Hey folks,
A number of you have asked why I don't trim the right-hand edge of the booklets. Simple answer to that is that I do not have a paper cutter. I have checked with local printers, and the best price I could get on bringing in my books for them to trim is insanely high ($1.00 per booklet!) As I live in a small village in the middle of nowhere, there's not much competition to drive this price down...
So the only way for me to be able to trim the booklets is to buy a paper cutter. Unfortunately, with a booklet, you can only trim it when it is folded, as the rippling of the pages only happens when the book is trimmed. So the page count of the trim on the booklets is effectively doubled, i.e., a 24-page booklet of 6 sheets of paper actually counts as 12 sheets for trimming purposes. Most hand paper trimmers you can find in Staples and Office Max handle a maximum of 15 sheets at a time, and with 64-page booklets, I need a paper cutter that can handle 32 pages at a time. Unfortunately, from 15 pages, the next jump up is a heavy-duty industrial-grade guillotine paper cutter (apparently, paper cutters have not caught up with home-press technology). A paper cutter of this sort costs between $100 and $150 (not counting shipping), and that's on eBay, where you pays your money and you takes your chances. So a paper cutter would be a $200 expense when, right now when my wife and I are unemployed, every penny counts just to pay the rent and utilities.
As I've already sold or auctioned off all of my game collection that I can without cutting into the materials I use in design work, and every penny from sales is needed to either pay for printing and shipping subscriber products or for things like food and rent, I'm at an impasse. I want to trim these booklets, and my customers want trimmed booklets, so the only way I'm going to be able to get one of these paper cutters is by asking for donations.
I can't provide anything material in return for these donations; what I can do is include a line thanking those who donate toward the paper cutter in each booklet going forward. The line will read:
"Many thanks to [Names] for their generous donations toward the paper cutter that trimmed this book. Think of them as you easily flip through the pages of this volume."
If you wish to make a donation, you can send a Paypal payment to jamesagp1 at gmail dot com. Please be sure to note that it is a donation toward the Quest for the Paper Cutter.
You can also send a donation in check or money order form to: Adventure Games Publishing, Quest for the Paper Cutter, PO Box 185, Iola, WI 54945
Money donated toward the paper cutter will not be used for any other purpose. I will close this request for donations once we have reached $200, which should be sufficient to buy a paper cutter on eBay.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
AGP Frequently Asked Questions
This is where our Frequently Asked Questions will be found, once I get around to posting answers to them...
Q: Who are you guys?
A: There is no "we guys" at AGP, at least, not yet, in any serious fashion. From the start AGP has essentially been a one-man operation, that one man being me, James Mishler. Art and graphic design, though, has been in the hands of Peter Bradley, who also does a lot of work for Troll Lord Games. I also have some assistance from time to time from my lovely wife Jodi, who helps me fold and staple the booklets at home.
Q: Is the Wilderlands of High Adventure the same thing as the Wilderlands of High Fantasy?
A: Yes and no. The Wilderlands of High Adventure (WoHA) is based on my personal Wilderlands of High Fantasy (WoHF) campaign run over the last 20+ years. WoHA products are not "official" WoHF products, but they are 95%+ compaitble. The WoHA is very similar to, but distinct from, the WoHF in many, many minor respects and also in many major respects. A list of major differences will be listed below at a later time. However, with the Wilderlands, a campaign is only ever what the Judge wants it to be, so you can pick and choose from any published version of the Wilderlands to create your own campaign.
Q: How are you able to publish and sell products set in the Wilderlands and use Castles & Crusades?
A: I have a license with Judges Guild to publish products using the Wilderlands as a basic campaign framework. Similarly I have a license to use the Castles & Crusades trademarks and proprietary (i.e., non-OGL) materials. Both licenses are non-exclusive, so if you want to publish your own Wilderlands and/or Castles & Crusades products, you should check with Judges Guild and Troll Lord Games, respectively, to see if you can get a license.
Q: Why aren't your products available in retail stores?
A: Actually, my products are available in two retail stores. AGP products are carried by Noble Knight Games and Chimera Hobby (Appleton). We welcome inquiries from other stores, and have special wholesale terms for proven (i.e., licensed) retail venues. Unfortunately, due to the state of the Adventure Game Industry's distribution network, we cannot affordably offer our products through standard distribution.
Q: Why are your prices so high, relative to other publishers? I mean, I can get a full-color book from [publisher] for only a few dollars more than you charge for a small black and white booklet!
A: Scale, essentially; I'm a small, one-man bootstrap operation (with neither boots nor straps, to be frank). I cannot afford to publish hundreds, let alone thousands of copies of books in China or elsewhere in order to get a break on printing costs and hope that they sell... every product I print must sell. And as in-home printing has not yet reached the point where full-color glossy books are an option, I print what I can. And frankly, it is the content that matters; you will find that dollar for dollar, you are getting as much ore MORE actual content from my books than you get from higher-priced glossy full-color products... for which you pay more just because they look pretty.
