Report To The Stakeholders

[Peter V. Dell'Orto]

Originally Posted by philreed

Anyone interested in more thoughts on Steve's report may want to check this thread at BGG: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/blogpos...-millions-take

Wow, some people sure don't like Munchkin. That I don't get at all. I mean, I can see not playing it, but actively disliking it?

I just wish I had more time to play Munchkin and my DF games. But DF takes priority on the days we get together. Still, put out an expansion for the core set and I'm buying it.

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by philreed

Anyone interested in more thoughts on Steve's report may want to check this thread at BGG: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/blogpos...-millions-take

I like the comment about One-Page Bulge.

Originally Posted by Toadkiller_Dog

Wow, some people sure don't like Munchkin. That I don't get at all. I mean, I can see not playing it, but actively disliking it?

Maybe it's resentment that it's getting focus rather than [my favorite older game]?

I'm amused by the dire warnings I see from time to time about how SJ Games needs to diversify against the eventual Munchkin crash. I like to imagine Phil and Andrew answering, "We're trying, but it's hard to get anything done while dodging all the money people keep throwing at us for Munchkin!" It's not like they can tell a chunk of their customer base, "OK, that's enough Munchkin for you. You guys go buy In Nomine now."

(And while I'm sure there's a need for diversification, and they're clearly working on non-Munchkin products, many of the suggested areas for diversification tend to be old games which have been out of print for years. Ever think there are reasons they're out of print?)

[kjamma4]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

Maybe it's resentment that it's getting focus rather than [my favorite older game]?

Guilty as charged - Car Wars.

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

I'm amused by the dire warnings I see from time to time about how SJ Games needs to diversify against the eventual Munchkin crash. I like to imagine Phil and Andrew answering, "We're trying, but it's hard to get anything done while dodging all the money people keep throwing at us for Munchkin!" It's not like they can tell a chunk of their customer base, "OK, that's enough Munchkin for you. You guys go buy In Nomine now."

However, I don't fall into this camp. I say take all the money you can while you can IN THE HOPES that the extra cash will allow SJG to redo Car Wars. SJG would be crazy not to continue to do Munchkin while it is hot. Additionally, as has already been posted, Steve is working on stuff while he can in case there is a Munchkin crash or just if it starts to dwindle down.

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

(And while I'm sure there's a need for diversification, and they're clearly working on non-Munchkin products, many of the suggested areas for diversification tend to be old games which have been out of print for years. Ever think there are reasons they're out of print?)

Yes. But in the case of Car Wars, I'm hoping the reason SJG decides on is that it needs an clear and concise rewrite of the Compendium rules rather than the market for it has died.

And, so as not to be a total buzzkill, in the few dealings I had with SJG in the past, they were MORE THAN generous with me. Hope they are around another 30 years (at least).

[Peter V. Dell'Orto]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

I'm amused by the dire warnings I see from time to time about how SJ Games needs to diversify against the eventual Munchkin crash. I like to imagine Phil and Andrew answering, "We're trying, but it's hard to get anything done while dodging all the money people keep throwing at us for Munchkin!" It's not like they can tell a chunk of their customer base, "OK, that's enough Munchkin for you. You guys go buy In Nomine now."

Yeah. I mean, I sort-of get it - there is that worry that someday the sales will drop off, and SJG will be left holding the bag with a bloated staff structure, warehouses of unsold Munchkin product, and nothing to fall back on. That's the popular version of what happened to TSR, although I can't tell you how true or not true that is.

But if SJG is aware of this, and is managing themselves properly, this shouldn't be a problem. If the sales drop off and SJG hasn't been holding too much extra inventory, isn't stuck with costs related to product they can't sell anymore, etc., then it's not a problem. It sounds from what they're saying like the SJG staff is doing just this.

And for all the occasional bad things that have happened to SJG financially, it does seem like Steve must be doing something right. He was making games when I was a 9-year old entering the hobby and he's still making them now, at the same company.

[Mailanka]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

I'm amused by the dire warnings I see from time to time about how SJ Games needs to diversify against the eventual Munchkin crash. I like to imagine Phil and Andrew answering, "We're trying, but it's hard to get anything done while dodging all the money people keep throwing at us for Munchkin!" It's not like they can tell a chunk of their customer base, "OK, that's enough Munchkin for you. You guys go buy In Nomine now."

