"Looking for War game rules writers...." Topic
19 Posts
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Kyn ell | 06 May 2017 4:34 a.m. PST |
Hello! I'm looking into expanding my PDF publishing into more wargaming material/rules etc, so I'm looking for aspiring Rules writers who may have any wargame rulesets they want to publish and get started in the self publishing mallarkey. There's no payment up front, and each prospective title will be based on a 50/50 Authour/publisher profit split. I'll consider any thing, with focus on the smaller, self contained sets over massive tomes, but must be your own work. I'll help out with everything else your ruleset might need to get it to a finished product to release, so if that sounds like a thing that might interest you, get in touch at grimacereaper73(at)gmail.com. and we can discuss your ideas. Thanks! |
IUsedToBeSomeone | 06 May 2017 12:53 p.m. PST |
I think you need to put more details of what you can offer on a publishing deal over simply publishing on wargames vault by ourselves. What titles have you published, what is your company, etc ? Mike |
Frank Wang | 06 May 2017 6:45 p.m. PST |
why 50/50? why not wargames vault? |
bruntonboy | 07 May 2017 2:00 a.m. PST |
Fifty percent? I wouldn't want to be writing a book and then give half the income just for hosting on PDF site. I could probably do that myself. Maybe 80/20 would be sensible, even then only to save my own effort. |
Weasel | 07 May 2017 8:33 a.m. PST |
If he helps with layout and such, a 50 50 split seems pretty fair |
Kyn ell | 07 May 2017 9:04 a.m. PST |
Let me explain. I'm looking for writers who may need help getting their rules to market, but may lack time/skills/layout/art/etc to create the final PDF product. I publish gaming material on both Wargame Vault, RPGnow and so on, and don't expect anyone to just give me their rules PDF finished so i can take a 50% cut for nothing. I help any author I work with, with Art, graphics, layout, editing, advertising, promotion and so on, so why is a 50/50 final profit split unfair? Authors I work with don't need to do anything usually other than just write, I do as much as I can to get a final PDF product to point of sale. If you havve a ruleset in PDF form,then by all means, publish it yourself on Wargames Vault, I am looking for rules writers/designers who are looking to collab, rather than me usurp their work. Whatever gave you that idea in the first place? Aspiring was meant those who aspire to become writers, I work for my cut, I assure you. Rule sets and so on, aren't my specialty, even so given time, I know i'd be able to write something ok, time says I can get a ton of other publications made in the same time, so concentrate on that instead. I was not asking for experts or veterans of the subject, just those who are looking for a easier way to getting their ideas made into something they might get some recognition and hopefully some cash too. My Wargame Vault page here: wargamevault.com/browse/pub/8807/Grinning-Skull-Studioslink and RPGnow here for RPG stuff: rpgnow.com/browse/pub/8807/Grinning-Skull-StudiossubheadingIUsedToBeSomeone | 07 May 2017 10:01 a.m. PST |
That helps – I think that you needed to explain who you were and what else you had published to give people an idea of the type of thing you offer and the quality of the product you produce… Mike |
Ottoathome | 07 May 2017 12:35 p.m. PST |
So let me ask this. You publish a PDF. Can some one who buys a PDF from you pass it on to someone else? |
Frank Wang | 07 May 2017 6:59 p.m. PST |
ok i understand. the writer provides the texts and you help doing the typeset job and craft a pdf file, right? frankly i still don't think this gonna work.communication is a great problem |
Kyn ell | 08 May 2017 6:49 a.m. PST |
Ottoathome: So your suggesting software/product piracy? Frank Wang: I stay in contact with all my writers and have had no problems with communicating yet. It works with them, but thanks for your concern. |
Anthropicus | 09 May 2017 7:10 a.m. PST |
I'm surprised to hear so much skepticism of a standard way of producing work online. |
vexillia | 09 May 2017 9:02 a.m. PST |
I think you need to put more details of what you can offer on a publishing deal over simply publishing on wargames vault by ourselves. Like this perhaps – link -- Martin Stephenson Vexillia: Wargames Miniatures & Accessories Shop | Rules & Games | Twitter |
Ottoathome | 09 May 2017 1:23 p.m. PST |
