If you owned White Wolf...

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Archived from groups: alt.games.whitewolf (More info?)

Assume, for a moment, that you come into millions of dollars. And
that, for reasons of your own, you want to sink some of that cash into
buying WWGS. What would you do with the studio and its games?

(Since we don't know what's going on with the new games, assume that
this is before WW ended the WoD)

Would you end the gamelines yourself or keep them going? Drastically
redo everything or adopt a hands-off policy and let the creativity
really fly, bottom-line be damned?

I'd do more the latter, trusting the creators' expertise to know how
to run the company successfully. Probably the biggest changes I'd make
to the games would be to bring Changeling and Adventure! back and have
all the books printed in full color. However, I'd do much more
merchandising (posters, t-shirts, etc) in mainstream retail stores.

Come to think of it, a series of OAVs (and accompanying soundtracks)
would also be a great way to go...

Any other ideas?

Dex,
unlikely to run into millions soon, alas...

 

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In article <27420f11.0407271755.29c2c98@posting.google.com>,
smilinglord@hotmail.com (Hand-of-Omega) wrote:

> t-shirts

I think T-shirts would be great, so long as they got beyond the "just
the game logo in big/small letters" thing that so captivates the people
currently designing WW's shirts.

--
Tyler

u d e t o d r y s t a n o i d f t

Bac>|wards

 

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"Hand-of-Omega" <smilinglord@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:27420f11.0407271755.29c2c98@posting.google.com...
> Assume, for a moment, that you come into millions of dollars. And
> that, for reasons of your own, you want to sink some of that cash into
> buying WWGS. What would you do with the studio and its games?
>
> (Since we don't know what's going on with the new games, assume that
> this is before WW ended the WoD)
>
> Would you end the gamelines yourself or keep them going? Drastically
> redo everything or adopt a hands-off policy and let the creativity
> really fly, bottom-line be damned?

I'd leave everything be as is. These people have been doing their thing for
the past 14 years.

Except...

I'd set up a special line for orphan games from WoD 1 that I like: A
Mage:The Ascension line that is thematically seperated from the metaplots of
WoD 1, a finished Changeling line, and continuing work on Wraith. These
would be very small print runs that would obviously loose money. But what
the hell! If I came into, say $100 Million, I'd be happy to cover those
losses myself, do my pet project stuff under a seperate imprint (so as to
not interfere with what's happening in WoD 2 or the other lines), and leave
it at that. But WoD 2 has it's own Mage line? Who cares? I'm rich!
Everyone can have their cake and eat it too.

And one more thing. I'd buy Mekton Zeta from Mike Pondsmith, do a new
edition of Mekton, and have GGG and the Exalted staff create a kick ass
Mecha setting!

CB

 

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On 27 Jul 2004 18:55:45 -0700, smilinglord@hotmail.com (Hand-of-Omega)
wrote:
>Would you end the gamelines yourself or keep them going? Drastically
>redo everything or adopt a hands-off policy and let the creativity
>really fly, bottom-line be damned?

I would not adopt a hands-off policy , but I would not care about the
bottom-line either. (Supposing I am rich enough... )
I would ask for a rewrite of Changeling.
I would ask for adventures and campaigns. For all games.
I would ask for a "Wod : Exalted"
I would ask for more Aeon books.
I would ask for an updating of all not yet updated books.
I would ask for a poney, too (Calvin&Hobbes reference..)

>unlikely to run into millions soon, alas...
Same here..

Guillaume

 

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smilinglord@hotmail.com postulated:

:: Assume, for a moment, that you come into millions of dollars. And
:: that, for reasons of your own, you want to sink some of that cash
:: into buying WWGS. What would you do with the studio and its games?
<snippity-snip>

I'd go mad with power. I'd introduce a White Wolf mobile phone network, a
White Wolf-themed internet/digital radio station for both chat and
inspirational music, I'd open exclusive White Wolf retail chain selling not
only roleplaying games but music, DVDs, videos, SF/fantasy/horror books and
other books of interest to gamers, including, say books on magic and the
occult. I'd open a chain of White Wolf themed restraurants and then start
selling White Wolf insurance policies. Car insurance, home insurance,
medical insurance, life insurance, RPG equipment insurance... Then buy an
airline (special discounts for loyal White Wolf gamers who purchased
everything on their groovy black White Wolf credit card), a software
company, a television station, a movie studio, start selling gas and
electric... y'know... go all evil corporate... I will make White Wolf a
worldwide household name and have all households worldwide bow before the
might of The White Wolf! MUHAHAHA!

