[19:06] <+Pramas> Hi, everyone. I'm Chris Pramas and I'm the president of Green Ronin Publishing. I got into the game industry almost 20 years ago, originally as a freelance writer. I started Green Ronin in 2000, while I was working at Wizards of the Coast.
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[19:06] <+Pramas> I've designed games like Dragon Age and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, 2nd Edition.
[19:07] <+Pramas> Green Ronin is still going strong after 12 years. We published Mutants & Mastermminds, DC Adventures, and A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying as well.
[19:07] <+Pramas> Let's get this thing started! (done)
[19:07] <~Dan> Thanks, Chris!
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[19:08] <~Dan> Anyone have any questions to start us off?
[19:08] <+Silverlion> What's the plan for the AGE system now?
[19:08] <~Dan> (And welcome to those of you who just came in! The floor is open for questions!)
[19:09] <~Dan> And for those of use unfamiliar with it (like me), what is the AGE system, Chris?
[19:09] <+Pramas> We are working on a new AGE game for 2013. It's fantasy but different than Dragon Age. We're creating a brand new setting and using AGE to power it.
[19:09] <+Pramas> Oh, the Adventure Game Engine is the system I designed for the Dragon Age tabletop RPG.
[19:09] <+Silverlion> Will it have an awesome magic system? (i.e better than Dragon Age?)
[19:10] <+Pramas> We are of course continuing with Dragon Age, with Dragon Age Set 3 coming up. There will also be DA and generic AGE PDF support.
[19:10] <+starspawn> Any hints of what this fantasy setting will be like?
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[19:11] <+Pramas> There is a different magic system, yes. Spells break down more intuitively than in Dragon Age. (done)
[19:11] <+JessHartley> What are you most excited about now, in terms of Green Ronin's upcoming releases?
[19:11] <+mechante_anemone> Is AGE a successor to True20?
[19:11] <+Silverlion> (I like True 20, I hope not.)
[19:12] <+Pramas> No hints yet. We'll be doing a big roll out next year with some fiction to introduce the setting. Possibly comics too if we can swing it (but that's a big maybe at this point).
[19:12] <+Pramas> A successor? No. It's a different system. (done)
[19:12] <+Silverlion> Any plans for True20?
[19:12] <~Dan> (I'll go ahead and call for a question pause there. For those of you who came in after the start, please wait until Chris answers all open questions before asking more. He'll give us a "(done)" when he's ready.)
[19:13] <~Dan> (Aaaand he may even finish before I do. :D )
[19:14] <+Pramas> I am most excited to get Dragon Age Set 3 out. I've been working on it for so long and the fans have been super patient. It's the final piece of the core game rules, so with that you can play characters from level 1-20.
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[19:15] <+Pramas> I'm also pretty excited about the Mutants & Masterminds 10 Year Anniversary Edition. It's our first Kickstarter, and it's shaping up to be an awesome celebration of the game's first decade. (done)
[19:15] <+Pramas> Oh, the Kickstarter is live until next Monday, FYI.
[19:16] <~Dan> How will that edition vary from the previous one, Chris?
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[19:16] <+Pramas> True20 is basically is a holding pattern. I hope to revisit True20 at some point down the right when the right project appears. Right now, doing M&M, DC Adventures, Dragon Age, AGE, and A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying is a lot of work for our small team.
[19:17] <~Dan> (Welcome, zenbubble!)
[19:17] <+Silverlion> Yeah. I can imagine.
[19:18] <+Pramas> The 10 Year Anniversary Edition will be a green leatherette hardback with a dust jacket. It'll include the Quickstart Character Generator that was originally done for the GM's Kit but has proved hugely useful.
[19:18] <+Pramas> It'll also have a special appendix with essays about the history and the development of the game, plus 3rd edition stats for some characters from previous editions.
[19:18] <~Dan> Nice!
[19:19] <+zenbubble> ... and hopefully some adventures!
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[19:19] <+Pramas> We're very close to unlocking a brand new adventure set in Emerald City by Seth Johnson. Next stretch goal after that is a Freedom City adventure by Chris McGlothlin.
[19:19] <+JessHartley> (Squee! Chris rocks!)
[19:20] <+Pramas> (done)
[19:20] <+mechante_anemone> We just bought the M&M 3e book recently. Is there any game reason (as opposed to collector value) for getting the annivresary edition?
[19:20] <+Silverlion> Will AGE system be open for development?
[19:20] <+Teylen> anyone here lives in Austin (TX)?
