Mirror Universe is out.

[Atlirith]

http://www.drivethrurpg.com/catalog/...oducts_id=3129

I am reading it now. ;-)

Two immediate thoughts -- my god there is a lot of black ink here, no way am I going to try to print this out as I can hope that a more print friendly version is released. Second, there are enough plot hooks in two pages of skimming to keep my group going for awhile. Joy.

Peace now.

[Ergi]

Although I wasn't planning to buy it, the cover triggers a strong "wanna have" reflex. Maybe I'll buy it later.

[Cut]

I have yet to buy my first net published sourcebook. I'm kind of hesitating due to my outdated internet access and the method of payment (PayPal is taking to much time - or money to keep stocked) and out of the fear, that once I start I once again want to get all the stuff that's available...

[PGoodman13]

For a good review, and a solid preview of what you'll find in there, go here.

[The Transformed Man]

I just purchased the Mirror Universe Sourcebook a couple of hours ago, and I must say, "My God this book rocks!" The only drawback is the large amounts of black ink that will be required for printing (not a problem for me, but...).

This book has sooo many plot hooks, and lots of great fleshed out info about the Mirror Universe... a must have.

But this book seriously depresses me because it just goes to show the immense talent of the team Decipher assembled for the Trek RPG line. And while these new PDF releases are fantastic, there is only so much material left in the pipeline and when that dries up I fear there will be... nothing more.

Decipher really had a winner on their hands with the Trek and LOTR RPGs... if only they could have gotten their act together...

if only...


Yancy

BTW has anyone heard how sales have been going for the PDF books, and is there a point at which sales would warrent Decipher reassessing the future of their RPG lines?

[PGoodman13]

I seem to recall that there are several books in the pipeline for both lines, and Decipher is also in the process of preparing the books already in release for a re-release as PDFs. Next up for LOTR, for instance, are the core rulebook and the quick-start rules, while the next things up for ST are the Player's Guide and the quick-start rules.

There's a small group of folks (myself and Ineti among them) who are working with Decipher right now to work on the existing material and start developing new material to appear on the websites for the games (those websites being http://lotrrpg.decipher.com and http://strpg.decipher.com, respectively). Kieran Yanner at Decipher hopes to have both websites live by January; right now they're mostly placeholders (though the LOTR site is actually working).

After that? Who knows? We've thrown out a bunch of ideas, but at the moment nothing's set in stone, and since Ineti and I are doing this for the love of the games, there's certainly not a time-table at the moment. We'll keep you posted.

[The Transformed Man]

Appreciate the response Patrick, I'm really looking forward to future releases from both lines, and will continue to support your Herculean efforts.

Yancy

[PGoodman13]

No problem, Yancy; I'm always happy to respond to a civil and enthusiastic response.

You asked about sales, and I kind skimmed over that the first time. I don't have specific sales numbers, since I really don't work for Decipher per se. However, I believe that both Kieran Yanner and Scott Gaeta at Decipher are happy about how things are going so far.

I know that, as I write this, Mirror Universe is #1 and Isengard is #2 on DriveThru's sales chart. I also know that Decipher products own three of the top 20 spots on their top 20 list...and they've only got 4 up for sale on the site at the moment. If Paths of the Wise sells a few more copies, they could wind up with 3 products in the top 10. If Worlds sells a few more, they could have all 4 of their products in the top 20.

Not too shabby, if you ask me.

Whether this will result in the lines being expanded after the backstock of material in the pipeline has run its course, I haven't a clue, and I'm not going to let my innate cynicism take over at this point.

[PGoodman13]

Two immediate thoughts -- my god there is a lot of black ink here, no way am I going to try to print this out as I can hope that a more print friendly version is released.

It was originally formatted for print, and when Kieran finally got the green light to prepare it for ebook release, he didn't have time to rework it to be more printer friendly. He apologized about this over on the Decipher forums, and said somewhere else that at some point he hopes to have it reworked to consume considerably less ink. That's months down the road, though. Sorry.

Second, there are enough plot hooks in two pages of skimming to keep my group going for awhile. Joy.

It's a fun, fun book, and by far my favorite of the line. It was a blast to edit, but it took a long time because I kept getting distracted by actually just reading the damn thing; the only way I could have had more fun while doing it was for my wife to have not been in the hospital at the time. That'll put a damper on anything.

Glad you're enjoying it.

[Ineti]

Whether this will result in the lines being expanded after the backstock of material in the pipeline has run its course, I haven't a clue, and I'm not going to let my innate cynicism take over at this point.

As long as Decipher maintains hold of the two licenses, I think we can expect to see regular additions to the lines in terms of free downloadable articles off the websites. I don't think we're going to see new product after all the PDFs are out unless Decipher manages to pay all their bills and get back in the black. Can that happen? Sure. Will it? Really, really hard to say.

[IceGiant]

As long as Decipher maintains hold of the two licenses, I think we can expect to see regular additions to the lines in terms of free downloadable articles off the websites. I don't think we're going to see new product after all the PDFs are out unless Decipher manages to pay all their bills and get back in the black. Can that happen? Sure. Will it? Really, really hard to say.

That's pretty optimistic considering their proven track record.

