I know Keltia is from the same French Company as Yggdrasill and uses the same mechanics. I have several of the books and have run crossovers a few times.

Of the ones that are not listed as cross overs only Lone Wolf Adventure game is not Cubicle 7's. Lone Wolf was by John Denver (who passed away this year so I have no idea about the future of that line).

If I click on the books title it is not found but I can still download the PDF by clicking on Download.

"These are their, meaning Cubicle 7's, creations? Or are they just more products of other persons just in English to start off with?"

Nope. Victorian one, and Cthulhu Britannica. Not sure about the rest but I know Doctor Who and The One Ring isn't. The guy who primarily did a lot of the design for Doctor Who is this bloke - https://twitter.com/autocratik

It's possible that the publishers may have had input in the creation of some of the rpgs they're publishing, but looking them up such as The One Ring its clear that Cubicle 7 are publishers rather than designers. The lead designer on The One Ring however has on his FB profile as a former freelancer for Cubicle 7, so... could imply designer input from the publishers.

No I read it right. (Long night at work last night).

Jon Hodgson is the art guy for The One Ring and he's a Cubicle 7 employee so I figured it was their game.

It is their game. Xyd doesn't seem to understand how most of the RPG industry works. Companies hire freelancers to make their games. Almost no writers are employed full time. A few exceptions exist, but they're rare.

EDIT: In fact, Cubicle 7 might even be one of the exceptions, as they have their line developers listed on their about us page.

deraforia is correct; almost no one has in-house writers anymore. 20-30 years ago things were different in this industry, but even then, there was work turned in by folks that were not part of the company's own stable. Such was my entrance into the industry in the '80s.

Art was heavily out-of-house and would imagine it still is. Some few studios had a few artists (e.g. TSR/WOTC, FASA, GW) but almost no one had every artist they needed. My wife worked for three companies as an illustrator and matte artist, and she was never a line item; just an "Other" line item like so many other artists. Then the amount of art requested by firms in the game industry that never saw the light of day due to product cancellation or re-imagining would make most of you howl. Two major projects that come to mind that my wife was involved with that died in production was the Crimson Skies: Tinseltown Exposé by FASA and Dead Man's Chest, aka 21 Men aka some other title or three, a pirate skirmish game that was ramrodded by at least four different companies, including Geo-Hex over six years time. Covers were done and completely new ones requested when there were new developers and a whole bushel of interior art. At least she got paid despite nothing coming out the other end of the tube, but that was the life of an artist in this industry. With all the irregularity in the end result, she went off and became a middle school art teacher and left it all behind; she saw more regular results with those "precious beasts" than she ever did in the industry.

Game design though is still done in-house, yes? Back in the 20th I can only think of one successful game design that was not done in-house, and that was Vor, the Maelstrom; cannot remember the guy's name; still had all the rights to it when FASA shuttered in '01. I imagine that, unlike writing and art, that is still done in-house with most of the successful end products. FASA's Crimson Skies was developed technically both in- and out-of house; it was done by folks, who worked other duties or developed other games for FASA, on their own time, but at work under the working title of "Corsairs!". Well enough of the musings and memories of the geriatric crowd. ;^)

Thank you "gentlemen" for answering my questions and being polite. I do appreciate the easy talk without the personal/cloaked agendas.

Not sure I like the new "feel" to the forum structure the new owners have imposed; it feels slightly off like most new things. Only time will tell if it works, especially in this industry!

1 hour ago, The Horseman said:

Game design though is still done in-house, yes?

Depends what you consider to be in-house, I guess. It's mostly freelancers, though they might be given a title. Plenty of RPG companies exist with only a handful of actual full-time staff. I know Evil Hat was, at least for some time, basically just Fred Hicks with a regular group of freelancers. Onyx Path is pretty much the same, though I think Rose Bailey and Eddy Webb might be full (or part) time staff. Most of their Line Developers are "paid-by-the-word" freelancers with other jobs. Green Ronin's Song of Ice and Fire was designed by Rob Schwalb, who does work all over the place, and has been in the hands of Joe Carriker for several years now. I'm pretty sure Dragon Age was Chris Pramas' baby though, so that one would have been in-house. Most of those Line Developers listen on Cubicle 7's page are probably in the same boat as freelancers, but it's hard to say for certain. They're a pretty successful company. WotC, Paizo, and FFG are big exceptions that can afford to do design work in-house, and it's still hard to say to what extent that is true without being involved in the company.