[19:21] <~Dan> (Teylen, just FYI: #rpgnet2 is open for general chat during Q&As. :) )
[19:21] <+Teylen> (oh sorry)
[19:21] <+Pramas> It'll have the latest errata included but you certainly don't need it.
[19:21] <~Dan> (No problem! My bad for forgetting to mention that.)
[19:22] <+Pramas> Also note that we are doing a regular print run of the core book called the Deluxe Hero's Handbook. That will also be hardback and include the Quickstart Character Generator and maybe the adventures if they are funded.
[19:22] <+Pramas> It will not have the essays or the older edition characters though.
[19:22] <+Pramas> (done)
[19:23] <+starspawn> GR released a couple of really awesome game aides (Deck Of Many Things, Deck of Illusions) - anything else like that on the horizon?
[19:23] <+Pramas> (I lived in Austin for 10 months last year, but then I moved home to Seattle.)
[19:23] <~Dan> Very minor question, Chris: Was the Fighting attribute added as of the 3rd ed. of M&M?
[19:24] <+Pramas> Not sure about opening up the AGE system for development. There are pluses and minuses of doing so and we haven't come to a firm decision yet. (done)
[19:25] <+Pramas> No game aids on the horizon. We are looking at maybe doing some card games though. M&M is ripe for one, for example. One day I'd love to do some minis too. (done)
[19:25] <+Pramas> Yes, Fighting was new in 3E.
[19:25] <+zenbubble> Is AGE the bare-bones system used in Dragon Age?
[19:25] <~Dan> A very welcome addition, IMO. (re: Fighting)
[19:26] <+Pramas> Yes, AGE is the Dragon Age system. It stands for Adventure Game Engine. (done)
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[19:26] <~Dan> (Welcome, darklament! Here for the Q&A?)
[19:26] <+Pramas> Did I miss anything, question wise?
[19:27] <+Pramas> Is that you, Jefferson?
[19:27] <+mechante_anemone> So when GR begins work on a new game line, what goes through your mind? What considerations go into framing the new products?
[19:27] <~Dan> (I don't think so, Chris. Oh, and you only really need to give us a "(done)" after you've finished aswering all open questions. You don't have to after each answer. Unless you just want to. ;) )
[19:27] <+darklament> Yes it is me :)
[19:28] <+darklament> whatup
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[19:28] <+Sketchpad> Hi Chris. Any update on the Emerald City books? Also, any idea when we can look forward to an announcement on next year's products for M&M?
[19:28] <~Dan> (I imagine that will take a bit of answering, so I'll call for a question pause there.)
[19:28] <~Dan> (After Sketchpad's question, then. :) )
[19:29] <+Pramas> It is a process. :) The first question is, how would this game complement our existing game lines? In other words, are we broadening our player base or cannibalizing it.
[19:29] <~Dan> (Welcome, cappybara!)
[19:30] <+Pramas> Next is scheduling. We have 9 employees, some full time and some part time. When the work is going to get done and by whom must be planned. Then we need to look at whether we need more staff to cover the line.
[19:31] <+Pramas> I tried to run the Ice and Fire line for a while, for example, on top of everything else I do and that didn't work out great. About a year ago I hired Joe Carriker to become the game's developer and that was a wise move.
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[19:32] <+JessHartley> (Cuz Joe is amazing!)
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[19:32] <+Pramas> Also timing the launch and building excitement are important. When are we announcing? Just online or during a con too? What can we show to excite people? How can we get demos going?
[19:32] <~Dan> (Welcome, cj!)
[19:33] <+Pramas> Like I said, a process. :)
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[19:33] <+technoshaman> i have a question. what ever happen to Dragon Fist, the wuxia rpg
[19:33] <+darklament> I'm chatbombing this rpg chat if that is ok with a non-rpg question. Something I wanted to ask you earlier.
[19:33] <+Pramas> Emerald City is in layout. The trouble is that it's behind Dragon Age Set 3 and DC Adventures: Universe and those are both big projects too.
[19:34] <+Pramas> In January I traditional do a "state of the company" message on our website in which I talk about our plans for the next year for all our game lines.
[19:34] <+Pramas> You'll find out about M&M and everything else soon after New Year.
[19:35] <+darklament> so Chris IYHO should I base my French army six up ala Waterloo or four up ala Black Powder? I was thinking of 4up so I could use the same army for both game systems. Opinion?
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[19:36] <+darklament> That's my only question. No more chatbombing ;)
[19:36] <+Pramas> Dragon Fist is also in a limbo state. This is a game I designed when I was at WotC. It was a martial arts variant of 2nd Edition AD&D that used a fun stunt system to simulate wuxia action.
