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JohnLynch
Learned Scribe
Australia
243 Posts |
 Posted - 17 Jan 2016 : 11:03:47
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Oh and a question: If Ed was to produce say ... Volo's Guide to the Moonsea (set in the 1370s DR and following on from the last ones), realistically how many of you would buy it and what would you pay? How many do you think he would sell in total? To be clear, Ed hasn't asked me to do this, but I'm curious ....
-- George Krashos
Another Volo book by Ed? I'd be willing to pay $20 for that. $9.99 is the going rate for his other Volo books. |
DM of the Realms: A blog for my Forgotten Realms adventures. |
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Caladan Brood
Senior Scribe
Norway
410 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2016 : 12:35:54
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| I'm so disappointed with all the limits on what I can't do with this. I imagined going full throttle, creating fun adventures in the Realms, but alas. Bah. |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6680 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2016 : 12:38:43
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What limits are you aware of so far Caladan, other than being restricted to using their art and the 5E rules? I can't see that there are any other restrictions at this time.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6385 Posts |
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Caladan Brood
Senior Scribe
Norway
410 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2016 : 12:58:27
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
What limits are you aware of so far Caladan, other than being restricted to using their art and the 5E rules? I can't see that there are any other restrictions at this time.
-- George Krashos
Well, my dream was to create (e)books that evoke the old AD&D books in terms of look and feel. But I can't use the old Forgotten Realms logo (it's not part of their art package, which only consists of a few maps and monster art), I can't use the fonts I'd like to use to support this idea (limited to the fonts provided), I can't design it the way I like (limited to template), I can't provide maps of the adventure's locales because they are not in the art allowed to be used, I can't reproduce flavor text from existing sourcebooks to flesh out the setting of the adventure and I can't use art from existing Realms splatbooks for a nice cover.
If I have misread the restrictions here, feel free to correct me!
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JohnLynch
Learned Scribe
Australia
243 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2016 : 13:09:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Caladan Brood
I can't use the fonts I'd like to use (limited to the fonts provided)
You're only restricted from using the fonts that WotC owns the copyright for (or has a license to use). There is nothing stopping you from using any font that you own the copyright to or have a license to use.
quote:
Originally posted by Caladan Brood
I can't design it the way I like (limited to template)
Citation needed. I've seen plenty of people not using the template provided (whether by design or due to incompetence).
quote:
Originally posted by Caladan Brood
I can't provide maps of the adventure's locales because they are not in the art allowed to be used
You are free to draw any maps of your own as far as I'm aware. Does anyone know for sure?
quote:
Originally posted by Caladan Brood
I can't reproduce flavor text from existing sourcebooks to flesh out the setting of the adventure
I believe quotes are explicitly allowed.
quote:
Originally posted by Caladan Brood
I can't use art from existing Realms splatbooks for a nice cover.
You are correct here. You need to have a license to use any artwork included in your products. |
DM of the Realms: A blog for my Forgotten Realms adventures. |
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Caladan Brood
Senior Scribe
Norway
410 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2016 : 13:20:55
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| Thank you for enlightening me. I'll probably go ahead and finish writing my adventure, then recreate maps etc (I am competent enough with Campaign Cartographer 3 which incidentally has add-ons to create maps that look like the official maps for 5th Edition, by Mike Schley ^^ ) |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36891 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2016 : 15:27:26
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Oh and a question: If Ed was to produce say ... Volo's Guide to the Moonsea (set in the 1370s DR and following on from the last ones), realistically how many of you would buy it and what would you pay? How many do you think he would sell in total? To be clear, Ed hasn't asked me to do this, but I'm curious ....
-- George Krashos
Anything from Ed is an instant, guaranteed purchase. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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perlmugp
Seeker
USA
69 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2016 : 16:06:43
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| On the DMs Guild info page it says you are allowed to make our commission your own maps or art. If anyone wants to use my maps for adventures our source books that is fine by me, just send me a message to let me know you're going to. I may even have time to make our customize areas if you ask nicely. |
--Zoomable Map of Faerun-- |
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idilippy
Senior Scribe
USA
417 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2016 : 16:15:06
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| I'd buy it in pdf for 5.99-14.99 depending on exact size, production value, etc. That's about my limit for regional sourcebooks. I'd be happy with the 9.99 price that the Volo's Guide pdfs go for on dndclassics if the book was the same size and lore value. |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
12046 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2016 : 16:47:35
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| Hmmm, see everyone's thinking about Lore they'd love to post... and truly, I'm there with you.... but I'm thinking rules that people might want to employ to make 5e work more like previous editions. Hell some of the ideas I've posted here but that I could rework to refine them ..... because everything can be refined... and best thing, I'm not looking to make money, just share ideas. A book of magic... hmmm... |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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chibi_grazzt
Acolyte
USA
11 Posts |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2016 : 20:18:32
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Oh and a question: If Ed was to produce say ... Volo's Guide to the Moonsea (set in the 1370s DR and following on from the last ones), realistically how many of you would buy it and what would you pay? How many do you think he would sell in total? To be clear, Ed hasn't asked me to do this, but I'm curious ....
