract new followers to pick it from the store shelves where it will be wedged in between D&D, Pathfinder, Savage Worlds, Hollow Earth, and White Wolf books, the majority of them good looking hardcovers. That's my main concern... Quote " Sure it's fun, but it is also well known that a D20 roll and an AC is no match against a hefty swing of a D100% and a D20 Hit Location Table!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Evil Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 The price is a bit steep, but we need to recognize that the days when roleplaying games were mass-market publications with large print runs are well and truly over. Pretty much all RPGs are niche hobby products these days and print runs above 10,000 units are extraordinarily rare - and even breaking 5,000 units can be a struggle. In this climate, the price of RPGs inevitably go up. In the long term, print-on-demand may change this situation, but the technology and distribution networks aren't quite there yet (although they are very, very close!). I'll definitely be picking up a dead tree copy to support the work of Design Mechanism, even though my preferred format is increasingly PDF*. Also, the quality of the layout and presentation of previews released so far has won me over. These days, my bookshelves are so full that a product really needs to impress me before I will consider buying the paper version**. Which says something about how much I am looking forward to RQ 6. * As an aside, it drives me absolutely crazy that Mongoose still can't get the bookmarks in their PDFs right - hasn't anybody on their production team studied how to use InDesign and Acrobat properly?!? It's really not that hard.... ** To conserve bookshelf space, I've adopted what I call the "Thunderdome policy" - one book enters, another book leaves.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nclarke Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 * As an aside, it drives me absolutely crazy that Mongoose still can't get the bookmarks in their PDFs right - hasn't anybody on their production team studied how to use InDesign and Acrobat properly?!? It's really not that hard....leaves.... I strikes me that MGP don't actually have any professional production staff. Their proofreading is usually rubbish, their products often show the lack of a good editor, and their technical production - indexing etc. shows a lack of professional input. I suspect that there is a page limit set at the beginning of a project and stuff is jammed into that limit without regard for the result. TBH I usually strip out the security on their PDFs and add my own bookmarks. Why they bother with the security that they do use is beyond me. It's like someone set up the software to always output with those settings and no-one knows enough to change it for more sensible/suitable options. Quote Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Evil Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 I strikes me that MGP don't actually have any professional production staff. Their proofreading is usually rubbish, their products often show the lack of a good editor, and their technical production - indexing etc. shows a lack of professional input. I suspect that there is a page limit set at the beginning of a project and stuff is jammed into that limit without regard for the result. I dunno. They've produced some excellent work and some real stinkers. But you'd think that with the frequent concerns expressed on their own messageboards about issues such as proofreading, indexing, etc they would have made a stronger push to address these issues. Personally, I think the real problem is that they have a punishing release schedule and struggle to maintain quality control while meeting production deadlines. There are some good people working for Mongoose and some of their books are excellent, but the quality of their products is still all over the place. The good news is that Design Mechanism seems to be adopting a slower release schedule and pouring a lot of care into each book. This bodes well for the longevity of their work, even though I suspect that it may have a smaller audience than Legend. Incidentally, for me the model of excellence for PDF publishing is Steve Jackson Games. Ever since GURPS became a PDF-based system, they have maintained a strong release schedule without sacrificing their production values. All of their PDFs have extensive bookmarks and are well-indexed. In addition, their proofreading is superb - it's hard to find a single spelling error or grammatical faux pas in any of their releases. MGP should look at how companies like this handle their workflow and implement a similar strategy. TBH I usually strip out the security on their PDFs and add my own bookmarks. Why they bother with the security that they do use is beyond me. It's like someone set up the software to always output with those settings and no-one knows enough to change it for more sensible/suitable options. Yeah...I do the same thing. The security model used by Acrobat is fundamentally broken. I suspect that it's fear of piracy that causes publishers to lock down their PDFs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nclarke Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 If the product is OGL why lock it down. The license allows the OGL parts to be used in full and I doubt that much RPG art (which usually isn't OGL) gets stolen when so much is available on-line at places like deviantart anyway. I've noticed that since they've been using Gareth Hanrahan as a Line Editor/Developer things have improved a bit but he's stretched almost to breaking point with his workload for MGP and C7. Quote Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanszurcher Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 (edited) The price is a bit steep, but we need to recognize that the days when roleplaying games were mass-market publications with large print runs are well and truly over. Pretty much all RPGs are niche hobby products these days and print runs above 10,000 units are extraordinarily rare - and even breaking 5,000 units can be a struggle. In this climate, the price of RPGs inevitably go up. In the long term, print-on-demand may change this situation, but the technology and distribution networks aren't quite there yet (although they are very, very close!). ... I don't think this sort of thing is really going to come as a surprise to anyone. If their is one thing I've learned in 50+ years, prices do indeed go up. In this instance RuneQuest6 has outpaced my budgetary constraints. I posted this on RPG.net day or two earlier: The price seems reasonable for a RPG product from a small publisher in this day in age. The reason I will not be buying it at this price point is because it is largely the same set of rules I purchased in RuneQuestII and Legend and OpenQuest (and Elric of Melnibone and BRP). While I'd like to see Mysticism, the various tweaks and rules for investigation...not for $62.00. I had trouble convincing myself to pick it up when I was expecting a $40.00 price tag. Also, not in the market for a huge amount of GM and player guidance. But if it's anything like Loz and Pete's other work I expect it to be excellent. ~~~ I haven't decided what I'm going to do with that $40.00 yet. Either pick up Unhallowed Metropolis Revised or have my Danners resoled for an up-coming mushroom picking excursion to the Olympic Rainforest. Maybe RQ6 will be more successful competing for my $$$ next year. Edited June 7, 2012 by hanszurcher Quote I don`t play monsters. I play men besieged by fate and out for revenge. ~Vincent Price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omro Gamer Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 $50 for the pre-order price. Very reasonable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GianniVacca Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 $50 for the pre-order price. Very reasonable Are pre-orders open yet? The text is unclear. Quote 「天朝大國」，https://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/92874/celestial-empire 很有意思: http://celestialempire.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawrence.whitaker Posted June 8, 2012 Author Share Posted June 8, 2012 Are pre-orders open yet? The text is unclear. No, pre-orders are not open yet. The DM Products pages says: 'We are not accepting pre-orders just yet, but will be making an announcement very soon.' so I don't think its THAT unclear... Quote The Design Mechanism: Publishers of Mythras Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmitchell Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 The DM Products pages says: 'We are not accepting pre-orders just yet, but will be making an announcement very soon.' To quote Philip J. Fry, "Shut up and take my money!" Quote Frank "Welcome to the hottest and fastest-growing hobby of, er, 1977." -- The Laundry RPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GianniVacca Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 The DM Products pages says: 'We are not accepting pre-orders just yet, but will be making an announcement very soon.' so I don't think its THAT unclear... D'oh! I was blinded by my eagerness! Quote 「天朝大國」，https://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/92874/celestial-empire 很有意思: http://celestialempire.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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