Friday, April 30, 2010

How much money would it take to make a Dugeonaday.com free?

Continuing on with my Free Dungeonaday.com theme, I wanted to break down what it would cost to do something like this for a month. So let’s get started, first off webspace.  

Let’s assume you have a website already built and let us say you are paying $20 month (I know this is high but we are just estimating here so just go with it). Let say you are going to have this run for at least three months so the total is $60. For this little experiment, we are going to ASSUME that you will do all the HTML coding on the website too.

Next, how many days will we update? I think a Monday through Friday schedule is reasonable so we are going to estimate 22 updates per month (Math Breakdown: 5 times a week times 4.3 weeks in a month =  21.5 and round up).  Now we move on to per day word count.  Well if it is too long no one will read it online, if to short it will not cover the encounter properly, plus the real issue is stat blocks can eat up a lot of text.  Let me handle the stat block issue first with the use of the use of the online Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document. Since we are on the web we can tell what monster they are fight and link the stats of them to Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document. Problem solved and no increase in word count needed. I estimate 500 to 700 words per encounter will cover what we need daily. For the month we will need 11,000 to 15,400 words. Since we are keeping this budget tight let set writing to 1 cent a word for a total of $100 to $154 per month. Let expand that for three months and now we get $300 to $453. Let’s just say $460 for three months and be safe. Now the total price is up to $520. 

Next, artwork. This one is easy, STOCK ART!!!! Hit up RPGNow.com and get a few collections of stock art.  I would not spend more than $50 for stock art.  That should get you several different ones and be more than enough (Let me suggest LPJ Design's Image Portfolio of stock art if you need somewhere to start).  So now that brings your total to $570.

Also with artwork, you might need maps for the dungeon your visitors are exploring.  That one can be handled with a pen and some graph paper.  If you don’t think you can handle this because you can’t draw straight line, get a ruler. Writing, art, website, stat blocks and maps.  That looks like you have covered everything important that you will need in the first three months for a grand total of $570 or $190 a month. At a cost of spending only $190 a month you could have your own Dungeonaday.com  type website. 

Now this sounds like a great idea to do, but then you realize doing this website would break my Number #1 business rule: DON’T LOSE MONEY!!!!

So what do you do to not lose money? You find a way to turn this site into one that makes money for you.  A lot of you are saying and thinking the easy way, “Then why don’t I just have subscriptions?” You could and you would have to direct compete with some in the market who already dominates that space. Think of it as trying to sell your own MP3 player in a market which Mac and the iPod already control.  How successful do you think you will be?

But if you are free, at least you can get the people to come by and check you out.  There is no “friction” to stop them from examining your site to see if they like it. This could be your important selling point.  Imagine this as your marketing: It’s just like Dungeonaday.com, BUT FREE! How do you depend against free?  Now how do you make money having a free site?  Just follow the webcomic model:  Everything on the site is for sell.  You sell ad space on the site (See Kobold Magazine for this). You direct sell items and products to customers that can get anywhere (exclusive versions of products). You give away digital wallpaper with donations to the site (Girls with Slingshots does this VERY well).  Be inventive!  Think of it this way, are you going to let $190 ($6.23 a day) is keeping you from being a RPG Publishing Superstar?  So get to work.  Talk to you later... 

The people have spoken -- are you listening?

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post called, "How much should a PDF cost". Then over at Paizo.com a thread was started talking about the exact same thing I talked about in the post.  The saddest part of all this is that they company in question still has not come out with any kind of statement to explain what they are doing and why.  Is this an missed opportunity to make a direct connection with your customers?  It is.  The worst part of all this if the roles were reversed, I bet you the company would be screaming bloody murder.  If you want to be in business, then act like a business who cares about potential customers.  Talk to you later...

Thursday, April 29, 2010

What if Monte Cook's Dungeonaday.com was Free?

