| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Markustay |
Posted - 28 May 2008 : 19:06:21
So, awhile ago, probably somewhere around Nov or Dec, the Mega-millions jackpot here was up to $150 million, and I bought a slew of tickets (as did most everyone else). When talking to people (mostly family), the usual "what would you do with the money?" subject was broached.
My answer? Offer $100 Million to Hasbro for the FR IP - ALL of it, including the novel line and anything they have worked on for the 4th edition release (meaning I WANT Ed's 50,000 words INTACT!!!)
I do NOT want D&D - they can still relese the 4th editon rules on time. Also, they'd still have almost a year to come out with some other setting for 4th, probably Eberron (remember, I was thinking about this almost six months ago). So Hasbro would most likely take up this offer for some immediate cash vs the possiblity of a failed line. It doesn't effect their D&D IP at all.
Then, I would hire Ed, Schend, George K. (and a couple of others) to 'fix it'. I wouldn't change a thing in the GHotR - that was 3rd edition, after all. That would also mean the death of Mystra and the Spellplague would still be canon (GASP!)
The Spellplague 'storms' would only last five years (most petering out in the first year), and the new setting would begin in 1385 DR... with the return of Mystra! I have dozens of ideas for that (The Simbul becoming the new Mystra?), but I would leave it for my creative team to decide - thats what they are good at, not me. I just need the Spellplague for the same reason WotC did - to 'clean-out' the old edition rules. Except for 'wild magic storms', there would be no permanent effects on most of landscape, and certainly no wierdness about 'Abeir' being a seperate world. It would pretty much be the same stuff that happened during the ToT, but extended over a 10-year period (but the worst of it in the first year).
The new setting would be everything that has gone before, and still start with a fresh slate (without having to kill everyone). Then I'd go to Paizo to publish it all... RULES FREE!!!
Yup - FR would become a 'fluff only' setting, so people could use 4e, 3ePF, or even ODD if they want. The setting would become the story, and the story the setting - mechanics be damned!
Then, I would release a periodical called Faerūn Magazine. I would like to call it Forgotten realms magazine, but thats what the setting is called, and I have seen how much confusion using Pathfinder for EVERYTHING cause Paizo (4 DIFFERENT product lines!).
The Magazine would be VERY similar to the old Almanacs of Mystara, with most everything written from a "first-person" point-of-view. Even though the title would be Faerūn, it would cover areas outside of that as well (though not as much). There could be some 'crunchy bits' in the mag (NEVER the sourcebooks), but it would be rules-neutral, so that any tables or rules could be inserted to any edition of the rules (after all, how much have HP or spells changed that much?). Suppose an article covers a broken teleportation gate - the table for how far and what direction you wind up in would be the same no matter what you used. As part of this, articles will be accepted from talented newcomers (perhaps with contests for new lore on specific subjects).
With that in mind, everyone can use the rules they want (have a field day - use GURPS, Runequest, MERP, WHRP... whatever), but the LORE would be the same for EVERY game!
There will of course be a forum (Here?) where everyone can disuss how they modified their own preferred rules to fit FR, with custom PrCs or whatever, but that would be fan-based, so the setting can still play to everyone's desires without having to any 'official' ruling (maybe even hold contests for the best "Harper PrC" or some-such, but thats as far as any 'official' involvement would go). I think FR could really shine in this sort of 'rules free' environment.
And of course, after the FRCG is released, each country (or region) will be given its own Gazeteer-like softcover sourcebook, with maps and a couple of small adventures for the region. No more large, expensive Hardcovers handling half a dozen countries - just one per book. All sourcebooks will become inexpensive downloadable PDFs six months after their intial release (hey... I need to make some money to keep this afloat).
No rules, just a constant stream of pure 'fluff', with a setting-specific magazine to support it.
Novels would also come out, but more like Eberron - technicaly they would be canon, but the stories would be 'small', so as not to effect the setting. Also, the setting would move forward at the rate of 1 year to 3 real years, so some 'novel events' may be included in the lore as the story progresses (but NO RSEs!!!)
Oh... and if it takes off, make a deal with Blizzard to make a Forgotten Realms Online game (using their WoW engine, tweaked for FR). And make it only $10 a month. 
So, thats what I would do if I won $150 million dollars (note I kept $50 mil just in case, and I didn't allow for taxes, which would be at least half).
