The Hanging PDF Cards for Retail Stores Update

Should I get a Wayne A. Reynolds’ cover for NeoExodus or hire Monte Cook to write something for it…

Well it looks like NeoExodus is moving along a lot faster and slower than I would like and something that came to me was looking over work. Should I spend A LOT of money and get a Wayne A. Reynold’s cover or should I spend that SAME AMOUNT of money and get Monte Cook to write something cool for the campaign book? Which one of these is the better choice? If I go with the visual strength of Wayne Reynolds, that can only help my product look even more professional. But at the same time since Wayne has done so much cover work for WOTC, Paizo and various other game publishers does that like water down the impact of a “Wayne A. Reynolds” cover? Or should I spend that money to assure automatic interest in the setting with the name Monet Cook connect to the project? Which one is the best choice? Which one gives me the most “bang for the buck”? Which is the most important to get more people interested in the NeoExodus: A House Divided?
OR…

Should I just use that money in a different way to help build support the NeoExodus transmedia empire in a different way by doing a webcomic with Jeff Warmester based on NeoExodus?

Better Yet…

It’s the end of the business year, so which one of the following questions are you thinking about: How you are going to spend that extra money OR how do you get some extra money from your business to survive the next year. The better questions is why aren’t you thinking of answers for both of them? Talk to you later…

The Crossover - Moving from RPGs to Comics…

Anyone who reads this blog knows I am a HUGE fan of comics and the comic industry. I think the comic industry is the “other side” of the coin when you think of niche products or services. While it is a niche industry, comics have evolved to tap into the animation, video games and Hollywood movie industry. RPGs should and could do this same thing, on average don’t. The really sad part is that RPG publishers are built perfect for the video game industry (RPG publishers build game setting and build encounters/adventures as the status quo to make a successful line) to come to us and license our ideas. If people could play Tomb of Horrors as a video game how many people would become fans of it? My guess, A LOT!!!! While getting to the video game market is the successful end goal, the first easy step to move in that direction is comic books or even a better choice, webcomics.
After reading How to make Webcomics, I made an initial attempt to do a webcomic based on my fantasy setting, NeoExodus: A House Divided with Grand Theft Exodus. While Grand Theft Exodus didn’t do as I expected, I did see how it could be used to help grow my RPG business and create a whole new business where I could use the webcomic artwork in my RPG products. A webcomic can save you money over the long run, but it does have high start up cost. And that is the thing that will kill most RPG publishers, due to money being always tight as a RPG publisher. A full comic page will on average cost you about $100 buck a page (Look at the Atland or The Guns of Shadow Valley webcomic from an example of what I mean). So you release one page a week it will cost you $5,200 a year. You just need to generate $15 a day to pay for this artwork over a year. When you place your site up for the webcomic you will use Project Wonderful to help generate money for you to offset the cost. Now you have access to new customers is a different business medium (Transmedia anyone?) while at the same time introducing those people to your other related products, like a RPG.

Find a way to develop and create a crossover and you find a way to make more money for you, Green Ronin’s DC Adventures is a great example of a crossover product for DC Comics. Best of all someone had to pay DC Comics for the license. I am going back to doing Grand Theft Exodus sometime in the future. I just have to make sure it works well to grow my business. Just something to think about. Talk to you later…

New Online TV series - PIONEER ONE Video Blogs

Just in cause you missed this one you want to check out http://www.pioneerone.tv/, take a look at their pilot for Pioneer One and what they are trying to do.  You never know, these guys could be into RPGs and gaming. It might be a way to pitch what you create and transform it into transmedia products.  Just a thought.  Talk to you later...

McG and Tero Ojanperä on Entertainment's 5th Screen: Your Environment

Transmedia is the future of business, EXCEPT for these two huge issues…

Last week, Gareth had three excellent posts on Transmedia (see post 1, post 2, and post 3) and if you are thinking of ways to expand what you do and how you do it, YOU MUST READ THEM!!! (Yes they are that good).

BUT……….while I do agree with 95% of what he said, I do have a few things that need to be covered to really make this what I would consider “fair and balanced”.  So here are my two issues that may stop your transmedia empire:

MONEY: This is the biggest one.  To do a lot of the things that were suggested, you need to have money.  And sometimes you are going to need A LOT OF MONEY to do some of these ideas.  So if you got the money, then go for it.  If you don’t, well instead of thinking about the next fantasy world or setting you are going to create, you might what to think about that.  I would also suggest you pick up a copy of Robert Kiyosaki’s book: Rich Dad Poor Dad, Cashflow Quadrent and Rich Dad’s Success Stories.

TRAFFIC AND CONNECTIONS: People have to know about you.  And not a few people, A LOT OF PEOPLE! CWF+RTB=$$$ (Connection With Fans plus Reason To Buy equals Business Model) is the basis of the argument of doing transmedia and making a lot of money.  This formula sounds great as long as you use a well known artist LIKE Trent Reznor and show what here did. See the video here:

But here is the problem for all you starting from zero or in some cases less than zero: No one knows of you.  No one.  So first you have to build fans and how long will that take?  Who knows.  Even worst, you might do everything right and still get NO FANS. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is great Trent Reznor did so well with this, but if his was Trent Reznor of Jacksonhole, Wyoming playing music in his garage with no major record label contracts would he have done so well and made so much money? I going to say no.  The formula really should be CWF/APF+RTB-POCWFI=$$$ (Connection With Fans divided by Amount of Potential Fans plus Reason To Buy minus the Popularity of Other Connection With Fans Items equals Business Model).  Sometimes one plus one doesn’t equal two. 

Now after all this is said, if you are ever confused about Transmedia and what you company should “look like” when you are successful and done, just look at George Lucas and his Star War franchise. Now that is REAL transmedia.  Talk to you later…