[19:37] <+J_Arcane> I think I read that one.
[19:37] <+J_Arcane> It seemed interesting.
[19:37] <+Pramas> We picked up the rights some years ago and even commissioned an awesome cover from HK comic artist Tony Wong.
[19:38] <+Pramas> The problem has been that it's my baby and I want to do it. The issue is that running the company and doing design work like Dragon Age takes up most of my time.
[19:38] <+Pramas> I tried farming it out to a freelancer at one point but he took in a direction I wasn't keen on.
[19:38] <+mechante_anemone> Tony Wong! Wow!
[19:39] <+Pramas> You can see Tony's cover here: (Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dragon-Fist-Martial-Action-Roleplaying/dp/193244260X)http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dragon-Fist-Martial-Action-Roleplaying/dp/193244260X
[19:40] <+darklament> wow that cover is killer.
[19:40] <+Pramas> So now every year when we have our planning summit, Dragon Fist comes up. Is this finally the year? If so, how do we do it? True20? AGE? Something else/
[19:40] <+mechante_anemone> :O
[19:40] <+zenbubble> I assume that a new version of Dragon Fist would not be AD&D2e anymore? (I'm sure I still have a copy of Dragon Fist around somewhere)
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[19:40] <~Dan> (Howdy, Steve-o!)
[19:40] <+Pramas> Recent talk has been using the Adventure Game Engine for Dragon Fist. It would be cool to do a martial arts variant.
[19:41] <+SteveD> (hey)
[19:41] <+Pramas> But first: the 2013 AGE game.
[19:41] <+Pramas> Hi, Steve!
[19:41] <+darklament> Dragon Fist Kickstarter?
[19:41] <+darklament> (ducks)
[19:41] <+SteveD> Mr Pramas!
[19:41] <+Pramas> Jefferson, go for 4 per base. I won't rat you out. :)
[19:41] <+darklament> word!
[19:42] <+mechante_anemone> Any interest in evenually focusing on scifi, no-supers games? You had Spaceship Zero, but aside from that?
[19:42] <+Pramas> Yes, we have talked about a Dragon Fist Kickstarter.
[19:42] <+Pramas> I wanted to get one under my belt, so I could see the ins and outs of doing one. Glad we started with M&M 10 Year Anniversary Edition. It's been a learning experience.
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[19:43] <+technoshaman> cool
[19:43] <+Pramas> Will Hindmarch, our AGE developer, has talked to me about a scifi game. I love scifi so I'm interested, but scifi games always seem a harder sell than fantasy for some reason.
[19:43] <~Dan> Speaking of Spaceship Zero... I know Toren's working on a post-apocalyptic setting using the Spaceship Zero rules. I also know that he doesn't currently have any plans to publish it for reals, but... has he mentioned it to you?
[19:45] <+Pramas> Toren hasn't told me about the RPG plans. I know about the post-apoc setting through the miniatures Kickstarter, which I backed. How could I say no to giant mutant rabbits with guns?
[19:45] <~Dan> Indeed.
[19:46] <~Dan> Chris: Just FYI: (Link: http://www.facebook.com/groups/135429211616/?ref=ts&fref=ts)http://www.facebook.com/groups/135429211616/?ref=ts&fref=ts
[19:46] <+Pramas> Sorry, the minis thing is on IndieGoGo. Go buy mutants! (Link: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/199676?c=gallery#2)http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/199676?c=gallery#2
[19:47] <~Dan> Also on the subject of Spaceship Zero... How the heck did you end up with that one? I mean, it's a great game, but it seems to be WAY out in left field compared to your other products. Is there a story there?
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[19:48] <+Pramas> Well, Toren Atkinson and I have been friends since the middle 90s. I dug his CthulhuPunk band, Darkest of the Hillside Thickets.
[19:48] <~Dan> They are, indeed, awesome.
[19:48] <~Dan> (Welcome, AusJeb!)
[19:49] <+Pramas> He does illustration as well, and he worked on the first two products Green Ronin ever published: Ork the Roleplaying Game and Death in Freeport.
[19:49] <~Dan> Huh. I did not know that.
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[19:49] <~Dan> (Welcome, RickJonzz!)
[19:50] <+mechante_anemone> Toren and you take me back to some of my oldest RPG favourites: Over The Edge and Underground!
[19:50] <+Pramas> So Spaceship Zero was this concept album that the Thickets did and Toren explained the whole story to me and said he'd like to do a RPG. Since he was going to illustrate it and we'd split the proceeds, it seemed a project that'd be fun and have minimal risk.
