Pathfinder 1E If Paizo bought Greyhawk could they make their money back?

[Ranger REG]

The question needs to be asked: why would you want Erik to publish Greyhawk materials when there is a wealth of GH materials at the click of a download at RPGnow and DriveThrough?

Because you have yet to share your credit card number with me?

-- a printed product fan.

 

[Sir Elton]

Because you have yet to share your credit card number with me?

-- a printed product fan.

Why would I want to do that? I can't trust you with my capacity for going into debt.

 

[RatPunk]

The question needs to be asked: why would you want Erik to publish Greyhawk materials when there is a wealth of GH materials at the click of a download at RPGnow and DriveThrough?

And my answer would be because I already own most of that stuff from when it originally came out. I would love to have some NEW Greyhawk, please.

 

[dcas]

They haven't even made money off TSR's other acquired assets that even TSR have discontinued, from Alternity to Boot Hill.

Well, they did revive the Dark*Matter setting for D20 Modern . . . but in general you're right. Heck, they're still sitting on the Dangerous Journeys/Mythus IP that they acquired from Omega Helios (and for which I am reliably told they paid a lot of money).

In a way, though, sitting on IP does make money, because it keeps competing products off the market. If GH sells very well for Paizo, then WOTC/Hasbro would rightly view that as taking sales away from their FR/Eberron products. So the price of GH, in their mind, would have to be enough at least make up for the sales they would lose to it. (And that's probably why they prefer to license IP rather than sell it outright.)

 

[Imaro]

The question needs to be asked: why would you want Erik to publish Greyhawk materials when there is a wealth of GH materials at the click of a download at RPGnow and DriveThrough?

Because less than 50% of the fanbase for D&D has regular internet access. It really trips me out that posters on ENworld seem to asume that majority of people who play D&D have regular internet access or even their own computer to download files onto. A hard back would get it out into stores where people who don't have internet access could see and purchase it. I also think this would be good for Paizo in general, since their magazines often feature supplementary material for the world and once a 3.5 fanbase for Greyhawk was established they would probably buy the magazine to get this content.

Another point is the cost of printing up and binding PDF's, I mean it's usually just as much or more than buying an actual book.

 

[hong]

Because you have yet to share your credit card number with me?

 

[dpmcalister]

They haven't even made money off TSR's other acquired assets that even TSR have discontinued, from Alternity to Boot Hill.

And, based on enquiries I've, personally, made regarding Top Secret and Top Secret/S.I., they never will. Not unless it's in the form of a licence to write d20 conversions of them (which, IMHO, defeats the object of it, but there you go).

 

[TheYeti1775]

Well I think the fan base is there for new Greyhawk material, the real question for it would be does the new material affect the RPGA Living Greyhawk folks? Or will it be independent of it.
And since Greyhawk is considered core, I don't see it happening just for that fact alone. If they sold or licensed it out, WOTC would most likely have to make something else core.

Yeti

 

[XO]

Greyhawk w/o Gygax?

The only way GH can regain its former status is through the good works of one Gary Gygax.

Whether or not he would even consider this on a sustained basis is no sure thing.

Also, we now know that many elements "floated" (mentioned) as GH components were so much vaporware... Ideas with little or no development that would (might perhaps) eventually take form (maybe) if the schedule permitted it and the demand was there.

Canon would need to reintegrate its course from that moment in time when Gygax got pushed out of TSR.

Tall order...

Otherwise, what's so great about Greyhawk? Why would that setting sell above any other?

 

[kenobi65]

The only way GH can regain its former status is through the good works of one Gary Gygax.

Whether or not he would even consider this on a sustained basis is no sure thing.

I just see that as so incredibly unlikely.

I (obviously) can't speak for Gary's willingness to return to a setting that he lost when he was forced out of TSR.

But, in order for him to do it, he'd likely want to be able to retcon things to go back to how Oerth looked when he lost creative control of it. That'd force WotC to invalidate 20 years of publications (all the 2nd edition TSR Greyhawk stuff, the LG Gazetteer, and 7 years of Living Greyhawk events). I just don't see that happening.