When I first heard about how Monte Cook created his Dungeonaday.com website I thought it was a great money making idea.  For Monte he would be able to create great exclusive daily content for those that were subscribers.  It was a great way for Monte to build a unique fanbase for his writing.  Best of all for Monte it created some regular monthly cashflow for his business.  Everything about it was a "Win - Win".  I liked the idea so much that I wanted to to something like it for my business.  I thought about what I would do, how I would build it, how I would develop it, how much I would charge subscribers, and all the stuff like that.  I kept going over and over this whole idea and two things kept popping up as issues:

  1. The price to charge subscribers and 
  2. How much money could the site really generate. 

Question #1 was directly dependent on question #2 and ice versa. So after all the thinking back and forth, I thought what if I did the exactly same thing as Monte Cook, but instead of charging subscribers we gave it away for free and generate money like the webcomics business model?

Webcomics.com (originally for free) now charges for the premium content they create on their site. Basically all the information that they were giving away for free originally could be found in their book, How to create Webcomics. When they were giving away the content for free many people kept asking those same questions OVER and OVER.  When the content was premium, the message of what they did and how they did it charged.  It became more specific. It was community building. It was tribe building. When it was free, it was quick entertainment that people could take or leave at no cost to themselves.  Now with their subscription wall of $30 (I must say this was the best $30 I have spend to acquire some great business ideas and knowledge) they can't just give you the same old stuff you could read in any book, you paid for premium content, they have to give it to you. Like Dungeonaday.com.

The content at Dungeonaday.com and Webcomics.com is an 8 to 9 on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the best and 1 being the worst, of course) and people are paying for that level of quality.  But when it is free, you have to find a way to make up for the cost of creating 8 to 9 level  of content with out being able to depend on subscribers.  And how is that done?  The way I see are reducing the physical format (Both Dungeonaday.com and Webcomics.com are in digital only formats), level of quality of the item (Webcomics in general normally four panel or one page daily comic strips, while standard comic books are monthly 23 pages in length) and getting advertisers to generate the monies that the subscribers normally would.  So if Dungeoneaday.com went to a free model, would the quality go down to save time and money? Or could the large number of new people coming to the site to see what new thing was released be enough to generate income in the way of advertising to offset the cost of doing it? There are people who do it Brad Guiger with Evil Inc., Dave Kellett wit Sheldon, Kris Straub with Starslip and Scott Kurtz with PvP and have done it for years.  The only question you have to ask is could you do it with RPGs? I think I might have to find the answer to this question.  Talk to you later...

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

I Hit It With My Axe: Episode Seven: No Defense Against Blankets

Get them hooked when they are young, and you have them for life...

I saw this D&D for the Children post over at the Purple Pawn's website talking about the Monster Slayer line from WOTC and it got me think about something Matt Forbeck said years ago to me, "You want to make D&D popular again, you have to capture the kid's interest early."  While this conversion and ruleset is based off of 4E, this is something that Paizo or a 3PP supporting them could do. Even better, find a way to box it up with miniatures and dice and get a $9.99 price point on it you have a great little Pathfinder "Basic edition" or "Starter Kit".  Just something to think about when you are wondering how to get new players interested in Pathfinder and Paizo.  Talk to you later...

Monday, April 26, 2010

Coming Soon - Race of Pirates of the Bronze Sky - Kaylethon

Just a quick cover shot, to let you know that we are still working on projects for Pirates of the Bronze Sky and hope to start releasing products soon.  Talk to you later...

Friday, April 23, 2010

I Hit It With My Axe: Episode Six: His Body Closes the Door with its Pieces

Paizo stole an idea from LPJ Design that LPJ Design stole from Tricky Owlbear…

Once again, Paizo has crossed the line. First it was the Wayne Reynolds incident, then the Sean K. Reynolds incident  (see a conspiracy of Reynolds), now I see you are doing again! I saw on the Paizo website that you are doing Pathfinder Chronicles: Classic Treasures Revisited. I looked over the product description and noticed that they “stole” (Air Quotes) this product idea from the True Arcane Story product line that I did. What is even worst, is that idea was one that I “stole” from Tricky Owlbear  and their Behind the Spell line they did.

Paizo “stole” from LPJ Design, that I honestly “stole” from Tricky Owlbear!

How dare they! You can't “steal” something that someone else “stole”. That is just wrong. There is a basic principle here. You can’t “steal” what has been “stolen”. That is just under gentleman like.

Well, you just enjoy your Pathfinder Chronicles: Classic Treasures Revisited, Paizo. I can at least revel in the concept that I would never “steal” a “stolen” idea. That is not the kind of person I am. So let me get back to working on my next set of Quartermaster Item Cards for release.

