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

[moritheil]

I wish this did not sound so damn on the money.

Alas

But back to the topic . . . isn't it a little illogical to say that making no money is better than making less money due to piracy?

 

[SSquirrel]

Please note that while rpg's may not make all that much money if you factor in printing costs and all, DnD is the exception. And its an exception with a HUGE margin.

DnD is not just the market leader of rpg's, its the leader by (again!) a HUGE margin. With 4e, that is probably just going to grow, especially as one of its biggest competitors (wfrp v2) is gone.

No offense, but on what planet was WFRP ever a big competitor of D&D? The mini game sure, but the RPG has always been a distant afterthought of all the gamers I've ever known. Personal anecdotes rock heh.

 

[Hussar]

Personally, I like Fear the Boot's podcast take on GW. Paraphrasing a bit, but, it basically comes out to, "If fans like it, GW will kick them inna fork".

 

[SteveC]

Personally, I like Fear the Boot's podcast take on GW. Paraphrasing a bit, but, it basically comes out to, "If fans like it, GW will kick them inna fork".

Unfortunately, I think Hussar has the right of it. I have been a fan of several of GW's "other games" for a long time now (anyone remember their Warlock card game?) The cycle is: produce a core book and a small amount of supplements, then allow the game to languish ... until you eventually reprint a new edition or just drop it altogether.

GW is a strange beast: they have many successful products that just aren't successful enough for them. It makes me sad because I was looking forward to being a GW customer (or sorts) again. Sadly, won't happen. But anyone who has bought into any of the lines other than the core in the last 10-15 years should hardly be surprised by this.

--Steve

 

[Glyfair]

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)?

Star Wars minis sell well to two main groups, collectors and those who play the minis game (with a large part of the second group also being in the first).

The largest group of D&D minis buyers (by a large margin) are the roleplayers. Get rid of the RPG element and you reduce the largest market buying them.

No offense, but on what planet was WFRP ever a big competitor of D&D? The mini game sure, but the RPG has always been a distant afterthought of all the gamers I've ever known. Personal anecdotes rock heh.

I believe there were areas where this was the case. I know the WFRP was a lot closer to D&D in the UK at one point. In the US I don't believe it was ever any higher than a low second tier RPG.

 

[Razuur]

I always looked on GW stuff with curiosity. We don't do miniatures (except the occasiona ship battle - and we use counters).

I was always intrigued by the settings though. I missed the boat in purchaseing the WHFRP stuff this time around, and now I can't get all of the books, so I looked for them on PDF to buy and they don't sell them. grumble grumble. I know they are worried about piracy but I think such moves foster piracy. I wish all of this stuff came out on PDF - I would pick it up!

So I hear about the WH40k rpg and think well, here is my chance to get in at the ground floor. I pre-order everything. I take the plunge. And then this comes out. Luckily I was able to cancel it all.

The greatest crime in this is Talisman. Fresh edition, beautiful game. Over, before it really began. Complete shame.

I pretty much will be avoiding GW stuff like the plague.

Razuur

 

[Twowolves]

Unfortunately, I think Hussar has the right of it. I have been a fan of several of GW's "other games" for a long time now (anyone remember their Warlock card game?) The cycle is: produce a core book and a small amount of supplements, then allow the game to languish ... until you eventually reprint a new edition or just drop it altogether.

GW is a strange beast: they have many successful products that just aren't successful enough for them. It makes me sad because I was looking forward to being a GW customer (or sorts) again. Sadly, won't happen. But anyone who has bought into any of the lines other than the core in the last 10-15 years should hardly be surprised by this.

--Steve

Back about 10 years ago I was into WHFB, and was also friends with someone in the distributorship business. They said that GW flat out admitted that this was their marketing strategy. Namely, produce a game like Blood Bowl, Battlefleet Gothic, Gorkamorka, etc etc, push it like hell in White Dwarf and in their shops, then drop it like a hot rock after 18 months to do it all over again with another game. The idea is to hook young teens with disposable cash, then dump them for the next "generation" of youths. They also have a fixed cycle age of rules for WHFB and WH40K, when they will release a "new" set of rules (with less than 5% of the rules actually different), and then re-release new sculpts of their old figures along with "new" army books for each faction.

Needless to say, after watching them do this for 3-4 years, I got off the merry-go-round and played something else.