Book Sizes

[B_Steele]

...and it has only been DBC and Voriof enthusiasm for t they're writing that has kept me interested enough to purchase further products.

*grabs his Glorantha party hat and his fireworks*

Guess I have to step it up a notch to make it onto the list of folks who care nowadays, huh?

Bry

 

[Dead Blue Clown]

I don't think anyone has questioned the work being done by you or any of the other authors (or developers). It is what the higher ups do.

Well, I trust the guys above me not to mangle anything I do, just as they trust me to give them good enough stuff to read through.

The spell rule changes to Cults are, I expect, probably a one-off thing based on the rules getting changed around while it was being written.

 

[Exubae]

Guess I have to step it up a notch to make it onto the list of folks who care nowadays, huh?

Apologies, for missing you off... you've been a bit quiet of late... :wink:

Is there plans in the pipeline for erata to fix stuff?

I just want a working system, after investing more than a little capital in the game... even a little erata would help...

 

[Rurik]

...and it has only been DBC and Voriof enthusiasm for t they're writing that has kept me interested enough to purchase further products.

*grabs his Glorantha party hat and his fireworks*

Guess I have to step it up a notch to make it onto the list of folks who care nowadays, huh?

Bry

Dude, you have to bribe your way onto that list. You think you get there by blood and sweat or something silly like that?

Sheesh. Some people.

 

[JonGeere]

We are currently looking at building our own printing facility within the next few months. If that works (and I will know within the next couple of weeks whether it is a serious goer), then the effect will be huge on the company. We will no longer be tied to the arcane price calculations regular printers use that lead you by the nose to certain page counts (such as where a 152 page book costs more than a 160 pager - a minor example, the swings can be huge).

It will also allow us to produce larger books while still hitting the same price points we do now, simply because we are cutting the printing house out of the loop. We will also be able to invest in very large (400+ pages) books without having to worry about selling 3,000+ in the first month to reclaim costs, as the majority of the investment in each book swings away from printing to content. That becomes a very interesting dynamic.

In short, we all play the hand we are dealt and, with traditional publishing methods and the current market, this is where we are at. With our own printing facility, we get to reshuffle the deck and palm a few kings. 2007 is going to be a very interesting year. . .

If this comes off then it is brilliant news. Being in a position to direct monies to the content and not being a slave to an externally set page count is very heartening news. Fingers crossed.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I guess most people are happy with products like CoG1. Great cover art, colour interior, quality paper, good writing are a number of excellent aspects. It also makes the daft errors more annoying.

 

[duncan_disorderly]

The reason I produce short products is because they're the most profitable format for me. If my sales were, on average, higher, I would be more willing to try larger products. As it is, though, I have to make the best use of my time.

Which makes perfect sense - but of course your products (at least the PDF's) are not 96 page hardbacked books, so the size isn't such an issue (I don't feel, rightly or wrongly that a large chunk of my money has been spent on the thick card cover tather than the contents

 

[philreed]

Which makes perfect sense - but of course your products (at least the PDF's) are not 96 page hardbacked books, so the size isn't such an issue (I don't feel, rightly or wrongly that a large chunk of my money has been spent on the thick card cover tather than the contents

Well, my next RQ product is a 96-page hardback. I'm hoping the fact that it's a city, 30 NPCs, and 30 encounters (one for each NPC) will make it something people want. And it will be available in PDF.

But yeah, PDFs are easier for some people to use at a shorter length because they're cheaper to print out at home.

 

[duncan_disorderly]

Don't say anything bad about Mongoose! That's threadcrap!

SGL.

Stop that, please. It's very childish and completely incorrect.

As I think was pointed out earlier when a couple of threads just vanished, the problem with heavy-handed (and completly secret) moderation is that no one knows why threads are deleted, and a degree of paranoia can creep in (and the board for that is over there...). While, obviously, not every thread that has criticism is automatically deleted, we do know that threads that have included criticism have disappeared. I admit to wondering if this thread would survive, simply because we don't know what the threshold is.

 

[Dead Blue Clown]

Don't say anything bad about Mongoose! That's threadcrap!

SGL.

Stop that, please. It's very childish and completely incorrect.

As I think was pointed out earlier when a couple of threads just vanished, the problem with heavy-handed (and completly secret) moderation is that no one knows why threads are deleted, and a degree of paranoia can creep in (and the board for that is over there...). While, obviously, not every thread that has criticism is automatically deleted, we do know that threads that have included criticism have disappeared. I admit to wondering if this thread would survive, simply because we don't know what the threshold is.

As far as I know, they weren't going to delete any threads any more since those ones lost months ago. And Trifletraxor was referring to to me saying he was threadcrapping, inferring that I said that about him because he was critical of Mongoose.

Of course, he threadcrapped again to make that inference and it was baseless since I've only said that about him, in amongst a forum with no shortage of Mongoose criticism.

I've no sway over the whole dealio, but I'm pretty certain the thread-yankings are a thing of the past.

 

[duncan_disorderly]

I don't know anything about the set up of Moon Design, or how they go about their work. However. . .

Nor me, though I suspect it is the "divert a few" technique you mention

However, not all is doom and gloom for the Big Book Fans.

Thanks for your reply, and I hope that this comes off for you.
I have said elsewhere (in person if not on this forum) that since Mongoose are making a success in the traditionally tricky RPG market, they must be doing *something* right, even if it is (or maybe especially because :wink: ) it is not what I/We would do or would prefer them to do. I'd much prefer a 186 page "Cults of Glorantha" combined volume, but I'd rather have 2 x 96 page volumes than none at all (although there is a limit to the number of ultra slim hardbacks I'll buy...)

 

[Deleriad]

On the basis, that knowledge about your customers' buying habits are is useful then, my general policy is that if a book is a rulebook and 160 pages or less then I tend to buy on PDF - especially if the PDF is cheaper. Scenarios and campaign settings I generally buy as physical books unless they're very short.

I tend to buy rules stuff on PDF simply so I can put them in folders, scribble all over them, copy and paste to word in order to customise, print hand-outs for players and so on. I did buy MRQ core book but that was to support my FLGS.

Now, I don't know if Mongoose makes more, the same or less money from this pattern but their policy tends to ensure that most RQ stuff I will buy will be PDF.

 

[weasel_fierce]

The books are kinda pricey for the size, but I dont mind, as the material is generally good.