Robin Laws posts a column about the industry that's actually salient and sane

[buzz]

http://www.dyingearth.com/pnestjune2006.htm

Good stuff.

 

[Jim Hague]

Very interesting, especially for me as a fledgeling RPG publisher and long-time gamer. Kudos to Robin for getting a truly broad base in terms of information - it really helps put a lot of information in perspective.

 

[howandwhy99]

I agree, a really informative column.

I think information has become so ubiquitous & so fastly distributed that all forms are losing value. Just about anyone can be published in the book writing world. Anyone can report the news on their blog. Even art and music are uploaded all over the internet. With millions to choose from, how often can things of real value rise to the surface?

Plus there is the problem of information overload. How difficult is it to discover real quality from all that is out there?

In the end though, I prefer the overload to the older methods. I'd rather have 10,000 PDFs to choose from then only 100. Companies like Wizards will always use brand marketing to sell product as easy-to-find quality. And popularity will bring other items to the forefront.

Will they always be to my taste? Well, no. But at least I can find things that are, if I look.

That leads me to the other difficulty: Is it easier to create your own product in a short time period or look for one that sort of fits in a similar time period?

Decisions, decisions.

 

[MadMaxim]

Very interesting read. I just hope the hobby never dies and that someone will be able to carry on making RPG products.

 

[Glyfair]

In the end though, I prefer the overload to the older methods. I'd rather have 10,000 PDFs to choose from then only 100. Companies like Wizards will always use brand marketing to sell product as easy-to-find quality. And popularity will bring other items to the forefront.

I'm absolutely the opposite. I'd rather only have 100 to choose from as long as most of those 100 are of reasonable quality. The more product out, the lower the signal to noise ratio. That's more & more work I have to do to find out what product is worth buying, or else I have to buy a lot of drek that looked good to get the few bits that are good.

I suggest that if that's the way the hobby is going, then it's going to become the amateur market. One or two companies will be professionals, the rest will be amateurs.

Yes, there will be quality within those amateurs. Much of that quality might even exceed that of the professsional publishers. Finding is going to be the problem.

 

[Dirigible]

I haven't read much by Robin Laws before... his tone seems quite abrasive. Am I just not reading this article with the addition of an appropriate mental tongue-in cheekiness?

 

[Starman]

I haven't read much by Robin Laws before... his tone seems quite abrasive. Am I just not reading this article with the addition of an appropriate mental tongue-in cheekiness?

Yes.

 

[ssampier]

I haven't read much by Robin Laws before... his tone seems quite abrasive. Am I just not reading this article with the addition of an appropriate mental tongue-in cheekiness?

I thought that was implied by the question, "Is the industry screwed?"

I thought it was quite interesting. There was a good assortment of interviews with many differing opinions; a worthwhile read.

Yes, Virigina, there are RPG companies.

They exists as certainly as Charisma and Dexterity and Gamemastering exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no RPG companies!

There would be no childlike kender then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I guessed or predicted a lot of what he backed up with his sources...I wish I had been wrong.

 

[buzz]

I really ejoyed the quotation from Ben Lehman. I heartily agree with him that, as far as good product and great gaming, we're in a golden age. There are facets of the industry that simply need to start adapting to new business models.

As for the 10,000 vs 100 ratio... as long as there are venues like ENWorld that help me filter out the good stuff, and getting product produced becomes easier and easier (so designers can go directly to consumers with minimal middlemen), I'm good.