Q: What's up with Adventure Games Journal?
A: Adventure Games Journal (AGJ) is on hiatus. I want to make AGJ a more general adventure games magazine, and right now, with the current economic situation, that's just not viable. So I am concentrating on publishing core WoHA products. AGJ's Wilderlands articles, i.e., small notable materials that are not worthy of a booklet themselves, will be published in the Wilderlands Journal, an irregular booklet with numerous unrelated yet useful and interesting Wilderlands-based articles.
Q: What happened to the subscription program?
A: After my long hiatus from publishing, I decided that I made a great mistake in jumping in first with a subscription program that I had not proven that I could fulfill. So for now, the subscription program is suspended; I do not want to take anyone's money beforehand when I am not certain that I can fulfill my end of the bargain. Maybe, when I have fulfilled my obligation to my current subscribers, I might start up another subscription program... possible, but frankly, not at all likely.
Q: Where is your release schedule?
A: I do not have a release schedule. At the beginning of this effort, I tried just that; spectacular failure resulted when things fell behind, then plans changed, and I went on the long hiatus. So I no longer have a release schedule, and I try not to even announce a product until I ahve it ready to print.
More later...
Q: Who are you guys?
A: There is no "we guys" at AGP, at least, not yet, in any serious fashion. From the start AGP has essentially been a one-man operation, that one man being me, James Mishler. Art and graphic design, though, has been in the hands of Peter Bradley, who also does a lot of work for Troll Lord Games. I also have some assistance from time to time from my lovely wife Jodi, who helps me fold and staple the booklets at home.
Q: Is the Wilderlands of High Adventure the same thing as the Wilderlands of High Fantasy?
A: Yes and no. The Wilderlands of High Adventure (WoHA) is based on my personal Wilderlands of High Fantasy (WoHF) campaign run over the last 20+ years. WoHA products are not "official" WoHF products, but they are 95%+ compaitble. The WoHA is very similar to, but distinct from, the WoHF in many, many minor respects and also in many major respects. A list of major differences will be listed below at a later time. However, with the Wilderlands, a campaign is only ever what the Judge wants it to be, so you can pick and choose from any published version of the Wilderlands to create your own campaign.
Q: How are you able to publish and sell products set in the Wilderlands and use Castles & Crusades?
A: I have a license with Judges Guild to publish products using the Wilderlands as a basic campaign framework. Similarly I have a license to use the Castles & Crusades trademarks and proprietary (i.e., non-OGL) materials. Both licenses are non-exclusive, so if you want to publish your own Wilderlands and/or Castles & Crusades products, you should check with Judges Guild and Troll Lord Games, respectively, to see if you can get a license.
Q: Why aren't your products available in retail stores?
A: Actually, my products are available in two retail stores. AGP products are carried by Noble Knight Games and Chimera Hobby (Appleton). We welcome inquiries from other stores, and have special wholesale terms for proven (i.e., licensed) retail venues. Unfortunately, due to the state of the Adventure Game Industry's distribution network, we cannot affordably offer our products through standard distribution.
Q: Why are your prices so high, relative to other publishers? I mean, I can get a full-color book from [publisher] for only a few dollars more than you charge for a small black and white booklet!
A: Scale, essentially; I'm a small, one-man bootstrap operation (with neither boots nor straps, to be frank). I cannot afford to publish hundreds, let alone thousands of copies of books in China or elsewhere in order to get a break on printing costs and hope that they sell... every product I print must sell. And as in-home printing has not yet reached the point where full-color glossy books are an option, I print what I can. And frankly, it is the content that matters; you will find that dollar for dollar, you are getting as much ore MORE actual content from my books than you get from higher-priced glossy full-color products... for which you pay more just because they look pretty.
Q: What's up with Adventure Games Journal?
A: Adventure Games Journal (AGJ) is on hiatus. I want to make AGJ a more general adventure games magazine, and right now, with the current economic situation, that's just not viable. So I am concentrating on publishing core WoHA products. AGJ's Wilderlands articles, i.e., small notable materials that are not worthy of a booklet themselves, will be published in the Wilderlands Journal, an irregular booklet with numerous unrelated yet useful and interesting Wilderlands-based articles.
Q: What happened to the subscription program?
A: After my long hiatus from publishing, I decided that I made a great mistake in jumping in first with a subscription program that I had not proven that I could fulfill. So for now, the subscription program is suspended; I do not want to take anyone's money beforehand when I am not certain that I can fulfill my end of the bargain. Maybe, when I have fulfilled my obligation to my current subscribers, I might start up another subscription program... possible, but frankly, not at all likely.
