When I were a young 'un and i wanted some info on uniforms or organisation of armies I would turn to Osprey, and indeed I still do. But I have just opened an email from Osprey letting me know that their latest stuff is Frostgrave, Nazis on the Moon, Dwarf Wars and sundry other nonsense. What is going on? Aaaaarrrggh!
Sign of the times. Most of the wargame stuff they're churning out is back of a fag packet beer n pretzel stuff. Mind you I can still remember black and white A4 rule books with line drawn pictures and diagrams that had been mass photocopied and weren't much better.....
Quote from: Nosher on 21 April 2016, 04:23:27 PM
Sign of the times. Most of the wargame stuff they're churning out is back of a fag packet beer n pretzel stuff. Mind you I can still remember black and white A4 rule books with line drawn pictures and diagrams that had been mass photocopied and weren't much better.....
Line drawn pictures
and diagrams, hedonistic luxury that is! In my day we had one or t'other not both.
Diagrams and pictures!! When I were a lad we just had text. :-S
Well there is a finite amount of historical info that they can publish, so they need to branch out/create new stuff. This has happened with Battlefront and their WWII stuff and is also affecting the scale model market.
But there's still no actual Man-at-Arms book on the French, the Spanish, the Italian states in the Great Italian Wars. Still hadn't seen any Spanish or Italian figures looking as how I imagined they should until The Assault Group produced their 28mm figures. Now if Osprey had come up with the goods in the 80s or 90s what a different story. But no ,,,,,,, Nazis on the Moon. Even the film was poor.
QuoteBut there's still no actual Man-at-Arms book on the French, the Spanish, the Italian states in the Great Italian Wars.
I believe it all depends upon someone writing the books off their own back. As far as I know they do not commission books, unless that has changed under the new management.
Quote from: Steve J on 22 April 2016, 07:08:48 AM
I believe it all depends upon someone writing the books off their own back.
That would explain the ridiculous lack of anything to do with my family on the books on the Reivers.... =)
I spoke with an author (some time ago) and Osprey will ask a writer to write a book on a subject they are a specialist in.
Osprey will then give them a budget. This has to cover the writing, the costs of permissions for photographs and all expenses. Osprey provide the Colour plates. When they review the manuscript they may be asked to include additional photos , drawing of maps etc.
After it is written and accepted the author gets to keep the remainder of the budget. The author was lucky to make £200-£300 per book. Osprey seem to rely on the fact that the Author will enjoy writing the book as its his specialism. The author has other work so will see the Osprey as "extra".
The person I spoke to tended to try and leave any Osprey work offered on the back burner and only do it if he had no other writing jobs
No Idea on royalties or if the above is still valid
I can imagine the single biggest cost is the artwork as there is always plenty of that in Ospreys.
Some of the sets of rules are actually pretty good, but again I don't think they are massive paydays for the writers but get their name out there more than self published rules will.
I've really enjoyed the rules published by Osprey. Frostgrave, Lion Rampant and Dragon Rampant are all fun, easy to learn rules that let me put my figs on the table and have a quick fun game.
Plus from a $ standpoint it makes sense for them to branch out like this.
As that was your first post, Ck.
Welcome to the forum. :-h
Cheers - Phil
What ho, Ckudola!
Welcome to the friendliest, cleverest, most knowingest forum on 10mm gaming.
Quote from: Chad on 21 April 2016, 06:13:16 PM
Diagrams and pictures!! When I were a lad we just had text. :-S
Text wi' nowt grammar and poonctuaytion, laike.
Hi Ck - ignore wimp, he's just a very depressed kitty.
IanS
Hi Ckudola,
a welcome to the forum from me too, though I see you've been a member for almost a year now. So, hopefully, you are now used to the in-jokes and general weirdness here :)
I have to say I like the Osprey rule-sets that I've bought too. Haven't tried Lion/ Dragon Rampant ... maybe I should!
Ck, take everything Ian says at face value. He knows where you live....
Thanks for the welcome everyone! I've really enjoyed playing Lion/Dragon Rampant, they do what they are supposed to, which is give you a fast mid sized skirmish game.
One of the features I really like about Dragon Rampant is the list building. The author gives you standard units (Heavy Foot, Elite Horse, Greater Warbeast etc.) and then you add on fantasy special rules to make each unit unique. So even though your working from the same toolbox you can creat a really unique force vs your opponent.
For example I've got a Dwarfs vs Goblins project currently in the works. The dwarfs tend to be better armored but slow while the goblins tend to be quick on their feet but more likely to run away.
I've been a 10mm fan for a long time and I'm excited to start posting work on the forum. I primed by first unit of a Hill Dwarfs so look for them soon!
Welcome Ckudola :-h
Looking forward to seeing those
Hi, guys. New to the forum after being recommended it by a guy from the Horizon Wars FB group.
