NEXT YEAR AT ADB, INC.: 2011
Steve Cole reports:
I have a horrible record of predicting what products will be released. Some of that is my fault (just not getting them done) and some of that is the fault of others who promised products (or work on parts of products) that they never delivered. So this is not a prediction of 2011, but it is a vision, a goal, a theory, perhaps even the lightly penciled in outline of a plan.
=====
I want to get a lot of good products released, at least one or two for every product line.
=
For SFB, I want Steven P. Petrick to get a lot of existing products updated (and uploaded to e23), and major parts of the Master Starship Book done, at least three or four empire-chapters. I'd be pleased if he also does a couple of new products, including C3A (Andro Threat File) and E3 (the Borak Star League).
=
For Federation Commander, I have an idea to convert the unpublished (and unworkable) Boosters #94 and #95 into an Origins release to be called TRANSPORTS ATTACKED. Those who are looking for SFB scenarios to convert to FC should focus on anything with an LTT or a tug. We will continue uploading Ship Card packs to e23, but we're going to run out of the Ship Cards already done (which allows two or three packs a month) and it will really slow things down to have to create several new ships per pack (which will mean a pack every month, or every second month). The challenge there is that I'm convinced that only single-empire packs should be done, and if I have to do six new ships per empire it could be two years before your empire comes up in rotation.
=
For Federation & Empire, I am determined to release ISC WAR for Origins. I want to do "quick and dirty" conversions of the existing books into Pagemaker, make a few Jean-changes, and get them uploaded. Updating them with all the existing errata is going to take a lot longer and won't even start until ISC WAR is published. The "design challenge" there will be to decide how doing one rulebook a month (max) is going to work with integrating them into a "warbook." I don't know that answer ... yet.
=
It goes without saying that we'll do two issues of Captain's Log, #43 in May and #44 in November. We will start uploading the really old issues to e23, but I'm not sure when more current issues will be uploaded. I have emotionally accepted that, someday in the future, there will only be electronic versions done. I have no idea how many years that will be.
=
For Prime Directive, I expect that Jean will finish GURPS FEDERATION and the conversion of PD20 Romulans into PD20M Romulans doesn't look that hard. We're also going to do a 16-page booklet for Free RPG Day (and then sell it on e23) called STARSHIP ALDO. (You find a wrecked ship. You can make out the letters "... ALDO ..." but you're not sure if this is the auxiliary cruiser AGUINALDO or the freighter GERALDO or some other ship with those letters in the name. The next step would be (in one direction) to do either the Tholian or Orion book (for PD20M and GURPS) and/or (in the other direction) the first book or two for a new game engine (probably Mongoose-Traveler but there are many other choices). If Jean were here full time, I think we'd do a lot more than that, but the world is what it is, not what I wish it were. We do want to upload the existing GURPS books to e23 and the existing PD20M books to DriveThru RPG, probably one per month (or less), alternating between them.
=
For Starline 2400, I just don't know. We've done 200 ships, and going over the remaining list of unique hulls doesn't leave much with any real sales potential other than PFs. I'd love to get the guy who did the fighters to do them, but I suspect he didn't make enough in royalties to be worth his time. That may mean having our stable of sculptors do the PFs. We'll continue to look at ideas for ships and consider them on a case by case basis.
=
I do plan to get the second paperback book released, and it and the first one onto Kindle and into the wholesale distribution system.
=
Daniel Kast says he's agreeable to doing another book for Starmada, and suggested Distant Armada as a combination of Distant Kingdoms and Hydran Attack. After that, I suspect that we may do either the ISC/Vudar book, or the battleship book.
=
I definitely want to finish FEDERATION ADMIRAL and get it published. This is a campaign system, and while designed for use with Federation Commander it will work pretty well with SFB.
=
I would like to see us have six iPhone games on the Apple Store during the year, but as I cannot do them myself, I'm at the mercy of others. Now that the contract bits are sorted out, we'll get the first game uploaded, and I suspect the flow of more games will depend entirely on the sales for that one.
=
Star Fleet Marines is a personal favorite of mine, and now that I've set my sights on an achievable budget (I was trying to do in one product what should take three) Leanna will let me print it.
=
Nothing would make me happier than for the BATTLESTATIONS game to get done, but that isn't something I control. I can say "It needs to happen THIS way not THAT way" but I'm not the guy who can actually do it.
=====
Beyond just products, I have plans (well, visions, daydreams, goals, fond wishes, something) for the company to do other things.
