Show we do T-Shirts at PaizoCon?

Here is the design on the T-Shirt:

So what do you think?  Talk to you later...

An Open Letter To WOTC - Save 3rd Party Dungeons And Dragons Publishers at Living Dice.com

Chris Dias of Dias Ex Machina Games has written a An Open Letter To Wotc: Save 3rd Party Dungeons And Dragons Publishers at Living Dice.com. You can read the letter and make you own opinions on it (I did here). But I have to say it has to be sad that you need to place a letter out there like this one two a company you are helping support by making product to help sell there lines.  I am so glad I don't have this relation with Paizo.  Talk about night and day.  I hope everythign works out for Chris, but I have a feeling we have seen he last of Dias Ex Machina Games.  Talk to you later...

With Mike Mearls admitting that 4E sucked, is this WOTC's idea to set up for 5E's success, by blaming 4E?

Well it worked for Obama why not in the RPG business? The Escapist interview with Mike Mearls has sent many a 4E lovers are in a tizzy (That was Geek Related wording of the situation, I would say that have gone completely abused victim in a battered relationship). What can I say to this? Well a bigger, more respectable man would say they did there best and it just didn't work out for them.  But what I say is WOTC is now discovering the important rule number #1 in a social media driven business economic with multiple choices to spend their dollars on: Don't kill the golden goose!

Now I am not going to tell you, I told you so, but I told you so.  Hell I kind told you so here, I definately told you here. What do I say to all of this? Should I gloat? Don't have to. Should I laugh at you over the bad business choices you made? Don't have to. All I have to do is the same thing I have doing from day one: Focus on making my buisness stronger by focusing on my customers needs. The customers didn't NEED 4e, WOTC WANTED 4E and WOTC got what they wanted. Now, they WANT their customers back, to bad those customers don't NEED them. The really sad point is I am sure some people internally who said doing 4E in this way was a bad idea and I'm sure the corporate environment of Hasbro were called "not team players" and were belittled for their views.  Some of those people were let go and downsided over the years and some most likely left.  And now you have Mike Mearls quoted saying, “Look, no one at Wizards ever woke up one day and said ‘Let’s get rid of all of our fans and replace them." That was never the intent.” I am sure is wasn't, but you didn't and now with Paizo in the mix you may NEVER get those people back.  I wonder how Mike's Christmas will be this year form WOTC? 

Now I guess we will start hearing the mumbling of 5E coming soon? Personally, it doesn't matter to me what happens to WOTC and 5E. It doesn't matter if WOTC and D&D as we know it fails and collapse and since business uphores a vacuum something will relpace it. I play and support Paizo and Pathfinder. One day this might change, as with WOTC, but so far so good.  Talk to you later...

Top Tenp Post at In The Mind of Mad Man from December 11, 2009

 I thought you find it interesting what are the top topics that have been at this website since I started tracking it with Google Analytics.  Enjoy!

1. Sounds like the 4E gravy train has slowed: Goodman Games may support The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game?
2. Working with RPG Writers - A look behind the curtain to see how some really feel about you...
3. The Red Skull Ultimate Avengers Version
4. My name is death and the end is near...
5. Hot Artist of the Week - James Ryman
6. I might have to kiss Erik Mona in the mouth over this...
7. A Father's Day Gift from LPJ Design...
8. Pirates of the Bronze Sky to be released July 4th, 2011...
9. Sounds like Marcus King is trying to make excuses for RPG retailers' lack of sales
10. What your future Big Bad Evil Gal for your Pathfinder game looks like... 

RUMOR: WotC to stop reprinting 4E Core Books in favor of Essentials line

While these is not official proof to this rumor, this has been running wild on the internet. This will be the focus for a little while until WOTC proves it or disproves it to be true.  Keep watching the boards.  Talk to you later...

Did you know about Goodman Games Private $5 RPG Sale for Limited Time Only! So how about those 4E sales?

I got this in my email and I thought some of you would find this interesting:

Hello gamers!

