BHP has become too much work and not enough fun for me. I spend too much of my time on the business aspects of BHP and as a result, I am more and more frustrated with it each day. I never even seem to get the time to write something creative of my own.
Therefore, I have made two decisions about BHP:
1. I've decided (for my own sanity) to dramatically slow things down. In order to insure that everything we release is as good as we can make it, I'm going to slow down our production schedule to one major print release every three months which will coincide with having it go into distribution at the same time as well. Sure, we can still publish some little pdfs from time to time, but BHP will revolve around the quarterly major releases.
2. At the same time, I'm going to narrow BHP's focus down to just Castles & Crusades and Eldritch RPG. I don't think these games are superior to others or that publishing them will make me more money (who's made any money in this anyway?). I've always said that folks should “play what you want,” and it is time that I take my own advice.
I have nothing against the OSR or the retro-clones. The whole movement has given me quite an education in all things D&D. It is really just a matter of me getting things down to a size I can manage and publishing the things that really feed my soul. Castles & Crusades got me back into gaming several years ago and she's where my heart remains. I still love Labyrinth Lord, but I've just got to be realistic. There is only so much that BHP can do without a large, paid staff and it is silly of me to think we can actually continue the way we are going.
I would like to offer my help to anyone who wants to start their own hobby publishing company (maybe even one that just focuses on Labyrinth Lord?). Believe me, I can give you a big jump start by helping you get on Lulu, the pdf outlets sites, typical costs for art and such.
It is time for rpg publishing to be fun for me again.
[Edit - It looks like one new publisher will be publishing BHP's 4th ed D&D modules and another new publisher is already forming to continue supporting Labyrinth Lord!]
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17 comments:
You are correct ... it's a game and it is supposed to be fun. I'm glad you're taking steps to make it fun again. Hang in there, buddy.
If it's not fun then slowing and narrowing is a good idea. When you're having fun it shows.
With whatever you, I wish you the best, because it is damn hard to do what you are doing. Good luck!
If the decision makes you feel relieved, then it is the right one. BHP will continue to have my support.
Ah, be well John, sounds like the right move for you!
Your Labyrinth Lord products will be missed. They were some of the best things produced by any of the old school publishers.
I must admit, I'm disappointed to hear you are scaling back. But, do what you must. I just checked out the site. Man, it's ashame. I mean it was looking awesome and I was excited about the prospects of what BHP would produce.
I'm an AD&D player and I bought both Forgotten Temple of Baalzebul and People of the Pit print versions immediately upon publication (I also recently picked up Larm, as it's as usable as I hoped for my AD&D game). I'm disappointed to hear you won't be producing anymore OSRIC and, honestly, I hope you'll reconsider over time (please take this as the compliment it is).
One thing I liked about Brave Halfling is its good spirit and open mind. A lot of your products have a different feel from one another, but they all had the right vibe. I was looking forward to more fine modules like Forgotten Temple and People of the Pit. I think you would have produced some interesting stuff if you continued!
In regard to C&C, the "language" of that game is just too far off for me from the only one I speak -- AD&D. I've never heard of Eldritch RPG.
In any event, good luck and I'll be first in line to buy your books again if you go back to producing them for the games I play!
I'm pretty disapointed by hearing this, but I fully understand and respect your decision. BHP has become my favorite publisher over the last year, and I really love what you guys do. People of the Pits is a prime example of what others should be striving for.
What's going to happen to the backlog of products? I've been looking forward to more than a few them, and I'd hate to see them vanish.
PS: what is Eldritch RPG?
I just added to my original article:
[Edit - It looks like one new publisher will be publishing BHP's 4th ed D&D modules and another new publisher is already forming to continue supporting Labyrinth Lord!]
Hey, do what's the best for you and your company. I like your OSR stuff a lot, but I'm also a C&C fan too. Good luck!
Considering that anything you do for C&C is by definition pretty cross compatible with LL, Osric, or any other retroclone with minimal effort, then I'll still be ready to peruse.
For those who are curious, Eldritch Role-Playing is a new generic fantasy role playing game. The core book is available from Goodman Games, but it's first campaign setting, and many adventures to come, will be published by Brave Halfling.
Best of luck with your new direction. I don't blame you one bit considering some of the shenanigans going on. Your customer service will be missed, and I sincerely mean that. That is what made me want to work with you, the way you treated your customers.
I totally understand where you're coming from. Doing my stuff through lulu is already enough of a hassle. I can't imagine how much work it must be to do the fulfillment as well.
It's too easy - and I'm still trying to figure out a way out of this box - to end up spending all your time editing other peoples' material and answering emails instead of writing.
Stick with your bliss ;)
I look forward to your ERP releases.
Gotta add my "ditto" for the regret that BHP's Labyrinth Lord/Classic D&D offerings are going away. From what I've seen they are top notch. But, I totally understand backing off from projects when your heart isn't in them, when that happens, the end result is the kind of crap WotC is putting out these days.
Good luck with the other projects though.
Hey if it ain't fun then don't do it!
BTW where da heck are you guyz based out of eh?
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