[19:50] <~Dan> Makes sense.
[19:51] <+Pramas> So yeah, friends + fun and a modest bit of profit.
[19:51] <~Dan> And quite an imaginative concept it is. :)
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[19:51] <+Pramas> Hi, Jeb!
[19:51] <+Pramas> (Done)
[19:51] <+AusJeb> Hiya
[19:51] <~Dan> An RPG based on a soundtrack for a movie based on a TV show based on a radio show that... well, no spoilers. ;)
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[19:52] <~Dan> How did the DC Adventures deal come together? Did you go to them? Did they come to you?
[19:53] <+Pramas> Toren went on to do art for many of our books. He also appeared in a Stargate episode (but then died!). On the show I mean.
[19:53] <~Dan> Cool. I'll have to run down that episode. :D
[19:53] <+Pramas> The DC deal was the longest and most complicated negotiation that I've done. It took us 3 years to make the deal!
[19:53] <~Dan> Wow! O.o
[19:54] <+Pramas> It started with some people on their editorial side who really liked Mutants & Masterminds.
[19:54] <+Pramas> They put us in touch with DC's licensing department and suggested that a DC branded version of M&M would be awesome. We, of course, agreed.
[19:55] <+Pramas> So then there were a bunch of proposals, offers, and counter offers. There were several points that it just went cold for months and we figured it wasn't going to happen.
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[19:56] <+Pramas> Then DC's 75th Anniversary was coming up and they wanted DC everywhere--even in niche markets like RPGs. That was the impetus to finally get the deal done.
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[19:56] <~Dan> Huh. Interesting.
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[19:56] <~Dan> (wb, Serah!)
[19:56] <+Pramas> The other key thing was proposing a limited line of 4 books. When we were trying to get a more wide open license, they wanted an advance we couldn't possibly afford.
[19:57] <+Serah> Hi! o/
[19:57] <+Serah> Internet a little frizzy until I go home!
[19:57] <+Pramas> (Done)
[19:57] <~Dan> How closely did they work with you on the development of the game?
[19:57] <~Dan> Did they veto/advocate any mechanics, for example?
[19:58] <+Pramas> They didn't do any design or anything like that, but we had a great guy in DC's licensing department who worked with us to make sure the game was what we both wanted. We wanted to release it at GenCon that year but approvals weren't done yet.
[19:59] <+Pramas> He said, "I'll stay late all this week if I have to so you can have this for GenCon." No licensor we've dealt with has been that cool.
[19:59] <~Dan> That IS cool.
[19:59] <~Dan> Is he a gamer himself?
[19:59] <+Pramas> No, they trusted us with the game mechanics.
[20:00] <+Pramas> They were more concerned with how the characters were presented, what art we chose, and that sort of thing.
[20:00] * ~Dan nods
[20:00] <+Pramas> Yes. He was in charge of all the gaming approvals: RPGs, video games, etc.
[20:00] <+Pramas> (Done)
[20:01] <~Dan> Did they tell you the characters they wanted included in the core book?
[20:01] <+Pramas> No, we picked them. We had, of course, already proposed what the four books would be, so they knew we planned Heroes & Villains, Volume 1 and 2.
[20:02] <~Dan> Ah, I see.
[20:02] <+Pramas> Our numbers seem to have dwindled. :)
[20:03] <+starspawn> If you could get any license you want, what would it be?
[20:03] <+SteveD> (Oh are we supposed to ask questions too?)
[20:03] <~Dan> (That happens sometimes. I think people start to get shy, thinking that... yes, what Steve was thinking. :D)
[20:03] <~Dan> (Yes, you are all welcome to ask questions. : )
[20:03] <~Dan> :)
[20:04] <+Pramas> I've always wanted to do a Lord of the Rings game. It was Tolkien and D&D that set me on my path in life. I'd love to get a chance to play in Middle Earth.
[20:04] <+Midwoka> My questions would mostly be jokes, so I sit out these Q&As
[20:04] <+AusJeb> What's coming up for AGE?
[20:04] <+Pramas> Sad thing is it almost happened. Games Workshop wanted to add RPG rights to their miniatures rights. We were doing WFRP with them at the time and the plan was for us to design the new game.
[20:05] <~Dan> Awww... Sorry to hear that.
[20:05] <+SteveD> Licences are considered "risky" - can you talk even vaguely about financial issues like that? I imagine that the amount someone likes DC wants on the table to play in their sandbox is pretty big compared to the size of most RPG budgets...