Shame on you Paizo. Shame! Talk to you later…

Thursday, April 22, 2010

ANNOUNCING THE CREATIVE IMPRINT AGENCY [CIA]


We are pleased to announce the debut of the Creative Imprint Agency. (CIA for short.)

The CIA is a publishing umbrella that lets creative RPG publishers focus on what they do best, while also giving them access to the experience, resources and mentoring of some of the most successful electronic RPG publishers in the field today. Part of the reason the CIA was started was to foster the growth of the electronic RPG industry, while striving to increase the professionalism and quality of products.

Lets face it, starting your own RPG company is fairly easy to do, and has only gotten easier in the past few years. Unfortunately, many talented and creative people are less prepared to tackle other aspects of RPG publishing like marketing, layout, accounting, managing freelancers and all the other jobs that come with creating a successful electronic publishing company.

The CIA acts as a single umbrella publisher where each Imprint can develop, grow and market their brands, lines or games. The CIA umbrella brings its industry leading technical, marketing, layout and design services to bear on behalf of our partners, allowing them to focus on what they do best. We believe it will be a win-win partnership for all involved.

If you have ever wanted to begin electronic RPG publishing, we think you should see what the CIA has to offer.  If you are currently publishing electronic RPG material and want to bring your company to the “next level”, we think you should see what the CIA has to offer. Some of the benefits CIA Imprint Partners will enjoy include:
  • A Private message board where you can interact with all the CIA mentors about all topics
  • Private conference calls and one-on-one coaching from CIA mentors
  • Access to a large quantity of stock art free of charge
  • Reduced rates on for hire artwork from top notch artists
  • Access to our freelancer contacts
  • The full marketing savvy of the CIA creative team
  • Free website hosting for your imprint
  • And more!
Check out our FAQ for more details.

Contact the CIA about getting started today.

http://www.creativeimprintagency.com
http://www.ciarpg.com

Contact us at: creativeimprintagency@gmail.com

New Production Journal from The Mercury Men



If I ever get some money together, I am going to hire these guys to do the live action version of my webcomic, Suits.  I can't wait to see the full completed version of The Mercury Men.

Going down in Flames - West End Games and Catalyst Games

Add another dead company to the funeral pyre. Look like West End Games is going (has gone) down in flames. Geek Related gave me all the info on this whole event (but to be honest I really haven't cared about West End Games in decades) but the freak out on RPG.net did make me laugh. And to add to the excitement of late, Wildfire has filed a Chapter 7 request in the US Bankruptcy Court against Catalyst Games (who is really InMediaRes and a lot of other company names too. Thanks you again Geek Related for all the good info in this one). I must say, I don't know what is happening in the world of RPG publishers, but I wish some of these people would grow up and act like business people. REAL business people, not thieves in disguise as gaming fans. Talk to you later...

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

In 2009 Obsidian Twilight was free with blood donations, In 2010 Pirates of the Bronze Sky is free with...

That is a GOOD question.  I like doing projects like this.  Donating blood is my personal crusade and I know how important it is.  The natural tie in to Obsidian Twilight was easy and a perfect match.  So this year with Pirates of the Bronze Sky, I wanted to continue the concept of giving to get a RPG.  So I have to wonder, what should you do to get a free copy of Pirates of the Bronze Sky?  I don't know, but if you have a good idea send it to me at this blog and I will see if it is a good fit.  I think doing project like this is the right thing.  I hope you can help.  Talk to you later...

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

What we pay for artwork at LPJ Design…

Several of you who like the artwork always wonder what we pay for artwork.  Other freelance artists are interested in what we pay freelancers.  So I decided to kill two birds with one stone and I am list the pay rates of LPJ Design:

Black & White Artwork
  • Head shots or Items: $10
  • Character / Monster Design: $45
  • Half Page Image: $35

Color Artwork
  • Items: $15
  • Head shots: $20
  • Character / Monster Design: $65 (See the image to the right for an example)
  • Half Page Image: $50

That’s right, this is what we pay.  No more, no less.  Shocked? Surprised? Calling me a cheap? Maybe! But one thing you can said about LPJ Design, if you work for us, you will mostly likely be paid within a week of you submitting the final artwork.  So if you are interested in talking to me about being an artist, well now you know what you can expect paywise.  Are you a good artist looking to make some money, then come see us at LPJ Design.  Talk to you later…

Charlie Brooker explains the Wire better than I ever could

Sunday, April 18, 2010

How to make sure you get a job...

