I'd like to think I'd use the money for a benevolent purpose like others have posted on BGG to fund a scholarship for game designers, rules authors, and other students of the form. However if I read into the question, I think the original poster is looking for passion projects that we would fund should I suddenly be granted a million dollars.
For me, one of my favorite game systems is the Commands & Colors rule set. My first love that brought me into wargaming as a kid was when my Dad brought home a copy of Battle Cry. We still make it annual tradition to play whenever I visit him in Texas. Later in life, I have had the privilege to both meet Richard Borg and play and playtest with his game group. Richard literally has file cabinets full of material for many of his Commands & Colors lines of games that publishers haven't put into production, and I would use the funding here to magically make it happen:
Battle Cry (Hasbro, now IP is back with Richard due to inactivity. Potential GMT to pickup)
+Rerelease Battle Cry containing all the scenarios that Richard has built for it complete with minis that give it that wonderful toybox factor. Chrome it up a little and make them paintable or even pre-painted.
+Release an expansion containing a second set of miniatures, command cards, larger board, and all the EPIC sized scenarios that Richard has designed. I have played Gettysburg and Peachtree Creek in a Epic format and both were incredibly fun.
Napoleonics (GMT)
+ A grognard's feast. Release everything, all the content, all the chrome, all expansions, anything out of print - make it in print again. No P500 waiting. Produce and stock it now and everywhere.
+Make a collector's edition big box with everything in it. Comes with free Shako and lumbar support belt to carry it all.
Memoir '44 (Days of Wonder)
+Bribe Days of Wonder/Asmodee to continue releasing battle maps (soon to come Battle of the Bulge) and expansion materials. Fund future reprints for everything. For many years, many of the expansions and battle maps were hard to find, now never again.
+Maybe a big box?
Red Alert: Space Fleet Warfare (PSC)
+The Three Player Orthorian Expansion adding the new asymmetric force and a hex sharped 3-player map
+Planet Fall expansion which adds ground combat to planetary surface.
Tricorne (Compass Games)
+ Release the rest of the Seven Years War content with European scenarios and native factions
+ Expansion correcting publisher's oopsies with Jacobite Rising and adding in Epic sized map and scenarios
The Great War (PSC)
+Release the final expansion adding Gallipoli content, early war cavalary and scenarios, along with epic sized maps
+Add in the planes rules with Wings of War style painted minis! (a la New Flight Plan)
C&C Medieval (GMT)
+ Produce the Vikings, Crusaders, and Castles/Siege content that GMT hasn't moved forward with yet.
I could go on for a long time.
In short, I really love the Commands and Colors system. It's a great gateway into two worlds - the wargaming boardgame world, and the minatures wargaming world. Is it a perfect system? No. It is however not difficult to learn or teach, accessible to so many ages young and old, and makes an excellent launching point to go deeper into the hobby for those who so desire.
Memoir '44 is my current favorite of the lot, and is often found on my table with a pint of beer and pretzels, or often run an Overlord game at conventions (Market Garden, Tigers in the Snow, etc). You can play a light and easy breezy game in 45mins or less, or scale up in size, additional rules, or do campaigns to ratchet up the complexity if you desire it. While some titles make better "entry points" to the system than others, once you learn one Commands and Colors game, it's not that difficult to jump to another in the system.
I think investments in these using my imaginary money would pay great dividends if it was only supported more.
Topic: If I Had $1 Million (Read 531 times)