Reblogged drawn-from-the-ground
🌟Dollmaker Moonwyn for @/alectothefruity.bsky.social, always a pleasure working with them!
Reblogged
“At Steve Jackson Games, we are actively assessing what this means for our products, our pricing, and our future plans. We do know that we can’t absorb this kind of cost increase without raising prices. We’ve done our best over the past few years to shield players and retailers from the full brunt of rising freight costs and other increases, but this new tax changes the equation entirely. Here are the numbers: A product we might have manufactured in China for $3.00 last year could now cost $4.62 before we even ship it across the ocean. Add freight, warehousing, fulfillment, and distribution margins, and that once-$25 game quickly becomes a $40 product. That’s not a luxury upcharge; it’s survival math. Some people ask, “Why not manufacture in the U.S.?” I wish we could. But the infrastructure to support full-scale boardgame production – specialty dice making, die-cutting, custom plastic and wood components – doesn’t meaningfully exist here yet. I’ve gotten quotes. I’ve talked to factories. Even when the willingness is there, the equipment, labor, and timelines simply aren’t. […] We want to be transparent with our community. This is real: Prices are going up. We’re still determining how much and where. If you’re frustrated, you’re not alone. We are too. And if you want to help, write to your elected officials. Ask them how these new policies help American creators and small businesses. Because right now, it feels like they don’t. We’ll keep making games. But we’ll be honest when the road gets harder, because we know you care about where your games come from – and about the people who make them.”
I saw their email today, from this company founded in 1980 in the period of explosive industry growth that is my main period of interest for this blog. Reblogging here since this is a straightforward explanation of why some of your favorite companies may raise prices dramatically, limit their output, or close up shop soon.
i mean, the could also give their CEO’s a million dollars an hour instead of a billion, but okay, sure. Make us the one who have to pay for this.
Oh for fucks sake. Y'all really have to get a grasp on the difference between a million and a billion.
Steve Jackson is not making a billion dollars. Hell I’d be surprised if he’s making a million.
Steve Jackson Games is a pretty small operation all told. Most game companies are. This is a small business trying to survive.
Get a sense of perspective.
I believe convulsive-madness was using hyperbole on the numbers and simply asserting they (SKG, game companies, companies in general) could downsize profits and eat the tariff costs instead of passing them on to the rest of us because a CEO can afford to take a pay cut. (From what I found, SJG does not release its CEO pay, though it would be considerably less than a million if they’re making the reported gross income of $3.6 million, though that’s from only a cursory search.)
I was being sarcastic, actually. for exactly the reasons uniquecrash is saying. Not all companies are multi million dollar megcorporations like people on the internet seem to think they are.
Fine, I misread your sarcasm tag as irrelevant to the point. I’ll not put the words in your mouth and instead put them in mine:
I do not care if Steve Jackson Games (or any other company, for that matter) has to take a profit loss: they will have to anyway and they could offset a loss in demand form such by soaking some of the cost with profits and keeping their prices to consumers lower.
And all of that money will only come from the people who don’t deserve to be paid that much, of course. Not a single person who you think actually does work at the company will have their salary lowered in this plan.
I’m not even going there. I don’t know what anyone at that company deserves in wages (workers or CEO), didn’t bring it up (you did), and only agreed with (the admitted misinterpretation of) your words because it’s about the only way I can see that they could keep their already limited market share without going belly-up from failing to reduce prices to consumers to something that will continue to drive sales. (Do people still play Munchkin? How many people have bought a GURPS book in the last, say, five years? Hell, do they even print Fluxx anymore?)
I’m sorry that you don’t realize that there can be consequences to your actions, and that good intentions can have bad results.
Would you like to provide a good faith argument with a position on what SJG can or should do or do you just want to troll with ad hominem assumptions about my understanding? Because you've failed at reading my mind on the problems at hand like three times now.
