Stafford & Petersen Return to Chaosium

[Mankcam]

Wow, Charlie Krank is no longer with Chaosium?
Holy jeez, with Lynn Willis gone I thought that Charlie Krank still held the wheel firmly. I guess it was naive to think that there would be no impact from Mr Willis's passing, given the length of service he had been with the company. This is really a cottage industry with global distribution, and I speculate that any loss of a member like that would be difficult to handle, from so many different aspects.
Had no idea of the turmoil going on; it sounds like Chaosium's future was becoming uncertain, despite the great release of HotOE and having CoC 7E in development.
I expect that the company will move on from it all; if any rpg company is an industry survivor, then it's Chaosium

I wish Charlie Krank all the best, his name is over all my Chaosium books as well

This kind of feels like we dodged a comet
But good to see Stafford and Petersen back with the company. It certainly is coming full circle

[smiorgan]

Look at what Sandy Petersen says about the Chaosium reboot on Yog-Sothoth:

 

 

3) Ben Monroe, whose name many of you may recognize, is assisting Greg in managing Chaosium's physical facilities, its warehouse, material, etc. 

 

Surely we do recognize Ben's name at BRP central! Great to see that he is closely involved with the New/Old Chaosium. That gives me good hopes for Magic World and BRP, by the way.

 

Ben, can you add anything to the news?

 

Smiorgan

[Rich Tom]

This is like lead Zeppelin getting back together , I mean wow. I loved 5th edition COC. Heaven knows how many books I own, maybe 35-40 for that game and then there's all the PDFs. but I'm still deciding what I think of the changes in 7th ed. Does this mean we'll get some more MW releases? There coming out at a rate of one a year at the moment. I wish them well.

[Jason D]

As far as I understand it, Charlie is no longer with Chaosium. 

[soltakss]

That's a shame.

[BMonroe]

As far as I understand it, Charlie is no longer with Chaosium. 

 

 

See my .sig.

 

 

Charlie and Meghan are no longer employees of Chaosium. Nick is still onboard, and will be overseeing pretty much all fiction programs, and doing layout/editorial of other RPG projects under my mentorship. The inestimably awesome, and tirelessly patient Dustin Wright is also on board, helping out with marketing, PR, more fiction stuff, and lots of other things.

[Mankcam]

I posted this over at Yog-Sothoth, but it is relevant to this thread here at BRP Central. Some people here may not have heard the podcast that Sandy Petersen did, which was referred to earlier in this thread.

Sandy Petersen is an exceptionally creative fellow, and he was very positive in the podcast, but at the same time he also revealed how grim things really are. That really was a bit unsettling.

I am heartened by the fact Greg Stafford is running the show, he is a genius with his creations of Glorantha and Pendragon, and given that he is the founder of Chaosium, it feels very apt that he steps in now at this time when Chaosium is going through crisis.

Ben Munroe sounds perfect for his role, brimming with enthusiasm. Keeping Dustin Wright, Mike Mason and the others onboard is a smart move. They have been a presence with customers, and are obviously very important in the day to day operating of the business.

But I still do get a sense of worry about how bad things have gotten with Chaosium.

I have not been burnt by a Kickstarter before, and it is hard not be unhappy when we were informed that the CoC7E books were at the printer, when it turns out that this is not true. To receive a deceitful message like this is very disheartening. I cannot believe to have received it from Chaosium, a company whose products I have supported since my early teens in the 1980s. So I am appreciative of the change of management, and how open the current communication is now.

I think Sandy Petersen will ensure that we receive hard copies of CoC 7E despite any disagreements he may or may not have regarding some of the radical rules changes. Not so sure about other stretch goals, but I think we'll all see the hard copies of the core rule books. Sandy knows his name is forever attached to Call of Cthulhu, and it is clear to see that he does not want his reputation tarnished, even if he isn't the author of the upcoming version. He is probably the single most important person who rebooted the Mythos for a new generation, and his enthusiasm for the genre has obviously not wavered over the years. I have no doubt that he will ensure the publication of CoC7E.

I guess the big question is wondering if Chaosium survives once they have fulfilled the kick starter commitments. I really hope so.

I do like the fact that Sandy was indicating that Chaosium may take a more strategic approach to publishing the CoC, BRP, and Cthulhu Fiction lines. I just hope they have the funds to move ahead in this direction, as we will all hate to see Chaosium wrap up after CoC7E.

No one ever wants to see the end of an era, and I truly hope that we don't have to see this for many years to come.

But, on a more positive note, having Greg Stafford in charge of Chaosium again seems to feel right to me. Also, having Ben Munroe show up here on BRP Central quite regularly is a boon regarding ongoing communication with a fan base, a role which may prove to be more pivotal to Chaosium than originally anticipated.

This is all happening half a world away from me, but the impact of all this is not lessened for any fan who has followed Chaosium over the past years. I truly wish a bright future ahead for Chaosium

[auyl]

I'm glad there is such a shift at the Chaosium offices. Charlie was a great guy don't get me wrong, but I still think it was time for a change.

 

Hopefully Greg and Sandy can get the ball rolling again and I can put my faith back into the company. Would like to see other lines supported other that just CoC and with these changes maybe we'll finally see these kinds of products!

[Chaot]

Sometimes organizations need something like this.  I am very excited to see how the whole thing plays out.  I'm hoping that we see The Chaosium have a bit of a renaissance.

[RosenMcStern]

Cam,

I do not see any great risk of Chaosium crashing and burning after the KS is fulfilled. Sandy showed he knows how to deliver a KS three times as big as CoC7, and I trust all parties involved as being really committed to the task.

