A Mild Rebuttal

Inspired by Clark Peterson of Necromancer Games from this thread on ENWorld.

Something or someone's gotta give.

For years, mainstream gaming has followed a top-down corporate profit-inspired model, that produced product first and then attracted consumer gamers through spin marketing. Not necessarily giving people what they wanted, but what the gaming industry wanted to sell them. 3E Rules with a 1E feel.

Now, for perhaps the first time since this hobby's inception, we've got a genuine grassroots movement in direct opposition to, and in spite of, the industry. And, get this, it's largely not for profit. That just baffles the business guys like Peterson. What's gaming without a profit margin?? Answer: Just a hobby. 1E Rules & more 1E feel than you can shake a 10' pole at.

Like I said, someone or something's gotta give.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Clark's an odd guy to pick as a corporate greedmonger, since his RPG company is and always has been a hobby for him.
Tenkar said…
As much as I like my "retro" games, and I own hard copies of OSRIC, LL, S&W, C&C (and have purchased at least 5 copies of each main book for the above to include my old gaming group) to show my support of the movement, there is no when in heavn or hell it will make a dent in the for profit gaming market.

I love my Indie games. I spend more at RPGNow, YourGamesNow, IPR and Lulu by many magnitudes then I will ever spend on mainstream games.

I'm a nitch buyer in a nitch market. That "for profit" that drives the main nitch keeps my nitch alive, and for that I am grateful.

Necro has put out quality stuff in the past. I expect they will do so again in the future or just not produce at all. That is their choice.

God bless anyone that can make a living off this hobby of ours. Or even eek out a profit.
Brett Day said…
Ehhh... It's great that there are so many so invested in the game(s) that they're making and distributing free product. This is a vital part of any hobby, and is welcome and should continue. The problem comes from the fact that, without profits, there is no money for advertising. There is no money for market research. There is no outreach to people who aren't already playing. A health gaming world needs both for-profit and non-profit entities.