A story from a friend of my mine:


Saw a help wanted sign at a local pizza joint, so stopped in to inquire. They asked me to put my name and # down on a list with other applicants. I noticed that the two ladies hiring were close to my age, so I casually say "As you can see I'm a mature adult. I'm responsible, reliable and have a mortgage to pay." One lady looked at the other and said: put a star next her name.


Just something to think about next time you go on an interview.  Talk to you later...

[LPJDesign] LAST ONE DAY SALE BEFORE THE BABY BIRTH -- SUNDAY APRIL18th

This Sunday, April 18 we are having a very special LAST ONE DAY SALE BEFORE THE BABY BIRTH.  With the birth of Louis Porter Jr.’s first child in less than 3 weeks, we are celebrating with most Louis Porter Jr. Design and Devil’s Workshop products will be on sale at 30% OFF their normal cost at RPGNow.com.  If you put any of our products on your Wish List from us, then Sunday is the day to buy it. Only this Sunday April 18th! Only at RPGNow.com! See us here: http://lpjdesign.rpgnow.com

Friday, April 16, 2010

[BLEEPING] Sean [BLEEPING] K [BLEEPING] Reynolds … are you [BLEEPING] kidding me!– [A Rant by LPJ]

[BLEEPING] Sean [BLEEPING] K [BLEEPING] Reynolds!!! Are you [BLEEPING] kidding me!!! This guy has just been added to my [BLEEPING] RPG hit list. I was bad enough that he was a well known and respected [BLEEPING] RPG writer and developer. It got worst when he started up his own [BLEEPING] PDF RPG business. It got even worst when he hooked up with [BLEEPING] Paizo to become a developer and designer for them, but now he has crossed the [BLEEPING] line.

Yesterday morning over at Paizo’s [BLEEPING] website blog, [BLEEPING] Sean [BLEEPING] K [BLEEPING] Reynolds put up a little item that he thought would be useful for those people who will be playing an Alchemist (or in my case an Alchemist/Monk). That [BLEEPING] [BLEEPING] [BLEEPING] [BLEEPING] put out an Alchemy Tracking Sheet. What the [BLEEP]! Are you [BLEEPING] kidding me? This is the kind of thing people would love to have!!!! Including me!!!! Why didn’t I think of that? Even worst, this [BLEEPING] Sean [BLEEPING] K [BLEEPING] Reynolds is giving it away for FREE!!! [BLEEP] me! FREE!!! What are you [BLEEPING] crazy! That is TOO [BLEEPING] good! There are so many people who would be looking for an Alchemy Tracking Sheet to use at their local game. There are people who would have paid good money for that product, but he is giving it away for free. What kind of [BLEEPING] nice guy [BLEEP] is this? OK, Reynolds just know you on my [BLEEPING] list. Watch our back, because I will be looking for you!

An Alchemy Tracking Sheet. What the [BLEEP]!

Talk to you later…

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Want to see the cover for Obsidian Twilight?

Well here is the line art for the cover of Obsidian Twilight done by the fantastic artist, Jason Walton.  Color version coming soon.  Talk to you later...

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

I Hit It With My Axe: Episode Five: Blobs and Brain Switching

[LPJ Design] Quartermaster: Riddle of Steel Item Cards for The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Released

Louis Porter Jr. Design, has released its all new Quartermaster product for use with The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Quartermaster: Riddle of Steel Item Cards at RPGNow.com and DriveThruRPG.com. Here is information on this product:

Sometimes it is hard to remember what type of mundane and magical items you might be using or carrying. More often, you want to show players what mundane and magical items you are carrying look like. Now that problem is solved with Quartermaster: Riddle of Steel Cards. Quartermaster: Riddle of Steel Item Cards is a deck of 21 non-random item cards in PDF format which you can use for mundane and magical items. Best of all you can customize the item card so you can do mundane and magical versions of the same item if needed. Print them out, cut them out and use them in not only your weekly Pathfinder games but in any and every fantasy roleplaying game you can think of. This product is customized BY YOU, not for you. Quartermaster: Riddle of Steel Item Cards is usable by everyone from the most novice player to the most experienced and detailed game master on the planet. This is the product you need to add to your local gaming session. Created by LPJ Design. Available here: http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=80568

Pathfinder and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and are used under license. See paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Google Docs Overhauled, Microsoft Should Be Worried...Patron Project should be glad!



