I have to agree with Killjoy. I'm not a PDF guy and never will be. I downloaded the first few that were offered to subscribers but soon lost interest after the many delays and excuses concerning the print products. I expected a lot more in 2 years for my hefty subscription price.

Can you please clarify which print products actually made it to subscribers. I could be wrong but I don't remember getting the Rhadamanthia Continental Map in the mail and I haven't bothered to get my subscriber copy of Monsters & Treasure of the Wilderlands 1 yet.

Thanks,
Phaedran

Phaedran wrote:I have to agree with Killjoy. I'm not a PDF guy and never will be. I downloaded the first few that were offered to subscribers but soon lost interest after the many delays and excuses concerning the print products. I expected a lot more in 2 years for my hefty subscription price.

Can you please clarify which print products actually made it to subscribers. I could be wrong but I don't remember getting the Rhadamanthia Continental Map in the mail and I haven't bothered to get my subscriber copy of Monsters & Treasure of the Wilderlands 1 yet.

Thanks,
Phaedran

i only ever received the very first package. whatever was in that....its boxed away just now with moving, so i will have to check its contents....

not good then!

jamesmishler wrote:Unfortunately, the sales of the print version of Monsters & Treasures of the Wilderlands 1 have been terrible. No, not terrible… monstrously terrible. I have, to date, sold 12 copies… and that includes those copies bought by subscribers using their page credit! Twelve… yes, merely twelve copies.

Perhaps the poor sales of the printed Monsters & Treasures of the Wilderlands 1 has less to do with the fact that it is printed that it has to do with the content.  Since you did not give numbers for the PDF sales, my comment may be baseless.  My primary reason for supporting AGP has been its role as the torch bearer for the Wilderlands.  Frankly, I found the Wilderlands portion of the title to be an after thought.  With a few minor changes it could easily have been called Monsters & Treasures of the <insert your setting here> 1.

Unlike many posters, I find PDF useful.  Oddly perhaps, I like the format for items that I am unsure I will like/use and I like the format for items I am sure that I will use a lot.  The former because they are cheaper and don't take up space, the latter because I want to preserve the original, it is search-able and I can cut and paste for my own uses.

Unfortunately, I find AGP taking a direction that I am less and less interested in.  The first few products were right up my alley.  Later releases have more or less moved away from my interest.  The announced items that I looked forward to the most have languished; Campaign Installment #1: Player's Guide to the Southern Reaches, Judge's Southern Reaches Gazetteer, Guide to the Mystic Wilderlands and Valley of the Dead Queens.

While I appreciate the free PDFs that you have provided to subscribers, most have not interested me.  I am seriously rethinking the status of my subscription.  I understand that you must do what you think best, but so must I.  Good luck.  I hope that your creative bent and my gaming desires will cross in your future publications.  I'll wait and see.

mbassoc2003 wrote:On the flip side, James, I have paid full whack for each and every PDF that you've put out through RPGNow. Maybe tying the physical copy business to the PDF business directly is not a good idea.

Well, that part is only for the existing, remaining subscribers... and as I am not taking on new subscribers (not now, not ever), that's not really an issue. It's really just a way to help make up for all the delays to those who have already paid for product that has not been delivered...

Physical copies - Have you thought about speaking directly to the likes of Aaron Leader and asking if they'll take a bulk lot of 50 copies at a discounted price without having to go through the distribution chain?

I've considered that, and even have a standing offer to retailers for a decent direct rate, but the problem is that I cannot offer credit on such large purchases... especially in the current economic situation. And few retailers pay cash on the barrelhead for small publisher products...

Keep up the good work.

Thanks!

mbassoc2003 wrote:I'd be interested to know how many physical copies are sold vs. how many PDFs are sold through the online PDF outlet.

Well, in the case of M&TW1, about a 10 to 1 ratio... favoring PDF sales, of course. The ratio is much lower for the PDF of AGJ #1... but then, I sold far more physical copies of AGJ #1, which was available in print before the PDF was released, so more people bought the print version.

This is why going forward, PDFs of print-release products will be released no sooner than a month after the print product releases.