Ahem.

Nimrod...
--
"I'm going to sing the Doom Song now." -- G.I.R., 'Invader Zim'

 

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smilinglord@hotmail.com (Hand-of-Omega) wrote in message news:<27420f11.0407271755.29c2c98@posting.google.com>...
> Assume, for a moment, that you come into millions of dollars. And
> that, for reasons of your own, you want to sink some of that cash into
> buying WWGS. What would you do with the studio and its games?
>
> (Since we don't know what's going on with the new games, assume that
> this is before WW ended the WoD)
>
> Would you end the gamelines yourself or keep them going?

I'd end them, though I would have structured it a bit differently:
* A canonical crossover ending
* A canonical standalone ending
* A loud variant ending
* A quiet variant ending
* A wierd variant ending

Of course, having worked on the end of the line, I'm pretty confident
that the canonical crossover would have been a nightmare and probably
not worth it.

> Drastically
> redo everything or adopt a hands-off policy and let the creativity
> really fly, bottom-line be damned?

False dichotomy, really. Part of being creative is making the games
playable. Making the games playable makes them saleable.

> I'd do more the latter, trusting the creators' expertise to know how
> to run the company successfully. Probably the biggest changes I'd make
> to the games would be to bring Changeling and Adventure! back and have
> all the books printed in full color.

I'd let Changeling relaunch in the new WoD. I can't really see what
might be done with A! to really change its status and full colour
books would be nice, but probably not worth the expense.

> However, I'd do much more
> merchandising (posters, t-shirts, etc) in mainstream retail stores.
> Come to think of it, a series of OAVs (and accompanying soundtracks)
> would also be a great way to go...

I'd certainly emphasize that the WoD is a saleable intellectuial
property and, like WW, ghet a decent agent to hawk it with the proviso
that I can eventually build up to a separate entertainment group.

> Any other ideas?

Celeb. WoD books. I'd see about hiring well-known genre writers to
produce a limited series of books that represent world and variations
of their creation, ported into the setting.

I'd launch a full-crossover WoD card game.

I'd start developing a new fatsplat now so that it's ready to
introduce to great fanfare in 5 years. I'd be stingy about fatsplats
until then.

M.

 

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usiel@vampirethemasquerade.com (Malcolm Sheppard) wrote in message news:<c772e1f6.0408011832.66aa2700@posting.google.com>...
> smilinglord@hotmail.com (Hand-of-Omega) wrote in message news:<27420f11.0407271755.29c2c98@posting.google.com>...
> > Assume, for a moment, that you come into millions of dollars. And
> > that, for reasons of your own, you want to sink some of that cash into
> > buying WWGS. What would you do with the studio and its games?
> >
> I'd let Changeling relaunch in the new WoD. I can't really see what
> might be done with A! to really change its status and full colour
> books would be nice, but probably not worth the expense.

Adventure! Player/Storyteller's guides? Storyteller screen, maybe?
And all this money is effectively free, so never mind the expense!^~

> Celeb. WoD books. I'd see about hiring well-known genre writers to
> produce a limited series of books that represent world and variations
> of their creation, ported into the setting.
>
Pet peeve of mine: When entertainment properties do the above, and
said writer dusts off some story (or just throws together a new one)
that has NOTHING to do with the property, save the weakest thematic
link ("Well, this story has a vampire IN it...").

Dex,
who *might* bring Wraith back...

 

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Tyler Dion <tfdion@spammenot.com> wrote in message news:<CJWdnS_m5N3Ul5rcRVn-hw@telcove.net>...
> In article <27420f11.0407271755.29c2c98@posting.google.com>,
> smilinglord@hotmail.com (Hand-of-Omega) wrote:
>
> > t-shirts
>
> I think T-shirts would be great, so long as they got beyond the "just
> the game logo in big/small letters" thing that so captivates the people
> currently designing WW's shirts.

I still have a couple of Vampire Clan tees, with the characters who
don't really look like they belong to that Clan on them...

Have you seen some of the VtR tees? Some of those go beyond what you
describe...

I remember seeing Werewolf necklaces, but were there ever Mage or
Changeling wearables?

Dex,
who'd love a box of Fomori condoms...^^

 

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In article <27420f11.0408021909.439b2709@posting.google.com>,
smilinglord@hotmail.com (Hand-of-Omega) wrote:

> Have you seen some of the VtR tees? Some of those go beyond what you
> describe...

