Pay-to-Print for Cards

Lönkka wrote:

Juggernaut1981 wrote:

VEKN sets up a pre-purchase system and waits until they have orders for say "500 boxes of cards" then they print a run of cards and wait again until there is another lot of X pre-orders...

VEKN is an organization with no funds, bank accounts etc etc.

I doubt that many players would even want to pay an annual VEKN membership fee and I see no reason for such a fee. Once money enters the picture there's always the grey area with licencees as well as when fees are involved people are allowed to yell "I put good money on this so why don't I get compensation by X, Y and Z for it?". Currently the cost/effect ratio is most excellent.

I'm not asking for a membership system. If the VEKN thought that it needed those, it could probably have an individual set them up on behalf of the VEKN as an association that does not currently have a legal status (which is a perfectly legal thing in Australia, and so I assume England/UK, the US and probably a few other places around the world). IF it went big, then it would be a trivial matter to create a Non-Profit Organisation under a country's taxation/legal system and have the current VEKN Directors become the Legal Board of Directors and the VEKN could establish bank accounts in its own name. Whoo-freakin-hoo... still doesn't require us to be *paid* members of the organisation.

All this thread was intended to be was basically people saying "Yes, I would pre-purchase the currently as-yet-to-be produced VTES Expansion IF it would get me good quality printed cards instead of what I can get from Kinkos or my home inkjet printer"

It's not about HOW that would be done. That's a decision for the Directors to make on behalf of the VEKN and for its membership/players of VTES. Again, I don't care if that method involved dancing three times on the north of the equator singing a jig and paying the VEKN with bags of red-dyed rice tied to the legs of carrier pigeons... or via Paypal on a website.

WOULD YOU PRE-PURCHASE THE UPCOMING SET TO GET GOOD QUALITY PRINTED CARDS?

Do I care how the VEKN is getting around the IP issues with VTES? Yes.
Do I really need to know the details or do I just need to know that the VEKN is printing them? Not really. It would be nice to know...


If they solve them, would it change if you would buy printed cards or just download a PDF?

I also don't care if they booster-ise them, randomise them by benobo-monkey, just print the same set of cards into a box, create starters, invite 47 sith lords to telekinetically transport the pieces cut by light sabre to me in my sleep or you know send them to a card company who ships them to me in a brown box delivered by my local postal service. Do you?

Would you pre-purchase the upcoming set to get good quality printed cards???

Juggernaut1981 wrote:

WOULD YOU PRE-PURCHASE THE UPCOMING SET TO GET GOOD QUALITY PRINTED CARDS?

Duh.
Is this a trick question?

I'm not in the print industry, but I'm pretty sure most printers would refuse to print up something that infringes outright on someone else's IP, especially on big orders. I mean:

- a cease and desist letter is quite cheap to write, and some of the rightsholders have lawyers on staff.
- if you're halfway through a print job when you get such a letter, any work or materials you've invested are probably at risk.
- even if you make it through the job and get paid, you might be liable for damages later.

I think an alternate option might be for VEKN - or an independent contributor - to produce files that are ready to send to one or more print-on-demand shops, so that individuals can place their own orders one at a time. That way there's less risk for all parties.