"Things the Game Designer Does Not Control" Topic

(For those thinking of complaining to Mr. Game Designer about any of the following, perhaps this should be a weekly reminder…)

THINGS OVER WHICH THE GAME DESIGNER HAS NO CONTROL:

1. The currency exchange rates between your country and his.

2. The costs charged by the postal systems and delivery services in the aforementioned countries.

3. The time required by those services to deliver your game.

4. Whether or not said delivery will mangle your game en route to you.*

5. The price charged by any retailer, but particularly those in a different country from the designer.

6. Taxes assessed on the game, here, there, or anywhere.

* #4 can be mitigated by various elaborate packaging and special shipping services… but then please refer to point #2.

THINGS OVER WHICH THE GAME DESIGNER HAS MINIMAL CONTROL:

7. What happens to the book binder when you use the book.

(Some people handle books reverentially; others seem to use them for gymnastics, but in any event, the process works like this: The game designer pays thousands of rupees to the printer in some far-away place, who then produces the books and sends them back. No book arrives unless the whole batch is paid-up in full, and obviously once it's paid-up in full, the printer isn't in the mood to re-do any that have Iffy binders. So that will come out of the designer's pocket; plus the shipping to send you the replacement. SO BE GENTLE!)

8. The price of the book.

Believe it or not, there is a relatively limited formula at work here. If the game books cost, say, $7 USD each to produce, then the creator of that book can sell it to a distributor for about $14 USD each, who then sells it to retailers for about $22 USD each, who then sell it to you for $40 USD each.

You could ask the designer why his book costs $40, but that's sort of like asking the wheat farmer why a loaf of bread is four bucks in the grocery store.

What brought this on?

mjc

It made me feel better! If I can't vent on TMP, where can I?

Not that it will prevent the next email, in a few minutes, in which some guy complains that his game store in East Bongolesia is charging 78 Rupees, which he finds outrageous. (Although it apparently never occurred to him ask the game store.)

Or perhaps a reprise of the guy who wrote me yesterday to complain that the taxes in his country made the game too expensive, but if I offered a better discount, he'd reconsider. (Which I told him was irrelevant, since he wouldn't pay those taxes if he ordered directly from me in any event… which only made him complain about shipping costs.)

Uhh, if they printer sent you bad product, they should be the ones eating the cost. Not you.

[Uhh, if they printer sent you bad product, they should be the ones eating the cost. Not you.]

In a perfect world, that's how it would be.

But I don't know many printers who would do that, unless there was a massive problem with the entire order. And even then, you're negotiating from a position of weakness, since you already paid them in full and took delivery.

Not to mention that the print job is usually months in the works, and nowadays on the other side of the world. You can't just call them up and say, "Hey, I need 39 replacement copies by Friday."

Dang Sam! You changed your TMP name while I was reading this.

Try as he might, Kaiser Bill blanc mange, he cannot control how the gamer will read his rules either.

Yeah, I know I want to choose the most economical way for you to ship them to me which means they go by ox cart but why isn't your product in my hands within 2 days after you shipped them to me. I know an ox can only manage at most 30 miles a day and I live 2000 miles away from you but, I mean, come on! You shouldn't have given me the option of chosing "Ox Cart" as a means of delivery if it was going to take so long. Oh, and I object to paying so much for the rules when you're obviously making SO much money off of me that you should be giving me a discount for buying them just because I'm buying them.

I think that pretty much sums up #1 – 8.

I'm sensing some pain and anguish

Really is a totoally thankless effort to produce/write/develop rules isn't it? My hat is off to Sam, Mr. Chadwick and others who keep going through this grief constantly and yet keep putting forth more product. It isn't like they are getting wealthy doing it. On top of it, so many gamers complain about pre-released info on the rules that it must be discouraging.

Vent away Sam. Don't know how to help, but I can only imagine what you guys go through.

Erik

You forgot two:

9.) Can you send me a very detailed description of all the game mechanisms, and maybe a set of charts, for free, so I can decide if I want these?

10.) I know you spent two years producing a gorgeous full-color book loaded with diagrams, charts and eye-candy. That's certainly worth $42.95 USD But I really just want a $5 USD PDF. Oh and please redesign the book so I don't spend more than $0.28 USD in printer ink to run off my copy…

Hey Frazz:

Why is bread four bucks?

EC

Careful Extra Crispy, I am sure I heard him muttering something about a better Mousetrap…

[Why is bread four bucks?]

Frack if I know. Shouldn't you be complaining to the genetic engineers who designed the wheat?

All of the above in the initial post.
1. After it is sold the designer cannot prevent homegrown rule modificationwhich may change how the system plays.
2. Designer cannot help if the loser lost because he was using tactics not suitable for the era being gamed. i have seen people using Vietnam tactics for WW2 and Napoleonic tacics during a colonial game.

11.) Can you ship the game to me labeled as a "GIFT" so I don't have to pay the duty/taxes?

I get this one once a month.

E.H.

@E.H.:

List it as a gift with a value of $11,000. Let God and the Customs Service sort 'em out. Mark the box in big red letters INCREDIBLY VALUABLE AND FRAGILE!

Hey Frazz?…Your bread is four bucks???..where the heck are you getting it from Trader Joes???…I get mine from Kroger for 1.34 a loaf, usually…

Not that it will prevent the next email, in a few minutes, in which some guy complains that his game store in East Bongolesia is charging 78 Rupees, which he finds outrageous. (Although it apparently never occurred to him ask the game store.)

Ha! Shows how much YOU know Sam!!! EVERYBODY knows that Bongolesia doesn't deal in Rupees! The official Currency is "The Bling-Bling"…
*sigh* I guess I gotta print some off and send them to you, so you won't have to go through this "I paid so many rupees at the store in Bongolesia" complaint again…

You're misinformed. There's been another coup d'état. Anybody holding bling-blings by midnight tonight will be arrested. The Rupee is back.

Sorry…the coup was suddenly overthrown by another coup…something about a coup coup kachoo…not sure what that meant…and the bling-bling is back on top…for now…we think….more to follow when the shooting stops…

I'll better hold tight to my bling-blings then – I am quite positive that this latest coup will strengthen the value of this most Bongolesian currency.

BTW: is it true that the bling-blings are made of used AK-47 cartridges that are pressed to a new shape?

"I get mine from Kroger for 1.34 a loaf"

Ah, "bread", the staff of genetically modified life…