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So i have seen quite a few threads recently about people trying to create rules or systems, it got me thinking about something i read in WSS recently.

It was an article by Richard Clarke of TooFatLardies fame (if one can call it fame) who was talking about the prohibitive cost of publishing rules these days. Excepting that the days of home printing and binding have pretty much ended and that a product has to be full color to compete much the time, and that a run of a couple of thousand would run into £15,000 to £20,000 worth of costs. That is rather a lot to gamble for someone starting up.

Anyhow though the article is rather interesting in its entirety the long and short of it is that the TooFatLardies are planning to run an initiative to in their own words 'encourage new rule writing talent and discourage stagnation'. They will be able to do this via several steps...

1) Authors will be assisted through development and given access to a pool of thousands to play test (probably most important bit)

2) TFL would help with marketing and give access to an already established client base

3) They would then publish the rules in which ever was a appropriate format, probably PDF priced to to get maximum exposure, they are also only looking for a nominal sum from each sale so most money would go to the author

4) TFL provides the author with a ready made internet shop in which to sell rules paying royalties each month


Now personally i thought this was rather exciting, having more systems can only benefit the hobby and while TFL tend to concern themselves with all things historical i am sure they would not be opposed to any well made sci fi or fantasy rule set.

Maybe something for all those trying to do this, the access to a large pool for play testing would probably be the most useful thing in refining the rule set.

Anyhow... though it would be of interest to some

Interested. Very very interested.

Publishing a rulebook is actually fairly cheap, you can do it on Lulu for about £2.50 a copy if you avoid the expensive specs like colour. A more expensive colour production could be funded by a Kickstarter.

Alternatively, publish as a PDF.

The important point is access to the established Lardies customers for testing, marketing and so on.

I heard about this on Meeples & Miniatures. In fact, I think it was on exactly the same episode that Neil interviewed me about MechaWar and Minicon.

I would have been interested six months ago, but I'm now set up with One Pound Wargames, we have two games published with a third nearly ready to go and number four solidly into development. If anyone else were to published MechaWar, they'd want a lot more than £1 a copy, which more rather undermines both the Precinct Omega philosophy and our USP.

I applaud the Lardies' effort, and an sure they will be inundated with worthy submissions, but the boat has sailed as far as Precinct Omega is concerned.

R.

Alternatively, you could always make your rules and give them away for free. Not everyhting NEEDS to make money.

I make rules because I like to make rules. I don't really do it for anyone else but myself. If other people want to try them and play them, then so be it.

However, I like that they are trying to build their bench of talent.

@precintomega,

I bought your Mech and Air games, though I haven't played them yet, and it was partly the price that attracted me.

Being a real old lag I am perfectly happy with quite simple productions like the old WRG rulebooks and Laserburn, etc, many of which I still have on my shelves with price stickers like £1.95 dating back to the early 1980s. I mean A5, B&W, softcover books which can easily be carried around and don't mind if they get coffee spilled on.

If TFL can really deliver a good audience for a game and a base of playtesters (I have my doubts, but it would be nice) then there could be some real benefits.

This sounds like a codified version of what companies like Ganesha games and Two Hour Wargames are doing in partnering with authors and miniature companies to bring new rules sets to market and using their own webstores, rules engines and web groups to support those products.

Companies like Ganesha games have been doing this quite successfully. They have a Wargames Vault presence, limited print runs through Lulu and others, their own website and (except for a small slices to WG and Lulu) they have no real middlemen.

Still, I'll be curious to see how this works. I have my doubts but it could be a good thing, helping folks who have innovative rules, but no publishing experience bring a product to market.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
Publishing a rulebook is actually fairly cheap, you can do it on Lulu for about £2.50 a copy if you avoid the expensive specs like colour. A more expensive colour production could be funded by a Kickstarter.

Alternatively, publish as a PDF.

The important point is access to the established Lardies customers for testing, marketing and so on.

Lulu is a valid choice, but I would also cite Blurb as a valid choice for limited production runs, as it actually comes with an inbuilt editor, but is a lot more costly.

@Kilkrazy - you are clearly a man of rare discernment.

R.