=
Most of all, I want to actually do a proper job of communicating with the wholesalers. They want to know the title, price, description, stock number, release date, and cover art three or four months in advance. They don't NEED that, and the stores don't USE that, but I'm tired of trying to convince them that they're running their businesses all wrong, so I guess I have to make that happen. This terrifies me. I can TELL them my best GUESS, but I cannot guarantee that I got it all right on products that haven't been finished.
=
I'd like to see us do a better job of keeping in contact with general game BBS communities (Star Ranger, Tabletop Gaming News, Board Game Geek, and others) but I have no idea where the manpower will come from. We need the Rangers Demonstration Team to be far more active and far more effective.
=
The website, the page on Facebook, the channel on YouTube, and the shopping cart are all running fine, and will need only incremental additions.
I want to start doing Twitter, but I refuse to accept the theory that I have to tweet five times a day about nonsense to build a following. (I want my tweets to be often enough you didn't forget who I am but rare enough that you don't delete them unread.)
I'd like to be on TalkShoe more often.
Café Press is what it is, and I wish there were a realistic alternative that produced lower prices for you and more profit for the company, but so far, I haven't found it. Making that kind of stuff one at a time is just very expensive, and limits what's worth doing.
=
We have looked, for a long time, into buying a color printer. This would, in theory, allow us to do low-production runs of product covers, Ship Cards, advertising, maps, other game components, and other things. It's not just that it's a big chunk of money; we're still not sure what the market (or cost per copy) really is.
=
I want to launch our system to provide print-on-demand services and distribution channels for smaller game companies, but there are so many things to do that it's hard to do everything at once.
=
I am very excited about the Platinum Hat tournament, which will bring the national championships to an international level. Then I want to totally redesign our Origins program and turn it into a weeklong party for all of our fans and friends.
=
Most of all, I'd like to have fun next year, which means having a lot less "not-fun" to cloud up the really enjoyable part of the business. I'd like to not hear from angry people with unrealistic demands. I'd like to see an end to discount webstores that provide bad customer service and steal sales from brick and mortar retailers. I'd like to see an end to pirate websites with illegal copies of our products (and products from many other companies).
=
And to you, our customers and friends, we wish you a happy and prosperous new year.
I have a horrible record of predicting what products will be released. Some of that is my fault (just not getting them done) and some of that is the fault of others who promised products (or work on parts of products) that they never delivered. So this is not a prediction of 2011, but it is a vision, a goal, a theory, perhaps even the lightly penciled in outline of a plan.
=====
I want to get a lot of good products released, at least one or two for every product line.
=
For SFB, I want Steven P. Petrick to get a lot of existing products updated (and uploaded to e23), and major parts of the Master Starship Book done, at least three or four empire-chapters. I'd be pleased if he also does a couple of new products, including C3A (Andro Threat File) and E3 (the Borak Star League).
=
For Federation Commander, I have an idea to convert the unpublished (and unworkable) Boosters #94 and #95 into an Origins release to be called TRANSPORTS ATTACKED. Those who are looking for SFB scenarios to convert to FC should focus on anything with an LTT or a tug. We will continue uploading Ship Card packs to e23, but we're going to run out of the Ship Cards already done (which allows two or three packs a month) and it will really slow things down to have to create several new ships per pack (which will mean a pack every month, or every second month). The challenge there is that I'm convinced that only single-empire packs should be done, and if I have to do six new ships per empire it could be two years before your empire comes up in rotation.
=
For Federation & Empire, I am determined to release ISC WAR for Origins. I want to do "quick and dirty" conversions of the existing books into Pagemaker, make a few Jean-changes, and get them uploaded. Updating them with all the existing errata is going to take a lot longer and won't even start until ISC WAR is published. The "design challenge" there will be to decide how doing one rulebook a month (max) is going to work with integrating them into a "warbook." I don't know that answer ... yet.
=
It goes without saying that we'll do two issues of Captain's Log, #43 in May and #44 in November. We will start uploading the really old issues to e23, but I'm not sure when more current issues will be uploaded. I have emotionally accepted that, someday in the future, there will only be electronic versions done. I have no idea how many years that will be.