I saw this over at FastCompany.com and I thought this might be interesting to those of us who are doing Patron Projects.  You could get get everyone to directly comment on the actually pages of text that the writers are working one and add suggestions in real time.  Just a thought.  Watch the video and enjoy.  Talk to you later...

The US Postal Service is a failure as a business...


The US Postal Service is in dire straits.  They are looking to cut delivery down from 6 days to 5 days (No weekends), cut full time workers, close locations and raise the price of sending mail.  When you have a business that does want to or have to act like a real business you will get into crazy situations like they are in.  FedEx and UPS have attacked their market share and all but decimated any potential that the US Postal Service might recover.  What will it take for the US Postal Service to survive?  Basically a miracle and an act of God because when you main focus is getting money from tax papers and you do have to worry about making a profit, things like this happen and are common place.  The US Postal Service should take a page from Zappos.com and focus on what makes businesses great, customer service.  But since this is a government run institution, I just wait in line with these other 20 people at the Post Office with 10 open spaces for tellers and only working to help customers.  Talk to you later...

Monday, April 12, 2010

21 days to Lucas Manuel Porter Arrival

My first born son, Lucas Manuel, will be arriving on May 4th (Thank you C-Section) so I will be busy for at least the month of May thru June.  So don't be surprised if I am little quiet during that time.  My plan is to start releasing gaming material in July (Pirates of the Bronze SKy and Obsidian Twilight most likely) and get more involved with the current secret project that I am working on. So enjoy child-less me for the next 21 days, after that you will have to call me "Daddy Louis".  Talk to you later... 

[Devil’s Workshop] Arsenal of Arcane Might for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game


Louis Porter Jr. Design released an all-new product for use with The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, called Arsenal of Arcane Might. Here is information on this product:

With arcane might that is yours to command, what will you do with it: create, destroy or even both? If magic is the most powerful force in all creation, then Arsenal of Arcane Might for Pathfinder Roleplaying Game will make a powerful ally for you. It has everything an arcane spall caster would want. Arsenal of Arcane Might the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game sourcebook for all things arcane, features:
  • Over 30 interesting and creative Metamagic feats like Agonizing Spell , Arcane Strike, Contagious Spell, Deceptive Casting, Energy Familiar, Infuse Reality and Shadow Familiar which will add all kinds of interesting and creative magic to your game.
  • More than 65 inventive spells including Brimestone, Curse of Years, Eldritch Maelstrom, Flesh to Ice, Flaying Darkness, Hellfire, Mask Scent and Prismatic Arrow for Wizards and Sorcerers of all levels that you can add to any campaign.
  • Over 10 imaginative magic items of all types, from rings to wondrous items.
  • Plus Character Sheet, Initiative Card and much more.

 

Pathfinder and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and are used under license. See paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

[Devil’s Workshop] Undefeatable 15 for The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Released


Louis Porter Jr. Design, in association with Devil’s Workshop, has released its all new product for use with The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game called Undefeatable at RPGNow.com and DriveThruRPG.com. Here is information on this product:

Undefeatable is the new supplement line for fans of The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game who are looking to add more interesting a different feats to their gaming sessions. Undefeatable 15 which focuses on Duelist has 30 feats including Crippling Finesse Duelist’s Taunt, Give Ground, Quick Parry, Tripping Riposte and Victor’s Glory that are perfect to be used in any game setting. This 6 page PDF is just the sort of thing needed for GMs to add depth to any great Pathfinder Roleplaying Game gaming session. Written by Michael R. Kimmel.

Available at RPGNow.com here!!!