-- George Krashos
I'd buy anything Ed, you, Boyd, Schend, Brian would make/sell. And I know I'm missing a few other good designers in the mix here.
I'd base pricing off the sales information that the company who runs the DM's Guild website provides. Here's a quote: "Keep your PDF prices under $20. For a deluxe core book, you might be able to get away with $24.95, $29.95, or even $34.95, but as a rule, $19.99 is the ceiling."
And here's another quote: "According to two years of sales data, in terms of expected return per title, the most successful price points are $1.00, $2.00, $2.95, $3.95, $4.99, $7.95, $10.00, $14.95, and $19.99."
source: http://oneblogshelf.blogspot.ca/2014/05/pricing-part-2.html
Now how to factor that in so word count and price makes it worth a guys time, I don't know. I'd initially be inclined to think $14.95 to $19.99 for a pure PDF product to maximize sales based on their provided sales info.
Guess time and just making numbers up here: If a new Volo's Guide is 60,000 words and aim for $.10 a word (no idea what a good rate is), we need $6,000 in sales, at $20 = 300 units. Author gets 50%, so we need 600 units sold for the $.10 a word to equal our goal of $6,000. More is better of course.
I think the killer would be artwork skyrocketing the requirement of units sold.
I have to believe a Volo's Guide would sell at least 600 units of a book. drivethrurpg.com itself gets from what I can tell anywhere from 60k to 90k people a month in traffic, I'd be honestly shocked if big name authors made less than 600 sales a year when we're looking at over a million people in traffic a year. |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2016 : 20:29:52
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I would also add, if I were selling something on the site, I'd try to take the Amazon approach. For instance, write a 200 page book, list it for $39.99 and perma mark it down to $14.95 or $19.99. Amazon has us conditioned to not want to pay full price, I know I certainly don't when we're talking novels or books anymore so I order from them instead of buying at B&N locally. Monte Cook's Numenera setting is a good example, marked at $60, sells on there on sale for $19.99 and has over 100 reviews so you know it's moving units.
I hate to sound like a weasel writing this, but the psychology behind selling things has always interested me. Well, that and I used to work for Amazon. ;) |
Edited by - Eilserus on 17 Jan 2016 20:31:37 |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2016 : 20:48:09
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quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
I'm also hoping we see all those articles submitted by ed to dragon and WoTC over the years that never saw publication (like the city series and the one on teziir). For even a few pages I would pay a fiver for an article
A sourcebook on impiltur would also be very nice George (hint hint)
Whoa, that never occurred to me. Continuing the city series from Dragon would be killer. Cities of the Realms covered like the 13 pager from Dragon #334 would be awesome. I'd pay 5 bucks a pop for those too! |
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Aureus
Learned Scribe
Luxembourg
125 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jan 2016 : 22:39:23
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I have a few questions
Can lore take the shape of (maybe not so) short stories? Because if that's the case, than collections of short stories, novellas and novels could be sold as lore books.
Also, are there any language limitations? For which countries is this specific license? (UK and Canada are still not part of the USA) |
That is not the weirdest thing that happened to me |
Edited by - Aureus on 21 Jan 2016 22:42:16 |
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CorellonsDevout
Great Reader
USA
2708 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jan 2016 : 22:51:52
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quote:
Originally posted by Aureus
I have a few questions
Can lore take the shape of (maybe not so) short stories? Because if that's the case, than collections of short stories, novellas and novels could be sold as lore books.