Shhh! We're running a private sale! As a special offer not publicized on our main web site, we are running a private $5 sale! Many of our titles from 2008 and 2009 are priced at only $5, including systems-neutral titles, 4E character guides, 4E adventure modules, and stand-alone games. This is a great chance to stock up on anything you missed in the last few years - and because you're on our mailing list, you're lucky enough to find out. The sale runs through August 31, so act now! You can find the sale by clicking here - but keep this email, as there aren't any front-page links to this special offer!

Thanks,

Goodman Games

First I thought it was a nice thing to do.  Then, I thought looks like he is trying to sell off the last of his 4E printed material for some quick cash.  I mean some of those discounts are at a 75% off the normal retail price.  If 4e is selling that well, why would you need to take that deep of a discount to move product? That would not make sense, unless you just had to get rid of the product.  So if you are a fan of Goodman Games, now is the time to help him make sale to keep him afloat, until he start releasing his Pathfinder product.  I wonder what DCC is he going to release first?  We will see.  Talk to you later...

Say what ever happened with Goodman Games and their support of Paizo and Pathfinder after their 4E fiasco…

I was look through some of my stats in Google Analytics and I notice an old thread, Sounds like the 4E gravy train has slowed: Goodman Games may support The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game? that still get a lot of hits. And it got me thinking, whatever happened with Goodman Games and doing products for the Pathfinder line? Does anyone know anything? Just wondering people. Talk to you later…

Paizo gets it, and you should copy their business plan...

Once again Paizo proves themselves as the heir apparent to the D&D throne. I picked up my copy of Master of the Fallen Fortress from my local gaming store for Free RPG Day this weekend (if you are going to be in South Florida this weekend, you can see & meet me in person at Florida SuperCon in Miami looking to recruit artists) and I also picked up the NPC Guide. Full color, amazing art and layout.  Fantastic all around products. I was talking to some friends and they told me that thye have jumped ship from 4E to Pathfinder.   The main reason? "Pathfinder felt like D&D".  I keep hearing that from more and more people.  "4E isn't bad, but Pathfinder fells more like D&D to me." is what people are saying.  And I have to agree with the people.

Paizo follows a very simple business formula.  It is the same formula that Apple and Zappos use. They turn customers into evangelist of their products. People talk about Paizo products. Sometimes it is good and sometimes it is bad, but you can talk about Paizo and what they do, and I don't get the feeling they just want you to tell them what you feel so they can make their products better. Plus is Paizo makes a mistake like like with their GameMastery Face Cards: Enemies Deck, they just admit it and move on to do better next time.  Paizo gets it, and if you don't get it maybe you should follow what they do and see if it helps you out.  Hell I did. Where do you think the idea of the Quartermaster digital item cards cam from.  Talk to you later...

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...

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...

Porn Stars and Dungeons and Dragons - I wish I was making this up...

 and
The Escapist has a new webseries online called "I Hit It with my Axe". Normally I go into a lot of Detail what the clip is about.  But this time all I am going to say is: Porn Stars playing D&D.  No, really I am not kinding you.  That is what is going on.  Just watch the clip.  Talk to you later...

3rd Party Publisher Support...

Just so you know, I will be supporting Paizo's Pathfinder line when they put out their OGL. I will, of course, be supporting the OGL But to me I feel that Pathfinder is the most like "D&D" to me. 4th Edition is more like World of Warcraft to me, and I don't even like that game (I am waiting for Dawn of War II!!!! Bad Ass!!!). So when Paizo gets everything sorted out for their OGL, you can expect to hear the LPJ Design product for it the day after. Maybe we will do a Pathfinder version of Obsidian Twilight. Talk to you later...

[LPJDesign] Races of Fantasy: The Demigod released

Louis Porter Jr. Design, in association with Devil’s Workshop, has released its newest supplement line for the worlds most popular role playing game. Here is information on the Races of Fantasy: The Demigod:

Demigods are a race of outcasts, having no civilization or society to call their own. Instead they exist on the fringes of mortal civilization, trying to find a place where they fit in this world while trying to also understand their divine nature. Mortals are almost universally unnerved by Demigods; in educated lands they are treated as curiosities while in more superstitious areas they are often persecuted as bringers of ill fortune. In regions where their divine parent is well regarded they may be honored and celebrated, but most prefer to be thought of as more than their divine parent’s mascot. This leads many Demigods to live a nomadic life, wandering from settlement to settlement as they seek a place in a world that does not seem to want them or treats them as an object of worship. A great new exciting PC race for 4E.

