Basic Fantasy RPG Forums

hey guys,

with bfrpg so cheap on Amazon it wouldn't be outside of the realm of possibility for game stores to pick up some copies and sell them for say 8 dollars and make a small profit at a low cost and get a cool book on the shelf.

I would like to suggest doing just that to my flgs, but was curious what everyone's, especially Solomoriah's thoughts were on that.

I doubt it would work out well. I can only imagine when folks pick up a copy for $8 or more, only to find out that the game is freely downloaded, and offered at cost from Amazon or Lulu. Bad vibes for the store, and likely bad vibes for the game in general... "why would you allow game stores to mislead and/or gouge us this way?"

That said, I have never thought it would necessarily be wrong for Solo to have a small margin, with these marginal amounts being directed towards advertising, hosting/maintenance costs, Cons, print jobs for give-aways, etc. I don't think this sort of "net zero profit" would violate the general open-source, freely shared ethics that is the general theme around here.

Now, I am not sure how putting these in stores would really do anything productive other than getting the book in front of a few more people. A mentality of "it isn't real or legitimate unless it is in stores (brick or virtual)" needs to be debunked. This (role-playing games) is a hobby, like hiking, running, or bicycling. One does not need to spend on special products to do this hobby. Of course, there are products that can be bought (like expensive hiking shoes or GPS devices, etc.) but one can still get by with little or nothing bought (though I guess one needs some sort of bicycle to ride). The point is, that we can game to hearts content without spending. If only the greater community or pool of players can realize this, it would be great for all.

The only way I see this being in stores is if there was a "box set" production run with a distribution deal already worked out.

"Distribution deal." Gah. I've made it this far without this becoming a business; why screw it up now?

If there's someone out there who wants to deal with the whole issue of making a boxed set, that person should contact me privately. I'd be happy to work out a proper contract for such a thing. But a warning... I'll be beyond merely hard-headed about my requirements for such a contract. My way or the highway.

(not the Hyway... )

I only meant that don't mess with trying to get it into stores without a distribution deal already set up. Whether that deal is with a professional company or just a bunch of guys who have discussed it with each of their local stores and already have an agreement to stock a number of boxes. Otherwise you may get stuck eating the price of the production.

Hywaywolf wrote:Otherwise you may get stuck eating the price of the production.

This, right here, is why I don't do this. I'm just not into speculation in any sense. I run a small business already... how much more gambling do I really need to do?

I think what everyone wants to do is get the word out how great this game is. Putting these in a store would be one way to do that.. But I understand Solo's reluctance because of all the headaches involved in this.

Solomoriah wrote:I've made it this far without this becoming a business; why screw it up now?

That's got to be the best quote ever from a game publisher.

Ok, now that I am at a computer and not a phone let me expound on my suggestion.

SmootRK wrote:I doubt it would work out well. I can only imagine when folks pick up a copy for $8 or more, only to find out that the game is freely downloaded, and offered at cost from Amazon or Lulu. Bad vibes for the store, and likely bad vibes for the game in general... "why would you allow game stores to mislead and/or gouge us this way?"

All good points, my suggestion is to include with the third edition text on the back of the book that clearly explains the non profit nature of the project, that it is for free to download, and that it is available online and in stores for low costs with none of those profits going to anyone but the store owners.

I think a lot of people(like myself) would gladly pay 8 to 10 dollars for a nice rpg book if it sends some cash to their FLGS, I don't think anyone would be surprised that it's cheaper online, what isn't cheaper online these days?

And the free downloads is just an enhancement to the nice book, buy the book, download the modules, but I bet some people will still buy them all from the FLGS.

Now, I am not sure how putting these in stores would really do anything productive other than getting the book in front of a few more people. A mentality of "it isn't real or legitimate unless it is in stores (brick or virtual)" needs to be debunked. This (role-playing games) is a hobby, like hiking, running, or bicycling. One does not need to spend on special products to do this hobby. Of course, there are products that can be bought (like expensive hiking shoes or GPS devices, etc.) but one can still get by with little or nothing bought (though I guess one needs some sort of bicycle to ride). The point is, that we can game to hearts content without spending. If only the greater community or pool of players can realize this, it would be great for all.

But BFRPG a really nice bike, it may not have all the bells and whistles, but it's a high end luxury machine that will ride for miles and miles

I think getting the game in front of more people is exactly why I am suggesting this, it's only natural to want to share something you like with more people.

Solomoriah wrote:"Distribution deal." Gah. I've made it this far without this becoming a business; why screw it up now?

I completely understand and appreciate this, I am suggesting using the venues already set up to show more people a game that's fun to play and easy to learn. If you are against the idea I have suggested than no problem, but if not, I would like to run it by my FLGS.

Ogre wrote: If you are against the idea I have suggested than no problem, but if not, I would like to run it by my FLGS.

if you get the green light to run it by your FLGS then point out the low cost of purchasing it from lulu or amazon and reselling it in their store. That gives them their baseline cost and they can mark it up some to make a profit and control how many they get wish to stock also.

This would eliminate any production cost on solo or anyone else while putting the control of the sales directly in the hands of the FLGS. I'm sure there are other matters to be concerned about but just trying to think outside the box on this where it doesn't cost solo or anyone else money out of their pocket before or after it.