Source: sjgames.com
Reblogged
“At Steve Jackson Games, we are actively assessing what this means for our products, our pricing, and our future plans. We do know that we can’t absorb this kind of cost increase without raising prices. We’ve done our best over the past few years to shield players and retailers from the full brunt of rising freight costs and other increases, but this new tax changes the equation entirely. Here are the numbers: A product we might have manufactured in China for $3.00 last year could now cost $4.62 before we even ship it across the ocean. Add freight, warehousing, fulfillment, and distribution margins, and that once-$25 game quickly becomes a $40 product. That’s not a luxury upcharge; it’s survival math. Some people ask, “Why not manufacture in the U.S.?” I wish we could. But the infrastructure to support full-scale boardgame production – specialty dice making, die-cutting, custom plastic and wood components – doesn’t meaningfully exist here yet. I’ve gotten quotes. I’ve talked to factories. Even when the willingness is there, the equipment, labor, and timelines simply aren’t. […] We want to be transparent with our community. This is real: Prices are going up. We’re still determining how much and where. If you’re frustrated, you’re not alone. We are too. And if you want to help, write to your elected officials. Ask them how these new policies help American creators and small businesses. Because right now, it feels like they don’t. We’ll keep making games. But we’ll be honest when the road gets harder, because we know you care about where your games come from – and about the people who make them.”
I saw their email today, from this company founded in 1980 in the period of explosive industry growth that is my main period of interest for this blog. Reblogging here since this is a straightforward explanation of why some of your favorite companies may raise prices dramatically, limit their output, or close up shop soon.
i mean, the could also give their CEO’s a million dollars an hour instead of a billion, but okay, sure. Make us the one who have to pay for this.
Oh for fucks sake. Y'all really have to get a grasp on the difference between a million and a billion.
Steve Jackson is not making a billion dollars. Hell I’d be surprised if he’s making a million.
Steve Jackson Games is a pretty small operation all told. Most game companies are. This is a small business trying to survive.
Get a sense of perspective.
I believe convulsive-madness was using hyperbole on the numbers and simply asserting they (SKG, game companies, companies in general) could downsize profits and eat the tariff costs instead of passing them on to the rest of us because a CEO can afford to take a pay cut. (From what I found, SJG does not release its CEO pay, though it would be considerably less than a million if they’re making the reported gross income of $3.6 million, though that’s from only a cursory search.)
I was being sarcastic, actually. for exactly the reasons uniquecrash is saying. Not all companies are multi million dollar megcorporations like people on the internet seem to think they are.
Fine, I misread your sarcasm tag as irrelevant to the point. I’ll not put the words in your mouth and instead put them in mine:
I do not care if Steve Jackson Games (or any other company, for that matter) has to take a profit loss: they will have to anyway and they could offset a loss in demand form such by soaking some of the cost with profits and keeping their prices to consumers lower.
And all of that money will only come from the people who don’t deserve to be paid that much, of course. Not a single person who you think actually does work at the company will have their salary lowered in this plan.
I’m not even going there. I don’t know what anyone at that company deserves in wages (workers or CEO), didn’t bring it up (you did), and only agreed with (the admitted misinterpretation of) your words because it’s about the only way I can see that they could keep their already limited market share without going belly-up from failing to reduce prices to consumers to something that will continue to drive sales. (Do people still play Munchkin? How many people have bought a GURPS book in the last, say, five years? Hell, do they even print Fluxx anymore?)
Me. I’ve bought a ton of GURPS books. And their Munchkin Dungeon board game. And SJG has other products, In Nomine and the Illuminati NWO card game, frex. And the GURPS Dungeon KS brought in a lot of new fans for them, too. GURPS fans may not be numerous these days, but many only play GURPS, and are hard-core about it.
They may seem to be dying off because they mainly talk about GURPS in GURPS spaces because they have some very nice, polite, friendly communities dedicated to it. Why wouldn’t they? And of all games out there, most GURPS books are really not overpriced. They’re quite reasonable. I doubt they have much of a margin to begin with.
