I was on the live streaming for the Gygax Magazine unboxing, and it was great. The mag looks like it has good production value, a range of different articles about the gaming community, games and the like, it's not outrageously expensive ($35 for a 4-issue subscription, it's a quarterly mag, apparently), it's going to try to appeal to all styles of tabletop gaming, from board and miniatures game to role playing games obviously, and not just the "old school", and the guys seem to have their act together.
You can rewatch the whole unboxing on the website if you missed it: http://gygaxmagazine.com/
There are small issues (a bunch of people reported some free shipping charges when trying to subscribe internationally, which seems totally unrealistic, and the guys behind the mag are checking this out now), but all in all, it really went well, and looks promising. Exciting times.
Oh, PDF, digital etc will be supported as well as the print mag itself. I remember that was asked here.
The first issue cover looks great. It reminded me of the old Dragon Magazine which, of course, is a good thing.
"Reminded you of" or "looked exactly like"?
Judge for yourself:
(http://store.gygaxmagazine.com/product_images/theme_images/minisandmag.jpg)
Yes, that was rather my point.
is it by subscription only?
Quote from: thedungeondelver;622221is it by subscription only?
No. When you hit the "buy now" button you'll see a choice between buying just the first issue or going for the full 4-issue subscription.
Quote from: VectorSigma;622219Yes, that was rather my point.
OK yeah. :)
Wow, shipping down under is kinda expensive: USPS (Priority Mail International) $71.30 which is about $17 per magazine.
I'll be moving right along then.
Quote from: VectorSigma;622212"Reminded you of" or "looked exactly like"?
If it looked exactly like then it reminded me. ;)
Wow, that really does look like Dragon. The only difference was that in some of the issues it had the price closer to the issue number, rather than just above the left column of the text. But in later issues (90+) that's where it was too.
Personally I like the look, but I have to wonder if that won't cause problems
Quote from: JeremyR;622239Wow, that really does look like Dragon. The only difference was that in some of the issues it had the price closer to the issue number, rather than just above the left column of the text. But in later issues (90+) that's where it was too.
Personally I like the look, but I have to wonder if that won't cause problems
I don't think it will cause legal problems, but I'm certainly not impressed by it, any more than I presume a product that apes the look of AD&D modules is necessarily any good.
There's "nod to what has come before" and then there's needless fetishism.
Now, if the second issue is done up to look like an issue of Dragon from a whole different era? That would be kind of impressive. But I don't think that'll be the case.
Quote from: Benoist;622226No. When you hit the "buy now" button you'll see a choice between buying just the first issue or going for the full 4-issue subscription.
Very cool.
Oh hey a little birdie told me everyone's favorite internet stalker was there giving you a hard time.
This looks pretty cool alright. Is there a contents page or description to view about some where? I didn't see one at the site.
Very cool that they kept the exact cover layout.
Also, excellent cover art. Actually tells a story like the old mag covers did.
Cover looks great. Any word on the content?
Not sure I like the "let's build a time machine" aspect of the whole thing. But if they can maintain a high level of quality, I'll be glad to have another print magazine to peruse.
Quote from: thedungeondelver;622245Very cool.
Oh hey a little birdie told me everyone's favorite internet stalker was there giving you a hard time.
Well I remember seeing one particular individual that could fit that description, but honestly I didn't give a crap about his particular presence.
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;622262Cover looks great. Any word on the content?
(http://www.wired.com/geekdad/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/gygax_mag_TOC1-660x1291.jpg)
From the Wired.com article about Gygax Magazine: http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2013/01/gygax-magazine/
New pieces by Lenard Lakofka and Phil Foglio?!?
Well I guess I'll get the PDF (and possibly the print version) for that alone!
Nice. That looks like a good range of topics and writers to me.
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;622270Nice. That looks like a good range of topics and writers to me.
Ya, for real. The contents page is even a bigger eye catcher than the cover to me.
Just ordered the first issue.
Thanks for the heads-up.
It looks interesting and I may buy.
I think they're restraining their marketing potential by naming it Gygax though, if the magazine is indeed all about games from across all eras of roleplaying. Maybe they're only going for the gamer over 30 who's heard of Gary.
I'm surprised about Icons and Godlike being in the first issue. I figured they'd stick more to old D&D. Kinda neat.
