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Chris Pramas: Why wont GW/BL keep wfrp v2 on the market as pdf's?

S

Sitara

Explorer
Seriously, since BL employees are probably bound by NDA's and/or don't post here, perhaps you could explain the following to me, in lieu of BI shutting down:

1)Why are they not keeping Wfrp v2 and its product line in print? Sure the rpg division is closing down, but wfrp v2 + Old Wolrd Bestiary +plundered vaults + RoS + SH = Complete Game. Artwork has already been paid, writers have been paid, so why not keep this in print? I am sure the sales will at LEAST breakeven, not to mention the goodwill that will be generated (fans wont be pissed)

2)If not option 1 for some reason, why not put the books up as pdfs? Surely they cant make aloss off of that, only a profit. So why don't they?

What gives here?

Regards
 

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Print runs may be more expensive if they're not printing a run as large as the initial one. In addition, why would they want to try to keep them in stock when they feel it's far more profitiable to pursue other avenues. In the old 'real world' ,one wear 7-11 had record sales and closed down several of their stores because they weren't profitible enough.

PDF's may be one of those cases where like some other publishers, they feel that it's 'giving' the product away.

Sitara said:
Seriously, since BL employees are probably bound by NDA's and/or don't post here, perhaps you could explain the following to me, in lieu of BI shutting down:

1)Why are they not keeping Wfrp v2 and its product line in print? Sure the rpg division is closing down, but wfrp v2 + Old Wolrd Bestiary +plundered vaults + RoS + SH = Complete Game. Artwork has already been paid, writers have been paid, so why not keep this in print? I am sure the sales will at LEAST breakeven, not to mention the goodwill that will be generated (fans wont be pissed)

2)If not option 1 for some reason, why not put the books up as pdfs? Surely they cant make aloss off of that, only a profit. So why don't they?

What gives here?

Regards
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So to be perfectly clear, I have no idea what GW's plans are regarding the RPG line. They may indeed decide to keep the books in print. As for PDFs, I suspect they haven't embraced them because of concerns about piracy.

Oh, and Bryan Ansell was bought out of GW almost 20 years ago now. He currently runs a minis company called Wargames Foundry.
 

Pramas said:
Oh, and Bryan Ansell was bought out of GW almost 20 years ago now. He currently runs a minis company called Wargames Foundry.
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That is not dead which can eternal lie
And with strange aeons even death may die

(Sorry, still bitter about White Dwarf) :(
 

I can understand the pircay bit, but theres nothing preventing anyone from scanning and sending the books on the web anyway. (this was done to many wotc books AFAIR, which is probably why wotc gave in and put them up as pdf's themselves)
 

[SPECULATION]I think GW wants to sell miniatures and novels because of the high margins attached to those products. No surprise there.

GW's treasure is its fluff. Fans have to pay a high premium in order to get into all that fantastic fluff. By playing the RPGs you can access the fluff virtually for free (just join a group). Also, frankly, GW's crunch is rubbish. You don't get into Warhammer Battles because the game is stellar. -No, GW's treasure is all fluff.

By dropping Black Industries, WFRP and 40KRP they are in effect protecting the fluff from getting out to the fans in a less expensive way. They might have done surveys that show minis-players are abandoning the wargames in favor of the RPGs. GW can't have this, of course.

The success of 40KRP (being sold out in a fortnight) might very well been its downfall. If no one was interested in the RPG GW wouldn't have cared. However, since 40KRP proved so very popular they had to do something about it - and soon.
If they could recall the books and burn them, they would. Maybe they did.

Some have suggested Green Ronin picking up the licenses for 40KRP and WFRP. I would be very surprised it the licenses are for sale. GW will not release them for the reasons mentioned above.[/SPECULATION]

Congratulations to those who scored a copy of 40KRP. :)
 

Frostmarrow said:
[SPECULATION]I think GW wants to sell miniatures and novels because of the high margins attached to those products. No surprise there.

GW's treasure is its fluff. Fans have to pay a high premium in order to get into all that fantastic fluff. By playing the RPGs you can access the fluff virtually for free (just join a group). Also, frankly, GW's crunch is rubbish. You don't get into Warhammer Battles because the game is stellar. -No, GW's treasure is all fluff.

By dropping Black Industries, WFRP and 40KRP they are in effect protecting the fluff from getting out to the fans in a less expensive way. They might have done surveys that show minis-players are abandoning the wargames in favor of the RPGs. GW can't have this, of course.

The success of 40KRP (being sold out in a fortnight) might very well been its downfall. If no one was interested in the RPG GW wouldn't have cared. However, since 40KRP proved so very popular they had to do something about it - and soon.
If they could recall the books and burn them, they would. Maybe they did.

Some have suggested Green Ronin picking up the licenses for 40KRP and WFRP. I would be very surprised it the licenses are for sale. GW will not release them for the reasons mentioned above.[/SPECULATION]

Congratulations to those who scored a copy of 40KRP. :)
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I wish this did not sound so damn on the money.
 

frankthedm said:
I wish this did not sound so damn on the money.
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Well considering one of the more popular nicknames for GW that I've heard over the years is "Greedy Weasels"...

It is known that if you want to filthy rich, you don't go into the RPG market. We know WotC's big sellers are CCGS and CMG's, with RPG's probably being their least profitable product lines.

Sucks that they want to cancel what was a fun RPG (at least the 2nd edition of it), especiaally after just getting into a few months ago, especially for sake of making more money on more profitable lines... but at least I have to give BI a measure of credit for being honest about the decision being ultimately profit-driven.
 

frankthedm said:
I wish this did not sound so damn on the money.
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It's got me thinking if WotC is going to go this way too? I've read several times that the Star Wars minis were a huge cash cow that that was why no rpg products were being released. Will we see D&D head this way with more minis being produced and all the rulebooks having mini game stats (Here's how to use this in you mini game section)?
 

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