It could be you insider types have heard of all this already, but he wants people who make cool games to call him.  He also seems to want to increase your pay.  I'm curious what you all think:

http://games.slashdot.org/story/14/01/06/208238/emmett-plant-talks-about-the-paper-based-rpg-game-business-video

Interesting. I have to say I'm disappointed but not surprised at the very negative commentary below however, mention anything good about pen and paper games to videogamers and some sort of rage-smash-destroy instinct gets triggered.

The guy knows nothing about RPGs but wants to start an RZpG publishing company?

Obviously for all the money and babes.

Rock N' Roll Emmett Plant!

I wish him good luck. We need smart, fresh blood and new ideas in our hobby.

If he knows what he's getting into, this could be good. It looks like he's taking a reasonable approach so far, anyway.

My guess is scam or complete ignorance. RPGs are not a lucrative business ventures. They exist primarily as labors of love. Which is why its bizarre for someone who knows nothing about them wanting to start an RPG publishing house. Smacks of a complete lack of due diligence.

Eh. I think there's something to be said for the potential of someone coming into the business specifically to make it a more attractive and lucrative place for designers to work. Make it a place where talent is rewarded, and talent will appear, and good talent can sell games.

That's how Activision and EA started, after all, and while I don't think anyone's going to capture that kind of market expansion in this hobby, with a smart and carefully considered investment it could pay off.

I doubt this is the guy to do it, though. The guys who started Activision and EA back in ye olden times were clever and experienced business people with a knack for spotting talented game designers. This guy's resume doesn't really speak to that being the case here.

Quote from: J Arcane;721500Eh. I think there's something to be said for the potential of someone coming into the business specifically to make it a more attractive and lucrative place for designers to work. Make it a place where talent is rewarded, and talent will appear, and good talent can sell games.

Anyone remember Mark Alessi and Crossgen?

Quote from: J Arcane;721500Eh. I think there's something to be said for the potential of someone coming into the business specifically to make it a more attractive and lucrative place for designers to work. Make it a place where talent is rewarded, and talent will appear, and good talent can sell games.

That's how Activision and EA started, after all, and while I don't think anyone's going to capture that kind of market expansion in this hobby, with a smart and carefully considered investment it could pay off.

It'd be interesting to see his business plan.

Quote from: Dirk Remmecke;721512Anyone remember Mark Alessi and Crossgen?

It worked for three years, that's a reasonable success!

Honestly, on an artistic level I think CrossGen was a success. The artists who worked at the CG bullpen all produced markedly better work post CG than before. I'd even be inclined to argue that some of the writers came out of the experience better, as well.

Even on the business side, CG made serious inroads in to the American comics market publishing a line with no superheroes. Yes, they over-expanded and went bankrupt in the end, but what they did achieve was pretty impressive.

Quote from: robiswrong;721516It'd be interesting to see his business plan.

If it were me, I would be chasing Monte Cook. Activision worked because they picked the best of the best, and offered them more money than they'd ever make at WB. It still wasn't a lot, but it was a paying gig.

Paizo's sort of run on this model already, really, poaching many of the names behind 3.x.

3 years is a success? Okay.

I just hope his business plan recognises that marketing should be a big percentage of your budget, paying for a broad spectrum of advertisements and not betting the farm on viral word of mouth stuff.

A lot of good products have foundered because someone thought "if you build it they will come" was sound advice. I mean they're giving away Talislanta for free. If you tell them about it repeatedly they might come is more accurate.

Quote from: Grymbok;721529It worked for three years, that's a reasonable success!
(...)
Even on the business side, CG made serious inroads in to the American comics market publishing a line with no superheroes.

I was a huge Crossgen fan. I was so jaded about Marvel, DC, and especially Image at that time that I had almost given up on US comic books.
Crossgen pulled me back in, and more than the other three ever did before. It's so sad that they expanded too fast and imploded.

Quote from: Dirk Remmecke;721559I was a huge Crossgen fan. I was so jaded about Marvel, DC, and especially Image at that time that I had almost given up on US comic books.
Crossgen pulled me back in, and more than the other three ever did before. It's so sad that they expanded too fast and imploded.

Yeah. A CrossGen in the RPG world would be a very interesting thing - but given that it would be even less likely to make its money back than Alessi's attempt, you'd have to be a very rich idiot to try it