Pathfinder and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and are used under license. See paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Cashflow and the Secret to running a extremely successful RPG Company…

Cashflow in the business world is your lifeblood. Keeping your cashflow going is how you survive. Since this is tax season, I have been looking at my company’s cashflow and have thought to myself, “How could I double our cashflow in a month?” Tough question to answer right? Here is a better question to answer, “How can I get something for free and make it so I could sell it and make a profit?” This is where the real money gets made. This is the basic concept behind webcomics. They give their online webcomic strips away to get you to come to the website where they make money by selling hard copies of the collected webcomics and online advertising at the site. Chris Anderson wrote a book called Free that many people might find interesting to read if they want to learn more about making money of free things. But this post is about CASHFLOW not about making money on free stuff.

How did I increase my cashflow? I did something radical. I stopped work hard for it. Let me tell you what I mean. Over the years of 2002 thru 2003 I have a 400% growth in LPJ Designs revenues, and over the years of 2003 thru 2004 I have another 400% growth in LPJ Designs revenues. These were the two best years I ever had growth wise in the business. What helped make such a massive growth in cashflow possible? I stopped working so hard in my business and started working hard on my business. What does that mean in plain English, well

#1) I hired freelancers do write roughly 95% of the work I was releasing at LPJ Design.


#2) I set the budget for making small 2 to 6 page projects to only $20 for writing and artwork.

That is it. That is the secret to making money in the arena of PDFs.

A typical PDF will normally sell no more than 50 copies, so you have to make as much money as possible within the initial 50 copies. If I make a $2 PDF and sell 50 copies I will make $100. Subtract RPGNow.com 35%, the amount drops to $65 and then subtract the $20 budget to break even, I make $45 in profit. I then take the $40 and repeat this again twice, leaving me with $5 to place in the bank to save for a rainy day. Simple, easy and it work.

But here is the funny part of this post, most of you don’t believe me when I tell you this. You make up excuse why you don’t do or believe what I am telling you to do: “I can’t find people who work for that cheap” or “You have to pay people more money, it isn’t fair” or “You lying that can’t be done like that”. My answers are the same: “Yes you can find people” or “I pay what I can afford, they don’t have to work for me” or “Yes it can, you are just lazy”.

Once again I worked ON my business, NOT IN my business. I worked on the marketing, distribution, partnerships, accounting and manufacturing of my business. The hard and boring stuff creative people HATE with a passion. Not the making the cool fantasy world building, creating amazing NPCs and exciting magic items stuff. I worked hard on making sure I can pay my people on time and getting more products out to consumers as part of my business. Simply put, most people who want to work in the RPG industry, don’t want to deal with this side of the business. They want to be the name on the cover of the RPG book. They want to be the ones who the fans come to see at cons and sign their RPG books. They want to be the “ROCKSTARS” of the RPG industry.

I, on the other hand, want to be the “MAJOR RECORD LABEL” that makes and creates the rockstar, while at the same time makes the cashflow to create even more rockstars who make even more cashflow. See where I am going with this. CASHFLOW IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR BUSINESS. Talk to you later…

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Claudio Pozas makes a deal with the devil...

What does that mean for him?
What does that mean for Louis Porter Jr. Design?

What does that mean for Obsidain Twilight?

What does this have to do with A Place Beyond Hell?

What is A Place Beyond Hell?

The answers are coming soon...

Half Pixel and Webcomics get it – Alliances and Partnerships are how you survive and grow

While looking at the morning Webcomic.com blog post, It hit me how smart the guys at Webcomic.com and Half Pixel are. They work as a unit promoting webcomics while at the same time promoting themselves and what they do. They do a “somewhat” weekly podcast about the industry and business of webcomics and best of all, they put out a book of how you can do it yourself. They have proved that alliances and partnerships are a strong business “weapon” that can be used by anyone; including you and me. I have a few partnerships with other PDF RPG companies who sell my products that look like products in the other companies gaming line. Why? It is a great way for them to make money (I pay them 15% of the sale to do it), they get to expand their product line without having to do anything, and lastly it is good for the industry as a whole by supporting each other. One song, many voices.

This ties in to directly what I am doing with the Creative Imprint Agency. Teaming up with other RPG PDF companies to help is all is a good thing. Just take a look at RPGNow.com and think about how many of the people listed there you could team up with and proved a whole new range of products. RPG Objects did it for years with Modern Dispatch. Just something for you to think about. Talk to you later…

I Hit It With My Axe - Episode Four - A Lot Of Spiders

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Would Eberron have been successful if it WAS NOT made by WOTC?