Quote from: thedungeondelver;622245Oh hey a little birdie told me everyone's favorite internet stalker was there giving you a hard time.
Quote from: Benoist;622266Well I remember seeing one particular individual that could fit that description, but honestly I didn't give a crap about his particular presence.
Do tell.
Quote from: CRKrueger;622284Do tell.
Ancient Gamer 1970. It's not worth bitching about for posts and posts, I didn't interact with him at all.
Quote from: danbuter;622281I'm surprised about Icons and Godlike being in the first issue. I figured they'd stick more to old D&D. Kinda neat.
Did Icons team up ever come out? Last i remembered Skarka was still making excuses.
Quote from: Gib;622290Did Icons team up ever come out? Last i remembered Skarka was still making excuses.
I don't think Adamant owns ICONS anymore. I believe Steve Kenson owns it now. I believe he just finished a Kickstarter for a book called With Great Power or something like that.
Quote from: Benoist;622286Ancient Gamer 1970. It's not worth bitching about for posts and posts, I didn't interact with him at all.
Oh. I wonder if the big, tough marine would let Allie Goertz take off her glasses before he knocked her out?
Quote from: CRKrueger;622294Oh. I wonder if the big, tough marine would let Allie Goertz take off her glasses before he knocked her out?
Man that was great to see Allie perform for us. I was kinda sad for her because it wasn't live, though. The live feed had problems for the first like, 10 minutes or so, and when it was fixed and we could see everything she was done with her song. I love what she does. She's amazing.
This is crazy awesome. Love love love to see non-D&D stuff which is a time-honored tradition of ye olde TSR Dragon. Will look into getting the PDF later. Congratulations to Ben and to everyone involved.
Quote from: AnthonyRoberson;622292I don't think Adamant owns ICONS anymore. I believe Steve Kenson owns it now. I believe he just finished a Kickstarter for a book called With Great Power or something like that.
I presume that article about ICONS, being a preview of Great Power, is related.
Also, what a roster! Cory Doctorow? etc., etc.? That had to be expensive. Here's hoping they can continue to bring the quality.
Really, it's only the title that's putting me off.
The industry could use a leading, cross-brand magazine that covers every game in existence, offering reviews and material for all of them. I sincerely hope they can find an audience and expand their reach.
(I also sincerely hope they come up with a different name, but they won't, and probably shouldn't. Still, terrible name.)
I had to have it as soon as I saw the cover, although seeing the ToC makes me feel a little less like an easily manipulated tool. Hope it works out for them. It'll be nice to have a print mag again. Now if they can just get Willie Walsh to do an adventure or two...
My order number was 539, so it seems to be off to a good start.
Quote from: Benoist;622213Judge for yourself:
(http://store.gygaxmagazine.com/product_images/theme_images/minisandmag.jpg)
Looks exactly like!
JG
Quote from: Bastetson;622314My order number was 539, so it seems to be off to a good start.
#668 here.
Also Daniel Horne did the cover! His piece on the cover of Dragon #126 is one of my favorites.
(http://i49.tinypic.com/347bn9k.jpg)
QuoteGygax magazine 4-issue subscription $35.00
Shipping by USPS (Priority Mail International) $79.05
I believe I am going to be spending my money elsewhere. :hatsoff:
[edit]Unless PDF becomes a purchase option.[/edit]
I ordered the 1st issue. I don't imagine I will be ordering any others. I don't much have a need for a magazine subscription in my life any longer.
Quote from: Endless Flight;622279I think they're restraining their marketing potential by naming it Gygax though, if the magazine is indeed all about games from across all eras of roleplaying.
Quote from: Daddy Warpig;622302Really, it's only the title that's putting me off.
Are you kidding? The title is the only thing making it a viable
magazine. If the same content were delivered in a differently branded periodical, it would do much more poorly.
And this magazine will not be driven by the content, no matter how good, but by the nostalgia crack.
Quote from: Raven;622325#668 here.
Also Daniel Horne did the cover! His piece on the cover of Dragon #126 is one of my favorites.
(http://i49.tinypic.com/347bn9k.jpg)
Always liked that picture.
Quote from: CRKrueger;622294Oh. I wonder if the big, tough marine would let Allie Goertz take off her glasses before he knocked her out?
