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  1. Alphastream

    D&D 5E (2014) Alphastream - Why No RPG Company Truly Competes with Wizards of the Coast

    It's really hard to say. Big IP companies are very unpredictable regarding their IP. I was on a PAX West panel a few years ago discussing IP projects, and one of the panelists shared how with one company, the visuals are super-sacrosanct. Every image has to be checked thoroughly to make sure it...
  2. Alphastream

    D&D 5E (2014) Alphastream - Why No RPG Company Truly Competes with Wizards of the Coast

    Uhhh... I'm going to strongly disagree. I have friends who have and do work at Paizo and I love them dearly and always wish them well. But Paizo as a company was strongly into disparaging D&D and profiting off of the edition wars. They did so at the top level of the game/edition, but they also...
  3. Alphastream

    D&D 5E (2014) Alphastream - Why No RPG Company Truly Competes with Wizards of the Coast

    Excellent question. We don't actually know the number sold. Stan! says around 800k. I've heard over a million in 2017. I think 2017 is around the time 5E really took off. I would guess that shortly after this is when it stopped feeling at all like a regular game. But, it's just my guess. I also...
  4. Alphastream

    D&D 5E (2014) Alphastream - Why No RPG Company Truly Competes with Wizards of the Coast

    Along these lines, I recall coming in to my FLGS and seeing five 4-foot stacks of one brand-new D&D supplement (not a core book). I couldn't believe they had ordered that many. "Oh, we should sell out of these in a week." My jaw dropped.
  5. Alphastream

    D&D 5E (2014) Alphastream - Why No RPG Company Truly Competes with Wizards of the Coast

    Please don't stop! I'm enjoying this discussion. I'm a fan of D&D and of other RPGs and this subject is a lot of fun for me. I think many of you are thinking along the lines I am when it comes to part two. (I'm finishing it up and should have it up early next week.)
  6. Alphastream

    D&D 5E (2014) Alphastream - Why No RPG Company Truly Competes with Wizards of the Coast

    I agree that GMs can feel that way. And companies too. But there are a lot of gamers and potential gamers out there. Trying to take on the ones that love D&D is skating up a steep hill when you have level ground right next to you. Find the audience that wants to be found. A lot of RPG creators...
  7. Alphastream

    D&D 5E (2014) Alphastream - Why No RPG Company Truly Competes with Wizards of the Coast

    There have been a number of super-interesting international developments. CoC being number one in Japan. Italy crashing the Roll20 servers playing RPGs (mainly D&D) during covid. And Tormenta being so big in Brazil it shows up on overall Roll20 charts. These are really good indicators that RPG...
  8. Alphastream

    D&D 5E (2014) Alphastream - Why No RPG Company Truly Competes with Wizards of the Coast

    Thanks! I've always kept numbers. I collect them almost like I collect minis! I have a file full of data from across the years and when I read or hear something interesting, I make a note. I make sure to track things I think may be in confidence and I only share that if another source can...
  9. Alphastream

    D&D 5E (2014) Alphastream - Why No RPG Company Truly Competes with Wizards of the Coast

    It's come up a fair bit in the past couple of years. Usually its from fans, who want to believe a particular RPG will become dominant. I also think, however, that we can see it in some small and medium companies who act like they are competing with D&D. This can lead them astray, focusing on the...
  10. Alphastream

    D&D 5E (2014) Alphastream - Why No RPG Company Truly Competes with Wizards of the Coast

    My apologies to both of you (and anyone else impacted by the ending)! I wanted to lay down the more obvious reasons first, and then get to the bigger angle. It's useful feedback, and I'll take it into account for next time!
  11. Alphastream

    Nominate your favourite RPG podcasts of 2019!

    Here are some Talk podcasts I enjoy that may not have been nominated yet: Down with D&D from the Misdirected Mark Network Bone, Stone, and Obsidian, a Dark Sun podcast by the MMN Tabletop Voices, by the Don't Split the Podcast Network Table Top Babble, by the Don't Split the Podcast Network Ego...
  12. Alphastream

    TSR TSR Cutting Writers Rates (In 1994!)

    No... they are saying that if you want to do extra work, you can't do it as a regular freelancer. Before, you could do your normal job, and then at night write a freelancer Dragon article for 10 cents an hour. With the change, they made it so you can take that, but you get 6 cents an hour and...
  13. Alphastream

    TSR TSR Cutting Writers Rates (In 1994!)

    Current and recent rates for most authors have been shared at times, and are below 10 cents a word. There have been articles here on ENWorld and elsewhere that shared various rates for smaller companies, and those rates can be horribly low... I've been offered below 1 cent per word (and I turned...
  14. Alphastream

    How Expensive is Too Expensive?

    There are all kinds of industries with premium pricing. Individuals might never consider a premium price. So long as enough do, it's a viable product. Strong industries can support a variety of prices and offerings. We can see that in almost anything. I'm sure all of us at some point saw a movie...
  15. Alphastream

    How Expensive is Too Expensive?

    I wrote about the cost of the D&D Tomb of Annihilation hardback here. When I polled people, the $49.95 price was deemed too high by 36% of respondents. That $50 book ended up costing each of us a total of 3 cents an hour! RPGs are stupidly cheap. Sure, many of us have or have had problems...
  16. Alphastream

    Top Games Played On FG In 2018: D&D, Pathfinder, Savage Worlds

    Could the author provide a link to the original article? I would like to be able to see the source. Thanks!
  17. Alphastream

    Learn about D&D organized play options

    Hi all, I haven't had time to update the top post, despite really wanting to do so. I've tried to make it a wiki, so others can edit. Does it seem to be working? Can anyone test whether they can now edit the post? Ideally I want to retain the history, but update the rules for new players and...
  18. Alphastream

    Harassment Policies: New Allegations Show More Work To Be Done

    I am glad to see the industry taking steps to recognize our problems, call them out, and deal with them. Our hobby has a long way to go (very clear from these comments), but we will get there. These are vital changes our industry must make to keep growing, and they are the right changes to make.
  19. Alphastream

    Greyhawk Collector's Guide

    The glass (and a beer coaster) was for Tomb of Annihilation (which features Acererak, but is not based in or using Greyhawk), given out at Origins 2017. There are other items as part of this: a green dice bag with the devil face, a devil face cloth patch, a cloth shopping bag with the devil face...
  20. Alphastream

    Learn about D&D organized play options

    Also, looks like there will be some nice AL support in Scotland at an upcoming convention, and even an Epic! I know that Europeans don't travel as far as we tend to in the US, but it could be worth considering.
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