Topic: Cubicle 7 no longer making Middle Earth games

[Hurin]

This was a bit of a shocker: Cubicle 7, makers of The One Ring and Adventures in Middle Earth RPGs, will no longer produce these products:

https://www.enworld.org/threads/cubicle-7-no-longer-producing-the-one-ring-and-adventures-in-middle-earth.668802/page-2

[Thot]

All things end...

[Hurin]

I know it's never going to happen, but sometimes I dream of ICE getting the Tolkien license back 

[Majyk]

I know it's never going to happen, but sometimes I dream of ICE getting the Tolkien license back 

Totally agreed!

[Thot]

I know it's never going to happen, but sometimes I dream of ICE getting the Tolkien license back 

Ah, ICE should just create a new world that uses all the old material with slightly changed names and a new map. It's not as if there weren't hundreds, maybe even thousands of Tolkien clone worlds out there.

[Grinnen Baeritt]

I know it's never going to happen, but sometimes I dream of ICE getting the Tolkien license back 

Ah, ICE should just create a new world that uses all the old material with slightly changed names and a new map. It's not as if there weren't hundreds, maybe even thousands of Tolkien clone worlds out there.

Oh yes, I agree, but it's up to the company as to whether it's "worth" going down this route, when most "end users" are quite capable or doing this themselves without the constraints of intellectual property breaches.   

I've still got my copy of MERP, (and the One Ring, for that matter)... and the Tolkien books for reference. And since I've no intention of just stopping using them (or throwing any of them away) just because a commercial company loses a licence to publish for profit.. I'll still be calling "Halflings" Hobbits or "Oddbits" regardless.    

[Thot]

[...]
Oh yes, I agree, but it's up to the company as to whether it's "worth" going down this route, when most "end users" are quite capable or doing this themselves without the constraints of intellectual property breaches.   

I've still got my copy of MERP, (and the One Ring, for that matter)... and the Tolkien books for reference.[...]

Sure, for people who already have the material, that's fine, but what about all the new potential customers?

[Grinnen Baeritt]

[...]
Oh yes, I agree, but it's up to the company as to whether it's "worth" going down this route, when most "end users" are quite capable or doing this themselves without the constraints of intellectual property breaches.   

I've still got my copy of MERP, (and the One Ring, for that matter)... and the Tolkien books for reference.[...]

Sure, for people who already have the material, that's fine, but what about all the new potential customers?

Well, if you are "a potential new customer"  then the chances are you can emulate it already, without having to specifically purchase licenced materials to do so. I seem to remember playing my first "Tolkien-based" game using AD&D straight from the White Dwarf (UK Magazine) back in the early 80's (before MERP was released IIRC). If you are keen enough to want to run a game in a "specific setting" that doesn't have existing products for (or you can't afford to buy), then you adapt it for an existing system from existing sources. That's exactly what generic game systems are for.

The "BIG" problem with ANY "Licenced" product, is that the publishers have to pay through the nose to gain and use those rights... and that is what has caused the downfall of many smaller RPG firms in the past. Does it create customer interest? Yes, you've just got to look at the interest for Morpidious's new license: Dune. (They already have Conan and Star Trek) But it's always a big risk.      As for ICE and "regaining the rights" to Middle Earth,  well, my  opinion? It'd be nice but it'd be financial suicide.

[Thot]

[...]
Oh yes, I agree, but it's up to the company as to whether it's "worth" going down this route, when most "end users" are quite capable or doing this themselves without the constraints of intellectual property breaches.   

I've still got my copy of MERP, (and the One Ring, for that matter)... and the Tolkien books for reference.[...]

Sure, for people who already have the material, that's fine, but what about all the new potential customers?

Well, if you are "a potential new customer"  then the chances are you can emulate it already, without having to specifically purchase licenced materials to do so.[...]

But the point of the proposal to re-release the old material with serial numbers filed off is that everybody will have access to it, without a license being necessary.

[Cory Magel]

Oh yes, I agree, but it's up to the company as to whether it's "worth" going down this route, when most "end users" are quite capable or doing this themselves without the constraints of intellectual property breaches.

I suspect it's more of a 'Is it worth to to incur the wrath of Tolkien Enterprises' more than it is a question of if it would it sell well.

[Grinnen Baeritt]

Exactly.