Re: Adventures in Licensing...

From: madcentral@aol.com (MadCentral)

Date: Fri, 12 May 2000 00:00:00 +0000

>>Have any of you seasoned GMs ever licensed an existing setting (i.e. the way
GURPS does sourcebooks) to make into a PBM?
(I'm sure some of you have...)<<

Several times.

>>How did it go? <<

Give it up before you even start.

>>Specifically, what are some (if any) of the obstacles you
have had to overcome?<<

I could go on all day.

>>Was it a worthwhile endeavor?<<

Absolutely not.

>> Was it too much hassle?<<

Absolutely.

>>What's a fair share for the person you are licensing from?  30%, 50%, etc?<<

It doesnt matter whats fair and what isnt.  The licensee will always think you
are about to make your first million on their name and will want license fees
to reflect that nonsense.

>>Cash up front, plus a percentage?
 (I know it depends on a bunch of things, but let's keep it somewhat
general)<<

With names that nobody really knows you might get a deal, but why bother?  With
any of the big names you'll be paying an exhorbitant fee, you'll have your
accounts under constant scrutiny, they might take back your license at the end
of any (usually short) contractual period and leave your investment dry, they
wont be willing to give you any reasonable concessions to help you promote the
game, you will have to deal with *miles* of pages of complex contracts, which
will mostly completely fail to understand what PBM even *is*, and you'll spend
more money on lawyers for that than you'll *ever* earn on the game.

>>How much help/support (if any) did you get from the people you licensed
from?<<

We have been granted the license to AD&D, Champions, we nearly had Gurps at one
point, and we have been offered a number of others.  In *every single instance*
the help we got was just enough for them to ask us ''Will you earn us a fortune
in the first three months'' and *nothing more*.

>>I'm really interested in this (and other) information.<<

Dont waste your time, is my advice, but good luck if you give it a try.  Its a
tiring (and boring) road that I never want to travel again.  In the end, I
opted for creating my own 'epic' game and stuff the lot of them. <grin>

Steve T.

References

Adventures in Licensing...
"Chris Williams" <williac6@rjrt.com>
Fri, 12 May 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Referenced By

Adventures in Licensing...
"Chris Williams" <williac6@rjrt.com>
Fri, 12 May 2000 00:00:00 +0000