[20:05] <+Pramas> For a few months I thought I'd get to make it happen, but then the Decipher fouled the pool and GW backed off.
[20:06] <+starspawn> Yeah, what happened with WFRP - and who do I have to convince to get Warhammer back to GR?
[20:06] <+Pramas> DA Set 3 is the next big thing for AGE. Then more DLC. Then a new AGE game next year.
[20:06] <+SteveD> "fouled the pool"?
[20:06] <~Dan> (Question pause after starspawn's question, please.)
[20:07] <+Pramas> Decipher was limping along on their way to oblivion and they wanted GW to buy up all their backstock of their LotR game. Who would do that when you plan to design a new one?
[20:07] <+Pramas> So licenses can be a boon or a bane. You need to pick and negotiate them smartly.
[20:08] <+Pramas> Some companies realize that RPGs are more marketing for their property. They don't expect to make a ton of cash (nor should you promise them such) but they extend the brand. If you deal with such folks, you can get a license for little or even no money down.
[20:10] <+Pramas> Also, some licenses come with really valuable assets that you get as part of the deal. For example, when we did The Red Star, we got to fill the book with Christian Gossett's awesome art. Our art cost on that book was near zero.
[20:10] <+Pramas> That makes paying an advance a lot easier.
[20:11] <+Pramas> Also, some folks just like games and want to see them. George R.R. Martin is a prime example. He's a gamer. The whole Wild Cards series came out of a RPG campaign he ran in the 80s.
[20:11] <+Pramas> Believe me, he makes way more on the HBO show, but he likes what we do and is happy there's a RPG for Game of Thrones.
[20:11] <+mechante_anemone> That's a scary thought.
[20:12] <+Silverlion> Indeed. A superworld campaign
[20:12] <+Pramas> Yes, Superworld, the old Chaosium BRP game.
[20:12] <+zenbubble> Was there any connection between the Wild Cards license and the Song Of Ice And Fire license?
[20:12] <+SteveD> He's such a player killer! ;)
[20:12] <+Silverlion> Heh. SteveD.
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[20:13] <+Pramas> We actually got the Wild Cards license first. I figured once we had that, it'd be easier to get Ice and Fire. Who'd want to deal with two RPG companies when you could deal with one? I think that helped.
[20:13] <+SteveD> I have a follow on question about licences, but go to starspawn about WFRP first
[20:13] <+Pramas> Ah, WFRP. Sigh.
[20:13] <+starspawn> You don't have to answer that if you don't want to... don't want to open up old wounds
[20:14] <+starspawn> just curious...
[20:14] <+SteveD> (passes chris the nepenthe)
[20:14] <+Pramas> So basically, GW shut down its RPG group, Black Industries.
[20:15] <+Pramas> I contacted them and said, "Hey, we'd be interested in licensing those games and keeping them going." I was told we could pitch but it'd take them a few months to get sorted on their end.
[20:16] <+Pramas> Shortly after that, I went to GDC in San Francisco. By the time I got home, they had announced an all encompassing deal with FFG: RPGs, boardgames, card games, the lot. We never even got to put a proposal together.
[20:16] <+Pramas> Then I had to watch all the hard work of me and my team get tossed in the bin. It was disheartening.
[20:17] <~Dan> Man. :(
[20:17] <+Silverlion> I can imagine.
[20:17] <+Pramas> Sorry, it makes me sad.
[20:17] <+Pramas> (Done)
[20:17] <~Dan> No worries, Chris.
[20:18] <+mechante_anemone> It made a lot of fans sad!
[20:18] <+starspawn> I can tell you that it was heartbreaking for a lot of fans of 2nd Ed.
[20:18] <+Pramas> Doing WFRP2 for me was a dream job.
[20:18] <~Dan> Chris, I have a question about the business end of... well, the business. (That made more sense in my head.)
[20:18] <+Pramas> WFRP was our RPG of choice in college. We played through the entire Enemey Within Campaign.
[20:18] <+SteveD> So Decipher fouled the pool, and in a sense FFG poached things...is it a dog-eat-dog world in game publishing?
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[20:19] <~Dan> Would it be accurate to say that GR is on the upper tier of gaming companies, insofar as you have a full-time staff and publish your own games?
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[20:19] <~Dan> (Howdy, Squide!)
[20:19] <~Dan> (wb, Wondy!)
[20:19] <&Le_Squide> (Heya!)
[20:20] <+SteveD> (hey squid)
[20:20] <&Le_Squide> (Hey SteveD!)