I am very surprised that Charlie did such big mistakes in running the KS. I met him in France one year ago, and his main concern was to ensure that a big, experienced partner was in charge of delivering CoC7 in Europe. Something must have gone terribly and inexplicably wrong. Well, s*** happens.

Something might still go wrong, of course, but I would happily bet my money (ooops, sorry, I already have: I have a licensing agreement with them ) on Chaosium being still alive and kicking in the short, medium and perhaps long term.

[Sunwolfe]

Some people here may not have heard the podcast that Sandy Petersen did, which was referred to earlier in this thread.

Thanks for reminding me of this, Mankcam. The interview was excellent and answered quite a few questions, as well as allayed a couple of my concerns. If any of you haven't given it a listen-in and are wondering how the present situation came about and bit of Chaosium's future forecast, I highly recommend it as time well spent.

 

www(DOT)yog-sothoth(DOT)com/articles.html/_/main/the-great-old-ones-return-sandy-petersen-interview

[Mankcam]

Sandy Petersen was quite positive and pragmatic in that interview, which was good to hear. 

 

However I guess I'm still surprised how bad things had gotten for Chaosium, and it was this interview that revealed the most about the situation.

Greg's statement which had the tag "I'm getting the band back together", had an entirely different flavour, which was a great spin to put on all this.

I guess we all suspected that there was much more to it than a bunch of blokes who decided to get back together and roll out a few books.

It was fun to see it that way, even if it felt a bit naive.

I guess because Chaosium have been around so long, that it is actually concerning now that there is another question mark over their future.

 

It does indeed sound like steps are being made in the right direction however, and I did like that Sandy was outlining three product lines for business: Call of Cthulhu rpg, BRP rpg, and Cthulhu Fiction. This is nothing new, but it indicates some clarity about what is being produced by Chaosium.

So it sounds like there will be a more strategic direction for content release than there has been in recent times, which is quite reassuring from a consumer point of view.

 

Your words are quite encouraging Paolo, and they do have some weight, considering you are an industry insider.

I guess all we can do is watch how this rolls out, and support the company with our patronage when possible.

Business as usual then. Back to gaming when we can :-)

[tooley1chris]

I've no idea what's involved in Chaosium releasing material for sale but it does seem it's been kinda like a couple guys in a basement trying to do the work of many. I think prioritizing is a definite first step (even if it means my beloved Magic World is on a back burner for a bit)

Putting effort in areas that have the biggest bang to get them on their feet and straightened out so they CAN bring me MW goodness is alright .

[auyl]

If they can bring more MW out I'd be happy. I also wish they'd do more with Nephilim but that's wanting too much I know. But more general support for BGB would make me the happiest. I'm thinking once CoC 7e is done and some books for it are out the new team will give BGB some love.

[tooley1chris]

Have to admit it would be uber cool if Magic World could become as big (and important ) as CoC...

[auyl]

Although I'd prefer BRP then MW anything outside of CoC would be nice

[Sunwolfe]

I too would love that, but I have a feeling that new BRP & MW supplements and settings are going to be few and far between while the retrofit is going on; indeed, it wouldn't surprise me if pickings remained rather slim until after a strategy and direction is worked out for the BRP line. I'm not trying to be a daisy-downer  just giving vent to my own suspicions. 

 

Meanwhile fan based projects might be the only way we see "new" material for awhile...like clarence's BRP Starships 2.2 or Trifletraxor’s Manual of Monsters 1.2a...and the forum's d/l section might become an even more important resource than it already is  .

[tooley1chris]

Trifletraxors Manual of Monsters???

*SIGH*

[Trifletraxor]

I must be producing stuff in my sleep!

[auyl]

I too would love that, but I have a feeling that new BRP & MW supplements and settings are going to be few and far between while the retrofit is going on; indeed, it wouldn't surprise me if pickings remained rather slim until after a strategy and direction is worked out for the BRP line. I'm not trying to be a daisy-downer just giving vent to my own suspicions.

Meanwhile fan based projects might be the only way we see "new" material for awhile...like clarence's BRP Starships 2.2 or Trifletraxor’s Manual of Monsters 1.2a...and the forum's d/l section might become an even more important resource than it already is .

I don't doubt that you're right. Too bad 3PP don't get as much in the way of sales compared to Chaosium itself that they could take the job of publishing.

I'm thinking of renewing my license now that there is new leadership and focusing on BRP/MW

[Sunwolfe]

Trifletraxors Manual of Monsters???

*SIGH*

ROTFLMAO! Seriously laughing  . 

 

I am so sorry, Chris. On the d/l page it lists Trifle. I should have read a bit closer. Would it help if I said I was thinking about your prolific contributions like Alchemy and Artifice or Peoples of the Southern Reaches and everything else I was composing my post? Maybe...?

 

Seriously, dude, my bad .

 

Sunwolfe shakes his head and goes to sit in the corner.

 

Giggle.

[tooley1chris]

ROTFLMAO! Seriously laughing  . 

Seriously, dude, my bad .

.

No worries brother! I'm glad you found a use for all that flotsam & Jetsam.

And you're correct. I hope Trifletraxor becomes very busy uploading user submissions! We are blessed with an abundance of talented, creative people here!

[Baron]

My own preferences coming out, but is Chaosium likely to sell a significant amount of fiction?

[nclarke]

I suspect that it does as it's one line they feel is worthy of immediate selection by comparison with monographs.

[Mysterioso]

My own preferences coming out, but is Chaosium likely to sell a significant amount of fiction?

I have to think that if they got all the Mythos collections in ePub and Mobi formats, they would sell quite well.  In many ways the Kindle or the Nook is the ideal platform for these.