Q: Where is your release schedule?
A: I do not have a release schedule. At the beginning of this effort, I tried just that; spectacular failure resulted when things fell behind, then plans changed, and I went on the long hiatus. So I no longer have a release schedule, and I try not to even announce a product until I ahve it ready to print.
More later...
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
[AGP06201] 100 Street Vendors PDF Now Available
100 Street Vendors of the City State (AGP06201) is now available in PDF format through DriveThruRPG.
Click here to buy the
100 Street Vendors
of the City State PDF
on DriveThruRPG
100 Street Vendors
of the City State PDF
on DriveThruRPG
Monday, February 1, 2010
One of Everything Deal
We offer a "one of everything" deal, in which you will get one of each of the 12 booklets we currently offer with FREE shipping in the United States and Canada. The deal currently runs $86.50 total, which saves $7.50 on shipping and handling. For UK, EU, and Australian customers, we offer the same 12 items with a total shipping of only $8.00, rather than the usual $16.00 charge.
Send check or money order made out to James Mishler to:
Adventure Games Publishing
Order Processing: Everything!
PO Box 185
Iola, WI 54945
Or send payment via Paypal to: jamesagp1 at gmail dot com
When paying via Paypal, be sure to send a separate e-mail with the details of your order!
Adventure Games Publishing
Order Processing: Everything!
PO Box 185
Iola, WI 54945
Or send payment via Paypal to: jamesagp1 at gmail dot com
When paying via Paypal, be sure to send a separate e-mail with the details of your order!
Friday, January 29, 2010
100 Street Vendors Now Shipping
100 Street Vendors of the City State is now shipping to subscribers and to those who ordered it separately.
100 Street Vendors will also be available shortly through Noble Knight Games in Janesville, Wisconsin and Chimera Hobby in Appleton, Wisconsin. Chimera will have them later this afternoon, while Noble Knight will most likely have their copies on Monday. Please support our retail partners if you can! As always, if you are aware of a retailer who would like to carry our products, please by all means send them our way!
The PDF version of 100 Street Vendors will be available at DriveThruRPG in a few weeks.
100 Street Vendors will also be available shortly through Noble Knight Games in Janesville, Wisconsin and Chimera Hobby in Appleton, Wisconsin. Chimera will have them later this afternoon, while Noble Knight will most likely have their copies on Monday. Please support our retail partners if you can! As always, if you are aware of a retailer who would like to carry our products, please by all means send them our way!
The PDF version of 100 Street Vendors will be available at DriveThruRPG in a few weeks.
Monday, January 25, 2010
[AGP06201] 100 Street Vendors of the City State
100 Street Vendors
of the City State
Official Gaming Aid Designed and Approved for use with
Castles & Crusades
By James Mishler
This 64-page booklet is the first expansion for the City State of the Invincible Overlord since the release of the Wraith Overlord: Terror Beneath the City State adventure in 1981. It includes 100 street vendors selling everything from rat-on-a-stick and pastries to used weapons and second-hand slaves. Each description includes the stats for the vendor, NPC details, descripton of the vendor's wagon or cart, price list of goods and services, cash box contents, NPC disposition, and one or more rumors.
Here is the complete list of vendors:
Advertiser, Animal Trainer, Apothecary, Armor-by-the-Piece, Armor-Repair-While-You-Wait, Artist, Astrologer, Barber, Barber, Baskets, Bone carvings, Bookseller, Candles & Torches, Unholy Candles, Carpets, Charcoal & Firewood, Clothing (Boots & Bits), Clothing (Cloaks & Tunics), Clothing (Belts & Baldrics), Clothing (Exotic), Clothing (Furs), Clothing (Gloves), Clothing (Hats), Clothing (Hose & Pantaloons), Clothing (Masks), Clothing (Pants & Trews), Clothing (Shoes), Dancer, Dentist, Drink (Ale), Drink (Ale), Drink (Beer), Drink (Beer), Drink (Wine), Flowers, Food (Bread & Pastries), Food (Dried Meats), Food (Fresh Fish), Food (Fresh Fish), Food (Fresh Meats), Food (Fresh Meats), Food (Fresh Vegetables & Grains), Food (Fresh Vegetables & Preserves), Food (Hot Tamales), Food (Iced Treats), Food (Khalav Khalash), Food (Live Animals), Food (Pastries), Food (Pastries), Food (Trail Rations), Fortune Teller, Gambler, Gambler, Used Glassware, Dearthwood Guide, Harlots, Healer, Herbalist, Insect Trainer, Interpreter, Costume Jewelry, Quality Jewelry, Laborers, Lamps, Locksmith, Massages, Messengers, Moneychangers, Moneychanger, Musical Instruments, Oil, Peddler, Perfumes & Soaps, Pipeweed & Diversions, Pipeweed & Diversions, Pipeweed & Diversions, Poet, Potions Salves & Nostrums, Rags, Rope & Twine, Rugs & Tapestries, Sage, Scribe, Scribe, Slaves for Rent, Slaves for Sale, Spices, Magical Stones, Street Preacher of Loki, Street Preacher of Mycr, Tailor: Clothing-Repaired-While-You-Wait, Tattoo Artist, Tinker, Imported Tools, Torches, Clockwork Toys, Imported Weapons, Second-Hand & Surplus Weapons, Wigs, and Wood Carvings
Also includes a complete index of vendors by usual streets, markets, and city quarters locations, random vendor tables by market and district, and guidelines for haggling with vendors and for transforming street vendors into full-fledged establishments in the City State.
