[Gencon 04] All Publishers Please Read.

[Pramas]

This could be good for the smaller companies. Witness the activity at the Forge booth this year, where a bunchof micropublishers pooled resources and shared boothspace.

I doubt you'd get any of the bigger d20 companies to participate though.

 

[BrooklynKnight]

What do "The Game Mechanics" think about this? Don't they like the idea? (I guess you've asked them, or am I mistaken?)
A "big name" might work like a charm...

Havnt asked them yet, i need to see how everyone else feels first. And they shared a booth with Green ronin this year anyway.

speaking of which....

This could be good for the smaller companies. Witness the activity at the Forge booth this year, where a bunchof micropublishers pooled resources and shared boothspace.

I doubt you'd get any of the bigger d20 companies to participate though.

You are one of the BIGGEST d20 companies Mr Pramas, does this mean you wouldnt be intrested in something like that?

 

[Twin Rose]

I think, potentially, if it was a block of 36... (I think that's what WOTC had?) reserved for D20/OGL publishers only, in prime location, and they were offered a discount to setup within this area... Any publisher would sign up. I'm not sure that this would work from ... "We give you money, make a pool, and get booths" standpoint. I think it would have to work the other way around. A large backer would have to reserve the space, and then offer it to publishers.

 

[JoeGKushner]

its possible if everyone coopirates.
This year at Gencon I saw a number of companies sharing space.

TGM with Green Ronin.
TRS with ENP


Lots of these companies have intertwined relationships, many of us arent just professionals or competition. We are friends.

Working together this can definatly happen.

But The Game Mechcnis is a PDF company being published by Green Ronin. Not really a seperate entity in this case.

Some of the companies in the d20 pot are huge. Fantasy Flight Games and the SSS brand for example, could probably take up that space by themselves.

Heck, as much crap as they get for bad mechanics, Fast Forward Games has many subheadings like Soverign Stone and Human Head.

This might be good for small publishers, including En World, but I don't think it's too realistic outside of that.

 

[Teflon Billy]

mine? eh? watcha talkin bout willis?

Well, generally when people get a booth at Gen Con, it's becasue they are trying to move a product of some kind.

You were talking about getting a booth at Gen Con.

Ergo....

 

[BrooklynKnight]

Well, generally when people get a booth at Gen Con, it's becasue they are trying to move a product of some kind.

You were talking about getting a booth at Gen Con.

Ergo....

owwwwww

though i dont have anything of my own out atm, i'm talking about organizing those that DO have booths.

 

[Pramas]

You are one of the BIGGEST d20 companies Mr Pramas, does this mean you wouldnt be intrested in something like that?

That is indeed what it means. It just doesn't work to the advantage of the larger companies.

 

[RangerWickett]

Why not go for the more reasonable, and easier, option, in which all d20 Publishers agree to purchase booths in a certain area of the convention hall. You can still be close together without having to purchase a huge lot.

Of course, I think it would be infinitely more cool if there was a publisher agreement. Imagine one huge area, the size of the WotC booth, with different d20 publishers having islands around the exterior. In the middle we could have some sort of large open game going on, using, like, every rule anyone has ever published. Okay, that last part's a little silly, but I think the idea of a large d20 publishers area is a good one. I don't think I quite see Mr. Pramas's problem with sharing booth space.

Let's say we have 10 publishers who sign on, and that booth space costs $10 for a 10' x 10' area. (numbers are highly reduced for the sake of the example).

The Publishers Involved
- Green Ronin
- Mongoose
- Bad Axe
- Privateer
- Mystic Eye
- Goodman Games
- E.N. Publishing
- Darkfuries
- Twin Rose
- Necromancer

Everyone decides how much space they want, in units of 10' squares, and we choose a space we want, divvy it up well in advanec, then we pool our money with one person in charge, who purchases the space for us.

The Publishers say they want
- Green Ronin: 8 Squares
- Mongoose: 8 Squares
- Bad Axe: 6 Squares
- Privateer: 6 Squares
- Mystic Eye: 4 Squares
- Goodman Games: 3 Squares
- ENPub: 2 Squares
- Darkfuries: 3 Squares
- Twin Rose: 2 Squares
- Necromancer: 4 Squares

We end up getting 46 squares, for $460. When we get on site, we each set up our booths, perhaps with a few general specifications agreed upon in advance so that the aesthetics are mutually complimentary. And then we have a nice, wide open area for people to come in and buy our products, play our demos, and talk with all of the cool people who write these games.

What's the problem?

 

[Twin Rose]

I see what you are saying, Ranger.

Rather than NOT having our 'main booths' we can have smaller tables within this block... (Say, 8 normal booths). Basically a counter with one person manning it ... With all the hot products, quick demos, whatever. We can then share "demo time" at the gaming tables. Much like the smaller "miniature game tables" at the wotc booth .. Or the Risk Tournament space.

You are saying do this in -addition- to the regular booth space? Perhaps even "mini ENWorld", though we wouldn't want to limit it to EN Worlders.

 

[BrooklynKnight]

Ah, Ranger thanks for illustrating my idea.
This is EXACTLY what I was talking about.