[20:20] <+Pramas> Well, the industry is small and there is a lot of camaraderie.
[20:20] <+SteveD> Right. So that's an accurate impression, that's what I was asking
[20:21] <+Pramas> But at the end of the day, most companies do what they think is best for them. Sometimes that is bad news for someone else.
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[20:21] <~Dan> (Howdy, TF!)
[20:21] <+SteveD> You never get someone from FFG ringing and saying "Hey Chris, you okay if we take a shot at this?" or anything.
[20:22] <+Pramas> It's usually not malice when that happens, though there are a few companies that make a habit ungracious behavior.
[20:22] <+TracerFox> Hey Dan
[20:22] <+SteveD> We recognise you are too professional to name names. Feel free to use cunning anagrams instead. :D
[20:24] <+Pramas> Steve, no, we didn't. In fact, FFG hired us to design one last WFRP2 book, Shades of Empire. We thought it was just an easy way for them to get their line going. We didn't know they were working on 3E.
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[20:24] <+Pramas> Dan, I suppose we appear upper tier these days.
[20:24] <+SteveD> I worked on Shades, I didn't realise they were jerking you around...
[20:25] <+SteveD> (Shades is a great book)
[20:25] <+Pramas> That's because the middle has hollowed out. There aren't that many companies in our position anymore. There are a few at the top, a receding middle, and then a ton of smaller companies.
[20:25] <~Dan> On a related note, do you feel like you're "livin' the dream", so to speak?
[20:26] <+Silverlion> tiny tiny companies...
[20:26] <+Pramas> Well, Shades seemed straight forward at the time. Just a studio job on a game we obviously knew well.
[20:27] <+Pramas> In some ways, I am living the dream. I get to be my own boss. I get to travel a lot. I get to make games for a living.
[20:27] * ~Dan nods
[20:27] <+Pramas> On the other hand, it's living on the edge of a razor.
[20:27] <+Pramas> I spent four years without health insurance and now I have a shitty plan that pays for nothing.
[20:27] <+starspawn> Was Tomb Of Thieves (is that the right title?) a GR thing that got cancelled, or was that FFG? (and was Career Compendium FFG's book?)
[20:28] <+Pramas> I've spent a few years here and there working as a writer on video games. That was for better money and insurance.
[20:28] <+SteveD> Robin Laws once told me that almost all fulltime RPG freelancers are Canadian, because of the free healthcare.
[20:28] <+Silverlion> I can see why..
[20:29] <~Dan> What's a typical "day at the office" like for you? (Assuming there IS such a thing.)
[20:29] <+Pramas> I really do prefer working for myself though. The video game jobs were really frustrating. I was lead writer on the 40K MMO and now that game will never come out.
[20:31] <+Pramas> Tomb of Thieves was supposed to be the second and final book we did for FFG. However, the pitch for it existing before we got involved. The writer then had some personal problems and the book was going to be really late.
[20:32] <+Pramas> At that point, we agreed with FFG to just cancel it. So it was technically our project for a few months, but we didn't end up having much to do with it.
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[20:32] <+Pramas> existing=existed
[20:33] <~Dan> What was the name of that M&M swords-and-sorcery supplement?
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[20:33] <+Pramas> So I work the morning at home. That's when I try to answer emails and do business stuff. Then I walk down to a studio that I share with three artists. They do art and I write. It's a cool co-working situation and it gets me out of the house.
[20:33] <+Sketchpad> Dan> Warriors & Warlocks?
[20:34] <~Dan> (Ah, that one.)
[20:34] <~Dan> (Oh, and sorry, Chris -- forgot that you hadn't answered my other question yet. *blush*)
[20:34] <+Pramas> The studio also puts on art shows. I co-curated one called The Art of RPGs a few months ago. It was great.
[20:34] <~Dan> Cool. :)
[20:36] <+SteveD> Re George RR, who contacted whom first?
[20:36] <+SteveD> I'm just curious about "cold" pitches. Have you ever sent someone a "love your work, how about an RPG of it?" type email?
[20:36] <+Pramas> Because so many game artists live here in Seattle, we had several events with contributing artists like rk post, Raven Mimura, Todd Lockwood in attendance.
[20:37] <+Pramas> I cold emailed George.
[20:37] <+technoshaman> I have a follow up question, ever thought of doing Dragon Fist for M&M 3e? I could fit with the game system and Wuxia is Martial Arts heroism :P
[20:37] <+Pramas> This was about a year after Guardians of Order imploded.