Dear Kyn El Precisely. I don't see how you prevent it. As for the general idea, My wife is a newspaper editor and I am a graphic artists and have all the software needed for photos, drawings, maps etc, which I already put into my rules. )Corel Draw, photoshop, etc My question is whenever I do anything electronically, how do I get paid, and how do I know you have sold 10 copies and not 100. How do I know that the copy you sell to Joe Yabatz won't be copied by him and sent out for free to his fifty or so war game buddies. |
Frank Wang | 11 May 2017 1:43 a.m. PST |
Ottoathome: that problem always exsits. I even saw some of the chinese download playmat file from wargames vault and sell them. seems no one can stop them |
Anthropicus | 11 May 2017 9:40 a.m. PST |
It's true. The question isn't "will people pirate it," it's "will it sell more if I offer a PDF?" |
Weasel | 11 May 2017 12:10 p.m. PST |
print books get pirated too. It sucks but that's the world we live in. The people who want to support you will do so. If you make a fun game that people can identify with, you can make a nice part time living. |
Ottoathome | 11 May 2017 1:47 p.m. PST |
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Russ Lockwood | 11 May 2017 6:50 p.m. PST |
As I understand it, unless the electronic file has some sort of digital rights management (DRM), then it can be sent/forwarded, etc without a problem just like any other file. A PDF is just like any other file. DRM can be done by individuals and publishers, of course, as several companies offer DRM services, but as explained to me, it is a multi-step operation that requires some effort on the part of the buyer -- not to mention extra cost to the publisher. If you're doing the next Harry Potter book, likely worth it. If you're selling a thousand copies of something, not so much. That said, I understand you can include some blocks on files to keep people from changing or copying portions of them, or altering them if portions are copied and pasted. I ran into some of this with MagWeb, but nothing that couldn't be overcome. To be clear, there are many services that sell perfectly legitimate electronic versions of an author's work. Other services also sell pirated copies of well-known products. What irks some ripped off authors is that it takes making multiple complaints for the offending file to be removed, and even then, it pops up soon thereafter. Automated computer processes don't care and since the service makes money off of any copy it sells, they have little inclination to do anything else that respond to taking something down. One would think after a couple efforts, some lines of coding checking a newly uploaded file against a complaint database would solve the problem, but without a significant deterrent -- like a legal bill and settlement -- that's unlikely to change. Anyone with a scanner and some time can scan any printed document, convert to PDF, and post. Depending on where the host server is located, the country may not have the equivalent of US and EU copyright laws. Amazingly, it goes farther than that. A couple weeks ago, I was clued into a computer game on Steam that replicated Arty Conliffe's Crossfire. Indeed, the description said it was Arty's game in computer form. Now, at the time, Arty didn't sign any agreements allowing his name and Crossfire name to be used, nor was he receiving any royalties from any sales. I expect he lodged a complaint as he has done in the past on other services with PDF versions of his pirated rules, but legal Intellectual Property enforcement takes more time, money, and effort than even a best-selling rules author such as Arty can do. I spoke to a book publisher (does something like 100 titles a year) the other month about PDFs, sales, and piracy. The publisher noted about 10% of sales came from PDFs and the company does not do DRM -- again, too clumsy and too expensive. I personally like my rules in paper form, but that's me. PDF certainly can be more cost effective and more portable and probably triggers more spur of the moment purchases than paper purchases. From a publisher and author standpoint, you have to weigh the "extra sales" versus the "piracy sales." |
Ottoathome | 12 May 2017 9:06 a.m. PST |
Dear Russ That's about what I discovered I've found that the best defense is to rely on the sloth, stupidity and incredible cheapness of gamers to protect property. |
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