All Entries in the "business" Category
The Ultimate Geek Showcase Showdown
I was alerted to a very interesting happening on Daytime Television yesterday (2/16/11). And by my father, of all people (of course he is retired and can watch daytime TV). On the venerable game show, The Price is Right, they had a rather interesting prize package for their Showcase Showdown. In addition to a new [...]
GAMA Trade Show 2011 Exhibitors and Vendors
Next month is the Game Manufacturers Association trade show, covering all aspects of gaming from card and board games to role-playing games and game printing. So, it is time again for my yearly link list of all the exhibitors. This year’s list of exhibitors is shorter than last year’s list. Shorter than I expected, but [...]
Battlefoam Foam Laser Cutting Patent Application Document
Battlefoam, an Arizona-based seller of laser-cut foam blocks for miniature transport sent an unusual lawyer letter to Sabol Designs, another seller of cut foam for miniature transport and storage. Click on the link for the full text, but it essentially asks Sabol to track all sales of all infringing products. This will allow Battlefoam to [...]
Trion Worlds v. Palladium Books Trademark Case Has A Start Date
That date is September 10, 2010. Looks like we have to endure a long summer of speculation and forum wars before the case even starts. Although, the long delay may give all the involved parties a chance to hash out a solution. (Pure speculation on my part. I have no information that negotiations between the [...]
Valley Games–The Trials and Tribulations of Board Game Publishing Part 2
This is the second part of Valley Games‘ Torben Sherwood series on the realities of board game publishing. If you have not already read part one of this series, do so before continuing. Trask, The Last Tyromancer “Hi! I’m a game designer and I have a great game that I would like you to publish! [...]
Valley Games–The Trials and Tribulations of Board Game Publishing Part 1
Torben Sherwood of Valley Games, the English-language publishers of board games (Titan, Container, Stronghold, Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage, Republic of Rome, Die Macher) kindly agreed to do some guest-blogging for Livingdice. Torben’s two-part series on the origins of his publishing company and the difficulties in developing a board game from concept to market are must-reads [...]
Catalyst Game Labs Financial Issues as a Teachable Moment
Catalyst Game Labs announced today that a recent audit revealed some financial irregularities, specifically some missing funds. The Catalyst press release indicates one of the owners caused the issue and is working with the company to rectify the situation. This is certainly newsworthy and I will be asking Catalyst about the future of the company [...]
Board Game Publishing Economics–The Harsh Reality
Michael Mindes, owner of Tasty Minstrel Games, put up a fascinating post about the brutal economics of publishing board games. Although Michael is hopeful about the future, the numbers speak for themselves. I found the post refreshing in both its honesty and detail. Far too many people I meet in the gaming industry, especially the [...]
The Citadel, the Beer Garden and the Bazaar: Three Role-Playing Game Publisher Business Models
Role-playing publishers face significant hurdles to making money. Role-playing games are niche market in the best of times and within that niche gamer dollars flow to literally hundreds of game publishers. This makes for a very competitive market with relatively few dollars available for the plethora of publishers. In an attempt to garner market share, [...]