I can smell the whiskey from here
Any info on what price the PDF will be?
I popped for the first issue. I'll see how it looks and then maybe go for the subscription. I'd kinda prefer the pdf version but paper mags are still fun to peruse.
I assume that since it is listing a four-issue subscription that this will be published quarterly? I either missed that in the Wired article or it wasn't stated.
G
I went ahead and got the four issue subscription.
Quote from: Raven;622325#668 here.
Also Daniel Horne did the cover! His piece on the cover of Dragon #126 is one of my favorites.
(http://i49.tinypic.com/347bn9k.jpg)
That is fuckin' A+ right there. Mountains in the background. Pink glow in the sky. Overcast above. Reasonable looking hero. Believable fantasy.
We need more of that.
Not the Wayne Reynolds EXTREME comicbook D*D 10-foot sword FF crap.
Quote from: 1989;622377That is fuckin' A+ right there. Mountains in the background. Pink glow in the sky. Overcast above. Reasonable looking hero. Believable fantasy.
We need more of that.
Not the Wayne Reynolds EXTREME comicbook D*D 10-foot sword FF crap.
Totally agree! Also note that the woman has no boobs on display and is not wearing minimal clothing - because there is snow.
As for the magazine, great! BUT, unless it appears at a gaming shop like Orcs Nest or Leisure Games here in London I doubt I'II pay those shipping costs.
I have nothing against it, but early missteps like the lack of pdf on launch day and the shipping confusion do not bode well.
I give it 18 months.
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;622355Always liked that picture.
me too. One of my fav covers. Of course, that was about the time I had a crush on Jo from Facts of Life, and the woman in the pic looks like her
Quote from: Melan;622336I believe I am going to be spending my money elsewhere.
International shipping for a single issue is 35$ ???
This is utterly ridiculous. PoD via RPGnow or Lulu would be cheaper.
I wonder how many issues they need to sell a month to stay in print?
(Unrelated reminiscing to follow)
I picked up my first copy of Dragon from a 7-11. That's the only way I knew to get them for the first ~2 years or so. What was slightly odd is sometimes you'd find them stocked out of order.
First issue I ever had was #85.
(http://images.comiccollectorlive.com/covers/712/71213d4e-a5f3-4cb0-94d0-3c4987d57b1f.jpg)
Beautiful cover. Great nostalgia font and layout. But the articles look like forum thread topics and not particularly interesting ones.
I wonder about the $9 price point. Palladium's Rifter is $10 now, but its all gaming material for that fanbase.
I'd rather buy another issue of Fight On! or Knockspell.
Quote from: Anon Adderlan;622345And this magazine will not be driven by the content, no matter how good, but by the nostalgia crack.
Yes.
Quote from: Gib;622381I give it 18 months.
Unless they are going to do some amazing marketing, I doubt it will deliver the 4th issue. The mag biz is a tough gig.
Quote from: Spinachcat;622551Beautiful cover. Great nostalgia font and layout. But the articles look like forum thread topics and not particularly interesting ones.
This is what kept me from doing a 'zine; what could I ask for in print that I hadn't already hashed over and over in threads, forum-blog posts, and so on?
First part of a review up on Tenkar's Tavern (http://www.tenkarstavern.com/2013/01/review-gygax-magazine-1-part-1-of-2.html). Looks even more an exercise in nostalgia than suspected (and I did). Y'know, I prefer people running and playing those old games, not reminiscing about them. Fight On!, Knockspell, and various blogs do that for me. What's Gygax magazine doing?
Quote from: thedungeondelver;622564This is what kept me from doing a 'zine; what could I ask for in print that I hadn't already hashed over and over in threads, forum-blog posts, and so on?
Stuff the DM can use at the table. AKA, the best 'zines are supplements that give you lots of small useful bits that enhance your game, not just rehash forum wank.
That was always my problem with Dragon. It was rarely as useful as Judges Guild's Pegasus and very few Dragon issues compare to the usefulness of any Fight On! issue.
Quote from: Melan;622600What's Gygax magazine doing?
Grave robbing.
I was quite keen on buying this, but when I got to the checkout and it wanted to charge me $38 for delivery to Australia, I cancelled it!
An epub or or PDF version would be fine for me anyway.
I still have serious doubts about the viability of this project.
