1. 'Company' IDs.
Since I first put finger to keyboard, about 18 months ago my publishing 'ID' was going to be Omnihedron Productions. Its a nod of the head to both the wonderful world of Zenith by Grant Morrison and it was integrally connected to the generic system I was going to use with my first game, MI:666. In a true show of 'cart before the horse' of course, MI:666 has been consigned to the large lever arch file of doom and Duty & Honour has become the centre of my gaming world.
As it, and Hearts of Oak, are the only games I can reasonably see myself publishing in the next two-three years, I don't think that a name (which will lead to a website etc) for a game that isn't happening is appropriate. The problem is that I simply cannot think of another one! The nearest I have come to is 'Gunpowder Games' but that just seems ... well, cheesy.
So, the first question is:
(a) Company IDs - do they add anything? Are they worth it? Are they a horrendous pretension of the self-publisher?
(b) Anyone have any suggestions? Comics-competition stylee, if someone comes up with a winner they will appear in the future D&H product as a NPC!
2. Support post-publication
Because I like to think ahead. I've been wondering how I want to support D&H after it has been published and Hearts of Oak beyond that? I've pondered a few things - mostly reflecting on the things that I like in support - and one thing that I have settled on is that I quite like is when games release periodic pdf 'extras' for a game. A Faerys Tale does this (sporadically) and so does Burning Wheel. I'm also a big fan of functional things that can be fitted into a game easily without a lot of development.
What I was considering was a bi-monthly 'despatch' for D&H which would have say, an four page information nibblet in it. So, for example, one could be a fully developed regiment with a slew of characters from the Commanding Officer down to the Rank & File. Another could be a series of Military Missions based around a real Peninsular event, like the retreat to Corunna. Or a D&H travelogue of a non-Peninsular location like the West Indies or the Cape Colony. Something that a GM can take and add direct to their game, or use as a kick start for a new campaign.
And then, at the end of the year, I can expand on this material and produce, lets say, a 48 page almanac for the game which could be sold.
Does that sound useful?
Cheers
Neil
For company IDs
Submitted by Matt on Sun, 11/05/2008 - 19:46.
They make for easier, memorable identifiers. Whether it be for domain names or whatever else. In my case, I'd had a website called Realms since 1999, so Realms publishing piggybacked off that existing brand, such that it was.
If at a later date you wish to publish somebody else's work, it's easier to do that under an umbrella label. For a local example, there's Gregor publishing Solipsist for David.
Support wise, I thin the idea of a stream of functional content is a great one (and something I haven't quite managed myself). It also allows people who are tentative about buying to get an idea for the style of the product before they buy.
-Matt
Realms Publishing
'Gunpowder Games' has 1980's written all over it.
Submitted by Ben Clapperton on Mon, 12/05/2008 - 18:03.
Personally, I think having a publishing ID makes you sound more professional.
I appreciate that D&H and HoO are likely to be the only games you publish anytime soon but if you have even the inkling of moving onto something different in the future then tying your publishing ID semantically to Napoleonic era fiction would be a mistake as it'll be irrelevent to everything else you do.
I don't think you should use the word 'games' or anything similar, something more like 'publishing' would be better as, again, it sounds a lot more professional. I would also suggest picking something personal to you. Going down the descriptive route is, as you say, cheesy. 'Wizards of the Coast' sounds a lot more naff than 'TSR'.
What is a Lumpley anyway?
Submitted by JoE PrincE on Tue, 13/05/2008 - 10:06.
I think it's handy if people can equate the publisher to the company, so Vodkashock Publishing or Holy Gow Games would be good.
Well...
+++
JoE
+++
Prince of Darkness Games
Rock N' Role-Play....
HGG?
Submitted by Neil Gow on Tue, 13/05/2008 - 12:44.
I'm trying to drift away from the vodkashok persona, but Holy Gow Games is ... funny.
Neil
Take the King's shilling at http://www.omnihedron.co.uk/dutyandhonour/
I actually regret going
Submitted by David Donachie on Fri, 16/05/2008 - 14:39.
I actually regret going straight into having a website for Solipsist right off the bat, because now I don't know where I will put the next thing I release. It won't be big enough to have a site of its own, and it won't be published through BoxNinja, so it would have been convenient to have an imprint of some sort.
Note that this is not a criticism of the arrangement with Gregor, who works hard to promote Solipsist when I forget to do so :)
http://www.solipsist-rpg.com/
Brand
Submitted by Gregor Hutton on Thu, 22/05/2008 - 08:29.
Yes, I think the brand can be key. I noted with interest when Clinton Nixon switched from Anvilwerks to CRN Games, so it was more "him" than a "front" as a company name.
(Of course, Clinton's books will be kept in print by other people now, so that's also useful to see that to have one name is not the be-all-and-end-all.)
Of course I can just have
Submitted by David Donachie on Fri, 30/05/2008 - 19:12.
Of course I can just have 'Solipsist games' as a company and then I don't need another domain :)
http://www.solipsist-rpg.com/