And before we go pointing out differences between design and development, which I recognize, often game companies have these people pulling double-duty.

What is Chris Pramas up to, if at all? Is he still with us, yes?

I ask because I have had his third book of the Open Series (OBK) by Osprey on pre-order for 13 months now. Release date keeps getting kicked back; it is now in June of this year. Additionally, I have had his fourth book in this series pre-ordered for 11 months now, and we will just have to wait and see when that will be released.

I ask because the first two books came out right when projected, but about 10 months ago everything with him that I was/am aware of went to Hell in a handbasket.

You can check his twitter account . I don't know what's going on with any of his current projects, but he definitely appears to still be with us.

On ‎28‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 4:05 AM, The Horseman said:

Moreover, after having woken up an old industry associate in the UK rather early his time (in my defense - actually only 45 minutes earlier than his habit - early 'morning' runner [is it truly 'morning' in the civilian world if there is no light out?]) I referred him to this discussion and to your site Daniel.

'Interesting' was the word.

Oooooo, that sounds exciting!

Who's your 'old industry associate' and what did they say that was so 'interesting'?

Just curious, but what's your beef with Cubicle 7? The impression I get is that they're a very well respected company, recognised for their high production values and The One Ring game in particular. I have all their Cthulhu, Laundry and One Ring stuff, as well as some of the translated games, and they generally seem to live up to their good rep (I can certainly find fault here and there, but I'm a lot more critical than many gamers when it comes to actual substance).

Oh, and Chris Pramas is still running Green Ronin. Recently got the rights to publish something to do with The Lost Citadel , whatever that is.

Cheers,

Sparrow (formally here as James Sparrow, but forgot my password and changed email since I first registered)

1) His name is Drew and for the case of his own PerSec that is all I will give any of you Sparrow. Why? Because I never asked him if it was alright with him to name him here. Furthermore Sparrow, how is it exciting‽ It is simply fact.

2) "Interesting" was the word he used thrice in our conversation, "interesting" was what how we both felt about G&P's appeal to authority for his comment, "interesting" was also how we perceived the situation, when after ten minutes of intense WEB searching, every lead about what G&P claimed was happening always went back to G&P's own site after following it and lastly, "interesting" was how a guy, where G&P is at, getting "secret" information from the licensing department in Lenton - not impossible, but not b*^^#!y likely either.

3) No beef against Cubicle 7 Sparrow. I already mentioned that in an earlier posting in this thread. What I am against is rumor mongering which is wildly happening and too acceptable these days. Dan Rather lost years of employment and prestige for that and more so one would think that folks would have learned something from his error. Yes, they are listed as the holder-on-record at the OneBookShelf sites, but there was no industry announcement made, so that definitely could be an error.

4) Thank you Sparrow for the information on Chris Pramas. I might send a note his way asking about his writing for Osprey if the book gets delayed ... again.

On 1/28/2017 at 3:38 PM, deraforia said:

sorry deraforia, this quote box seems the be following me. Hopefully this will make it go away now.

No problem, Horseman! I'm still getting used to the new setup myself.

Thank you for being gracious deraforia. So far, I have not enjoyed the changes to the forums; they feel clunky.

This merger with the frenchmen at Asmodee Group was supposed to benefit the American gamer how‽‽‽

Maybe being stuck in the "wilds" of Idaho currently might make me have tunnel vision, but I am really not seeing any benefit.

Or is it my age? Most gamers give it all up before their sixth decade for a myriad of other interests.

Or both‽

In an emoticon mood.

33 minutes ago, The Horseman said:

1) His name is Drew and for the case of his own PerSec that is all I will give any of you Sparrow. Why? Because I never asked him if it was alright with him to name him here. Furthermore Sparrow, how is it exciting‽ It is simply fact.