RPGPundit
Ok, they realized that their shipping options are less than optimal and decided to look into the issue.
For international customers they are offering to hold a copy until they found a solution. (http://store.gygaxmagazine.com/free-international-hold/)
Quote from: Gygax WebstoreInternational shipping rates are very high at the moment, and we recognize that this is a problem.
We also know that international customers don't want to miss out on a chance to get a first printing of the first issue.
While we're looking for a way to ship internationally at a lower rate, you can place a copy of the first issue on hold for free. We will set aside enough copies of issue #1 to ensure international orders can be fulfilled once we find a cheaper international shipping rate.
You will be notified when you can make your purchase - this hold is a free courtesy to ensure we keep inventory on hand for international customers.
(http://cdn2.bigcommerce.com/server1500/hwep2/products/78/images/264/Availibility_art__74845.1359319859.1280.1280.png)
In a magazine called Gygax, run by the two sons of the titular inventor of the hobby, they devote time in the first issue to talk about "Growing up Gygax".
Really, this is a surprise to anyone?
Really, people think this spells doom for the whole project?
Christ, when *I* need to tell someone to relax, things are off the hook.
People have been claiming from day one 5e cannot possibly create a modular system that can unite the clans, or even be useful to more then one.
Cannot.Be.Done.Full.Stop.
Surprise, Mearls is actually changing things as feedback comes in, and apparently he's actually talking to the consultants he hired, and conceptually, for the first time in a while, 5e is looking like they might "get it" despite all the doom, gloom, and predictions from people with a really high view of their own opinion (I'm one too).
Yeah the OSR has done just fine without the dinosaurs, yeah I remember what a grade-A douche Jim Ward was during 2e, yeah I don't give any of these guys any "cred" except Lakofka and Sustarre, cause I know they consistently came up with interesting stuff.
What I am gonna give them though is what I would give any startup trying to match the artistic quality and content of old Dragon...a break, and time to see if they can actually do it.
Quote from: Dirk Remmecke;622865Ok, they realized that their shipping options are less than optimal and decided to look into the issue.
For international customers they are offering to hold a copy until they found a solution. (http://store.gygaxmagazine.com/free-international-hold/)
Quote from: Gygax WebstoreWe will set aside enough copies of issue #1 to ensure international orders can be fulfilled once we find a cheaper international shipping rate.
The only possible solution to this would be to have the product shipped
from a country with lower shipping rates (which I'm looking into myself), or to POD in the country of destination. I highly doubt they will find a solution domestically, and shipping prices are only going to get
worse.
It looks really good :) Ben, if you are involved, congratulations :) I would snatch it on PDF, the shiping here is too steep.
Quote from: CRKrueger;622869yeah I remember what a grade-A douche Jim Ward was during 2e,
'
What did he do? (aside from writing that godawful Pool of Radiance novel)
Quote from: Imperator;622890It looks really good :) Ben, if you are involved, congratulations :) I would snatch it on PDF, the shiping here is too steep.
I'm not directly involved with the Magazine itself, no.
QuoteJust got the word that we have found a way to ship to our international readers! Here are the new shipping rates.
It is going to be about $5.89 per issue to ship to Canada
It is about $8.50 per issue to ship to other countries.
Remember that is times 4 for a year's subscription.
Those who are on the hold list and those who have already purchased, You will be getting an email from us in the next 24 hours. Please be patient.
In other news, Magazines will go out to customers Monday!
https://www.facebook.com/GygaxMagazine?ref=stream
Quote from: Raven;623029QuoteJust got the word that we have found a way to ship to our international readers!
https://www.facebook.com/GygaxMagazine?ref=stream
Well that IS good news. I wonder what they switched to to get such a drastic reduction.
Quote from: CRKrueger;6228695e is looking like they might "get it" despite all the doom, gloom, and predictions from people with a really high view of their own opinion.
The new playtest rules look a lot more like shit than Shinola.
Quote from: CRKrueger;622869What I am gonna give them though is what I would give any startup trying to match the artistic quality and content of old Dragon...a break, and time to see if they can actually do it.
Periodicals (mags, comics, etc) need to deeply impress their potential fans with the first issue because very few people are going to spend $9 each monthly hoping that the magazine starts getting good.
There are just too many other options for our entertainment dollars.
