| From: | Matt Breton mrbreton@*******.com |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Heya |
| Date: | Thu, 24 Feb 2000 14:52:03 PST |
>are revisions for the majority of us, FASA still has to >make the product
>understandable for newcomers as well.
Good point. But let me make a couple of background points as well.
Some books -- I'm thinking primarily of the gunchart from FoF -- are what I
call "bad rehash" -- they've got the stats, but little else from the
original source. In some ways, this is actually a VERY bad thing, since a
particular weapon might have a feature that goes unmentioned on the charts.
(Like whether or not it came with laser sights or a built-in smartlink.
Good stuff to know!)
The chart of additional gear in the back of SR2 also fell into this
category. Tucked away in back, it looked like a last-minute addition, --
why was it included there, rather than with the rest of the gear? -- and
didn't display the material in a very supportive light.
Then there's what I call "good re-hash", which really isn't re-hash at all,
but adds new dimension or insight into something previously described.
M&M's new rules for Biotech fall into this category. Suddenly it's worth
going over all the material again.
Seattle 2 had the opportunity to be good re-hash, but doesn't, to my mind,
make the cut.
Not being an insider, I have no idea how successful the Cannon Companion
will be at good re-hashing previously released material. I gotta admit,
even the FIRST time I read about the Sandler TMP, I yawned mightily.
>So how much in guaranteed sales do you guys and gals think it would >take
>to convince FASA to produce the Corp War expansion? I know it's >probably
>more than we could ever guarantee, but just out of >curiosity, let's get
>some guesses going. <g>
Quarter million dollars, in net retail sales. At three dollars a pack,
that's eighty thousand boosters.)
Assuming a cost breakdown similar to traditional publishing, half goes to
the retailer, another thirty percent to overhead -- printing, advertising,
distributing, returns and such. A wee, wee amount for the author. That's
still a good profit.
Imagining that the market is strong enough to support the sales (and
forgiving enough toward the product), commiting people to support the game,
and being willing enough to lay out the capital; those are the real
stumbling blocks.
FASA was pretty wise by doubling up on expenditures: card art slated for
SRTCG came from existing game material, and, in CW's case, was used in later
releases. (Or perhaps, as Joel Biske explained about First Run, it was
merely that the RPG product was released first.)
It would be fun to see the game continued. Corp War might've made a fun
addition to the game. How many people have seen the playtest version of CW?
(Or maybe I should ask, how many haven't?)
- Matt
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