This supplement includes:

• All the information to play the Demigods as PC Race including Personality and Relations.
• Over 5 All New Demigods Feats including Blood of the Gods and Burning Radiance
• Demigod Counters
• Initiative and Monster Cards
• Blank Power Cards (At-Will, Encounter and Daily)
• Magical Item Cards
• Initiative and Effects Tracker
• History Sheet
• Clan / Family Sheet
• Character Sheet

Written by Written by Lee Hammock. Available Here!

Coming Soon for 4E - Races of Fantasy: The Elohim

The lost children of the gods, the elohim contain some fragment of their divine ancestor’s power. Elohim are a race of outcasts, having no civilization or society to call their own. Instead they exist on the fringes of mortal civilization, trying to find a place where they fit in this world while trying to also understand their divine nature. Mortals are almost universally unnerved by elohim; in educated lands they are treated as curiosities while in more superstitious areas they are often persecuted as bringers of ill fortune. This leads many elohim him to live a nomadic life, wandering from settlement to settlement as they seek a place in a world that does not seem to want them.

A new PC race for 4E. Written by Lee Hammock. Coming soon to RPGNow.com and Paizo.

Should LPJ Design do a 4E product for sale?

Good question. Better question would be, "What product would we do for 4th Edition?" I will have to think about that. Talk to you later...

LPJ Design 2008 Third Quarter Report

The third quarter of 2008 is over, and it is an even more hectic time for RPG publishers of both 4E and OGL. 4E has been selling for a few months and the GSL was release, rejected by the publisher and taken back to be “revised”. While all this has been going on, LPJ Design has been doing what we do best, putting out all kinds of new products for its OGL fans and customers.

The second Sidetrek Adventure Weekly series; The Undead Chronicles; has been released with the first three adventures receiving excellent reviews from several of the major 3E and OGL blogs websites and specifically at RPGNow.com with its five out of five star review by Peter Ingham. The high interest level, excitement altitude in this adventure series has propelled it into one of the best selling adventure series on the OGL PDF market today. While most would be satisfied with all this going on, LPJ Design is kicking it up a notch working hard on the third Sidetrek Adventure Weekly series; Empire of Tears. As with the first and second series, this one looks to be another superstar in the making. With all the great work Werecabbage Publishing has done on this with series, lead by the amazing leadership of Line Editor Greg Oppedisano, the Sidetrek Adventure Weekly brand is a continued success.

In addition, the collection print-on-demand version of the first Sidetrek Adventure Weekly series Sidetrek Adventure Weekly Present: The Trodoon Gate Saga has been a great seller at our Lulu.com store.

On the NeoExodus: A House Divided front, we had a “slow” period with only 5 product releases. The two most recent releases; Races of NeoExodus: P’Tan and Enemies of NeoExodus: Folding Circle; have both received four out of five star reviews at RPGNow.com from Nathan Collins. With the release of Races of NeoExodus: P’Tan, longtime LPJ Design writer, Joshua Cole returns to the NeoExodus: A House Divided setting. Joshua Cole’s work on the campaign setting has been invaluable and with the several new projects planned like Lexicon Chronicles: Arcane Intelligence, Monsters of NeoExodus: Dragons and the upcoming book of evil for the NeoExodus: A House Divided setting, Forbidden Fruit of the Tree of Woe. These products should be hitting the digital shelves of RPGNow.com very soon.

With all this new excitement we have also brought the incredible artwork of Jason Walton to this fantasy punk setting. Jason Walton well known to LPJ Design fans as the original artist for the Haven: City of Violence Setting. It is great once again to be working with him again.

On the 4E front, LPJ Design has tested the gaming waters of 4E with the release of the free Initiative Cards: 4E. The Initiative Cards: 4E has proven to be a winner with fans and with that we expanded this idea with the release of Initiative Cards: 4E Custom Version. This version comes with a limited licensing agreement, that this resource can be used by RPG publishers in any of their upcoming RPG ideas or projects and use the Initiative Cards: 4E Custom Version in any of their own products as if they owned it them. With so many 4E publisher hitting the RPG PDF market daily we are planning to expand our limited licensing agreement products and line with lots of great product that will help 1st time publisher not only save money but make the right entrance in the PDF market.