I'm going to see if my FLGS can order it for me. I would like to check it out but no sense in paying shipping if I can get it through the shop.
Quote from: Exploderwizard;623184I'm going to see if my FLGS can order it for me. I would like to check it out but no sense in paying shipping if I can get it through the shop.
I think the recent explosion of shipping costs could be the first lucky break FLGSs have had in a long time. The US postal service has just handed international stores a life line.
Whereas before, ordering books online was the obvious choice, now gamers here have really only two options now, FLGS or PDF - and I don't think these are mutually exclusive.
Oh, and shipping costs are going to really hurt kickstarter projects. There are a few that I've passed on precisely because shipping was ridiculously high.
Quote from: languagegeek;623447I think the recent explosion of shipping costs could be the first lucky break FLGSs have had in a long time. The US postal service has just handed international stores a life line.
Whereas before, ordering books online was the obvious choice, now gamers here have really only two options now, FLGS or PDF - and I don't think these are mutually exclusive.
Oh, and shipping costs are going to really hurt kickstarter projects. There are a few that I've passed on precisely because shipping was ridiculously high.
Not to mention that those of us overseas have been proper fucked. Costs were bad enough before.
Quote from: The Butcher;623448Not to mention that those of us overseas have been proper fucked.
I hear you, man.
The Noble Knight sent out an email to us non-Yanks last month with a warning that we were all going to get screwed badly, so if there's anything you want, order now! Apparently they're going to be using some Swedish courier now for international orders.
It's at the point now where I might as well get a PO box in Buffalo, New York - send all my deliveries there. The cost of driving down to the US is cheaper than mailing stuff up here.
Sadly I doubt the shipping problem is going to get any better.
RPGPundit
Quote from: RPGPundit;623828Sadly I doubt the shipping problem is going to get any better.
What's causing it? A massive influx of British privateers into the North Atlantic? Surly French dockworkers burning all RPG's? German U-boats sinking shipping?
Quote from: Daddy Warpig;623831What's causing it? A massive influx of British privateers into the North Atlantic? Surly French dockworkers burning all RPG's? German U-boats sinking shipping?
Surely I would like to know.
As someone else said somewhere in the thread, what this means is that there's a real opportunity for local game stores here. If you could order, even subscribe, to the magazine through your FLGS without fear of paying outrageous extra charges on top of the price tag, that'd be awesome.
Quote from: Daddy Warpig;623831What's causing it? A massive influx of British privateers into the North Atlantic? Surly French dockworkers burning all RPG's? German U-boats sinking shipping?
I suspect insane fuel prices are a large part of it.
Quote from: Imperator;623854Surely I would like to know.
I forgot to include Spaniards in the list of potential European malefactors. :duh: Sorry.
Quote from: Imperator;623854Surely I would like to know.
The US Postal Service lost $15.9 billion last year. They're passing that debt down to us.
Why not hook up with local POD publishers?
I imagine there has to be a POD publisher in the UK, Aussieland and America's Hat that could print and mail the mags in their own nations with much lower shipping costs.
It's more like America's headband really.
Fuel prices and economic change in general, I would assume.
RPGPundit
Issue #2 seems to be out. (the pdf at least, according to my 'follow your favourites' from drivethru).
Quote from: Bloody Stupid Johnson;683838Issue #2 seems to be out. (the pdf at least, according to my 'follow your favourites' from drivethru).
Correct. It is out.
Did it ship to subscribers? Looking forward to it.
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;683840Did it ship to subscribers? Looking forward to it.
It's got good stuff in it.
(http://gygaxmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Gygax-2-cover_high_res_web-796x1024.jpg)
(http://gygaxmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Gygax-2-TOC-807x1024.jpg)
From here: http://gygaxmagazine.com/issue-2/
Hopefully I'll get through the contents at some point on this thread.
Quote from: Benoist;622204I was on the live streaming for the Gygax Magazine unboxing, and it was great. The mag looks like it has good production value, a range of different articles about the gaming community, games and the like, it's not outrageously expensive ($35 for a 4-issue subscription, it's a quarterly mag, apparently), it's going to try to appeal to all styles of tabletop gaming, from board and miniatures game to role playing games obviously, and not just the "old school", and the guys seem to have their act together.