=
For Prime Directive, I expect that Jean will finish GURPS FEDERATION and the conversion of PD20 Romulans into PD20M Romulans doesn't look that hard. We're also going to do a 16-page booklet for Free RPG Day (and then sell it on e23) called STARSHIP ALDO. (You find a wrecked ship. You can make out the letters "... ALDO ..." but you're not sure if this is the auxiliary cruiser AGUINALDO or the freighter GERALDO or some other ship with those letters in the name. The next step would be (in one direction) to do either the Tholian or Orion book (for PD20M and GURPS) and/or (in the other direction) the first book or two for a new game engine (probably Mongoose-Traveler but there are many other choices). If Jean were here full time, I think we'd do a lot more than that, but the world is what it is, not what I wish it were. We do want to upload the existing GURPS books to e23 and the existing PD20M books to DriveThru RPG, probably one per month (or less), alternating between them.
=
For Starline 2400, I just don't know. We've done 200 ships, and going over the remaining list of unique hulls doesn't leave much with any real sales potential other than PFs. I'd love to get the guy who did the fighters to do them, but I suspect he didn't make enough in royalties to be worth his time. That may mean having our stable of sculptors do the PFs. We'll continue to look at ideas for ships and consider them on a case by case basis.
=
I do plan to get the second paperback book released, and it and the first one onto Kindle and into the wholesale distribution system.
=
Daniel Kast says he's agreeable to doing another book for Starmada, and suggested Distant Armada as a combination of Distant Kingdoms and Hydran Attack. After that, I suspect that we may do either the ISC/Vudar book, or the battleship book.
=
I definitely want to finish FEDERATION ADMIRAL and get it published. This is a campaign system, and while designed for use with Federation Commander it will work pretty well with SFB.
=
I would like to see us have six iPhone games on the Apple Store during the year, but as I cannot do them myself, I'm at the mercy of others. Now that the contract bits are sorted out, we'll get the first game uploaded, and I suspect the flow of more games will depend entirely on the sales for that one.
=
Star Fleet Marines is a personal favorite of mine, and now that I've set my sights on an achievable budget (I was trying to do in one product what should take three) Leanna will let me print it.
=
Nothing would make me happier than for the BATTLESTATIONS game to get done, but that isn't something I control. I can say "It needs to happen THIS way not THAT way" but I'm not the guy who can actually do it.
=====
Beyond just products, I have plans (well, visions, daydreams, goals, fond wishes, something) for the company to do other things.
=
Most of all, I want to actually do a proper job of communicating with the wholesalers. They want to know the title, price, description, stock number, release date, and cover art three or four months in advance. They don't NEED that, and the stores don't USE that, but I'm tired of trying to convince them that they're running their businesses all wrong, so I guess I have to make that happen. This terrifies me. I can TELL them my best GUESS, but I cannot guarantee that I got it all right on products that haven't been finished.
=
I'd like to see us do a better job of keeping in contact with general game BBS communities (Star Ranger, Tabletop Gaming News, Board Game Geek, and others) but I have no idea where the manpower will come from. We need the Rangers Demonstration Team to be far more active and far more effective.
=
The website, the page on Facebook, the channel on YouTube, and the shopping cart are all running fine, and will need only incremental additions.
I want to start doing Twitter, but I refuse to accept the theory that I have to tweet five times a day about nonsense to build a following. (I want my tweets to be often enough you didn't forget who I am but rare enough that you don't delete them unread.)
I'd like to be on TalkShoe more often.
Café Press is what it is, and I wish there were a realistic alternative that produced lower prices for you and more profit for the company, but so far, I haven't found it. Making that kind of stuff one at a time is just very expensive, and limits what's worth doing.
=
We have looked, for a long time, into buying a color printer. This would, in theory, allow us to do low-production runs of product covers, Ship Cards, advertising, maps, other game components, and other things. It's not just that it's a big chunk of money; we're still not sure what the market (or cost per copy) really is.
=
I want to launch our system to provide print-on-demand services and distribution channels for smaller game companies, but there are so many things to do that it's hard to do everything at once.
=
I am very excited about the Platinum Hat tournament, which will bring the national championships to an international level. Then I want to totally redesign our Origins program and turn it into a weeklong party for all of our fans and friends.
=
Most of all, I'd like to have fun next year, which means having a lot less "not-fun" to cloud up the really enjoyable part of the business. I'd like to not hear from angry people with unrealistic demands. I'd like to see an end to discount webstores that provide bad customer service and steal sales from brick and mortar retailers. I'd like to see an end to pirate websites with illegal copies of our products (and products from many other companies).
=
And to you, our customers and friends, we wish you a happy and prosperous new year.
posted by Federation Commander at 1:08 PM
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