With the third quarter completed, LPJ Design looks forward to the fourth quarter, better known as the “Holiday Season” with a lot of great RPG releases, monthly One Day Sales; including the once a year Black Friday / Cyber Monday Sale; and some great free product releases. The first three quarters have been solid in helping grow business for LPJ Design and this fourth quarter looks to be no different. Thanks for your support and check out our online store at http://lpjdesign.rpgnow.com.

No 4E for Iron Kingdoms!!!

Read it here!!!!! I have to say I think this is a good thing even though they don't put out a lot of stuff now. Talk to you later...

Initiative Cards: 4E

As with d20 and OGL, Initiative Cards have become a staple of gaming. Why shouldn’t that be the same with 4E gaming? Initiative Cards make the task of keeping track of initiative in fantasy combats easy by providing a place for the GMs to record all the information about the player characters and their opponents that the GM needs during play. Initiative Cards are an essential tool for tracking combat and gaming. No longer will you have to remember what the stats, attack or special abilities of a PC in the gaming party, the Initiative Cards have all that information there. Every GM that plays 4E should be using the Initiative Cards in their local gaming sessions and campaigns. I wonder how many of these are going to be downloaded? Talk to you later...

[LPJDesign] 4th Edition Compatible logo created for support of 3rd Party Publishers

With all the recent changes due to the release of 4e, the GSL and the OGL, we here at Louis Porter Jr. Design have decided to create an all new 4th Edition System Compatible logo which can be used by any and all 3rd party RPG publisher, completely and absolutely free of charge, with any of their products that they wish to support the 4th Edition of the world most popular RPG, but not the GSL in a similar fashion to Kenzer & Company and Adamant Entertainment recent 4th Edition release.

The reason for this new 4th Edition System Compatible logo is the basic failure of the GSL and it use, unify and support of the 3rd party RPG Publishers who wish do to 4th Edition System Compatible material but do not support the GSL. This logo; as in similar fashion with the OGL 3.5 System Compatible logo; easily brands and makes 4th Edition System Compatible material easy to identify with this logo so people can tell on sight what gaming system they are supporting. The initial concept of the OGL was to make the gaming industry stronger by making it possible for more people to create and make products to support the concepts of the OGL.

With the release of 4e and the GSL, many 3rd party RPG publishers have decided to forgo the GSL completely make 4th Edition System Compatible material without use of the GSL. And with the limiting nature of the GSL in its current form, it has caused the creation of this new 4th Edition System Compatible logo.

This logo has bee created in several graphic formats including Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Illustrator EPS, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop JPEG and TIFF. Each of these formats comes with three different versions: color, Grayscale and Black and White. A complete zip file containing all these logos can be downloaded directly from this link.

We hope that any and all 3rd party publishers who create 4th Edition System Compatible material to use the 4th Edition System Compatible logo use and support this initiative. The survival and advancement of the RPG hobby as a whole is the goal that many of us strive for. As I stated before, this isn’t the first time David has gone after Goliath and attempted something amazing. Thank you for this support!

Teaming up...

Right now, I am in the process of getting together with several other well known PDF and RPGNow publishers and teaming up to do speciality projects. The building of alliance is something that goes on in a limited amount in the RPG industry. Most companies don't work with each other for various reasons. But with the changes of 4e and now Paizo going 3P, I think now is the time it is better to start meeting new friends and working together for the betterment of us all.

There was a time in the RPG PDF industry where this was more of a common thing, but with the current "unstability", a lot a people are taking the "wait and see approach". Well I hate waiting when I don't have to, so that is the reason for me wanting to team up. Plus more importantly, the PDF market is in better condition then it has been a while. There are still dominate people in the market, but small companies can still make smart business moves and draw interest to their company. Plus if you are waiting until January 2009 so you can release your 4e product, or any products, I think you are going to get more competition then you ever thought was possible.

Now with this said, I think I am going to take my first official "attack" on 4e and the New WOTC. I think it will make a good product that people want to see, but best of all, it is so obvious I am surprised no one has done it yet. Well as soon as it is ready, I will release it to every one. Talk to you later...