The Intel Dump!

[BanzaiCat]

You're pretty obsessed with zombies, aintcha, bbmike? 

[bayonetbrant]

Are there Orcs? Then, no. 

[Barthheart]

Not WWII...

[BanzaiCat]

Loved TW: 2000 back in the day. Even the next iteration...was it TW: 2002?

I think there's a newer one even, too.

[bbmike]

OK, the fact that it's single-man combat is interesting.

Solo and single-man combat! If this were set in the Pacific theater it would be in my cart right now. 

[bayonetbrant]

Not WWII...

https://rpggeek.com/rpg/2737/world-war-ii-roleplay
https://rpggeek.com/rpgfamily/2364/behind-enemy-lines
http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/ww2/
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/196284/OWB001-WWII-Operation-WhiteBox
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/178719/The-Front-World-War-II-RPG
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product_info.php?products_id=17934&it=1
http://www.rpgobjects.com/index.php?c=product&p_id=284

[Barthheart]

What’s yer point?

[bayonetbrant]

What’s yer point?

isn't that just an RPG?   

[Barthheart]

 

[panzerde]

I hope the VPG creators can buy the rights to their creations. 

But the reason behind the guy getting control compared to the creators is as old as business itself.  There are a lot of people who want to work in design or operations of any sort (manufacturing, logistics, etc...) that don't want the headaches of running the entire show.  There are also creatives who frankly lack core management skill sets.  And finally there are creatives who have the skill set and the desire but lack the capital to buy/create and operate a company.

I'm not slapping any individuals as I know none of them.  But there are a lot of skill sets needed to run a successful small business.  Not that many people have the skill set.  And the marketplace is a brutal, brutal world.

QFT. This fits most of the designer/publisher types I know.

Beyond that, and this is somewhat in support of Cyrano's point, our little cul-de-sac doesn't produce enough business for a non-lifestyle business to succeed. There is never going to be another SPI. Tom & Mary at Hollandspiel are great at running a sustainable business that sells primarily wargames, but they aren't after building a huge enterprise.

IN VPGs case though, I'd argue that the ownership there made a host of really bad business decisions that culminated in the sale to TT. I was pretty convinced that the move from CA and the decision to not renew leases on their presses indicated that they were in serious, serious trouble.

[bayonetbrant]

More detail from Alan, from last year
https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/171113?commentid=8193301#comment8193301

Here's the story: my wife and I were ready to be done with the stress of running a game company; we enjoy making great games but could live without all the business headaches (government regulations, payroll, insurance, taxes, reviews, booking convention booths, shipping, sales, etc.). Folding The Little Game Company into Tabletop Tycoon means that our studio remains an ongoing entity -- as ever dedicated to making great games.

Dan made us a very fair offer, and everyone at VPG has stayed on and is still an employee at Tabletop. That was important to my wife and I -- that our people were taken care of, starting with our employees (naturally) and our customers. They are all "our people" whom we care about and have built trust and relationships with over the years, so our top priority was to obtain the best outcome for them. We had other offers, but Dan's was by far the best for our people.

Now, Dan and I have wrangled contracts together before. This was nobody's first trip to the rodeo! We are both very fair about things and, as always, found agreements and the right compromises on every occasion in our years doing business together. VPG is a good fit to enhance Table Tycoon's publishing side and, since we have already met everyone on the Tabletop Team and know we work well together, everything is going pretty darn smoothly during this transition time.

So, relax everyone. The time is coming soon when Dan can finally speak about "the lawsuit" (which, after our due diligence, I know more about than most but am NDA'd not to talk about that knowledge; suffice it to say that, obviously, there was less there than we at VPG imagined).

For now, think of me as Alan Emrich, Studio Head of the same great VPG team, working on the same great game projects with the business and sundry headaches now handled by Tabletop Tycoon (for which my wife and I are grateful). I look forward to a continued bright and busy future bringing you great games and applying our synergy to Dan's great team

[Cyrano]

*Camera dissolves back to present.*

*Alan, staring first into the distance, turns to bar companion with sad countenance.  And shrugs.*

Me:  So, how’d that work out for you?

[Bison]

I’m not sure what y’all would have him do. Don’t sell or sell the business. Make money but don’t sell product that isn’t a  historic conflict. Honestly, outside of zombies or Nemo here wasn’t anything in the catalogue that was going to make enough money to keep the lights on long. Chadwick’s new East Front game was the latest big release but what else? I really like Napoleonic 20 but many “grogs” I’ve spoken with hadn’t even heard of it. GMT couldn’t even gain traction for the series with the Fading Glory release. The one post  made clear the designers got rights back to their games and Chadwick has already signed on with GMT.

[mirth]

I really like Napoleonic 20 but many “grogs” I’ve spoken with hadn’t even heard of it.

I'd be in that group. Honestly, VPG hasn't much been on my gaming radar or my regular group's.

[Cyrano]

He seems to have given into the self-deceit of many who sell a modestly successful business in the hope of having the overhead lifted and getting more freedom to "create", viz.:  once they've bought what they want, you are expendable.  As, in this case, were the wargames.  This the root of my moroseness on the topic.

I am surprised very smart people don't remember this.  I -- who will never own a business if I can avoid it -- have seen this ruin lives fairly close to me.  The words Brant cites above gave me a chill.