That is at least a position worthy of commentary!
I had worked in a game shop relatively recently (I'm losing track of time). We carried SJG material, but the only things that would sell would be core Munchkin sets every few months (it was not a big selling game by any means) and some Munchkin merchandise like the board game, though not much of the latter and mostly to fan collectors of anything Munchkin. GURPS stopped being brought up as one of the big D&D competitors a while beforehand, but I was never certain if that was just 5e's market share or if it was that GURPS hadn't seen a recent printing. (We had to have sold a copy, but it didn't restock before the end of the shop's life -- and was used.) And In Nomine (finally, someone else has played that!) was published in 1997. However, my perspective could have been regionally limited: what sold there isn't indicative of the market.
So you are probably right that they don't have a margin (or if they do it is fairly thin). And I never thought their stuff was (at the time) overpriced.
But your "me" comment brings me to a point: when did you buy your games? This isn't "do you like these games?" (they all have advantages and disadvantages), but "are you currently and actively supporting SJG financially?"
Because if you (hypothetical "you," not "you" person immediately above) are going to argue that
- it is somehow indefensible within a capitalist framework (n.b.: this is not my personal position on the morality of the issue; this is simply for practical reasons) that companies have to chase prices the market will allow (i.e., prices customers are willing to pay), and
- that SJG's income and pricing structure are already at a difficult point,
then you have to then address why it is that they haven't been able to maintain an adequate revenue flow as it is.
Like, D&D has had more than the lion's share of the TTRPG market for the better part of a decade, but it still had to compete with Pathfinder 1e while that was in print -- and Paizo operated mainly in the way other RPGs had always worked, rather than having not-technically-ads in the form of media franchises drive interest. There were new editions of L5R, Shadowrun, and VtM in that time. GURPS hasn't seen a new edition (not that it needs one) since 2004 and hasn't seen much of a print run (this would be the issue at hand with tariffs and pricing) since then.
Source: sjgames.com
Reblogged
“At Steve Jackson Games, we are actively assessing what this means for our products, our pricing, and our future plans. We do know that we can’t absorb this kind of cost increase without raising prices. We’ve done our best over the past few years to shield players and retailers from the full brunt of rising freight costs and other increases, but this new tax changes the equation entirely. Here are the numbers: A product we might have manufactured in China for $3.00 last year could now cost $4.62 before we even ship it across the ocean. Add freight, warehousing, fulfillment, and distribution margins, and that once-$25 game quickly becomes a $40 product. That’s not a luxury upcharge; it’s survival math. Some people ask, “Why not manufacture in the U.S.?” I wish we could. But the infrastructure to support full-scale boardgame production – specialty dice making, die-cutting, custom plastic and wood components – doesn’t meaningfully exist here yet. I’ve gotten quotes. I’ve talked to factories. Even when the willingness is there, the equipment, labor, and timelines simply aren’t. […] We want to be transparent with our community. This is real: Prices are going up. We’re still determining how much and where. If you’re frustrated, you’re not alone. We are too. And if you want to help, write to your elected officials. Ask them how these new policies help American creators and small businesses. Because right now, it feels like they don’t. We’ll keep making games. But we’ll be honest when the road gets harder, because we know you care about where your games come from – and about the people who make them.”
I saw their email today, from this company founded in 1980 in the period of explosive industry growth that is my main period of interest for this blog. Reblogging here since this is a straightforward explanation of why some of your favorite companies may raise prices dramatically, limit their output, or close up shop soon.
i mean, the could also give their CEO’s a million dollars an hour instead of a billion, but okay, sure. Make us the one who have to pay for this.
Oh for fucks sake. Y'all really have to get a grasp on the difference between a million and a billion.
Steve Jackson is not making a billion dollars. Hell I’d be surprised if he’s making a million.
Steve Jackson Games is a pretty small operation all told. Most game companies are. This is a small business trying to survive.
Get a sense of perspective.
