@ Studio Colrouphobia - Thanks for sharing your thought on this, and the mirror mine in many ways. I suspect Kage has similar views.
I figure that Spheres of War just sounds more fitting, and combined with a nice faux Roman look to go with the MARS system (i.e.
SoW parking page) it seems well rounded.
Wether you can have two gamelines- of course, your game, your prerogative- though I would be wondering why I would buy a book when I could get something very similar for free...
Why buy it?
Short answer
Because you want it - it's that simple.
Long answer and a load of waffle
I have no interesting in trying to sell the book to those who only want the rules and to play the game. The book is more for those how want to support the project with cash and gain a collectors edition. Other fans still support the project by hosting files in their P2P share folder, so I do not begrudge them a copy, and some with not pay or help out in any way - it will not cost we to distribute so they can have it. A some can donate for the hell of it.
I think it comes down to a question of 'value' and whether you value something and what you, as a fan, are willing to do to support that which you like. However, I figure that even in poor countries they can print off the rules at school get some cheap plastic figures and play.
In many ways the P2P version is a free ad, and the people P2P it are my distributors, and those who promote it my ad men. If you like the game and want a free copy you are more than welcome, and if you want a POD version it's there for you. It's merely offering options. The reason I use P2P is because it will keep my costs down. I'm thinking about sustaining a free copy for a long time, and P2P means it will be available for as long as fans want it to be. The hardback is way off, it is not my prime concern, and will only turn up long after the free PDF is pretty much perfect (i.e. feedback has caught all the typos, and sorted out the dodgy phrasing of rules, and examples added as needed)
It's a project where fan really help out, they give me feedback and new perspectives and help in distribution and promotion all using modern technology like blogs, P2P forums are the business medium.
Instead of a business for business people playing by business rules, this way turns it on it's head and goes all out with copyleft and 'busking' (you pay after you read and enjoy the art should you choose to do so). This is the social and creative way to do things and removes big business and the old models. After all, big business only got control of art because they controlled the means of production, but right now you have a printer and DVD burner, the net, so why do you need bricks and mortar, roads and old business, to distribute it?
Seems to me that business spends money to promote, store and distribute art, that often in this day an age can be ported over to the net.
So buying the book is rally only because you want a copy, and if you don't - no harm done, and no cost to me.
I do not expect to make any money from this at all, I assume no one with buy the book or donate, so I look to make it at a minimum cost to me. This is pure risk, so I've isolated the costs and I am spending what I would on a 'hobby' (such as web host, I have a home page already on there, but also a ton of space and bandwidth so I might as well use it for something). This is not a source of income I would rely on, I don't even consider it a stream, it is purely 'fan'. All time is spare time, and I would do it anyway. If I produce something good that people enjoy - I'm happy (and my happiness is important to me
)
If it goes big and I make a stack of cash from donations and book sales, I will be shocked, and probably drunk soon after with my mates, charging about town acting a fool. I very much doubt making a stack of cash though, but the mucking about is highly probable!
So, the buying of the book is all down to what
you want, but not buying it will not deny you the rules and it will not endanger the project (being P2P hosted it will survive host failure, terrorist attacks and nuke blasts
). I may also put up a 'goggle page' with magnet links in case of host failure, and distribute magnet links to fans to put on their site (handy if they produce Augments/ fan based works so visitors can grab the rules)
Philip
Poll