As an Osprey-published game designer, I'm a little hurt by the "back of a fag packet" accusation but I do understand where it comes from. I would emphasize that Osprey Games is a different thing to Osprey Publishing, sort of. They are still publishing Men at Arms books (according to the marketing bumf I get sent, anyway), but their alternate history stuff has been super-popular. And money follows money, right?
R.
Welcome to the forum Mr. Omega! This is actually a very knowledgable, friendly, and supportive bunch which is why I hang around here.
FWIW: 10mm, in particular, seems to draw rugged individualists, often holding strong opinions about their fields of interest, BUT I've rarely seen anyone intend to give offense. We do get insanely weird from time to time - it's part of the charm! :)
Looking forward to hearing about your thoughts on game design.
Hi precintomega, welcome to the forum.
I'll second what d_guy has said in terms of friendly, knowledgeable, opinionated and weird!
As to "back of a fag packet" rules, don't knock it, many of the best games I've played have been run using rules that started life on a fag packet, beer mat or old envelope :)
Also, we are as a group*, old enough to have a certain nostalgia for the days when the weather was always sunny, policemen were old enough to have left school, politicians were honest, prices were low and wargames rules were marvellous constructs of Roneo'd purple, badly spelled and punctuated, typescript and of a complexity that made it only marginally more difficult to get a couple of hundred thousand friends together and head off the the Western Desert :D
Cheers, Ithoriel
*There are, naturally, honourable exceptions
Welcome Precinctomega :-h
The description of rules as "back of a fag packet" or "beer and pretzels" is more about the style of game they produce, simple and fast to play, than the quality of the rules
In fact it is often much harder to make something simpler than complex
Welcome from me, too !
Cheers - Phil
Welcome on board Robey :). I like your Horizon Wars rules but work has prevented me giving them a go. This week they will get their debut, all being well...
Welcome from me too, a keen player of Osprey games; Lion Rampant, Dragon Rampant, Dux Bellorum, In Her Majesties Name and also just bought Poseidon's Warriors. I also have Honours of War, not yet played but hope too soon. All great sets of rules as far as I am concerned, so I am a fan. :)
What ho Mr Omega, and welcome to the forum whose accumulated wisdom is such that mighty Pallas Athene failed the enternace exam, and Odin One-eye seriously considered if the other eye was a fair price for membership.
I have a fundamental objection to "back of the fag packet" rules, because smoking is a vile habit and deleterious to the health of the smoker and those around them.
On the other hand, spontaneous, free-flowing and inventive rules sets are to be marvelled at.
I am also on the record as saying that I eschew all commercial rule sets, but relaise that I am in the minority here. I think my minority is like that of Noah, where I have the right path and everyone else needs to invest in some heavy duty water wings. I suspect I may be more like the minority that is quite positive that our beloved planet is not in fact an oblate spheroid, but more of a disk.
It is said that if you put three economists into a room, you will end up with four opinions. If you put three wargamers into a room you'll probably end up with 7 "preferred" set of rules, plus several more which will grudgingly be played.
Anyway, welcome.
Thanks for the welcome, guys. I'll mostly be lurking, as most of my writing time is dedicated to stuff that pays the bills, but I'm already really happy to see some seriously light-hearted chatter on good subjects, so I reckon I'll fit in fine around here.
R.
I would imagine Osprey have to be sure of the market - will they sell enough. Hence more books on Nazis than on lesser known periods.
Moaning...
IanS
Quote from: d_Guy on 20 June 2016, 11:58:49 PM
I've rarely seen anyone intend to give offense. We do get insanely weird from time to time - it's part of the charm! :)
I thought we did give offence, but it doesn't count because it's FSN and Orcs. :-\
My next door neighbour has just put up a fence. :-/
Quote from: Last Hussar on 19 August 2016, 10:12:01 AM
I thought we did give offence, but it doesn't count because it's FSN and Orcs. :-\
Your just jealous cos I am allowed out to play whenever I like. (As long as its little men and not the woman from Next door but one)
Thanks for the image of you playing with your little man :-&
My little man is an idiot.
Just put in a pre-order for the new pike and shot rules by Dan Mersey and a Scandinavian chap. Might give me the motivation to get some more 28mm ECW painted.
Quote from: Leman on 23 August 2016, 06:31:43 AM
Just put in a pre-order for the new pike and shot rules by Dan Mersey and a Scandinavian chap. Might give me the motivation to get some more 28mm ECW painted.
Me too, I'm looking forward to them. I'm quite happy with Regiment of Foote for ECW, but A Pikeman's Lament sounds like it will be good for Northern/Eastern European wars.
I think Pikeman's lament is a smaller scale isn't it, a sort of large skirmish size (like Saga or Dragon Rampant) rather then full sized battles.
Looks interesting - as it plays with multi based figures in 28mm, which makes it seem particularly adaptable to 10mm