WOTC has made the official announcement.
I was one of the 10 companies invited to participate in an advanced-notice conference call on the subject yesterday. Originally, the $5K fee for the “Design Kit” only gave 1 month of advanced sales. Everyone else could sell as of September 1st. A few of the bigger boys complained, though, and so now, I’m stuck with having to pay $5K, or not sell any 4th Edition product until January 2009.
A lot to think about.
Wow, very cool to be included in that! Very uncool to have to make such a big financial decision right when your daughter is looking at colleges, etc etc.
You have both my congratulations and sympathy!
Yeah, that’s a big choice–I guess it all comes down to whether you’ll make 5k in profit over those five months. But as radcliffe said, it’s pretty spiffy that you were one of the ten invited.
Unfortunately, it comes down to more than that. I’m reasonably positive that I can average 1K profit per month (hell, who couldn’t?), but the problem is fronting the 5K, right when we’re looking at spending money on The Teenager’s college stuff.
Tough call; people have pretty mixed feelings about 4E. If I were in a position to even consider it, I’d at least sign the NDA, take a look at the OGL, and decide whether or not to move forward with 4E. Personally, I don’t like most of what I’ve read about 4E, and like a movie trailer, if the previews look bad, don’t bother. However, a big (BIG!) chunk of the industry WILL move to 4E, and that’s something to consider. As a writer, I’ll probably at least be looking at the OGL/SRD when it goes live in June just to see what I can do with it. Good luck either way!
Small business loan, maybe?
Perhaps — although the idea is that we’re keeping our finances “clean”, so as to be poor enough to get her the maximum of financial aid packages. :)
(and all of this, of course, assumes that she doesn’t get a good full ride offer — she’s already got one for her last-choice school (KU), so we’ll see….)
I’m glad that you folks convinced WoTC to move it up to from September 1st to August 1st so that companies can have product out in time for GenCon.
Well, good luck with it–both with figuring out what to do with 4e and with her college stuff.
No, you misunderstand.
Originally, the “Kit date” for publishers was August 1st. (The date those who pony up the 5K can release product) This has not changed.
What changed was that the “general public” (read here – non-5K) date WAS September 1st. It is now January 2009. Largely because of a complaint raised by Fantasy Flight Games.
You know, I can kind of understand where they’re coming from.
Don’t get me wrong, it sucks that those who aren’t part of “Phase One” can’t publish until ’09. At the same time, I can understand them wanting their $5K to buy more than a single month’s lead time.
I wish there could’ve been more of a meeting in the middle.
D’oh! Y’know, when you said that I misunderstood, I jumped up to your original post and re-read it. Yeah. Well, a five month jump on the competition certainly gives more value to the $5K cost.
What’s that thing the Chinese say about living in interesting times?
Funny thing is, as I mentioned in Pramas’ blog, I’m seeing lukewarm reactions where I had thought there would be outright buy in.
If you incorporate, your company finances would not be in in her financial aid equation, just the amount you paid yourself… loans to your company would also not apply.
I suppose Adamant could act as dev house for another publisher, under that publisher’s license doing work for print, until January 09 when Adamant could then publish the PDFs?
Dunno if that works with your plans or not, or if it’s possible according to whatever agreement WotC would require.
Ouch! 5K? Damn, cousin . . .
Cool about getting invited, not so cool about the idiotic licensing fee.
A friend of mine has started a donation program to raise funds to help offset the cost – you should look into it. His fans are really making it happen for him! His blog is here.
I didn’t know you knew Wolfgang…
I had thought about it, to be honest. I don’t have quite the D&D-related draw as Mr. Baur, however.
It’s a small world! He and I were in a fiction-writing workshop in Seattle.
Well
Well as a gamer since 1977, all sorts of games, settings, systems, etc.
I say dont spend that money.
Presuming you can still develop in the time from release till Jan of 09 and then come out rocking, seeing how the waters are coming along, and saving that 5k$ for producing kick backside products is my suggestion.
Coming from someone who has given up on WOTC, didnt convert up from 3.0 to 3.5 even, bought 2 Dragon mags in the last 5 years it was in existence, etc etc.