/Rant on,

I'm at a loss as to why people are suddenly willing to give Decipher a break after all that's happened. I still believe their pricing (no matter how it compares to others) is way out of line for a pure pdf product. With no regular distribution chain to worry about, it simply is too pricey. Like DVD 's are compared to VHS for the first number of years. It seems they are simply trying to make a few easy bucks, without actually doing anything with the liscence.

/Rant off

[Ergi]

Yes, it is expensive, but I hope nontheless, that they make a lot of profit. Why? Certainly not because Decipher and the people in charge (not the developers, the executives) have earned a warm place in my heart, but because as long as they see the RPG line as a sound investment, they will continue to support it.
Frankly though, I doubt that e-books alone will be enough to support the RPG lines. E-books are good for background material, information that you would look up between game sessions, but the lack of printed core books like the PG, the NG, and possibly Starships, will deter a lot of interested players.
As others have pointed out, e-books don't sell very well in general, so it remains to be seen how Decipher fares with the ST and LOTR lines. The only thing giving me some hope is the fact that Wizards of the Coast has abandoned the Star Wars CCG. This might imply to a waning popularity of CCGs in general, and since Decipher doesn't produce miniatures, they might focus more on the RPGs.

[PGoodman13]

That's pretty optimistic considering their proven track record.

Jim and I, we're optimistic guys. That, and we're the ones who are editing the books and producing said online content.

I won't address all of your rant, since I have no control whatsoever over how Decipher prices their PDF products. Nor would I want to, frankly; the business end of things isn't my baileywick. I'll say that you're entitled to your opinion, and I know a lot of folks who share that opinion.

However...

I'm at a loss as to why people are suddenly willing to give Decipher a break after all that's happened.

I'd like to emphasize something here. Jim can chime in at his leisure if I misrepresent his position, but he and I have talked about this enough that I think I know where he's coming from on this particular issue (and I think he's got more cause than me to be bitter towards Decipher; he can discuss that himself if he so chooses). In case I am misrepresenting him, I'll speak in the singular.

Since I did edit Mirror Universe and will be doing the same sort of thing for other products, I guess in a sense I do work for Decipher, albeit as a volunteer. Therefore, a disclaimer: What I say here are my own words, and I do not represent Decipher in any way.

I'm not giving Decipher a break; I think they've mismanaged both of their RPG lines, and most of their business, to a degree that may yet prove lethal to their company. I'm not doing what I'm doing for Decipher.

I am giving a break, not to the company, but to one person in particular who works there: Kieran Yanner. Perhaps a bit of one to Scott Gaeta, who managed to get the RPG lines raised from the dead as PDFs, but mostly to Kieran. He has been the driving force behind getting these new books out, in any form, and has been the RPGs biggest champion at the company. He's been straight with me since the whole process began, and he's done everything he's said he was going to do.

There's also one more factor that has me "giving Decipher a break" here: I love Star Trek and I love this game. I think the system is solid, and I think it does a beautiful job of bringing Trek to the gaming table without getting bogged down in pseudotechnical minutiae (which was my biggest gripe with FASA's system; it tended to forget the "human" part of "human adventure" in my opinion). God knows I'm not doing it for the money. I think that there are quality products, though, that deserve a chance to see the light of day, and there's at least one or two people at Decipher willing to stick their necks out to get those products out, and I'm willing to help out with that if it means that the quality is there (and I think it can be seen in both Worlds, which I had nothing to do with, and in Mirror Universe, which I edited) and the fans and players can get the material in their hands in some form or fashion.

[PGoodman13]

Frankly though, I doubt that e-books alone will be enough to support the RPG lines. E-books are good for background material, information that you would look up between game sessions, but the lack of printed core books like the PG, the NG, and possibly Starships, will deter a lot of interested players.

Those books still exist, though I believe that they're gathering dust in warehouses somewhere. I'm working patiently on getting that changed, but since I don't work for them and I'm not in Virginia, I don't have a lot of weight. I will continue my push, though.

[Ineti]

That's pretty optimistic considering their proven track record.

Like Patrick said above, I'm optimistic because a) I've seen the LOTR release schedule and know what's coming, assuming all things remain stable at Decipher (such as it is); and b) because I'm one of the people volunteering to develop that online content.

I'm at a loss as to why people are suddenly willing to give Decipher a break after all that's happened.

Patrick covered a lot of this already, but I'll add my perspective. I don't like Decipher as it now exists. I like a couple of the guys working there, but I feel the company is horribly mismanaged. What I love are the two RPGs. Very much. I'm volunteering my time to Kieran and Scott, not to Decipher (in my eyes anyway) for the sole purpose of getting the new books released somehow, whether they're PDF or print or whatever.

In the case of the LOTR RPG, I've had playtest copies of all these books for the past three years, and I can't possibly begin to tell you how painful it's been to sit on that great product and not be able to talk about it. Finally, this stuff is seeing the light of day and I'm able to contribute to that.

If Decipher can somehow manage to get back into the black and pay the freelancers they owe money to (me included), and start to consider new product, I'll be first in line showing my resume to them.

As it is, I love the Trek RPG and the LOTR RPG enough to put up with a lot of crap, including Decipher's mismanagement and the generally negative reaction to the RPGs on other forums.

Don't know if any of that's useful to you, but there ya go.