WotC Gale Force 9 Sues WotC [Updated]

In the second lawsuit against WotC in recent weeks (Dragonlance authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman sued the company for breach of contract and other things about a month ago), Gale Force 9 is suing the company for breach of contract and implied duty of good faith.

Gale Force 9 produces miniatures, cards, DM screens, and other D&D accessories. They’re asking for damages of nearly a million dollars, as well as an injunction to prevent WotC from terminating the licensing contract.

From the suit, it looks like WotC wanted to end a licensing agreement a year early. When GF9 didn't agree to that, WotC indicated that they would refuse to approve any new licensed products from GF9. It looks like the same sort of approach they took with Weis and Hickman, which also resulted in a lawsuit. The dispute appears to relate to some product translations in non-US markets. More information as I hear it!

UPDATE. GF9's CEO, Jean-Paul Brisigotti, spoke to ICv2 and said: "After twelve years of working with Wizards, we find ourselves in a difficult place having to utilize the legal system to try and resolve an issue we have spent the last six months trying to amicably handle between us without any success. We still hope this can be settled between us but the timeline for a legal resolution has meant we have been forced to go down this path at this time."

 

[Lanefan]

Or, you are like the tens of thousands of gamers that have realized that virtual tabletops are just as rewarding as live play

No. They're not.

And it's not even close.

 

[Zardnaar]

No. They're not.

And it's not even close.

This. You miss the social aspects at the very least.

Better than nothing I suppose.

 

[Hussar]

Hey, to each his own, but, I'm going to tell you right now that my online games are every bit as fun and whatnot as any face to face game.

Different? Sure, but lesser? Not in the slightest.

 

[TheSword]

Hey, to each his own, but, I'm going to tell you right now that my online games are every bit as fun and whatnot as any face to face game.

Different? Sure, but lesser? Not in the slightest.

I must say, I have to agree. Driven to roll20 this year from necessity despite poo-pooing it in the past. We’re all in our 40’s.

It’s just as sociable. There are four or five of us. Nobody really interrupts, you can chat away, on your own sofa, more comfortable.

We’ve never been able to do weekly games because I live 150 miles away from the others. Instead we’d play a long weekend of gaming once a month. Now at least one weekly game with be on the calendar even when we’re back to face to face.

 

[Zardnaar]

I must say, I have to agree. Driven to roll20 this year from necessity despite poo-pooing it in the past. We’re all in our 40’s.

It’s just as sociable. There are four or five of us. Nobody really interrupts, you can chat away, on your own sofa, more comfortable.

We’ve never been able to do weekly games because I live 150 miles away from the others. Instead we’d play a long weekend of gaming once a month. Now at least one weekly game with be on the calendar even when we’re back to face to face.

Yeah if you have to.

You're not chugging beers with your buddies though over a pizza while doing it or polishing off a bottle of wine with your wife while playing it though.

Onlines gonna do a fairly crap job at that. Or go grab a kebab togather pre game.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

Christmas present 1995.

View attachment 129471

$44.95

The back of the book $24.95 usd . Idk what the conversion rate was. Student allowance was $150 NZD a week in 1996.

Rent for a 3 bedroom house where we lived was $90 NZD/Week. In 1996 my friends room in the city 5 minutes walk to the CBD was $40 NZD.

3 bedroom nice house corporate type was $150 a week.

D&D's cheaper now but rents gone bonkers. I shouted one of my players a meal last night (student, he was embarrassed).

I can attest to the prices. I'm in Australia and I paid even more for my Monstrous Manual in 1994 - around 50 AUD. I remember paying 70 AUD or so for the core books in 2002 or so. Taking into account inflation,both prices equal over 100 AUD today. D&D books are less than 34. of that price now.

 

[Zardnaar]

I can attest to the prices. I'm in Australia and I paid even more for my Monstrous Manual in 1994 - around 50 AUD. I remember paying 70 AUD or so for the core books in 2002 or so. Taking into account inflation,both prices equal over 100 AUD today. D&D books are less than 34. of that price now.

Yeah they're cheaper now proportionally even without Amazon level discounts.

I used to cry ad the ads in Dragon with $8 and $16 items. Even with the currency conversion.

At one point Dragon magazine hit $25. FRCS was $100 in 2001.

My friend on holiday brought me my first 5E PHB at $65 in 2014 the one that fell apart.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

Yeah they're cheaper now proportionally even without Amazon level discounts.

I used to cry ad the ads in Dragon with $8 and $16 items. Even with the currency conversion.

At one point Dragon magazine hit $25. FRCS was $100 in 2001.

For me it wasn't even the price, it was the availablity.

I was in a country town so my sole source of D&D stuff was the local bookshop. I bought their whole inventory of D&D - the 2nd edition PHB (50 or so AUD) and DMG (ditto), Dungeon Magazine #38 (10+ AUD) and the D&D adventure Arena of Thyatis (30 AUD or so). Bit hard to properly play without a Monster Manual though. Later got introduced to Military Simulations where I could order most stuff through the mail.

 

[Zardnaar]

For me it wasn't even the price, it was the availablity.

I was in a country town so my sole source of D&D stuff was the local bookshop. I bought their whole inventory of D&D - the 2nd edition PHB (50 or so AUD) and DMG (ditto), Dungeon Magazine #38 (10+ AUD) and the D&D adventure Arena of Thyatis (30 AUD or so). Bit hard to properly play without a Monster Manual though. Later got introduced to Military Simulations where I could order most stuff through the mail.

Yeah it was like Christmas going anywhere. Army training town visit off to gamestore.

Or bookstore to buy the novels.

 

[TheSword]

Yeah if you have to.

You're not chugging beers with your buddies though over a pizza while doing it or polishing off a bottle of wine with your wife while playing it though.

Onlines gonna do a fairly crap job at that. Or go grab a kebab togather pre game.

Well, yes we can all have a beer pizza still... as for the second. I’d hope your wife would be in the same room and you can both still drink your wine.