Stronghold Games
27 Jun 2012 15:14 #32544
by prunesquallor
VtES store : www.prunesquallor.net
Card supplies & games : stores.ebay.com/Prunesquallors-Secret-Cache
Replied by prunesquallor on topic Re: Stronghold Games
Thanks for the update, this is interesting.
I recently spoke with a couple of folks from FFG about whether there were other games like VtES that they might also pick up. They were largely very careful to only say things that had already been publicly released.
One thing that I got from them was that they actively work in three modes : games that they develop; games that they license and publish (e.g. Netrunner, Fortress America, which are both WotC properties); and games (typically old ones) that they buy and republish (e.g. Merchant of Venus, or Rex which is the old Dune board game). This just made it clear to me that they are flexible about what they publish, that they're willing to do licenses where someone else owns the rights.
The other thing that they said was that their schedule of upcoming releases is really full, and so if something isn't already on that schedule it's a long ways away. From the outside looking in, it's been clear that FFG is ambitious and aggressive in the announcements they make, and they're often late (last year's LotR game expansions were very late, the current Star Wars lcg is very late).
So, I guess although I was originally wondering if FFG might do something on the heels of Netrunner, all of the above left me less optimistic. Hearing about Stronghold has lifted my hopes some more, because it's clear this year that
(a) WotC is willing to license some things that are too small or too much hassle (while they focus on selling Kaijudo to 12-year-olds, yay)
(b) FFG has been effective and flexible in getting licenses and rights to old games, and although their calendar has been full,
(c) Stronghold is in our camp and has been able to forge a relationship with FFG.
So by the transitive property, something might be possible?
The part that I know nothing about here is the CCP side, the little bits you can pick up here and there are not encouraging.
But on that last thing, there are some examples of licensing the design and dumping the source material. Netrunner is being republished without the Talsorian Cyberpunk setting. Rex is FFG's version of Dune, and it was republished without any of the Dune characters or settings because the Herbert estate was not at all interested.
I recently spoke with a couple of folks from FFG about whether there were other games like VtES that they might also pick up. They were largely very careful to only say things that had already been publicly released.
One thing that I got from them was that they actively work in three modes : games that they develop; games that they license and publish (e.g. Netrunner, Fortress America, which are both WotC properties); and games (typically old ones) that they buy and republish (e.g. Merchant of Venus, or Rex which is the old Dune board game). This just made it clear to me that they are flexible about what they publish, that they're willing to do licenses where someone else owns the rights.
The other thing that they said was that their schedule of upcoming releases is really full, and so if something isn't already on that schedule it's a long ways away. From the outside looking in, it's been clear that FFG is ambitious and aggressive in the announcements they make, and they're often late (last year's LotR game expansions were very late, the current Star Wars lcg is very late).
So, I guess although I was originally wondering if FFG might do something on the heels of Netrunner, all of the above left me less optimistic. Hearing about Stronghold has lifted my hopes some more, because it's clear this year that
(a) WotC is willing to license some things that are too small or too much hassle (while they focus on selling Kaijudo to 12-year-olds, yay)
(b) FFG has been effective and flexible in getting licenses and rights to old games, and although their calendar has been full,
(c) Stronghold is in our camp and has been able to forge a relationship with FFG.
So by the transitive property, something might be possible?
The part that I know nothing about here is the CCP side, the little bits you can pick up here and there are not encouraging.
But on that last thing, there are some examples of licensing the design and dumping the source material. Netrunner is being republished without the Talsorian Cyberpunk setting. Rex is FFG's version of Dune, and it was republished without any of the Dune characters or settings because the Herbert estate was not at all interested.
VtES store : www.prunesquallor.net
Card supplies & games : stores.ebay.com/Prunesquallors-Secret-Cache
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27 Jun 2012 20:49 #32557
by Juggernaut1981
Baron of Sydney, Australia, 418
Replied by Juggernaut1981 on topic Re: Stronghold Games
Thinking with my "I once worked for the Giant Soulless Accountanting Firms" hat...
1) With the impressive sell-out speed of the HttB starters, then it is concievable that they could become money earners and not just 'loss-leaders'. Designing solid, newbie friendly starters that are desirable to existing players (Thank you Mr Peal!) spreads the purchase base of starters beyond their usual "The old guys buy maybe 1 starter display and the new guys maybe buy 1.5 starter displays". (Same product, more customers)
2) If the community can show it has within it the expertise and the organisation to regularly develop and edit cards to the point of being "ready for market" the future owner of VTES may just decide to toss a few NDA contracts at people, pay for the art and let the game-lovers self develop within the community (it takes away the expense of developing them from the company and is likely to keep the community happier). ((It's FREE OUTSOURCING PEOPLE... FREEE!!!!))
3) Putting some more effort into the tournament/promotional aspects. Promo cards (suitably tested of course or even as spoilers for upcoming sets), promo-merch such as Tshirts, containers, blood counters, other counters (e.g. anarch, corruption, etc) and so on would potentially do quite a lot to boost the scene. Within my own playgroup a mix of some DIY Card Counters, Pool Counters, Qualifier-Buttons/Badges and Heather Krieter Merch has had a favourable reaction each time. (See Spoiler Below for TShirt idea).
I don't know if I like the LCG concept for VTES. BUT you could release things like Starter Packs or 10th Edition as LCG-type releases and then have a stratified-random booster setup as they previously had.
I do think that there is the option for making VTES into a viable business asset IF WotC can be convinced that making SOME money on an asset is better than letting it gather dust on a shelf.
1) With the impressive sell-out speed of the HttB starters, then it is concievable that they could become money earners and not just 'loss-leaders'. Designing solid, newbie friendly starters that are desirable to existing players (Thank you Mr Peal!) spreads the purchase base of starters beyond their usual "The old guys buy maybe 1 starter display and the new guys maybe buy 1.5 starter displays". (Same product, more customers)
2) If the community can show it has within it the expertise and the organisation to regularly develop and edit cards to the point of being "ready for market" the future owner of VTES may just decide to toss a few NDA contracts at people, pay for the art and let the game-lovers self develop within the community (it takes away the expense of developing them from the company and is likely to keep the community happier). ((It's FREE OUTSOURCING PEOPLE... FREEE!!!!))
3) Putting some more effort into the tournament/promotional aspects. Promo cards (suitably tested of course or even as spoilers for upcoming sets), promo-merch such as Tshirts, containers, blood counters, other counters (e.g. anarch, corruption, etc) and so on would potentially do quite a lot to boost the scene. Within my own playgroup a mix of some DIY Card Counters, Pool Counters, Qualifier-Buttons/Badges and Heather Krieter Merch has had a favourable reaction each time. (See Spoiler Below for TShirt idea).
I don't know if I like the LCG concept for VTES. BUT you could release things like Starter Packs or 10th Edition as LCG-type releases and then have a stratified-random booster setup as they previously had.
I do think that there is the option for making VTES into a viable business asset IF WotC can be convinced that making SOME money on an asset is better than letting it gather dust on a shelf.
Warning: Spoiler!
Baron of Sydney, Australia, 418
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