2) "Interesting" was the word he used thrice in our conversation, "interesting" was what how we both felt about G&P's appeal to authority for his comment, "interesting" was also how we perceived the situation, when after ten minutes of intense WEB searching, every lead about what G&P claimed was happening always went back to G&P's own site after following it and lastly, "interesting" was how a guy, where G&P is at, getting "secret" information from the licensing department in Lenton - not impossible, but not b*^^#!y likely either.

3) No beef against Cubicle 7 Sparrow. I already mentioned that in an earlier posting in this thread. What I am against is rumor mongering which is wildly happening and too acceptable these days. Dan Rather lost years of employment and prestige for that and more so one would think that folks would have learned something from his error. Yes, they are listed as the holder-on-record at the OneBookShelf sites, but there was no industry announcement made, so that definitely could be an error.

4) Thank you Sparrow for the information on Chris Pramas. I might send a note his way asking about his writing for Osprey if the book gets delayed ... again.

In response to, by numbers:

1) It sounded exciting because it read as though you had a direct line to some real insight into the situation. I entirely respect your friend's right to anonymity, but without a name your 'fact' is as meaningless as the tiresomely self-referential stuff coming from Grimy Pee.

2) There's nothing actually interesting there are all. It's just part of the endless stream of advertising for Zweihander. Yawn. He's doing the same over on rpg.net where he got a slap the last time he did it. Gonna get himself banned if he's not careful.

3) Sorry, missed that; still couldn't find it when I looked, but I'll take you word for it. I just took that stuff about them only publishing translations, not knowing anyone who'd played any of their games, about other people writing the games they publish, and so forth to be somewhat condescending. As for the rumours, you may be right. To some extent it makes little sense for C7 to be taking this on given all the other work on their plate, especially as they already have The One Ring/Adventures in Middle Earth and Lone Wolf. That said, they've not leapt in and denied it either, even through two threads have been started about it on their forums. As for industry announcements, well, am I right in thinking that FFG's licence doesn't actually expire until the end of February? I wouldn't expect formal anything until then anyway. Either way, one of you is gonna be wrong. Anyone wanna place bets?

4) No problem. Google, a few keystrokes, and a click was all it took

Have fun,

Sparrow

3 minutes ago, Old Sparrow said:

In response to, by numbers:

1) It sounded exciting because it read as though you had a direct line to some real insight into the situation. I entirely respect your friend's right to anonymity, but without a name your 'fact' is as meaningless as the tiresomely self-referential stuff coming from Grimy Pee.

2) There's nothing actually interesting there are all. It's just part of the endless stream of advertising for Zweihander. Yawn. He's doing the same over on rpg.net where he got a slap the last time he did it. Gonna get himself banned if he's not careful.

3) Sorry, missed that; still couldn't find it when I looked, but I'll take you word for it. I just took that stuff about them only publishing translations, not knowing anyone who'd played any of their games, about other people writing the games they publish, and so forth to be somewhat condescending. As for the rumours, you may be right. To some extent it makes little sense for C7 to be taking this on given all the other work on their plate, especially as they already have The One Ring/Adventures in Middle Earth and Lone Wolf. That said, they've not leapt in and denied it either, even through two threads have been started about it on their forums. As for industry announcements, well, am I right in thinking that FFG's licence doesn't actually expire until the end of February? I wouldn't expect formal anything until then anyway. Either way, one of you is gonna be wrong. Anyone wanna place bets?

4) No problem. Google, a few keystrokes, and a click was all it took

Have fun,

Sparrow

1) Understand that. Sorry, could not do more since I had not asked permission to do so. Personally, I do not like it when folks use me by actual name as an authority reference without asking first and then I get blind-sided by someone I do not know later about it out of the blue. Especially so when I am referenced out of context; yes, an extremely bad experience in the mid-90s dealing with a really rich American gamer and the old management at GW-US. I will NOT go into the matter so do not even think about asking.

2) So that is how he rolls. We were wondering when all roads led to him. Additionally, "interesting" was more in the Chinese use of the word than the Western.

3)Not a problem. If I am wrong, so be it. I REALLY hate rumor-mongering and G&P was acting out the worst of it. And really Sparrow, what is the harm of keeping one's mouth shut about things like this? Who was asking? I read nothing of the sort. Furthermore, based on GW's late track record, the odds are HUGE against this new WFRPG having anything to do with the Old World. To do an AoS RPG, a new company with no history in the game would be the best solution.