So yes, to further muddy the waters, we have going forward three forms of publications:

1) Print products that later will see PDF releases;

2) PDF products that will later definitely be combined in Print form (i.e., the "100" series products and the Valley of the Dead Queens product)

3) PDF products that will likely never be seen in physical Print, or perhaps at best incorporated into a larger compilation in some minor fashion (such as the Martial Artist class or the Barbarian class).

The main reason for this is the current state of flux in publishing. I need to still serve both the Print and PDF fan base, and both have very different needs and purchasing habits. Print buyers want a full book with everything, all at once; PDF buyers generally like small bits that they can buy as they go, and buy the parts they want as they go.

If I try to satisfy one market at the cost of the other, I fail totally, regardless of which market I choose, as neither market is big enough to continue to support my labors completely. And so the ugly, indelicate balancing act continues...

Sorry to hear about the setbacks, James.   Just wanted to give you a voice of support.   I love your (printed) maps and Wilderlands material, but have no grudge against the PDFs.   Whatever you do, hang in there!

I have a question.
How many different MAPS are there now, and how many can be purchased as physical copies?

Thanks.
I was aware of all but the new map, and was hoping they were available in print.

Can the PDF maps be printed on our printers and if so how large could they be?
Forgive me if that is a stupid question.
I had read that some PDFs have a software lock which renders them useless for printing.

...Rhadamanthia and Western Karak maps will be available for sale when the Valley of the Immortals book goes out to the subscribers...

As a non-subscriber should I assume I am outa luck for obtaining a copy of that book?

Adventure Games Publishing presents the first in a series of new monsters for the Castles & Crusades Castle Keeper to populate his dungeons and wilderness. Each installment of the Monstrous Menaces series presents three new monsters for a mere dollar, eminently affordable in today's economy.

The first installment, Monstrous Menaces #1: Gharlidh, Grulnosc, and Rocktopus, presents the Castle Keeper with a 4 HD Monstrous Humanoid, a 6 HD Aberration, and a 1 to 16 HD Magical Beast. Each entry includes complete listings for the monster's description, organization, ecology, treasure, range, and special abilities.

Gharlidh
Gharlidhs are a horrific subterranean humanoid race purportedly bred by an evil underground overlord. They feature characteristics of humans, goblins, and orcs, but only vaguely, for most of their five to seven-foot tall body is covered by bony growth from the top of their thick skull to tips of their clawed toes. Their head is misshapen, as they have neither eyes nor nose, and so the skull slopes unnaturally; their ears however are huge, hairy, and pointed. Their mouth is huge, and filled with many sharp fangs.

Grulnosc
Grulnoscs look much like a giant snail with an extremely thick, stone-like shell, save that it stands six to eight feet tall at the top of its shell. Upon closer examination, however, the slimy flesh of the creature is revealed to be utterly different in nature from that of normal snails, or any other known living creature, and the shell is of solid rock, latticed with metals and perhaps even gems; the seven eye stalks with very human-like eyes that it projects from its "head" also indicate to those steeped in animal lore that this is not a natural creature, or even a giant-sized version of such.

Rocktopus
At some dark point in the history of the world, oceanic octopi were magically mutated such that they took to life on dry land, albeit preferably in wet subterranean locations, though these creatures can survive quite well aboveground in tropical locations such as rain forests, jungles, swamps, and marshes; anywhere, really, provided there is a large and deep pool of water for spawning. Full-grown rocktopi are nine to 16 feet long (one foot per hit die), with eight long tentacles of many suckers, a large bulbous body, two large eyes, and a razor-sharp beak.

Monstrous Menaces #1: Gharlidh, Grulnosc, and Rocktopus
By James Mishler
AGP06001, 8-page PDF, $1.00 MSRP

Buy it now on DriveThruRPG

Note: if you are an Adventure Games Journal Subscriber, you should have a Complementary Coupon in your e-mail already (or shortly). If, as happens, your coupon got caught by anti-Spam systems, let me know and I'll send you another coupon directly.

Also, you should have another e-mail with a coupon for a complimentary copy of the PDF of Adventure Games Journal #1... sigh. That was an accident, but please do enjoy!