CEO
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Right, I don't publish a lot of products every year, but I can tell you that Paizo know who I am and what business I run, they featured my products in the beginning, but thats a while back now. I've sold some great products since that could really have benefitted from some time on the store blog.
The biggest issue on getting onto the blog is us knowing that you are doing something notable enough to be blogged. In the beginning, there were so few new products that we literally could do them all without breaking a sweat. But nowadays, there are 10 to 15 new releases a week it seems, so picking from them to blog becomes a problem.
My suggestion for you, Axel, and for any third party publisher is to send Jeff Alvarez an email when you have a new release that you think might merit a blog mention. Steve Russell sends Jeff a monthly email outlining all his new releases since the last blog. That really helps us when planning the blogs. When Coliseum Morpheum was coming out, I was given regular updates on when it was going to arrive so we could plan for it. Third party publishers can NOT expect us to notice when you do something that should be blogged. Let us know and we will do our best to get it blogged. Or at least in the weekly email. If you big release happens during one of our monthly release weeks, it is also likely to get missed as we usually have blogs planned for each of the products being released that week.
Communication will really help third party publishers. Let Jeff know so he can plan to help you out. But don't be upset if we don't notice on our own. We are really busy and rarely have a chance to explore third party products on our own.
I hope this helps!
-Lisa
Dias Ex Machina's follow up to their original letter to WotC.
Good on Vic for inviting him over to play in our world!
I have read all of the related blogs & posts here, so now I feel I can comment.
Axel, don't let your frustrations get the better of you. That is not me being snarky to you. It is me asking you to take a breath & reevaluate before making another reply. I understand what you are saying. You got your point across to this customer. By the way, I have gotten a couple of your products & have been impressed. I haven't written a review mainly because I have not had the occasion to use any of them. Still, I encourage you to keep up the good work.
To the other publishers, I buy quite a bit of your products, mainly because many of you have nice smaller products that concentrate on a narrow focus. Single classes, specific groups of feats, etc. That makes for flesshing out niche areas of a campaign very easy.
Now for a request, could somebody PLEASE break away from a purely fantasy product. Doesn't have to be purely non-fantasy, but some of us want to see more aci-fi, modern, pulp, western offerings. :) Dias Ex Machina would certainly help fill this need if (I pretty sure it is more likely WHEN) they come aboard. Other than them, I would like to see the game branch out a little bit.
I'll try! :) And thanks for understanding and keeping an open mind towards Headless Hydra Games.
And if you haven't yet checked out our free products... you can do that here!
- Axel
Now for a request, could somebody PLEASE break away from a purely fantasy product. Doesn't have to be purely non-fantasy, but some of us want to see more sci-fi, modern, pulp, western offerings. :) Dias Ex Machina would certainly help fill this need if (I pretty sure it is more likely WHEN) they come aboard. Other than them, I would like to see the game branch out a little bit.
I know one company has made an attempt, but the PRPG Compatiblity licence can make it more difficult than you think.
There is also Warlords of the Apocalypse coming from Adamant Entertainment (PDF) and in partnership with Cubicle Seven (print)
5. Compatibility
In order to make use of the compatible content, your product must operate under and rely on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. [b]Standalone game systems are in no event authorized hereunder.
So you cannot create a pathfinder sci-fi, modern, pulp, and/or western standalone game and use the compatibility logo, which is what lets you know it is a pathfinder game. So when Paizo does a sci-fi and pulp setting (I am looking at the little red planet in the sky) or something other than fantasy I will happily follow.
Until then your asking me to compete against Mutants and Masterminds, Icons, Villians and Vigialnties, and many more without the backing of the pathfinder logo.
I did purchase a copy of one that you may be talking about, Dredan maybe? That product was Travellar20 & PFRPG, and quite frankly sucked. I am not wanting a stand-alone. I own PFRPG & am quite happy to use it with a setting book for something else. Doesn't have to be a complete product, but similar to LPJ's approach of a piece a a time. Heck, there is a potential tie in to SciFi in Golarian, with the whole crashed starship thing. So it would not be a stretch to throw out a few scifi tidbits that a GM can choose to play around with. I know they won't be Golarian cannon, but what do any of you produce that is? We just want options.
As for me, I am thinking of a Wild West campaign, with magic, based on Paizo's playtest for the Gunslinger. It got my own ideas flowing along that line again. I would love to get some kind of amterial that isn't 4+ years old & based completely on another game system. Trust me, some of the stuff meant for d20 Modern or 3e (not 3.5e) may as well be an entirely different system. I will still be mining that material, because as of right now, that is all I have.
Well, if you want some superheroes material...
4 Winds Fantasy Gaming is currently at work on Deus Ex Historica, a supplement for Green Ronin's Mutants & Masterminds, 3rd edition.
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I've been very impressed with Paizo's support for 3PPs. The blog entries, Saturday emails, etc. have really brought forward some products which I would probably have missed--and subsequently not ordered through Paizo. This type of professional attitude by Paizo is one of the reasons which has led me to make them my primary online shopping place for gaming stuff.
