mbassoc2003 wrote:This is one product that stands a chance of polishing up really well and making a successful entry into the market. An experienced publisher could be useful in making that leap. Black Blade for example.

Good luck with Mad Mage. It has the potential to be one of the most saleable small press products to be launced to date. They need to be careful not to F it up.

I'd be on the list for a printed copy of WG13 Mad Mage that's for sure!

Keith the Thief wrote:A post above mentioned Warhammer.

Warhammer is an older game system, right?
Does it pre-date the 3E/OGL era?

Thanks!

Yes...it pre-dates D20.  

A new edition of Warhammer Fantasy Role-Playing has been published since the D20 surge.

Also, it is important to distinguish between Warhammer the miniatures game and Warhammer the RPG.  The miniatures game is much older and much more successful than the RPG.

I just finished reading the boxed set, Night Below, and I really liked it.  It would take forever to run, but it's a great read if nothing else.  I have not read enough of the nominated campaigns to register a significant opinion, but I can say that I think this adventure line is better than Gygax's classic G1-3, D1-3 Q1.  I like them both, and Gygax's contribution is amazing in that his was written before most all the other nominees and had much less reference material.  I won't go into all the reasons why as that's a subject which could essentially hijack this thread, however, I wanted to share one quote from Night Below which I found amusing.  This is found on page 24 of book 3.

A small group of myconids is fighting a losing battle in another cave complex against a crazed, exiled Drow male, Otyl Erys, who suffers from the delusion that he is a minor god of fungus.

At first I thought it was just funny, but then I wondered if Carl Sargent, or somebody else on the editorial board, had some bad history with Erol Otus.  Anybody else know something or had that thought?  

serleran wrote:Another one worth mentioning as massive:

The World of Synnibar.

Evidence that size does not equal good.

mbassoc2003 wrote:[Castle of the Mad Archmage] is one product that stands a chance of polishing up really well and making a successful entry into the market. An experienced publisher could be useful in making that leap. Black Blade for example.

Thanks for the kinds words, Ian

mbassoc2003 wrote:Another such product line is Pinnell's Giant series; it needs a fair amount of polish, but the structure and writing are sound, the pace is balanced, and it has the same link back to D&D heretige. Admittedly, a megadungeon is more saleable than an quest, but as quests go, it's better than a lot of the regular bread and butter work that some publishers push through the door. Certainly better in writing quality than some of the linked adventure chains put out through GG.

Hmmm, I haven't checked those out in detail, I guess I'll have to do so.  Thanks for the pointer.

mbassoc2003 wrote:A publisher like Black Blade could pick up this line, give it a brief edit, bring in a good BW artist (Bradley might be the best in the industry ATM), add interior artwork, professional maps and a colour cover, and you have a strong seller that will last and not fade away (like most of GG's products do).

Thanks again for thinking of us on this project, too, Ian.  We have several (often "too many" projects/irons in the fire), but things should be starting to look up soon on our production schedule.  

mbassoc2003 wrote:One thing RJK does 'get' that so many other products that are marketted to the 1E marketplace do not get, is that the final polish to the cover is king. RJK's modules deliver greater buyer satisfaction on avount of the final overall feel. And they promise this upfront on acount of displaying the quality in the cover.

A good point.  But, the proof is in the pudding, too:  even great covers can't make up for lackluster or simply average content.

grodog wrote:

mbassoc2003 wrote:Another such product line is Pinnell's Giant series; it needs a fair amount of polish, but the structure and writing are sound, the pace is balanced, and it has the same link back to D&D heretige. Admittedly, a megadungeon is more saleable than an quest, but as quests go, it's better than a lot of the regular bread and butter work that some publishers push through the door. Certainly better in writing quality than some of the linked adventure chains put out through GG.

 
Hmmm, I haven't checked those out in detail, I guess I'll have to do so.  Thanks for the pointer.

Well worth a look.
Thork' is a very beligerant fellow, but its more likely a reaction to my abbrasive nature and views of how simple it is to get quality to market. My criticisms of his marketing and presentation through Lulu do not detract from the quality and playability of what he's putting out. They are adaptable for most systems, well paced, and a good professional polish bundling the three or four further 'Giant Series' modules could make a good solid product.

From a purely marketting/business point of view, it's not as much of a coup as being the publisher to get the chance to polish and present Mad Archmage. Mad Archmage is a megadungeon, and those always sell better to the old sckool player. But take a look at them. I think Thorkhammer (or something like that) is a member here aswell, so PM him.

Sad to see (mentioned in another thread) I'm not the only one that's seen the downfall of GG.

We need to catch up. I'll need to put together an e-mail sometime this week.

faro wrote:Anyhow, I gotta get a post in on a thread with both The World of Synnibar and WLD (which would've been as logical a setting/scenario IMO if they'd just photocopied all the MM entries, randomly multiplied their numbers, arranged those in ascending EL and presented that to the would-be adventurers to roll dice against without further explanation).

LOL - Did I miss the cool kids?  Is that what they've been saying?  

The World's Largest Dungeon is a lot better than that.  

It's an interesting product supported by an intricate and fun map set.  A lot of the room descriptions are good ideas and there are NPC badguys worth killing all over the dungeon.

I know of groups that have discussed commiting to running through the entire WLD.  Don't know any that have tried it.  A campaign limited to a single dungeon would not be my preference...but to say you did it....