[20:37] <+Sketchpad> The art show sounded really cool, Chris. I wish we lived on the west coast.
[20:37] <+Pramas> I thought, "There really ought to be a Game of Thrones RPG!"
[20:38] <+Pramas> He wrote me back right away and I offered to send him some books. I sent him several M&M titles, because there are great looking color books and I know he loves comics.
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[20:38] <+Pramas> That's how we ended up getting Wild Cards first and then Ice and Fire.
[20:39] <+SteveD> Thanks. V useful.
[20:39] <&Le_Squide> I would also like to hear if there's a chance we'll ever get a M&M powered Dragon Fist
[20:39] <+Silverlion> ..I so want Dragonfist
[20:40] <~Dan> Oh, re: Warriors & Warlocks: I was just wondering if I remembered correctly that that was a 2nd ed. supplement, and if so, if we'll ever see a 3rd ed. version.
[20:40] <+Pramas> My attempts to contact Bernard Cornwell about a Sharpe's Rifles RPG were not as successful. :) Nor my attempt to convince the Tolkien Estate to license us the Silmarillion for an epic Middle Earth RPG set in the First Age.
[20:40] <~Dan> Oh, man, would that have been sweet.
[20:40] <+mechante_anemone> Chris, weren't you worried about working w/GRR Martin after the delays he had caused on the GoO project?
[20:41] <~Dan> (Question pause after mechante's question, please.)
[20:41] <+Pramas> Well, we've talked about M&M Dragon Fist. My feeling was that the feature I really wanted to preserve was the stunt mechanic. That doesn't seem like a great fit for the M&M rules. Better for AGE, I think.
[20:41] <+technoshaman> it was a thought
[20:41] <+Silverlion> Dragonfist Age! Awesome
[20:42] * +Silverlion would buy that
[20:42] <~Dan> (My brain first read that as "dragon fistage," which is kind of a disturbing visual.)
[20:42] <+AusJeb> It would be great to see more of Dragon Fist
[20:42] <+Pramas> If we do revisit Warriors & Warlocks, it won't be for a couple of years. It could be that it'd be better as a stand alone game than a supplement. Then if we did that though, people would ask for supplements and suddenly we'd have another game line. :)
[20:42] <+Silverlion> Bad Dan no cookie.
[20:43] <~Dan> Fair enough. :) Any chance of a new Nocturnals book?
[20:43] <+Pramas> I was a little concerned, yes, but I thought it was worth the risk. Certainly getting the license before Ice and Fire turned into a hit HBO show was the way to do it though.
[20:44] <~Dan> For that matter, does your deal with DC even allow you to produce licensed products from non-DC comics?
[20:45] <+Pramas> Here's the thing about revisiting old books: that's one less slot for a new book and we like doing new stuff. That doesn't mean we'll never do it. I think Freedom City fans would scream if we never did a 3E version of that, for example, but we are careful about what we go back to.
[20:45] <+technoshaman> What is the dice and stunt mechanic for AGE? I forgot
[20:46] * ~Dan nods
[20:46] <+Pramas> Our DC license doesn't forbid us from doing other comics. I never would have signed such a thing.
[20:46] <+Sketchpad> Maybe do some of the old M&M books collected in a Classic line? ;)
[20:46] <+mechante_anemone> Dragon die gives stunt points, matches in other dice tell you whether you have a stunt availale.
[20:47] <+Pramas> In AGE you roll 3d6 and if you get doubles, you get a number of stunt points equal to the "dragon die". You then pick stunts off a menu, resolve them, and describe the awesome thing you just did.
[20:47] <~Dan> Also re: DC: Did you guys make a pitch for Smallville, or had MWP already locked that up?
[20:47] <+Pramas> We were never interested in Smallville.
[20:48] <~Dan> Fair enough.
[20:48] <+Pramas> Any questions I missed?
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[20:48] <~Dan> Doesn't look like it. :)
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[20:49] <+SteveD> (how long does this go, btw?)
[20:49] <~Dan> Speaking of questions, since we have about 10 minutes left in the regular Q&A, is there anything we haven't covered that you'd like to mention, Chris?
[20:49] <+Pramas> I've got 10 more minutes. Then I'm taking my lovely wife to see The Japandroids for her birthday.
[20:49] <+mechante_anemone> :)
[20:49] <~Dan> Happy Birthday to you wife!
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[20:51] <+Silverlion> Oh Happy BIrthday to your wife!
[20:51] <~Dan> (Welcome, Fellwalker!)
[20:51] <+technoshaman> trying to remember, did have the lisencing to do the new 52 for DC?
