CD game supplements.

[Mekgames]

I have a question about game supplements on CD. What do people normally put on them? I am looking at creating a few and I know basically what I want to put on my CD. Thing is I don't know what the general thought in the industry is for CDs. What do people expect to be on them? What concept are people going to think of when I say I am selling CDs with game content? Let me know. thanx.

[Deathlok]

At the very least, I would expect high-quality PDF'd (or possibly HTML'd) game supplements... sort of "book on CD" type stuff.

On top of that, a character/map generator of some sort would be cool, possibly even a few tracks of mood music. Not everyone likes music while gaming, but one long track of "generic" sf/fantasy/street/whatever music, set to loop, would be useful for me, and possibly for a lot of others.

I suppose the real question is what are you trying to make? A supplement for an existing commercial game? Your own system+setting? Just your own setting?

Josh Morrow

[Patrick Chipman]

If you take them to GenCon, people will think they're video games or import DVDs. Honest. ;)

Seriously, though, Concept Syndicate has been "printing," in a manner of speaking, its games on CD-ROM since 2000. The primary concerns of most people is that the CD be cross-platform, easy to use, compatible with a number of different computers, and able to be printed (as not everyone is a screen reader). This means that you should probably have an HTML and PDF version of the game on the disc, along with an intuitive interface. You should also, as was previously suggested, provide other "value added" features, such as a soundtrack and possibly a dice roller and character generator -- again, these should optimally be cross-platform.

Finally, you need to realize that, as these games are basically e-Books, you will not be able to price them as high as a printed sourcebook. A good target price, IMHO, for a main book would be $15-20, with sourcebooks going for $8-12.

[Captain Howdy]

I've been thinking alot about this lately... People these days (or gamers, at least) might find printers more readily accessible than Kinko's. Perhaps even a CD with the bare player essentials, like charts, tables, and character sheets (in PDF format, or somesuch) would be a nifty insert into a game book. Not a standalone product, of course, but something you'd find glued in the back of the book, maybe?

Would people enjoy this, or would most simply toss it out, and wonder how much of the book's cost went into it?

-Scott

[Max S.]

I'd say it's worth it, because burning CDs is relatively cheap. But you know, if you don't have the material to take up the spance of the available minutes, it might seem easier for people to d/l them off the site. If you know any hackers, though, you could have some little DM assist software, that's allways neat if done well. Have interviews, get indie rock bands' permission to include the mp3z. You have tons of space, treat it like the hidden track of the game world.