I'll try! :) And thanks for understanding and keeping an open mind towards Headless Hydra Games.
All of this thread on 3PP has reminded me of something, something that should be flat out said; as Axel has mentioned, he's not making profits on publishing his stuff. While there's some money to be made in the RPG market as a freelance writer or small publisher, it's not great money. Most people could be making far better cash doing something else.
It is, at it's core, a labor of love. Anybody who thinks it's about the money is fooling themselves. Of course it's nice to recoup one's expenses and maybe make a profit in the long run, but I think Axel's right in not feeling beholden to it. Nor should he give away (much) for free, because if there's one thing I've learned over the years, people don't appreciate something when it's free.
For the record, I haven't bought anything from Headless Hydra - and I doubt I will, for the same reason I don't buy a lot of 3PP stuff (I only have so much $$$). But I think folks should judge his product on its merits, not Axel's PR skills.
You're not going to get rich in the RPG industry, especially not as a small 3PP. That being said, no business should plan to lose money - there should be a reasonable expectation of being able to make one's money back with an acheivable number of sales. This is especially true with PDFs, since you save the considerable cost of printing. If all you're doing is throwing money down a hole with no signs of recouping it, then something needs to be changed.
You're not going to get rich in the RPG industry, especially not as a small 3PP. That being said, no business should plan to lose money - there should be a reasonable expectation of being able to make one's money back with an acheivable number of sales. This is especially true with PDFs, since you save the considerable cost of printing. If all you're doing is throwing money down a hole with no signs of recouping it, then something needs to be changed.
Assuming that it's his business, not hot his hobby.
You're not going to get rich in the RPG industry, especially not as a small 3PP.
While you may not get rich doing PDFs you can do well. I did so well with my PDF sales, that I purchased a 2004 Honda Civic (It was new when I bought it) which was over $15,000. LPJ Design, not Louis Porter Jr., paid for the vehicle in less than 4 four years (2008). And let's not talk about the four desk top and one laptop computers I have purchased via my PDF sales. So you might not be able to retire on PDF sales, you can get a lot of good business expense "toys" with it. Next up for the business, either a iPad or a Google table. Maybe both.
Rite Publishing is my day job. Thank You Paizo.
Steve Russell
I didn't say you can't make a living - god knows that's my goal is to make a living writing for 4WFG, et al. What I said is that you aren't going to get *rich* as a small 3PP - meaning an income in the six figure range. And that's fine.
But I think folks should judge his product on its merits, not Axel's PR skills.
No thanks. Maybe I'm spoiled by Paizo always going the extra parsec to be friendly and approachable, but companies that actively discourage me from buying their stuff will not get me as a customer.
No thanks. Maybe I'm spoiled by Paizo always going the extra parsec to be friendly and approachable, but companies that actively discourage me from buying their stuff will not get me as a customer.But I think folks should judge his product on its merits, not Axel's PR skills.
Sigh. Nobody tolerates tempermental artists anymore. Except for maybe Charlie Sheen. :D
No thanks. Maybe I'm spoiled by Paizo always going the extra parsec to be friendly and approachable, but companies that actively discourage me from buying their stuff will not get me as a customer.But I think folks should judge his product on its merits, not Axel's PR skills.
Sigh. Nobody tolerates tempermental artists anymore. Except for maybe Charlie Sheen. :D
He's only tolerated because people have too much money in the various death pools (come on, October, daddy needs a new wallet, and enough money to fill it to bursting!)
He's only tolerated because people have too much money in the various death pools (come on, October, daddy needs a new wallet, and enough money to fill it to bursting!)No thanks. Maybe I'm spoiled by Paizo always going the extra parsec to be friendly and approachable, but companies that actively discourage me from buying their stuff will not get me as a customer.But I think folks should judge his product on its merits, not Axel's PR skills.
Sigh. Nobody tolerates tempermental artists anymore. Except for maybe Charlie Sheen. :D
Well, for me, it's because he's like watching a car crash in super hi-def slow motion.
Good on Vic for inviting him over to play in our world!
As the Absolute Evil grumbled in The Fifth Element, "I...will be...among you...soon..."
:)
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I wasn't going for endearing, I was simply voicing a concern of mine. If that gives me one less customer... well, so be it.
- Axel
The problem though is that you might loose more then just one customer by saying what you did and the seeming animosity that you have towards Paizo for not promoting your particular company and or goods that you produce. Paizo does not NEED to promote any other company other then their own and the fact that they do is great.
To voice your "Sour grapes" the way you did, is a double edged sword some are going to say dang that was in poor taste and not very professional so I will no longer buy their products, others might feel sorry for you and buy some because of it. Either way I think if you had said it in a more positive way instead of the way you did, you would not loose ANY customers and still get the message you wanted across. It is sad you chose the way you did.
On a brighter note, Thanks Paizo for being the company I can come back to after being disappointed by another company.