[PnP] Powers and Perils Rights

[Alex Koponen]

My two bits.

  As far as I am aware, e-books have not proven to be a successful way to
get money from the public. Baen books, as an example, distributes the
first book or two in a series free online and hopes that this will inspire
people to buy other books in the series. Having the core books online
might inspire people to buy hard (paper) copies and inspire people to buy
various supplements (Tower of the Dead, etc.).
  If successful you would have people posting supplements online that you
couldn't effectively discourage unless they were making money from the
posting or plagiarizing published material. I don't really see most online
postings as a problem.

**
Regarding the comment:
    This, to me, is a personal endeavor to perfect a work
that is dear to me. I expect little or nothing from the
project beyond satisfaction. It is my belief that Powers
and Perils is the finest fantasy role playing system ever
created. I wish to perfect it and make this fact clear to
anyone who is interested in taking a look.

  This is not the best statement to start a negotiation with. I suggest:

    This, to me, is a personal endeavor to perfect a work that is dear to
me. I expect little or nothing from the project beyond satisfaction, but
the remote possibility of financial success with it should help provide
the impetus for myself and my volunteers to complete the project. It is my
belief that Powers and Perils is a fantasy role playing system that is
attractive to a very small but discerning segment of the gaming public
because of its design. This design has room for improvement in both
structure and implementation. After improvement the game may be attractive
to a larger segment of the gaming population. I wish to perfect it and
make this fact clear to anyone who is interested in taking a look.

**

  Twenty percent is actually quite a lot. Publishers live or die by
differences in the 1-2% range. Authors often only make 5% on what are
expected to be low volume works.
I suggest that you start with a lower percentage AFTER EXPENSES, OR,
better yet, have the percentage after expenses go to them UNTIL a cutoff
is reached beyond which they have been paid for their ownership and the
ownership has been fully transferred. Perhaps twenty percent of (gross
sales - expenses) until the amount paid equals $5,000.00 whereupon
ownership of all rights to the system are effectively transferred. Maybe
allow yourself to be negotiated upwards to a higher amount. Perhaps
$20,000. Remember that unless the game sells well you are unlikely to get
to that sum. Think of it as a mortgage paid by percentage of proceeds.

> Richard L. Snider
>
> advertisement for Wizards of the West Coast on the site. I
> will also pay Wizards of the West Coast TWENTY PERCENT of
> the gross sales of the e-book or any other items produced
> for the Powers and Perils system.
>      The product, website and any other products will make
> it clear that the system is the wholly owned property of
> Wizards of the West Coast and is assigned to me; me being
> the company name I operate under.
> #3
>      Wizards of the West Coast wants no part of any such
> project. This being the case, they agree to transfer all
> rights to the system to me. Any payment required from said
> transfer shall be paid from the proceeds of Powers and
> Perils development. Wizards of the West Coast will receive
> FIFTY PERCENT of said proceeds until the sale price is
> defrayed. No interest, penalties or other modification of
> said price will apply for any reason.
>
***
  And FIFTY percent is even higher! Maybe have it as 50% of any profits
(not gross sales) until the negotiated price is reached. Using a
percentage of gross sales could easily end up you owing them a rather
large amount of money. 'After expenses' is much safer.

      Sorry for being somewhat disorganized,      Alex Koponen