Synnibarr vs WotC

[Parmandur]

I'd like to have the certainty that any IP I generate is on part with Star Wars! Talk about confidence.

However, the post runs pretty deep with a strain of what comes across as conspiratorial ideation. While I am sure McCracken believes every word he's writing, I think there'd need to be more than just his say-so to accept the idea that some shadowy cabal of RPG industry insiders is deliberately trying to keep him and Synnibar down.

What's more, there are tools these days to a least give Synnibar a chance! Discord/social media activity, Patreon to provide a steady support, and if there is enough interest, crowdfunding for fancy publications. I rather doubt that avenue is being deliberately shut down by industry insiders.

This screams a need for professional therapeutic help, for sure.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Peter Adkinson conspiring to make sure Synnibar would never be a commercial success is quite a theory.

And "resources to do it right?" If you put something good up on DriveThruRPG and promote it via social media, people can and will find it. Most of the OSR movement operates that way. No, you aren't likely to ever get enough money to buy out WotC or GenCon and fire all of your perceived enemies, but there are people who have managed to turn digital publishing into a full-time career that way.

Unless the resources to do Synnibar "right" includes a Tesla, I think he can do it now.

 

[Deset Gled]

This screams a need for professional therapeutic help, for sure.

I am 100% not qualified to diagnose anyone's mental health, either on the internet or in person. But I can tell you from keeping a passive eye on his internet presence for a few months now that this rant should not be taken as an example of his normal everyday Facebook life. I have cherry picked the bits he's written about WotC/Adkinson, which might be a bit of a trigger for him.

 

[darjr]

It seems he’s already set up GaryCon to fail or betray him which by itself is a red flag on fire.

 

[Parmandur]

I am 100% not qualified to diagnose anyone's mental health, either on the internet or in person. But I can tell you from keeping a passive eye on his internet presence for a few months now that this rant should not be taken as an example of his normal everyday Facebook life. I have cherry picked the bits he's written about WotC/Adkinson, which might be a bit of a trigger for him.

Sure. I can't diagnose him either, that's why I say this requires professional help. Because thisnis crazy talk.

 

[aramis erak]

Steve was never solely dedicated to RPGs. In fact he was more of a wargamer and general game designer, although he was certainly into the RPG scene.

Doesn't Jive with both SJ's and Sean's posts over on SJG's boards.

first, there are new books for GURPS - but due to finances, they're PDF or POD only, and Sean, the GURPS and DF Line Manager, noted that GURPS was being subsidized by the Munchkin sales. GURPS, DF, and TFT are lines because "Evil Stevie" loves them, keeping them in sales a negligible profit.

Munchkin pays the bills. Car Wars The Cash Grab edition also pays bills. SJ, by all accounts I've read of him, is a polymath gamer...

Looking at where SJG's positioning vs the audience is quite telling... in the 80's, SJG was budget production and inexpensive products with lots of replay, and minimal component counts, by the 00's, OGRE was freaking expensive to get into... and the minis on map version was pricey as hell. The chipboard edition was almost as expensive as the minis version. A $100+ box... for what was once a $4 pocket box game. (Late 1970's)

SJG chases the money in the boardgame space, but SJ keeps GURPS available on the cheap path.

And, SJG pays well and on time.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Thousands of people fail to make money or otherwise see the success they want on RPG products they put insane amounts of work into. Very few of them feel their lack of success requires conspiracy theories to explain.

 

[darjr]

Doesn't Jive with both SJ's and Sean's posts over on SJG's boards.

first, there are new books for GURPS - but due to finances, they're PDF or POD only, and Sean, the GURPS and DF Line Manager, noted that GURPS was being subsidized by the Munchkin sales. GURPS, DF, and TFT are lines because "Evil Stevie" loves them, keeping them in sales a negligible profit.

Munchkin pays the bills. Car Wars The Cash Grab edition also pays bills. SJ, by all accounts I've read of him, is a polymath gamer...

Looking at where SJG's positioning vs the audience is quite telling... in the 80's, SJG was budget production and inexpensive products with lots of replay, and minimal component counts, by the 00's, OGRE was freaking expensive to get into... and the minis on map version was pricey as hell. The chipboard edition was almost as expensive as the minis version. A $100+ box... for what was once a $4 pocket box game. (Late 1970's)

SJG chases the money in the boardgame space, but SJ keeps GURPS available on the cheap path.

And, SJG pays well and on time.

Steve Jackson Games just got a new CEO. She’s and old time GURPS player too!

 

[Mannahnin]

Steve was never solely dedicated to RPGs. In fact he was more of a wargamer and general game designer, although he was certainly into the RPG scene. Most of his products in the last 20 years have been more family oriented humorous games and such.

Doesn't Jive with both SJ's and Sean's posts over on SJG's boards.

first, there are new books for GURPS - but due to finances, they're PDF or POD only, and Sean, the GURPS and DF Line Manager, noted that GURPS was being subsidized by the Munchkin sales. GURPS, DF, and TFT are lines because "Evil Stevie" loves them, keeping them in sales a negligible profit.

Munchkin pays the bills. Car Wars The Cash Grab edition also pays bills. SJ, by all accounts I've read of him, is a polymath gamer...

Looking at where SJG's positioning vs the audience is quite telling... in the 80's, SJG was budget production and inexpensive products with lots of replay, and minimal component counts, by the 00's, OGRE was freaking expensive to get into... and the minis on map version was pricey as hell. The chipboard edition was almost as expensive as the minis version. A $100+ box... for what was once a $4 pocket box game. (Late 1970's)

SJG chases the money in the boardgame space, but SJ keeps GURPS available on the cheap path.

And, SJG pays well and on time.

That's good info, but it does seem to jibe pretty well with what AbdulAlhazred wrote, IMO. You both agree that SJ is a generalist gamer, and that the company has been supported primarily by other products than by RPGs.

It seems like the main conflict between your info and his was his statement that SJG hasn't done much with RPGs in recent years, vs. you saying they have been publishing new RPG stuff, but just only in PDF and POD due to costs.

 

[bedir than]

And "resources to do it right?" If you put something good up on DriveThruRPG and promote it via social media, people can and will find it.

To be fair to Raven those things didn't exist for the first 30 years or so of his concept and not for twenty years of him selling.

It's easy to spiral into hopelessness with twenty+ years of struggle.