#6: Pagan Publishing: 1990-Present

[RPGnet Columns]

http://www.rpg.net/columns/briefhistory/briefhistory6.phtml

Summary:

Delta Green and other Call of Cthulhu books.

Go to the column (http://www.rpg.net/columns/briefhistory/briefhistory6.phtml) for more information.

[PaulK]

It probably should be mentioned that an End Time book was eventually published as a Chaosium Monograph in 2004.

[WaitingForAName]

Other things to cover:

* How TUO actually showed the glimmerings of went into DG (the moral concerns, the Randolph Pierce Foundation as the base for a group of investigators)
* The GenCon/Origins censorship debacle of 1992
* John Tynes' insistence that authors maintain their rights to their work, even if it complicated his own life
* Dennis Detwiller's recent exploration of the ransom model of RPG publishing

[Keith Burkhead]

Quick note to say thanks for the series, Shannon. Well-written and quite informative while being even-handed and not inviting the old flame fests. Looking forward to more.
KB

[Nilus]

Other things to cover:

* The GenCon/Origins censorship debacle of 1992

What was this exactly?

[ShannonA]

This book was banned from sale at GenCon because of the cover:
http://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=4347

[ShannonA]

It probably should be mentioned that an End Time book was eventually published as a Chaosium Monograph in 2004.

Good catch. I hadn't released that LaBrossiere was involved in both, but sure enough his name is noted in that original Pagan press release.

Corrected.

[moofrank]

This article feels so very much like a eulogy.

Pagan was (is?) one of my favorite companies EVER in the gaming industry. I even picked up some of the tiny weirder things from the old Pagan catalogs, like the first generation hand-sewn plush Cthulhus, and a pair of plastic skulls that Blair Reynolds......pimped out with rotted flesh, maggots, brain matter, skull tattoos, trepanation holes, and grave mold.

They will be sorely (possibly?) missed.

Moo,
Frank

[Munchezuma]

What is the likelihood of any of the stuff being reprinted?
Certainly TUO and DG would find audiences if new printings came out.

I seem to recall reading in TUO that because all of the authors retained their rights, reprints would be tough. Do I remember that correctly?

[pookie]

Didn't Delta Green win the Origins Awards despite not actually haveing been on the ballot, and had to be put on the ballot?

[Mikeythorn]

These are great columns Shannon. Really fascinating stuff. I am looking forward to seeing who gets the next treatment.

Pagan wrote some of my absolute favourite supplements so I do hope they can rise again.

[ShannonA]

These are great columns Shannon. Really fascinating stuff. I am looking forward to seeing who gets the next treatment.

Roughly:
early November: Chaosium connections (mainly a neat chart)
late November: ICE, part 1
early December: ICE, part 2
late December: probably a break

The ICE column is already written in edited first draft and runs 7500 words, hence the breakup.

And then I'm considering Lion Rampant, White Wolf, and Atlas Games for the first three in 2007. I've already started hunting info on LR.


Pagan wrote some of my absolute favourite supplements so I do hope they can rise again.

I hope that Glancy can get out the compilation of Detwiller's three chapbooks he's been promising, and I'd like to see Tyne's Yellow King short stories get compiled too. Beyond that I could see some more new Detwiller fiction coming out of Armitage but beyond that I'd honestly be surprised if anything truly new appears.

I think the remaining spark of Pagan is at Arc Dream.

[Professor Phobos]

Chaosium is supposedly working on "Undying Mars", a complete campaign setting using the End Times setting. An expansion of the monograph.

Does anyone know the details on why the Pagan version got nixed, all those years ago?

[Jake]

Thanks yet again for the piece, Shannon. Another neat article answering a lot of questions.
One thing struck me though: CoC d20 goes for US$50-100? Where? Because at last Spiel in Essen they were practically giving them away for EUR 5-10...

[Praetorian]

And then I'm considering Lion Rampant, White Wolf, and Atlas Games for the first three in 2007. I've already started hunting info on LR.