[20:51] <+Pramas> I'll mention that the Night's Watch book for Ice and Fire is almost done printing. It's a pretty awesome book. You can do campaigns as all Night's Watch or all Wildling if you like. The pre-order special (get the PDF for $5 when you pre-order the print book) ends next week.
[20:52] <+mechante_anemone> BTW, love the box set approach for Dragon Age.
[20:52] <+SteveD> What makes you want to do a licence? Why not Smallville, say?
[20:52] <+Pramas> Our stuff was planned before new 52, so it doesn't reflect that continuity.
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[20:52] <~Dan> (Good. I don't care about stats for Jerk Superman. :D )
[20:53] <+Pramas> Oh, also The Supernatural Handbook is out now and PDF and up for pre-order as well. Great book by Lucien Soulban (who did Hero High) about putting horror into your M&M game.
[20:53] <+Sketchpad> If offered, would you do a New52 book? Or would there be another comic license that you think M&M would be well suited for?
[20:54] <+Sketchpad> Also, is there a chance to see the Supervillain book for M&M3e or was most of that put into the GMG?
[20:54] <+Pramas> At this point a license has got to either be something I really like or a business opportunity I'd be a fool to refuse. Also, we reached a point where the number of licenses we were supporting outnumbered our own worlds and we are trying to redress the balance.
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[20:54] <+Pramas> That's why the new AGE game will have a new world that we designed.
[20:55] <+mechante_anemone> Fantasy?
[20:55] <+Pramas> Licensed games have been good to us but we like creating settings of our own too. And we love not having to wait for approvals. :)
[20:55] <+Sketchpad> I can imagine :)
[20:56] <~Dan> It's interesting to see the different approaches that RPG companies have to licenses. Margaret Weis said that if there's a gap in her gamelines, she goes to find a license to fill it.
[20:56] <+Pramas> I don't really want to do a 52 book. We're happy to enact our plan and then direct DC Adventures fans to the M&M line for more support.
[20:57] <~Dan> The two are 100% compatible, correct?
[20:57] <~Dan> DC Adventures/M&M, that is.
[20:57] <+Pramas> Supervillain's Handbook was an announced supplment for M&M2E. Most of its contents went into the M&M3 Gamemaster's Guide.
[20:57] <+Fellwalker> What DC Universe book that you have not done are you jonesin' to do?
[20:58] <+Pramas> New AGE game is fantasy, yes, but not vanilla fantasy.
[20:58] <+Sketchpad> That's what I figured. Thanks Chris :)
[20:59] <~Dan> (And since Chris needs to run, we'll let Fellwalker's question be the last one for the evening.)
[20:59] <+Pramas> DCA and M&M are 100% compatible. If you want good GM advice and support for DC, for example, the M&M GMG is for you.
[20:59] <+technoshaman> have there been any intrests of doing a Mass Effect rpg use AGE system?
[20:59] <~Dan> (Or tech's, if he has time. :) )
[20:59] <+technoshaman> hehehe
[20:59] <+Pramas> The DC thing I most wanted to do was a Fables RPG actually. Not using M&M but a lighter system. That idea got shelved when we went to the four book plan.
[21:00] <+SteveD> Awesome
[21:00] <+Sketchpad> Fables would make an awesome RPG
[21:00] <+mechante_anemone> Fables WOuld have good potential with all the TV shows and movies in that vein.
[21:01] <+Fellwalker> Awww. Fables is just plain awesome. Perhaps a M&M supp about fairy tales style games.
[21:01] <+Pramas> We've talked to BioWare about Mass Effect many times. The ME team needs to want it to happen, however, and they have shown no such inclination. Until they get excited by the idea, it's not going to happen.
[21:01] <+Pramas> Done!
[21:01] <+technoshaman> ohh ok
[21:01] <~Dan> Well, Chris, we'll let you get to the birthday celebrating. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us this evening!
[21:02] <+zenbubble> Thanks heaps Chris!
[21:02] <+Pramas> My pleasure. Thanks for having me!
[21:02] <~Dan> The log will be posted at my blog momentarily. The link is in the subject line up tehre.
[21:02] <~Dan> there
[21:02] <+mechante_anemone> Bye!
[21:02] <+Pramas> Awesome. Well, time to rock. Thanks for coming and see you all later!
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[21:02] <~Dan> Have a great evening!
[21:02] <+Fellwalker> Live long and prosper.
[21:03] <+Sketchpad> Thanks, Chris! Hope you and Nicole have a good time tonight.
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