I believe convulsive-madness was using hyperbole on the numbers and simply asserting they (SKG, game companies, companies in general) could downsize profits and eat the tariff costs instead of passing them on to the rest of us because a CEO can afford to take a pay cut. (From what I found, SJG does not release its CEO pay, though it would be considerably less than a million if they’re making the reported gross income of $3.6 million, though that’s from only a cursory search.)
I was being sarcastic, actually. for exactly the reasons uniquecrash is saying. Not all companies are multi million dollar megcorporations like people on the internet seem to think they are.
Fine, I misread your sarcasm tag as irrelevant to the point. I’ll not put the words in your mouth and instead put them in mine:
I do not care if Steve Jackson Games (or any other company, for that matter) has to take a profit loss: they will have to anyway and they could offset a loss in demand form such by soaking some of the cost with profits and keeping their prices to consumers lower.
And all of that money will only come from the people who don’t deserve to be paid that much, of course. Not a single person who you think actually does work at the company will have their salary lowered in this plan.
I'm not even going there. I don't know what anyone at that company deserves in wages (workers or CEO), didn't bring it up (you did), and only agreed with (the admitted misinterpretation of) your words because it's about the only way I can see that they could keep their already limited market share without going belly-up from failing to reduce prices to consumers to something that will continue to drive sales. (Do people still play Munchkin? How many people have bought a GURPS book in the last, say, five years? Hell, do they even print Fluxx anymore?)
Source: sjgames.com
Reblogged
“At Steve Jackson Games, we are actively assessing what this means for our products, our pricing, and our future plans. We do know that we can’t absorb this kind of cost increase without raising prices. We’ve done our best over the past few years to shield players and retailers from the full brunt of rising freight costs and other increases, but this new tax changes the equation entirely. Here are the numbers: A product we might have manufactured in China for $3.00 last year could now cost $4.62 before we even ship it across the ocean. Add freight, warehousing, fulfillment, and distribution margins, and that once-$25 game quickly becomes a $40 product. That’s not a luxury upcharge; it’s survival math. Some people ask, “Why not manufacture in the U.S.?” I wish we could. But the infrastructure to support full-scale boardgame production – specialty dice making, die-cutting, custom plastic and wood components – doesn’t meaningfully exist here yet. I’ve gotten quotes. I’ve talked to factories. Even when the willingness is there, the equipment, labor, and timelines simply aren’t. […] We want to be transparent with our community. This is real: Prices are going up. We’re still determining how much and where. If you’re frustrated, you’re not alone. We are too. And if you want to help, write to your elected officials. Ask them how these new policies help American creators and small businesses. Because right now, it feels like they don’t. We’ll keep making games. But we’ll be honest when the road gets harder, because we know you care about where your games come from – and about the people who make them.”
I saw their email today, from this company founded in 1980 in the period of explosive industry growth that is my main period of interest for this blog. Reblogging here since this is a straightforward explanation of why some of your favorite companies may raise prices dramatically, limit their output, or close up shop soon.
i mean, the could also give their CEO’s a million dollars an hour instead of a billion, but okay, sure. Make us the one who have to pay for this.
Oh for fucks sake. Y'all really have to get a grasp on the difference between a million and a billion.
Steve Jackson is not making a billion dollars. Hell I’d be surprised if he’s making a million.
Steve Jackson Games is a pretty small operation all told. Most game companies are. This is a small business trying to survive.
Get a sense of perspective.
I believe convulsive-madness was using hyperbole on the numbers and simply asserting they (SKG, game companies, companies in general) could downsize profits and eat the tariff costs instead of passing them on to the rest of us because a CEO can afford to take a pay cut. (From what I found, SJG does not release its CEO pay, though it would be considerably less than a million if they’re making the reported gross income of $3.6 million, though that’s from only a cursory search.)
I was being sarcastic, actually. for exactly the reasons uniquecrash is saying. Not all companies are multi million dollar megcorporations like people on the internet seem to think they are.