If you get the time and have the resources, two that I would liek to see are Dream Pod 9 (for allt he same reasons I enjoyed reading the Pagan article) and Palladium (lord, that would be messy).

If you need help or imput on a DP9 article, I would be happy to help and I am sure we could track down Marc Vezina. Wil, over on the boards, would be quite useful as well.

I hope that Glancy can get out the compilation of Detwiller's three chapbooks he's been promising,

Dear gods yes. It kills me that I sold off my 3 chapbooks over 4 years ago because I was mistakenly under the impression that the complilation was not far off.

[ShannonA]

Thanks yet again for the piece, Shannon. Another neat article answering a lot of questions.
One thing struck me though: CoC d20 goes for US$50-100? Where? Because at last Spiel in Essen they were practically giving them away for EUR 5-10...

Those were the price ranges I saw on eBay and Amazon. The Amazon prices are what people are asking, so they're sometimes flaky, but the eBay prices were for sold items.

[Nilus]

Roughly:
early November: Chaosium connections (mainly a neat chart)
late November: ICE, part 1
early December: ICE, part 2
late December: probably a break

And then I'm considering Lion Rampant, White Wolf, and Atlas Games for the first three in 2007. I've already started hunting info on LR.

Intersting list. But what about some other big names in the industry(at least when they excisted). Like FASA, AEG, West end Games and Palladium.

[ShannonA]

Generally, I'm working on those companies that I'm the most familiar with first, because I have the most intrinsic knowledge and the best references. Frex, piles of Other Hands and Grey Worlds have helped with the ICE article.

If I'm able, I'd like to get to the three you mention at some point.

A few people have mentioned Palladium, and I don't even know what I'd do there, as my best references for them are their nasty letters to White Wolf and Challenge Magazine, their lawsuit against Wizards of the Coast, their recent theft issues, and a very overzealous history at their site that talks about them being the first at a bunch of things that they weren't (like generic game systems and horror games). Certainly all doesn't make them look good.

[SHAMER]

Once again a spot on article. Brilliant stuff Shannon. As a word of comment... yup it's a shame that another, once shinning studio dissolved into the abyss. The more so as the Delta seems to be one of the most sought after CoC books. Any idea who holds the rights for that(?) Any chance for a digital (re)distribution(?) Updated, and bookmarked pdf version of DG would indeed be an attractive package. Whoever that is, pay attention! It's a chance for a bit of revenue on the side, plus you would make lots of people very happy ;).



Cheers for the effort Shannon, waiting for the next one

Until then...

[ShannonA]

I would bet a PDF hasn't been released because they don't want to undercut the sales of a print d20 Delta Green, due out very soon.

[John Tynes]

Wow, I had no idea this article was underway so it was a shock to read it. It's very good and almost entirely accurate. :)

John Crowe remains involved with Pagan to some extent and has had material in the later TUOs as well as being on the editorial staff for all projects. But the last book he published was indeed Realm of Shadows.

Brian Appleton has also remains involved to some extent and was the editor for that semi-recent Out of the Vault compilation, as well as writing material for TUO and being on the editorial staff for all projects.

Scott told me recently that DG D20 is supposed on a ship coming from China where it was printed, but it's unclear just when it will show up.

[Nikchick]

And then I'm considering Lion Rampant, White Wolf, and Atlas Games for the first three in 2007. I've already started hunting info on LR

As someone who worked at all three of those companies, I might be able to help with that. ;)

[jlb7289]

Shannon,

Thanks so much for this article. I met Glancy and Tynes when I moved to Seattle to begin teaching at the University of Washington. I also got to play some CoC with them at a great game & comic store in the U-district.

I loved the Delta Green material but I was terribly disappointed that EndTime wasn't published, I thought the premise was brilliant...but I didn't know some of the EndTime material was published as a monograph, I'm putting in an order for it today.