4) Just had not bothered ... yet.

9 hours ago, The Horseman said:

2) So that is how he rolls. We were wondering when all roads led to him. Additionally, "interesting" was more in the Chinese use of the word than the Western.

3)Not a problem. If I am wrong, so be it. I REALLY hate rumor-mongering and G&P was acting out the worst of it. And really Sparrow, what is the harm of keeping one's mouth shut about things like this? Who was asking? I read nothing of the sort. Furthermore, based on GW's late track record, the odds are HUGE against this new WFRPG having anything to do with the Old World. To do an AoS RPG, a new company with no history in the game would be the best solution.

2) To be honest, I don't really blame him. Publishers rely on getting the word out, and there's not much money in this industry for advertising. For what it's worth, it does look like he has a product worth shouting about. I'm not so much interested in rules, but in terms of artwork alone Zweihander looks like it's gonna be a hell of a book.

3) Who was asking? Well, nobody here that I saw, but there was a guy over on rpg.net who specifically asked if anyone had heard any rumours just last week. Obviously, we knew that the licence was ending for FFG, and we knew that GW had been hawking its wares in, I think, Vegas. Among those licences (it was a long list) was one for WFB in addition to AoS, so at that time the Old World was apparently still viable. Some other guy (not Grimy) indicated that a licence had been awarded and an announcement was forthcoming.

Toodly-pip

Sparrow

Back to facts :

1) in official news ( https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2016/9/9/a-new-path-forward/ ), FFG said that " after February 28th, 2017, product lines dealing with Games Workshop properties will end and will no longer be offered for sale by Fantasy Flight Games ".
This means that until Feb 28th, the licence is still owned by FFG. I doubt (but it is no more a fact, only my humble opinion) there will be an official announcement from either GW or a third company before this date.

2) G&P.com posted the image from DrivethrughRPG where the WFRP3 items he bought are now listed with "Cubicle 7 " as product owner. TThis has been confirmed by Jackdays, and lordmalachdrim (on WFRP2 books).
From this information, we can deduce that something is changing, at least on DrivethrughRPG. Why ?

We can argue about rumor-mongering and the private interests of some members or the others, but the facts are that the licence owned by FFG will soon end, and that something has changed on the platform where the PDF products were sold. Change is in the air, good or bad (thanks Tzeentch), and I think we should be aware of it. Please let's keep this thread for facts and accurate information about this forthcoming change.

I honestly don't consider it much rumourmongering. He did actually supply information that the rest of us hadn't noticed. I see the WFRP products listed as Cubicle7 products in my library as well. So I'd be really surprised if drivethrurpg was just selecting random publishers for their products.

5 hours ago, Ralzar said:

I honestly don't consider it much rumourmongering. He did actually supply information that the rest of us hadn't noticed. I see the WFRP products listed as Cubicle7 products in my library as well. So I'd be really surprised if drivethrurpg was just selecting random publishers for their products.

Here are the facts:

I was in direct talks with GW's licensing department to purchase the license myself out of pocket. It was revealed to me in the conversation, however, that the license was no longer available as they were concluding a deal with a European publisher for "world rights".

Here's my best guess:

World rights means both distribution of legacy material, and the rights to create a new edition (with narrative material dictated by GW, spelt out in the licensing contract agreement). Given the discovery of Cubicle 7 as the publisher in DriveThruRPG from my personal files, I believe they are the new European publisher:

In addition, Cubicle 7 has been posting cheeky responses in their Facebook feed:

Whether Cubicle 7 will issue new material for WFRP 2e/3e or create a new WFRP 4e set in the Old World/Age of Sigmar is a story yet untold. Color me surprised if they don't take a stab at it. Why else acquire the license? Gaining the rights to PDF sales for a niche RPG without producing new material wouldn't be worthwhile for a licensee.

An announcement will be forthcoming, but I doubt it happens until February.

Looking like ol' Grimy has the right of it...

Looking forward to the end of February...

Sparrow

Who ever gets there hands on the license I hoe they go back to 1 sr ed world and keep some of the improvmentsFFG has made, I like the narrative dice and hope they don't do a new BRP clone.