What would you guys do? Remember to keep this FR-specific. I like my dreams of "my own island with scantily clad natives fanning me and feeding me grapes" as much as the next guy, but this is basically a thread about what you would do if you owned the FR IP.
Any suggestions? |
| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| George Krashos |
Posted - 31 May 2008 : 01:17:34
So I'm assuming you didn't win? Dang, that sounded like fun.
-- George Krashos
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| Quale |
Posted - 30 May 2008 : 16:45:31
I've heard that your federal income tax is illegal, so don't worry with that |
| Markustay |
Posted - 29 May 2008 : 18:31:18
Wouldn't they have to give most of it back at the end of the year though, after I filed a return? They take their money up-front based on your projected income at the end of the year.
At least thats how I thought the system worked. If not, then what they are doing - taking the money BEFORE your W2 is filed and keeping it regardless - is akin to stealing.
And we all know Governments don't steal.  |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 29 May 2008 : 17:33:13
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
First off, if I really won lotto, I would probably dump half of it into a charity (of my own making) - slightly for altruistic reasons, but mostly so the Federal Gov't didn't step in and take half of it back in taxes (which they always do). Making HUGE donations to charities is a wonderful 'tax shelter' (thats why big companies do it - it has nothing to do with being nice).
The government takes its cut first. The charity would be out of what was left. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 29 May 2008 : 16:00:44
Television series! Great idea! A high quality cartoon (like Avatar or FMA), or a live-action? I think Live-action would work well for a movie, but without a big budget, a TV series would be kinda cheesy (like those made-for-SciFi-Channel movies}. Terrible CGI would turn people off, not on.
@Ranak - I said this was a 'Pipedream'.
A couple of years ago, when I was more of a miniatures fanatic then an FR fanatic, I answered this question with "I'd buy my own cruise ship (used), and travel the world with a never-ending, floating Miniatures & gaming convention".
Looking back, all I can say is "What was I thinking?"
First off, if I really won lotto, I would probably dump half of it into a charity (of my own making) - slightly for altruistic reasons, but mostly so the Federal Gov't didn't step in and take half of it back in taxes (which they always do). Making HUGE donations to charities is a wonderful 'tax shelter' (thats why big companies do it - it has nothing to do with being nice).
The reality is, if I really won, I know I would 'inquire' of Hasbro how much they would want, but if it were anything more then a few million I wouldn't bother. Like I said, this was just "fantasy wish-fulfillment".
Now... what kind of charity would I form? RPGs for underprivleged kids! 
<just kidding>
I would build affordable housing for the poor, here and abroad - I'm a builder by trade, and I really love the work that Habitats for humanity does. I'd partner with Oprah for the Africa stuff, and let Jimmy Carter run the Stateside end of things - thats what I would really do with half of it.
The other half? I'd buy that island with the scantily clad natives, of course. I'm not exactly a philanthropist, ya know.
But it IS fun thinking about ways of 'saving' FR form the 'ebil corporation', and thats what this thread is really about. |
| Quale |
Posted - 29 May 2008 : 08:46:44
best advertising would be creating quality video games like BG, NWN, and Icewind Dale and creating cgi television series
I agree that books should contain lore only, who needs the rules
4e system of mechanics is awful, I would probably pay to create a new one, much more flexible |
| Ranak |
Posted - 28 May 2008 : 23:37:07
With the recent tragedies in China and Malaysia as well as the starving and homeless here in the U.S. I couldn't imagine spending that much to buy Forgotten Realms from Hasbro.
A better idea might be to seriously boycott the Realms products so it they stop making money on FR and they give it away, or sell it cheap like they did with Ravenloft.
quote:
Originally posted by BARDOBARBAROS
Yes ..that's a good use of this amount of money...I agree with your point of view.. But why paizo or mongoose do not buy the rights of FR???
Also i believe-hope that the way that wizards are acting with FR will not get the results that they want and they will leave OUR BELOVED FANTASY SETTING to someone else....
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| BARDOBARBAROS |
Posted - 28 May 2008 : 21:32:34
Yes ..that's a good use of this amount of money...I agree with your point of view.. But why paizo or mongoose do not buy the rights of FR???
Also i believe-hope that the way that wizards are acting with FR will not get the results that they want and they will leave OUR BELOVED FANTASY SETTING to someone else....
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