(And while I'm sure there's a need for diversification, and they're clearly working on non-Munchkin products, many of the suggested areas for diversification tend to be old games which have been out of print for years. Ever think there are reasons they're out of print?)

There's a danger when a company begins to drop all of its other products to support a flash in the pan product. For example, if SJGames ditched Ogre, GURPS, In Nomine, Zombie Dice and Cthulhu Dice to become The Munchkin Company (the way Blizzard became The World of Warcraft Company for awhile), and then Munchkin collapsed, SJGames would be screwed.

Except that's not what they're doing at all. GURPS is still fully supported, they're fighting to get Ogre 6e out, they continue to support Car Wars and In Nomine (albeit slowly) and they keep coming out with new, bite-sized games like Zombie Dice and Cthulhu Dice.

So I see no cause for concern.

My only real worry is that they're not making PoD enough of a priority. The Report suggests that Evil Stevie's just shrugging and saying "We'll get to it when we get to it." Maybe he sees something I don't, because he called the pdf market before it happened and I think that's one of the reasons e23 is as successful as it is, and SJGames isn't losing some of its PDF profits to DTRPG like other companies had to. I'm worried that he's letting DTRPG and Lulu and the like get ahead of him in this regard.

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by Mailanka

Maybe he sees something I don't

Possibly. It could be simply that likely PoD profits <<<< projected profits from doing other things, so he spends his time on other things, but let me suggest a scenario: as e-books become more widely accepted and e-readers become better and more widely available, maybe PoD will look more and more like a rear-guard action against the slow decline of mass-market books. It'll be nice to have around for the odd lots to satisfy a tiny body of print-only die-hards, but perhaps it's just a matter of time before doing your own short-run printing becomes a sub-niche business in an almost completely electronic market.

I have no idea whether or not that's true, and I certainly hope it isn't, 'cause I really like physical books, but I think it's at least plausible.

Having said that, there's a different technology I'd be amused to see them play with. I'd be very curious to see what kind of things SJ Games might turn out if they got their own 3d printer. Might not make much of a difference for real production, but given Phil's fondness for toys, I imagine they'd explore all kinds of interesting weirdness in toy-like games.

[Ts_]

Thanks for the report! It's nice to see that e23 is growing.

Regards
Ts

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by jspade

I tend to think of Kromm's Journal as the weekly report to the GURPS stakeholders.

Pretty much. GURPS is run about as transparently as it can be without endangering our business plans and IP claims. About all I could add would be a year-end report . . . which I do. Two of them, even.

Originally Posted by Mailanka

Except that's not what they're doing at all. GURPS is still fully supported, they're fighting to get Ogre 6e out, they continue to support Car Wars and In Nomine (albeit slowly) and they keep coming out with new, bite-sized games like Zombie Dice and Cthulhu Dice.

And you make Phil Reed sad when you forget about all the keen toys he has labored to have released. SJ Games has moved from "RPG and board-games publisher" to "toy and game company." As much as I wish GURPS were a bigger part of it, my love for job security and the company leaves me very happy about that transition.

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

It could be simply that likely PoD profits <<<< projected profits from doing other things

Having sat through lengthy meetings on POD, during which we were presented with actual spreadsheets from manufacturers of the machinery and did real, grown-up analyses of the figures . . . that's it in a nutshell. As far as we can tell, ROI on POD won't ever be high enough to make it a top priority. Note, however, that there's a difference between "not our top priority" and "not a priority." As a wise man recently said, it is, in fact, a priority.

[Pragmatic]

As always, I continue to be glad that SJ Games hasn't dropped GURPS. I know that, in terms of profit, they could probably make more by spending their time and resources elsewhere... and yet, they continue to produce my favorite RPG (or RPS, role-playing system...).

Thanks, guys!

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by philreed

Anyone interested in more thoughts on Steve's report may want to check this thread at BGG: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/blogpos...-millions-take

And here I thought all that place was good for was the reviews :/ ;) Thanks for that link, phil!

"Here I am, stuck with a high school diploma."