Yesterday I listed some magazine like efforts. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around it. We’re seeing a continuum from regular print magazines being sent out (Pathfinder Adventure Path, for example – which includes a PDF if you are a subscriber), to pure PDF products that do the printed product (Dungeon and Dragon by Wizards of the Coast, for example).
You might want to try and print these yourself, but at least here in Switzerland print shops are *very* expensive. I got a quote from the printshop accross the street last year, for example. I said I had a PDF with 207 pages, I wanted it spiral bound, with front and back cover laminated. Here’s what it would have cost:
+--------------------------------+-------+-------+ | Item | CHF | USD | +--------------------------------+-------+-------+ | 205 black & white A4 pages | 56.40 | 48.92 | | Plastic spiral | 7.80 | 6.77 | | 2 pages laminated A4 | 13.20 | 11.45 | | 2 cardboard pieces for front | 2.20 | 1.91 | | and back | | | +--------------------------------+-------+-------+
That’s why I don’t print locally.
Beyond the question of the blurring lines between print and PDF, and beyond the question of magazine or fanzine, I’m interested in people stepping forward as individuals, as personal global microbrands.
Of course Wolfgang Baur doesn’t write Kobold Quarterly all by himself. Not anymore. But his Open Design stuff goes down that road. Most of the projects were penned by him (with feedback from his patrons).
One of the Open Design projects was written by Nicolas Logue, another big name before he moved to Europe and disappeared from the roleplaying scene as far as I can tell – he used to write some very interesting Game Mastery material. His Sinister Adventures site has been hacked repeatedly, his Razor Coast is vaporware. Here’s to hoping it will see the light of day eventually!
Monte Cook and his wife did Malhavoc Press, published things like Ptolus, BoXM, lots of other stuff I have not looked at ;) and now he’s working on Dungeon-A-Day. Clearly, he’s leveraging his name. Of all the people involved in the D&D 3E core books, he seems to have been the most successful.
The only other person I remember being involved in the old core books and trying to publish under his own name is Sean K Reynolds with Sean K Reynolds Games. He is currently involved with Paizo and I’m assuming that he himself is no longer publishing.
So.
Wolfgang Baur. *Open Design*.
Monte Cook. A *Dungeon A Day*.
Big names.
It will be interesting. Notice how all these efforts are using different business models – monthly subscriptions, patronage, various degrees of collaboration, etc. I’m still working on my big picture. So many dimensions to choose from. Clearly, I cannot buy into everything. Do want a fanzine where I can publish as well (Fight On! #4), do I want a glossy magazine, do I mind 4E material, do I want daily updates in times of InformationOverload, does it have to be printed? I haven’t decided yet.
Did I miss any efforts? Does Chris Pramas creating Green Ronin count? I felt that his own name was not the main reason people would buy Green Ronin products.
#RPG #Publishing
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Wolfgang Baur. *Open Design*. Basic Membership is $29.95 per adventure.
Monte Cook. A *Dungeon A Day*. Charter members pay $7 a month.
I’m assuming that the result will not be very cost effective if customers will look at the adventure-words-per-buck they’re getting. That’s why both offer insights, discussion, forums, both take suggestions and ideas from their customers – both will be running *interactive* projects.
And that’s already very different from previous commercial efforts. Interesting times!
– Alex Schroeder 2009-03-06 16:48 UTC