That's really RAD

Gnat the Beggar wrote:Is that the same re-printed map I bought from you about two years ago?
That one did not include a certificate.
Is that new just for the NKGs printings?

Yes, we signed the maps on that edition. It is the same map but because I couldn't in a practical manner find a blueprint shop here (maybe 90 miles away and overpriced) to sign the maps, I had the idea of making a certificate to ship up to Bob Jr. All of which happened in 7 days from mailing here to mailing by Bob Jr (after his signing the certs) at Decatur, because of the Mayan runners of the Belizean Express Mail service!

I don't know if you can read the bogus signatures in the middle that Bob 'signed' back in 1975: JRR Tolkien and Sauron!

1. I talked to Marc Summerlott a few weeks ago about an unusual project that I heard about. Having never seen it (so it must have been made after I left in 1978) and never been published, I shouldn't comment on it. However, I knew that he was puzzling about how to help it see the light of day and had had a brainstorm about how to make it a practical print project. So... I stand by to see if he needs me to help with it. He's very busy with a non-game project and so it could be awhile. Or soon if he's a Decatur Delegatur.

2. Meanwhile, I was wondering about inflation and had a wild hair to look up shadowstats.com which is the gold standard for calculating real inflation rather than the bizarrely cooked statistics that the government foists off (so that they can lower social security payments etc.). Taking the City State package of $9, the government says that it should go for $41 36 years later, implying that the dollar has lost about 78% of its value. But shadowstats says $161! Or 94% of its value (sounds about right).

3. This also made me realize how unrealistic publishing expectations have gotten. We offered a 1 color (with only covers in 2 colors) product of impressive dimensions (by the virgin standards of the hobby) for both map size/detail and pages of text/charts. And being first to market meant that Bob and I only needed to invest 6,800 2012 dollars ($400 in 1976) to get there.

Yet, the closest (that I'm aware of) JG successor, James Mishler's products had much higher production values, probably more words per page and I presume more consistent, plausible shtick. And though I have not studied his pricing, it probably was more in line with what the government's false statistics proposed than what it deserved. The core problem I see is that while the market was much larger, it was much more fragmented. The lines of communication (The Dragon/GenCon) did not exist or at least at moderate costs and many of those few that did hear about his offerings had impossibly-high expectations for 'value' (being product 'perfection' divided by dollars).

It would seem that he would be a good person to partner with my 1980-birthed Barony & Boodle project but I admit that the likelihood of its producing a living wage, is unknown. And so the hobby returns to commerce fueled mainly by a labor of love. And we know that you can't live on love.

4. Put another way, how many Acaeum forumites would invest even $161 (let alone $1610) in a project like this B&B to get input/recognition and gain potential for an unknown return? I'd guess optimistically a low of 19 and high of 46. And even the latter is just minimum wage for less than a half year (assuming all were published POD and needed no other capital expenditure).  

But we were pikers then, if only we had currency, then we would talking about real money in stacks up to Jack's beanstalk castle.  

Speaking of ways to spend your real money, this week only, both 1st & 2nd editions' hard cover JG history versions are 25% off at http://www.lulu.com/gamedesign ...and at http://www.lulu.com they have an coupon worth another 15% off through Friday 9/21/12... first go to the lulu home page for the coupon code which is case sensitive and may be unique to viewer.

Bill, if you could be so kind, please take a look at my post about The Judges Guild Journal issues M (June/July 77) and N (Aug/Sep 77), which each mention the new D&D Basic Set (now generally referred to as Holmes Basic) in the Jocular Judgements column on the front page:

http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/201 ... -book.html

I have a few questions for you about this:
(1) You were the editor of JGJ in mid-1977. Did you write these Jocular Judgements columns? The section below it, Shrewd Slants from a Sagacious Sage, is signed in each issue (to Bill in M, and to Maed Makiskatakor in N), but JJ is not signed and it's sort of an editorial so I thought you might have written them.

(2) Even if you didn't do you have any memories of JJ receiving the pre-publication copy of the rules?

(3) Did the new Basic Set inspire JG in any way? I'm not sure if any the JG modules from 77-80 are specifically for low level, but they did eventually release some introductory level modules for AD&D in 1981-82 (Trial by Fire, Corsairs of Tallibar, each by Mike Wilson and reviewed here on the Acaeum by Gnat the Beggar).

Thank you for the thoughtful response, Bill. I always enjoy hearing stories from back then.

As H. L. Mencken said about the people: Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.

So, no other answer for you people!

Hey Bill,

I was going to ask you an off-topic question.

Do you have any idea on what is going with McAfee and the Belize government?

Some of it reads like a spy/action novel from Fleming or Ludlum...

Best regards,
Ronald

Bill Owen wrote:Not really. I've read a bit too. He's over on the main island that most people visit (Ambergris Caye). I'm on the mainland, 75 miles inland on Guatemalan border and much more sedate and secure here.

Many of have wished for great wealth and he may be an all-too-common tale of how that might work out.

Hey Bill,

Thanks for the reply.
I guess we'll see how it plays out.

Best regards,
Ronald