I would like to know this, as well. |
Sweet water and light laughter |
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moonbeast
Senior Scribe
USA
522 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2016 : 09:28:25
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quote:
Originally posted by Eilserus
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
I'm also hoping we see all those articles submitted by ed to dragon and WoTC over the years that never saw publication (like the city series and the one on teziir). For even a few pages I would pay a fiver for an article
A sourcebook on impiltur would also be very nice George (hint hint)
Whoa, that never occurred to me. Continuing the city series from Dragon would be killer. Cities of the Realms covered like the 13 pager from Dragon #334 would be awesome. I'd pay 5 bucks a pop for those too!
Is that issue worth getting (for a fair price) for the Cities article? It got my interest. Does the 13-page article cover more than a few cities in the FR? |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6680 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2016 : 13:52:53
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quote:
Originally posted by moonbeast
Is that issue worth getting (for a fair price) for the Cities article? It got my interest. Does the 13-page article cover more than a few cities in the FR?
It covers just Crimmor but at a level of detail that no FR city other than Waterdeep has enjoyed.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2016 : 14:09:58
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| It's definitely worth picking up. Highest price one on Amazon is 6.99 and that includes shipping costs. |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6680 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jan 2016 : 06:04:56
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Just got a "3 star" review from a punter at the DM's Guild for my Impiltur timeline. Clearly I need to lift my game! I love the subjectivity of our hobby: Can only imagine what the rating would have been if it had cost the individual money ...
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6385 Posts |
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Caladan Brood
Senior Scribe
Norway
410 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jan 2016 : 20:26:59
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Okay I have to ask again to make totally sure (and now that more people have had time to read stuff thoroughly):
Am I right that...
1) I can *not* use existing art from any Forgotten Realms product, for example the sigil of the Purple Dragons of Cormyr?
2) The only art I *can* use is either art I've made myself, paid someone to make, or the (for me completely useless) art provided by DMSguild.com?
3) I can *not* reproduce any setting information verbatim from any Forgotten Realms sourcebook, but I can use the information in Realms sourcebooks to write my own version of it? [I find this weird; how am I to describe, say, The Yawning Portal without it becoming very similar to what's already written about that location?)
Thanks |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6385 Posts |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jan 2016 : 21:47:25
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Just got a "3 star" review from a punter at the DM's Guild for my Impiltur timeline. Clearly I need to lift my game! I love the subjectivity of our hobby: Can only imagine what the rating would have been if it had cost the individual money ...
-- George Krashos
Heh yeah, apparently 20+ pages for free just doesn't cut it! People are weird. I seen a review a couple days ago where they praised the product and deducted stars because the PDF wasn't "prettied" up enough. |
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Cards77
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jan 2016 : 00:04:33
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Kinda sucks that Pathfinder isn't included in the DM guild. I know it's basically 3.75 but my dream is to have all the old boxed sets like Undermountain and Myth Drannor converted and updated to Pathfinder or at least 3.5.
Also I think the biggest winner in all of this will be Dark Sun. A fantastic setting that's been neglected for years. |
Edited by - Cards77 on 25 Jan 2016 00:06:04 |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
12046 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jan 2016 : 16:27:36
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| So, just wondering, has anyone seen any rulesets there that just made them go "well worth it and this is what 5e needed". I haven't read thoroughly through it, but the swordmage did catch my eye, though it sticks to lower level spells similar to an eldritch knight. I see several entries that just say X number of feats, but it doesn't tell you much about them. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
12046 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jan 2016 : 16:53:54
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| Oh, and not to discourage, but I wasn't impressed with the warmage or demonologist presentation. Also, has anyone seen any 5e prestige classes other than the rune scribe in anything official? Since looking at the work of others often kickstarts the creative process, I wanted to see some more for comparison's sake. I'm playing with some optional feats that then build on other optional feats to duplicate some old prestige classes, but some things are better completed as an actual class progression. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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ZeshinX
Learned Scribe
Canada
210 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jan 2016 : 20:16:57
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| I found the Adventurer's of Kara-Tur a pretty decent 5e update to the 1e/3e era Oriental Adventures classes, the Yokai race (hengeyokai in 1e parlance), and some weapons/armor (though it definitely leans more towards updating 1e Oriental Adventures than 3e). At $2 I feel I can recommend it. :) |
"...because despite the best advice of those who know what they are talking about, other people insist on doing the most massively stupid things."
-Galen, technomage |
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Irennan
Great Reader
Italy
3811 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jan 2016 : 20:18:55
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| There's also a really well made Maztica sourcebook there, and it's free to boot. |
Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things. |
Edited by - Irennan on 25 Jan 2016 20:19:10 |
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Holy $417, they did it.