Fine, I misread your sarcasm tag as irrelevant to the point. I'll not put the words in your mouth and instead put them in mine:
I do not care if Steve Jackson Games (or any other company, for that matter) has to take a profit loss: they will have to anyway and they could offset a loss in demand form such by soaking some of the cost with profits and keeping their prices to consumers lower.
Source: sjgames.com
Reblogged
“At Steve Jackson Games, we are actively assessing what this means for our products, our pricing, and our future plans. We do know that we can’t absorb this kind of cost increase without raising prices. We’ve done our best over the past few years to shield players and retailers from the full brunt of rising freight costs and other increases, but this new tax changes the equation entirely. Here are the numbers: A product we might have manufactured in China for $3.00 last year could now cost $4.62 before we even ship it across the ocean. Add freight, warehousing, fulfillment, and distribution margins, and that once-$25 game quickly becomes a $40 product. That’s not a luxury upcharge; it’s survival math. Some people ask, “Why not manufacture in the U.S.?” I wish we could. But the infrastructure to support full-scale boardgame production – specialty dice making, die-cutting, custom plastic and wood components – doesn’t meaningfully exist here yet. I’ve gotten quotes. I’ve talked to factories. Even when the willingness is there, the equipment, labor, and timelines simply aren’t. […] We want to be transparent with our community. This is real: Prices are going up. We’re still determining how much and where. If you’re frustrated, you’re not alone. We are too. And if you want to help, write to your elected officials. Ask them how these new policies help American creators and small businesses. Because right now, it feels like they don’t. We’ll keep making games. But we’ll be honest when the road gets harder, because we know you care about where your games come from – and about the people who make them.”
I saw their email today, from this company founded in 1980 in the period of explosive industry growth that is my main period of interest for this blog. Reblogging here since this is a straightforward explanation of why some of your favorite companies may raise prices dramatically, limit their output, or close up shop soon.
i mean, the could also give their CEO’s a million dollars an hour instead of a billion, but okay, sure. Make us the one who have to pay for this.
Oh for fucks sake. Y'all really have to get a grasp on the difference between a million and a billion.
Steve Jackson is not making a billion dollars. Hell I’d be surprised if he’s making a million.
Steve Jackson Games is a pretty small operation all told. Most game companies are. This is a small business trying to survive.
Get a sense of perspective.
I believe convulsive-madness was using hyperbole on the numbers and simply asserting they (SKG, game companies, companies in general) could downsize profits and eat the tariff costs instead of passing them on to the rest of us because a CEO can afford to take a pay cut. (From what I found, SJG does not release its CEO pay, though it would be considerably less than a million if they're making the reported gross income of $3.6 million, though that's from only a cursory search.)
Source: sjgames.com
Reblogged
“At Steve Jackson Games, we are actively assessing what this means for our products, our pricing, and our future plans. We do know that we can’t absorb this kind of cost increase without raising prices. We’ve done our best over the past few years to shield players and retailers from the full brunt of rising freight costs and other increases, but this new tax changes the equation entirely. Here are the numbers: A product we might have manufactured in China for $3.00 last year could now cost $4.62 before we even ship it across the ocean. Add freight, warehousing, fulfillment, and distribution margins, and that once-$25 game quickly becomes a $40 product. That’s not a luxury upcharge; it’s survival math. Some people ask, “Why not manufacture in the U.S.?” I wish we could. But the infrastructure to support full-scale boardgame production – specialty dice making, die-cutting, custom plastic and wood components – doesn’t meaningfully exist here yet. I’ve gotten quotes. I’ve talked to factories. Even when the willingness is there, the equipment, labor, and timelines simply aren’t. […] We want to be transparent with our community. This is real: Prices are going up. We’re still determining how much and where. If you’re frustrated, you’re not alone. We are too. And if you want to help, write to your elected officials. Ask them how these new policies help American creators and small businesses. Because right now, it feels like they don’t. We’ll keep making games. But we’ll be honest when the road gets harder, because we know you care about where your games come from – and about the people who make them.”
