Fringeworthy in print format

We decided that the newest of the Fringeworthy editions would be the first we put in print on demand format. So Fringeworthy d20 is the version of Fringeworthy we presently have available as a print on demand. All new Fringeworthy material WILL be make in a print on demand format.

If there is a specific version of Fringeworthy people would like us to explore as future projects please let us know. 

Also if there is interest in a stripped down EZ rules version we would like to know.

Making a new version of ANY game is time consuming and would require us to collect new art and spend many hours that could be spent on other projects, so we only want to work on things that people show an interest in having available.

The EZ rules would be mostly background/setting material, right?  Then you pair it with the RPG rules system of your choice?  I have the 1983 and 1992 editions of Fringeworthy, so I'm good to go as far as setting material goes. 

Or is there enough new material to justify a purchase of an EZ edition?  It wouldn't take much convincing to be honest. 

Well, the plan is to reorganize and bookmark the EZ editions to improve them as reference sourcebooks, as well as add value with new content.   

Think 1st and 2nd Edition D&D.  For me, the upgrade in usability was well worth buying again, but YMMV.

I think he was asking about an EZ version of Fringeworthy itself that I mentioned in my initial posting. I wasn't entirely clear in what I was talking about it seems.

The idea was to make a basic Fringeworthy EZ book, so that the world and its special skills and situations could be adapted to any game system instead of a new FW set in a specific system.

It would be stripping out any system specific rules and putting a more generic explanation in their place on how to incorporate it within your favorite rules system.  While it would not contain a lot of new information it would be a way for people using a system other than the Tri Tac basic and d20 systems to easily convert skills, spells and psionics etc from the original books to whatever game system they prefer.

It is a lot of work and will not be considered unless there is a large amount of interest.

"It would be stripping out any system specific rules and putting a more generic explanation in their place on how to incorporate it within your favorite rules system."

That sounds pretty good to me, but it would be like writing a new edition of the game. 

What about a Kickstarter?  Getting your money upfront and hiring a writer or being able to pay yourselves to write an EZ edition?  Nothing shows interest like being willing to part with money, right? 

It was only a matter of time; I picked up a POD copy of the Fringeworthy D20 rules.  I one quirk I noticed, which it shares with my POD Everywhen RPG hardcover is that the title is NOT on the spine.  Not a big deal, since it will go into the Tri Tac section of the bookshelf. 

If it was the softcover they don't allow titles on the spines in the pod process, if it was the Hardback it was because it was the first hardback i had done PoD for and couldn't get the title approved in the process and chose to go without the title in order to get the book to pass the print approval. Sadly it's not like a print house that sets everything up for you and ignores limitation on the spine. I got the title on the Hardcover Hardwired Hinterland but was disappointed with the size the font ended up being to fit into the tiny space they allowed for print on spines.

I always go for the hardcover, if possible.  HH has a crazy long title on that spine. 

You could always try and bring back boxed sets.  Okay, not realistic, but I still miss those from my early RPG collecting days.

Box sets would not be something we can get printed in a print on demand format, it would require us to have a batch of books printed at a normal print house as well as have boxes printed, then put together by us and shipped by us. If Tri Tac had actual employees that might be a plan, but at this time no one gets paid to work for Tri Tac Games and there is no big office or warehouse to process physical sales.

For smaller game companies, boxed sets would only work if you use a Kickstarter.  Everything paid for in advance.  Though a pandemic could come along and cause issues, but what are the odds? 

There is the issue of a bad print run (where it's not the printer at fault) and that could be very bad, as you have to push the 'bad books' onto the backers or eat the cost of reprinting a corrected version.  That happened to some Kickstarter last year, but I don't recall the details.  Nothing I backed or I'd remember it very well. 

You'd need a place to store the boxed sets while you mail them out to backers.  Some place not prone to floods, or water leaks, or fires.

So, boxed sets, a really cool product with some risk to it versus the POD option.  Someone needs to offer a boxed set POD!