While working on Pirates of the Bronze Sky, I came up with this little thought.  I have to think that "No, it would have not" is the correct answer to my question.  While and exciting and interested setting, there were several other of the setting that made it to the semifinalist round and were released to smaller RPG companies but never went ANYWHERE.  DawnForge and Morningstar are excellent examples of that. Does that mean Eberron was only good because Wizards of the Coast and their marketing budget made it successful not the actual quality setting and material itself? If Wayne Reynolds had not done the covers, would it have done as well? There are 24 RPG products, 40 novels, 1 comic book and two video games based off of the material in Eberron.  Is Eberron that good or is WOTC great at just marketing anything no matter the real quality level of the products they will sell?  Any setting that WOTC makes and would consider "niche", could support a small RPG company for years, if not a decade. Just something to think about next time you are putting together a setting for you RPG Company.  Talk to you later...

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Catalyst Game Labs Negotiating To Part Ways With WildFire And Posthuman Studios

You tell me what it means.  Read about it here!

How much should a RPG PDF cost?

Normally I don't comment directly on this, but this one made have to look twice when I saw it. I was over at RPGNOW.com and saw this new product for sale. When I looked closer I saw the price of the PDF and their page count. After some quick math in my head I came up with 43 cents per page for this product. Then to add insult to injury, the publisher disabled the cut & paste feature AND the print feature. Basically these guys want someone to pay the $20 for something they can only look at. WTF?!?!?!?!?!

When I first got into RPG PDF publishing, the accepted retail cost of a RPG PDF was 10 cents a page. I have seen this number creep up over time to reach as high as 18 to 25 cents per page on average. I never really worry about pricing issues; because I know the "market" will judge what prices is "reasonable" and adjusts itself accordingly. This happens everywhere in the world so this is not an issue. But there is a slight price creep that has happened over the last decade in RPG PDFs. I like, Chris Anderson, believe free is a price point that we have to embrace as business people to get people interesting in our products. With so many other things vying for our interest, cost does become an issue that we need to realize will affect our buying choice. So instead of trying to "grab all the money you can", think about how you can best service your customer and how can you do that for free. After you do that, THEN and only then think and find a way you can make a profit from your product. This will make you a better business person which in turn will make you more money. How much should a RPG PDF cost? How much are you willing satisfy your customers needs? Talk to you later...

Monday, April 5, 2010

Coming Soon: Boneshard Golem for Obsidian Twilight

Still working on Obsidian Twilight as you can see fromt this sketch of our new monster, the Boneshard Golem.  More to come.  Talk to you later...

Friday, April 2, 2010

Where is the RPGNow iPad App?


iPad Preview - iVerse Comics from Michael Murphey on Vimeo.

OK this is simple, iPad comes out Saturday RPGNow.com should have their iPad App out Saturday.  Have you heard anything about a RPGNow.com iPad App?  Neither have I and that is the problem.  I have about Marvel Comics App and even Paizo is talking about an app, but where is RPGNow.com?  I hope they are working on this one, beacuase will be a license to print money for us in the PDF RPG market.  Well maybe not print money, but it will be MORE MONEY for us which is a good thing. I just hope they are working on this one.  RPGNow.com missed an opportunity by not offering their affiliate PDF stores to retailers with websites and I don't want them to miss out on this.  Talk to you later...

Thursday, April 1, 2010

I Hit It With My Axe: Episode Three: Down In The Hole


My mini needs a big butt. Classic!  Talk to you later...

What would take to kill Dungeons and Dragons?

Is Dungeons & Dragons dying?  Sales for 4E and all RPG are down.  Retailers are worried. Distrubutors are worried.  Even manufacturers are worried.  Video games are attacking RPGs on every front and even more people are worried. With all this worrying going around, I have to wonder, what would it take to "kill" Dungeons & Dragons?  Or better yet, is Dungeons & Dragons "killable" and if it is what would replace it?  What would it take for Dungeons & Dragons to "survive and thrive"?

These are the same questions that the comic book industry is battling with every day also with their content being given away for free to torrents websites.  The Webcomics.com guys have seen the future and are adapting well to it. A few RPG companies have seen this future and are doing things to adapt also.  Have you seen your future in RPGs and what are you doing to save it?  Talk to you later...