AGP06201, 64-page 5.5" x 8.5" digest booklet, $12.00 US MSRP
Cover color may vary; please note that the right edge of the booklet is not trimmed.
A PDF version of this product will be released sometime in late February or early March.
Postage & Handling is $2.00 for US, $2.50 for Canada (add $0.50 S&H for each additional booklet), $5 for UK, Europe, and Australia (add $1 S&H for each additional booklet). Contact us for shipping rates for elsewhere, or for bulk discounts for shipping large quantities. As these are produced only upon order, please allow at least two to four weeks for delivery in the US and Canada, plus another week or so for UK, Europe, and Australia.
Adventure Games Publishing
Order Processing: AGP06201
PO Box 185
Iola, WI 54945
Or send payment via Paypal to: jamesagp1 at gmail dot com
When paying via Paypal, be sure to send a separate e-mail with the details of your order!
Subscriber Information
This is a subscription product, and will be auto-shipped to subscribers as the core item in Campaign Installment #2. It counts as 32 pages of subscriber credit. Subscribers will also receive the first four issues of the Adventure Games Journal Monthly Chronicle, a copy of the Rhadamanthia Continental Map (second copy to be shipped at a later time), and a letter with news about AGP and Judges Guild, plus a personal update as to their subscription credit status.
Subscribers are welcome to add any additional orders of AGP products to their subscriber shipment using subscriber credit; booklets count agaist credit at a 2-to-1 page count ratio, while each additonal map counts as 16 pages of credit. Still available to subscribers only are the last copies of XXXI, 2008 Wilderlands Jam, and Adventure Games Journal #1... each available for 48 pages of subscriber credit; and with all purchases with subscriber credit, shipping is FREE! These will be available only through March 1, 2010.
Shipping of Campaign Installment #2 begins this week (January 25, 2010). Please note that shipping of booklets may take some time, as each booklet is printed, hand folded, and stapled at my home; also, subscriber shipments will be interspersed with other orders as, frankly, shipment of subscriber orders is currently financed through the purchase of products by non-subscribers.
100 Street Vendors
of the City State PDF
on DriveThruRPG
Monday, January 18, 2010
Subscriber E-Mails
E-mails have now been sent out to all subscribers. The email includes your current subscription page credit total, information on the status of Adventure Games Publishing, and a note about the release of Campaign Installment #2: 100 Street Vendors of the City State.
Note that I am unfortunately about three to five days behind on completing 100 Street Vendors; I hope to have an announcement of it being ready for sale no later than the end of the week.
One thing I will say... this is the LAST "100 This, That, or The Other" books I am going to be doing for quite some time! They definitely fall under the "biting off more than you can chew" category. This sucker is 64 pages, the high limit of want I can print with home publishing, and is at 8-point font throughout! At that rate, it is easily the equivalent of a 48 to 60 page normal-sized book by word count. From now on I am going to limit myself a bit more on how much I pack into a booklet... 32 to 48 pages at the most, or thereabouts, with 10-point font. Never say never, but...
Anyhoo, that's the current update. If you are a subscriber and did not get an e-mail from me, please contact me!
Note that I am unfortunately about three to five days behind on completing 100 Street Vendors; I hope to have an announcement of it being ready for sale no later than the end of the week.
One thing I will say... this is the LAST "100 This, That, or The Other" books I am going to be doing for quite some time! They definitely fall under the "biting off more than you can chew" category. This sucker is 64 pages, the high limit of want I can print with home publishing, and is at 8-point font throughout! At that rate, it is easily the equivalent of a 48 to 60 page normal-sized book by word count. From now on I am going to limit myself a bit more on how much I pack into a booklet... 32 to 48 pages at the most, or thereabouts, with 10-point font. Never say never, but...
Anyhoo, that's the current update. If you are a subscriber and did not get an e-mail from me, please contact me!
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