You can rewatch the whole unboxing on the website if you missed it: http://gygaxmagazine.com/
There are small issues (a bunch of people reported some free shipping charges when trying to subscribe internationally, which seems totally unrealistic, and the guys behind the mag are checking this out now), but all in all, it really went well, and looks promising. Exciting times.
Oh, PDF, digital etc will be supported as well as the print mag itself. I remember that was asked here.
Man, I just want to say that the Easley painting for the current issue totally rocks. Is it a new painting done just for the mag? Seeing that painting on the cover that is identical to the old Dragon cover touched something deep down. It was like a flashback to when RPG art was awesome, and RPGs were about exploring worlds (not char op), and all was right in the world.
I'm in Canada, so subscription is pricey, but it may be worth it just to support such a thing as this.
Can anyone tell me the price for Canucks? Benoist?
Quote from: 1989;684104Man, I just want to say that the Easley painting for the current issue totally rocks. Is it a new painting done just for the mag? Seeing that painting on the cover that is identical to the old Dragon cover touched something deep down. It was like a flashback to when RPG art was awesome, and RPGs were about exploring worlds (not char op), and all was right in the world.
This trend is going to go on. I can't go into the detail, but I can tell you from first-hand knowledge that you can look forward for more of this type of high end, quality artwork and production values coming out of TSR Games.
If you like people like Easley, Elmore, Jim Holloway, Jeff Dee and so many others, you will not be disappointed.
Quote from: 1989;684104I'm in Canada, so subscription is pricey, but it may be worth it just to support such a thing as this.
Can anyone tell me the price for Canucks? Benoist?
The base subscription for 4 issues is $35. The shipping I am not sure. But given the content you get in your mail box for $35, even with like $20 shipping or whatnot, I honestly think it's a steal. The more people subscribe, the more critical mass the magazine gets, the cheaper these options will become, so everyone wins on the long run, assuming you like the magazine and get further subscriptions down the road.
I need also mention that the PDF of the magazine is available on DriveThruRPG here, to be precise (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/118039/Gygax-magazine-issue-%232). It's $4.99 there for the PDF, which I also think is a steal. Might give you an idea of what the mag looks and feels like before committing to a subscription.
There is some cool stuff in this issue, like the Blighted Lands of Luke Gygax with maps of Stefan Pokorny, the owner/main artist behind Dwarven Forge, or the column explaining some aspects of the evolution of the original Greyhawk campaign as played by Ernie through Tenser and his henchmen as well. There will be more, much more, down the pipe. . .
Bear in mind, though: it's a general gaming magazine. So you'll obviously find a lot of talk about D&D, D&D-ish games in every issue, and role playing games in general too, but it's a magazine open to all types of gaming, on purpose. So narrative games, wargames, board games may be discussed there as well. I personally like that approach to the mag (like Tim's article about Samurai Battles in this issue, which makes me want to check out the game(s) and minis), or the Doctor Who article with new cool pieces of equipment which apparently are bought using "Story Points" or some such - never played the game, but the article I thought was cool. The alternate rules for Death and Dying by Len Lakofka are pretty cool too. Makes you think about ways to customize the thing for your own campaign.
It's basically what I have personally been missing ever since the real print Dragon and Dungeon magazines got cancelled.
All the glamor, beauty and use to me as a late 100s issue of Dragon Magazine.
Quote from: thedungeondelver;684119All the glamor, beauty and use to me as a late 100s issue of Dragon Magazine.
The Blighted Lands are described using first-ed compatible rules. Len Lakofka's article is very much predicated on a familiarity with first ed. Ernie's article is great to get some added perspective which then you can care or not care about when playing 1st ed games. And there'll be more of that in the future.
Quote from: thedungeondelver;684119All the glamor, beauty and use to me as a late 100s issue of Dragon Magazine.
Is that praise or condemnation? :)
I'm just curious about the upcoming conflict over the Trademark.
Gail has filed for Trademark on the Federal Level on the use of Gygax at the USPTO (which you can view by searching for the name in the online database), and it's in the process of being approved--they don't use a TM on the cover but do on the ToC pages. (And she included magazines and printed works specifically).
Nobody at Gygax magazine or the new TSR bothered to file for a Trademark.
Surprised they just didn't name it something else.
