Federation Commander

wedge_hammersteel · Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 12:56 pm Post subject: FC Booster Pack #93, #94, #95

Are FC Booster Pack #93, #94, #95 being put out for sale this month (Apr 2010)?

The recent Hailing Frequencies doesn't list this as true but a web retailer is listing the sale time as "est April."

Steve Cole · Site Admin Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 3828

Nope. (I won't say we never said that, but if we did, it was long ago.)

I am going to try to sneak 93 into the W&P print run, but 94 and 95 aren't even on the print schedule (which only goes through July).

Basically, Leanna has whacked me on the head and told me that these were dumb product ideas. They lose money, a lot of money. They are too expensive to print (since they use new cards that aren't used anywhere else) and the sales don't break even on the cost. They're the most expensive booster packs we've ever done and sell the worst. So they happen only when the situation says we MUST print a sheet of 16 cards and we have 8 or fewer cards we have to print.
_________________
The Guy Who Designed Fed Commander

rulesjd · Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 3:12 pm Post subject:

Sorry to hear about the lumps you have to take.

I've bought every booster so far. Very happy with FC so far.

Would it help you to try a preorder system? You know get people committed to buy boosters before going to a print run?
_________________
"Damn the torpedoes, full spe........[squarrk]"

Kang · Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 12:09 pm Post subject:

Steve Cole · Site Admin Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 3828

Preorders don't help. There are never enough of them to get any sense of actual orders, and it's totally impractical since we'd have to collect the pre-orders before even working on the product (at which point we have no idea what's in it or what it would cost).
_________________
The Guy Who Designed Fed Commander

rulesjd · Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 3:45 pm Post subject:

Well that's a shame.

However, since we must have our boosters, perhaps we can chip in on a football helmet so you can withstand the head whacking? Very Happy

_________________
"Damn the torpedoes, full spe........[squarrk]"

JimDauphinais · Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 5:12 pm Post subject:

Maybe there is a way to turn Boosters 94 and 95 into a more full fledged product by adding scenarios or somehting else that would get them to sell.

I just received Boosters 91 and 92 yesterday and like them a lot. I'll keep my fingers crossed that Booster 93 can be fit into the print run for W&P.
_________________
Jim Dauphinais, Chesterfield, MO

St. Louis Area Fed Comm Group: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/STL_Federation_Commander/

Hod K'el · Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 12:02 am Post subject:

Hey! Have we found a new nickname for Steve from this discussion? Like, Lumpy?

On the serious side, I completely understand and support Steves' position on this matter. If one does not take care of the company, the company cannot take care of its customers.
_________________
HoD K'el
IMV Black Dagger
-----------------
Life is not victory;
Death is not defeat!

Steve Cole · Site Admin Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 3828

I don't know that a full-fledged product with scenarios would sell any better than the two boosters. They're not the kind of ships you need extras of, so you would buy either the product or the booster, and sales are going to be just exactly the same number of either.
_________________
The Guy Who Designed Fed Commander

JimDauphinais · Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 4:57 pm Post subject:

I was thinking more along the lines of something like Line of Battle than an "attack" product (even though I did say fulled fledged), but with more scenarios and maybe some sort of article to go with them (more than the mere column or so that is in Line of Battle).

Then again, Line of Battle may not have done well. I don't know. However, it may not have been a good test because LoB did not really add any new ships. Regardless, I'll hope that if such a product is not viable, then either at some point boosters 94 and 95 can be inserted into production of another product or ADB comes up with an economically feasible print on demand solution for laminated or non-laminated color cards.
_________________
Jim Dauphinais, Chesterfield, MO

St. Louis Area Fed Comm Group: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/STL_Federation_Commander/

marcus_aurelius · Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 4:19 am Post subject:

I like Booster 91, I am planning on buying a 2nd copy so
I can have 2 copies of each the following:

CAR - a straightforward ship to introduce an intimidated person to the game: just photons, phaser 1s only, no drones. And in full technicolor too!

DDG & DDL - I like both of these destroyers more than the War Destroyer or Battle Frigate. I am a big fan of 6 Phaser 1s on a destroyer class ship.

ericphillips · Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 8:39 pm Post subject:

Maybe things like these independent boosters should be sold as PDFs. I'd buy them as PDFs, for sure.

I see a lot of debate on getting ADB products into PDF sales, and much of it seems like people are saying do it because everyone else is doing it. However, I think if a product is profitable in print, PRINT IT, and don't do a PDF.

If something is not profitable in print, then maybe it would be profitable in PDF. I don't know how long it takes to develop a card for production, but if you put out the independent boosters as PDF only I would pay $9.95 for them (yeah, most people think cuz it is PDF it should be less, but we are getting a product that can print multiple of the same cards).

Such as I think Briefing 2 would have been a good, PDF only product. Maybe a full PDF product for the Early Years (or even X-years) would be neat, or even Borders of Madness. All of these all seem to be aimed at a sub-group of the fans of the main product line. Neither I think would be profitable in a print run, but might be good in another form.

Actually, I never bought the Middle Years book because of the format. (I've bought all the main sets, several boosters and minis), but I am going to make an order in the next month or so from ADB direct to get some things I want, and I think I will include the Middle Years, unbound and hole punched, so I can more easily use that product. I will grab some Captain's Logs like this as well.

Kang · Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 5:13 am Post subject:

Steve Cole · Site Admin Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 3828

We're sending two sheets of 16 to press Wednesday.

One is the 16 cards for W&P.

The other is the W&P boosters and some needed reprints of cards we're out of. That doesn't leave space for Booster 93.

A year from now, we'll do "project eleven" and same story, a sheet and a half. If we need reprints, we do those. if not, we do 93.

If, between now and next year, we need reprints, we might do 93 or might do part of project eleven, depending on exactly when that happens.
_________________
The Guy Who Designed Fed Commander