I saw their email today, from this company founded in 1980 in the period of explosive industry growth that is my main period of interest for this blog. Reblogging here since this is a straightforward explanation of why some of your favorite companies may raise prices dramatically, limit their output, or close up shop soon.
i mean, the could also give their CEO’s a million dollars an hour instead of a billion, but okay, sure. Make us the one who have to pay for this.
Source: sjgames.com
Reblogged
“At Steve Jackson Games, we are actively assessing what this means for our products, our pricing, and our future plans. We do know that we can’t absorb this kind of cost increase without raising prices. We’ve done our best over the past few years to shield players and retailers from the full brunt of rising freight costs and other increases, but this new tax changes the equation entirely. Here are the numbers: A product we might have manufactured in China for $3.00 last year could now cost $4.62 before we even ship it across the ocean. Add freight, warehousing, fulfillment, and distribution margins, and that once-$25 game quickly becomes a $40 product. That’s not a luxury upcharge; it’s survival math. Some people ask, “Why not manufacture in the U.S.?” I wish we could. But the infrastructure to support full-scale boardgame production – specialty dice making, die-cutting, custom plastic and wood components – doesn’t meaningfully exist here yet. I’ve gotten quotes. I’ve talked to factories. Even when the willingness is there, the equipment, labor, and timelines simply aren’t. […] We want to be transparent with our community. This is real: Prices are going up. We’re still determining how much and where. If you’re frustrated, you’re not alone. We are too. And if you want to help, write to your elected officials. Ask them how these new policies help American creators and small businesses. Because right now, it feels like they don’t. We’ll keep making games. But we’ll be honest when the road gets harder, because we know you care about where your games come from – and about the people who make them.”
I saw their email today, from this company founded in 1980 in the period of explosive industry growth that is my main period of interest for this blog. Reblogging here since this is a straightforward explanation of why some of your favorite companies may raise prices dramatically, limit their output, or close up shop soon.
Source: sjgames.com
Reblogged noegrets
Found that over at mastodon
Reblogged
Would you guys like to help me design a character?
The Paladin I’m playing in upcoming Curse of Strahd game named Jarek (pronounced Yahr-ek) Zelazny who is a native Barovian with the Haunted One Background, who will eventually swear the homebrew Oath of Blood, who was raised by the Druids of Yester Hill before being adopted in all but name by the Martikovs. I know what I want for his character, history, and motivations, but beyond premature grey hair and a naturally haunted expression, I’m having trouble imaging what he looks like, and thought it would be fun to listen to some suggestions.
Reblogged astromechapunk
Ball lightning on railway
Reblogged
I will never understand what possessed WotC to make the Forgotten Realms effectively their default setting in 5e. Like, if you want a mismatch of setting and rules, there you go. Not even popularity makes that make sense.
I am in the middle of finalizing my changes to my character (I need to pick a feat) and am off to bed afterward, so your curiosity will have to wait, @notapaladin boy (or girl or whatever)!
I AM SO SEATED bc my only exposure to Forgotten Realms has been BG3 so the only thing I can think of for why it's a lousy setting is bc the power levels involved tend to be too high? like DnD is at its core a game about trudging through dangerous locations murdering shit for loot, and a lot of character concepts fall apart when you have to go "oh yeah and in this setting you can't spit without hitting another god, mindflayer, etc etc."
Short version: yes. FR is notoriously high magic with a thriving magic item economy, which is the opposite of 2014!5e's take on magic items.
Hokigh, so, the long version.
Just as every game system has assumptions about the sorts of things it's about (the sorts of stories you can tell, the milieu, the things you can and cannot do, etc.), every campaign setting in D&D has its own assumptions.
They are not the same.
Reblogged
@wearesorcerer Your ways are strange, but they have merit.
Meow tents their paws: