Judges Guild and the Wilderlands

[der_kluge]

Ok, so I came to the party late, and saw (and read much of) the train-wreck JG thread from the main news page.

So, I dip my toes into these shark-infested waters with some simple (non-political!) questions regarding the future state of Judges Guild and The Wilderlands? Like, please, oh pretty-please let's keep this on-topic to just gaming related stuff . Mkay?

So, I've been running Wilderlands (S&S boxed set) as my defacto campaign setting for a number of years now. I bought several of the d20 products associated with the setting as well, although honestly some of them are a little ridiculously old school gonzo for my tastes, I still like them, I just doubt I'll ever use them.

But I am curious what people think might happen to the setting as a whole? I'd love to see someone else take it over. Maybe Bob will just agree to turn over the rights, since it seems like he's probably not going to profit off it anymore. Any word from other publishers what the status is of some of those collaborations?

 

[vpuigdoller]

I certainly hope the IP survives the entire debacle. As of now its looking grim though, I haven’t heard anything suggesting it will change hands or otherwise alternate plans to keep it going. We will have to wait and see.

 

[mach1.9pants]

The stuff being published by Bat in the Attic ATM has money going to Rob Conley, as he's trying to rescue the failure that is the CSIO Kickstarter. Apart from that, I dunno. I could certainly see Frog God Games rescuing the IP (the did with The Blight), or maybe Goodman Games?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Personally, see if you can track down the originals on the used market.

I’ve enjoyed mine since they came out, and they‘re damn near system agnostic. Sure, there’s AD&D type info in there, but the bulk of what you get is pure, usable fluff...and maps!

 

[Eltab]

The view from miles away says that JG has the same problem that Sears did: nobody can tell The Boss to change course and make it stick. I think we are going to have to wait a while, until the remains of JG is so inexpensive (value-less) that the legacy product, IP, inventory, and future sales potential thereof are worth more than the corporate shell. Then some other company might offer to buy the family out.

This is pure speculation, no inside information at all. I would rather see a course of events that does not involve a 'crash and burn' phase as the RPG community removes an obnoxious individual from its ranks.

 

[Retreater]

I'm a fan who was introduced to Judges Guild from the 3.5 era books from Necromancer. And they had some great products (like the Wilderlands Boxed Set).
I think the ideology of the hex crawl design will be the legacy of the company. We can see it in official adventures like Tomb of Annihilation and in games like Forbidden Lands.
We may not see any more official products, but their legacy will live on.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

So many, many maps. I scoffed at the one book of just temple maps, but then one day, when I was stuck on an adventure, guess which book I cracked open?

I am going to continue to collect vintage JG materials as I have, since #2 has nothing to do with those. Honestly, I wonder if we'll even see any more modern JG books after this? It's not like that Kickstarter is ever delivering, and of the companies working with JG, only Goodman Games has yet to sever ties, and I'm guessing that's coming soon.

Personally, see if you can track down the originals on the used market.

ive enjoyed mine since they came out, and they‘re damn near system agnostic. Sure, there’s AD&D type info in there, but the bulk of what you get is pure, usable fluff...and maps!

 

[Morrus]

If JG goes under due to people not wanting to give money to its owner, supporting a company which has bought the IP from JG's owner has the same effect, surely? So I'm not sure what the ethical route would be for a customer who (a) wants JG material and (b) doesn't want to support its current owner.

 

[Michael Silverbane]

If JG goes under due to people not wanting to give money to its owner, supporting a company which has bought the IP from JG's owner has the same effect, surely? So I'm not sure what the ethical route would be for a customer who (a) wants JG material and (b) doesn't want to support its current owner.

I think that person should choose one of those wants, and pursue it. Either (a) buy JG material with the understanding that the money will (at least tangentially) support someone with hateful beliefs, or (b) give up on that material.

 

[Gradine]

If JG goes under due to people not wanting to give money to its owner, supporting a company which has bought the IP from JG's owner has the same effect, surely? So I'm not sure what the ethical route would be for a customer who (a) wants JG material and (b) doesn't want to support its current owner.

It's almost like there's no ethical consumption under capitalism!

But in any case, a one-time purchase of an IP at bargain basement prices creates a situation where the shared ethical burden is minimal. There's definitely worse way to go.

Better still would be to find content creators who are making original works in the same spirit and style of those JG products but who aren't racist conspiracy mongers and support them instead.