Not that I recall. The only shirts I've seen were on the WW site just
before the end. The few listings that had actual pictures seemed to be
of the variety I described before. The LGS actually has a dusty display
of Vampire and Werewolf necklaces, but no equally moldy T-shirts.
Curious.

> I remember seeing Werewolf necklaces, but were there ever Mage or
> Changeling wearables?

Do the Mage tattoos count as wearable?

Oh yes! One silly expenditure of money I would approve would be a
limited run of that sphere symbol orrery-thing from the Sorcerer's
Crusade corebook. Ones that would revolve and such, natch.

Or hell, if I'm the one with tons of discretionary cash, I'd probably
just have one built for myself.

--
Tyler

u d e t o d r y s t a n o i d f t

Bac>|wards

 

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Malcolm Sheppard wrote:
> Celeb. WoD books. I'd see about hiring well-known genre writers to
> produce a limited series of books that represent world and variations
> of their creation, ported into the setting.
>
> I'd launch a full-crossover WoD card game.

I hereby grant you the ownership of White Wolf Publishing Inc.

--
Francois Gombault
GPG key: http://hopeless.homelinux.org:2080/~francois/gpg/08A1B422.asc
I HAVE NEITHER BEEN THERE NOR DONE THAT -- Bart Simpson on chalkboard

 

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Archived from groups: alt.games.whitewolf (More info?)

> Assume, for a moment, that you come into millions of dollars. And
> that, for reasons of your own, you want to sink some of that cash into
> buying WWGS. What would you do with the studio and its games?


Bring back the Rage CCG! They've got a nice strong card divison as
is, they can support a second game. Market it to disaffected Pokemon
players who have gone past the cute and fuzzy stage and are now
angsty. "Gotta Kill 'em All! Rage!"

And offer t-shirts in small. Not all gamers are 6'2" and 300 pounds.
The smallest shirt WW offers now I can use as a nightshirt, and not
even a particuarly well fitting one at that. Damn neck's so big it
does the slide off one shoulder thing. Girls want shirts too!

Fenris Lorsrai

 

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smilinglord@hotmail.com (Hand-of-Omega) wrote in message news:<27420f11.0407271755.29c2c98@posting.google.com>...
> Assume, for a moment, that you come into millions of dollars. And
> that, for reasons of your own, you want to sink some of that cash into
> buying WWGS. What would you do with the studio and its games?
>
>

Act as big brother editor. Make sure that everything had a decent
mixture of rules, flavor text, and fiction. Say 2 parts crunch, 2
parts fluff, and 1 part fiction. Make sure that everything can stand
on its own and isn't going to be rewritten by metaplot change for no
other reason that to support the metaplot.

Git rid of some of the writers who have produced some of the wretched
books in the last five years or so. There have been too many books
written and I just had to ask "why?" After a little bit of study, it
seems that Shomshak (followed by Achilli) has been a writer on all my
favorite books. I'd give him more work.

Start up a massive crossover chronicle with multiple player groups for
various systems. All taking place in the main conference room with all
those neat business conference room toys being used for the sake of
"playtesting" the second edition WOD 2.0 where I get rid of game
mechanics I don't like.

Bring back Samual Haight.

 

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Hand-of-Omega wrote:

> Assume, for a moment, that you come into millions of dollars. And
> that, for reasons of your own, you want to sink some of that cash into
> buying WWGS. What would you do with the studio and its games?
>
> (Since we don't know what's going on with the new games, assume that
> this is before WW ended the WoD)
>
> Would you end the gamelines yourself or keep them going? Drastically
> redo everything or adopt a hands-off policy and let the creativity
> really fly, bottom-line be damned?
>
> I'd do more the latter, trusting the creators' expertise to know how
> to run the company successfully. Probably the biggest changes I'd make
> to the games would be to bring Changeling and Adventure! back and have
> all the books printed in full color. However, I'd do much more
> merchandising (posters, t-shirts, etc) in mainstream retail stores.
>
> Come to think of it, a series of OAVs (and accompanying soundtracks)
> would also be a great way to go...
>
> Any other ideas?
>
> Dex,
> unlikely to run into millions soon, alas...

I'd toss money at them as much as they wished, and let them do whatever
the hell they wanted with little or no oversight from above. I wouldn't
even care if the stuff they made was profitable, per se, though that
would certainly be good;P Maybe some kind of "you get a percentage of
the profits that your books make, as a bonus, since I sure as hell don't
need the money" kind of deal.

Profitability is good, after all.

😀

I'd also buy a pony.


Brandon,