Re: Issaries Announcment-Price Tag Too High?

From: Mark Galeotti <hia15_at_...>
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2001 14:54:23 -0000

> since none of them will arrive in time, as were none of the
previous!
> And I doubt that all books will appear with the size/title/etc...
as announced.

Maybe, but I wouldn't bee *too* cynical - one release a month is a pretty punishing schedule for such a small outfit as Issaries, but I dont think it's been done lightly. I understand that the first Orlanthi adventures book is at a very advanced stage; much of the necessary re-writing for HW2 has been done and is being completed; the Hero's Book manuscript was in ages ago, but was necessarily held up by the need to wait until rules changes for HW2 had been finalised (imagine the howls of protest if rules issued in December had been superceded in February!); and the first ILH has been read by Greg and the ms. is being tweaked and revised in the light of his comments. I think the first draft of Promise of Thunder has been submitted, but can't remember for sure. Either way, much of the creative side has been done.

Of course, there is the cash flow side of producing such a stream of product. Which is why we have to go and buy them, join the GTA, get our friends playing HW, etc ;-)

This is a very ambitious programme, and sure there may be slippage here and change there - but I do think there is a firm foundation for it.

> and I share the dissappointment about the re-schedule of
> the "lunar" book. would have been nice to get a red x-mas =)

Well, exactly...though I may be a tad biased! But Alex makes an important point that putting together a really top-class assembly of material on the Orlanthi is a priority - we have background, cults, etc, but the scenario books will make it far more playable and - especially important - appealing to those new (or newish) to Glorantha.

> more important to me is the [IMO] high price tag of all the
> supplements. I'll pay my 18 bucks for a good, well-bound novel, but
I doubt that 15$ is ok for 72 pages. A quick glance over the gaming
> market will reveal that there are lots of rpg supplements for less
> money...

Sure - big battalions. WotC can afford huge print runs, etc and has so many different lines that it can wait for profits. Issaries can't.

> YES, I will buy them anyway, and hate myself for
> this!

Don't hate yourself! Look, there is only one Glorantha, so in many ways comparisons are meaningless. Trust me, Greg is not getting rich on the back of Issaries, and last time I heard, Steve hadn't yet been assigned a company jet...

Mark

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