Quote from: JRT;684124Gail has filed for Trademark on the Federal Level on the use of Gygax at the USPTO
That is Gail's prerogative. I'm not qualified to comment.
What I do know is that Ernie and Luke have game materials of their own to share with the hobby, which I think will be great additions to people's game tables. My focus right now, as Ernie's partner on the Hobby Shop Dungeon project, is to make sure we provide a good framework for gamers out there to play with. That's really my priority number One.
I hope one day we'll get to see a reprint of LA and the continuation of the Castle Zagyg publications which never saw the light of day. How's that coming along? Any chance to see that happen in the near future?
Attempting to prevent someone named Gygax from using his or her own name as a brand would certainly be eerily familiar.
I'm not sure what Gail will be doing as far as publications go, the memorial project takes priority.
I was only pointing out the fact that if they wanted this to be a success there should be more prudent in the naming--and I am really surprised if TSR bothered to get a trademark for that name they would have also done so for Gygax. It only costs $250.00 or so to file for a Trademark at the USPTO.
I do think the next step will be a lawsuit and it would end up being a negative sum game--lawsuits would eat up money on both sides, but I think that would end up being the case if she's bothering to file. TSR could end up being in debt and not being able to publish anything, and IMO Gail would lose too as she'd look like the villain in the gaming world's eyes.
QuoteAttempting to prevent someone named Gygax from using his or her own name as a brand would certainly be eerily familiar.
To be fair, the term as used on that magazine can be argued that they are trading on their Dad's name rather than their own. I mean, c'mon, are people thinking of Luke and Ernie when it comes to the singular name "Gygax" on a magazine published by "TSR" and in the same style as 1980s Dragon Magazine. It would have been just as easy to say "Gygax Brothers" or "Son of Gygax" magazine and have less confusion.
Overall I think the magazine itself is a positive thing, I just fear that the family conflict over this one aspect will end up making it end badly for all, and it could have been prevented.
When family members sue each other over petty shit, everyone loses but the lawyers.
Case closed.
Quote from: Melan;684122Is that praise or condemnation? :)
(http://somethingsensitive.com/Smileys/default/abombJC.png)
A bomb?! :eek:
Quote from: melan;684155a bomb?! :eek:
yayyyyy!
:D
I'm just impressed they've made it to issue #2.
I'm rooting for Gail.
She needs more inert, useless IP to roost on.
Quote from: RPGPundit;684722I'm just impressed they've made it to issue #2.
With an Easley cover, no less!
Even WotC can't top that!
or Paizo . . . which is stuck with that hideous Wayne Reynolds art everywhere.
Quote from: Benoist;683839Correct. It is out.
Yes, I picked up a copy at Gen Con. The Trolls had it at their area.
Quote from: flyerfan1991;684860Yes, I picked up a copy at Gen Con. The Trolls had it at their area.
I think I saw copies at Fat Dragon Games, too (who are closely allied with the Trolls).
Quote from: 1989;684818With an Easley cover, no less!
Even WotC can't top that!
or Paizo . . . which is stuck with that hideous Wayne Reynolds art everywhere.
I like his art, but someone needs to tell him that most people don't have 50 pockets.
JG
Quote from: James Gillen;685024I like his art, but someone needs to tell him that most people don't have 50 pockets.
JG
Rob Liefeld had cornered the market on pouches, so Reynolds had to use pockets instead...
Quote from: YourSwordisMine;685041Rob Liefeld had cornered the market on pouches, so Reynolds had to use pockets instead...
Well Elmore had already cornered the mousse and mullet trademark, so...
Quote from: thedungeondelver;685135Well Elmore had already cornered the mousse and mullet trademark, so...
I notice that nobody has cornered the cleavage market yet....
Quote from: flyerfan1991;685171I notice that nobody has cornered the cleavage market yet....
Clyde Caldwell.
Quote from: Melan;685184Clyde Caldwell.
Yes, I would agree with that. Caldwell was all about bosoms and aquanett.
Quote from: Melan;685184Clyde Caldwell.
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;685190Yes, I would agree with that. Caldwell was all about bosoms and aquanett.
Nah, Caldwell was the Gem King.
Quote from: Melan;685184Clyde Caldwell.
Elmore did a damn good job with cleavage too, you know.
As well as a boatload of superhero artists.