Seeking Worldmasters for Cooperative, Commercial Mega Project

[Vigilus]

---UPDATED--- Please Read Everything before posting! I'm trying to get globes of your worlds into your hands, on an open market. I'm looking to take a small percentage to focus on growing the overall Fantasy Globe market. This means that you will be able to use my store to sell your worlds, but that also means that you'll have to pay the up front costs of producing and distributing your globes, should you want to. This is not as intense as it sounds, but production runs are at a minimum 500 for anything reasonably cheap, but they'll do one off's for a few hundred. You can hold your world in your hands, and in the future I'm going to release a book that details how to make your own card game using my method, so that you'll have your own globe game! This will make much more sense once you see the awesome capability of Verrago: The Fantasy Globe Game (https://linktr.ee/veridianworldcrafters). This is about you bringing your IP together in a sort of Marvel universe of awesomeness. Verrago will have interplanetary travel, using magic, so your world will work. I could tell you so much more of these delectable details, but I want to remain competitive and therefore I can't release to much to the Copy+Paste culture that already exists.

Enjoy!

---UPDATED---

Hello!

Seth here from Veridian Worldcrafters. You may know me as the guild member who's been obsessed with making a globe game and painting on a globe (More info at: https://linktr.ee/veridianworldcrafters).
I'd like to extend my heartfelt hello!

(for site admins, I want to recruit off of this Regional/World Mapping area in particular for the traffic and because this is where the world builders come)

Here's the competition and why I need you:

Using my game system, which is designed to work with your game world, you'd enter your world into this competition for a chance to join in the initial trial run of the highest concept of my game, Verrago: The Fantasy Globe Game. Now, if you see my instagram page (in the link above) you'll notice this super rough, 30 min picture I drew of the Orbis Orr. I'm going to make this a real thing. A ceiling game, bringing back the orrery style, but it's not just artwork!
This is a "board" game system!
The end goal is that we'd share profits and sell your work online. I have globe partners that would be very interested in this. You'd retain ownership of your world/art and could grow your IP any way that you see fit, granting us a license to sell your art for this globe form. You're competing for a spot in this universe, helping it to scale up with all the awesomeness and best that the guild and other online groups can provide.
Yes, another high profile guild member has already tentatively agreed to this, so remember, you're going to be facing off against the very best! I will definitely appreciate looking at some World Anvil submissions or wherever you keep your work.

I will caution you be careful what you release, just know that I've already developed my IP and am completely satisfied with it. I want the worlds to be truly different, what makes your world special is important for your world to sell on the market. I have spent 18 years on this world design, so a lot of good ideas are likely to be one's you had, just know that they were developed completely independently, and implemented much differently. How you implement your world matters more than any general ideas you may have, and there's a lot of ways to implement the same idea. This project is stronger for bringing different worlds together, this is an intentional methodology for having vastly different worlds, which is interesting to future customers.
I will be acting as the project director, especially with the art. If you're chosen, expect there to be an artistic editing to ensure coherency of styles. I'm open to blending styles together to form an overall unique look for the product.
As of right now there are no dates nor timeline, yet, I wanted to give the Cartographers guild members the first knowledge of this project. I want to give back to you guys, because I love you guys.

The winners of this competition are based upon my sole approval and I won't appreciate other avenues of persuasion aside from a submission. Judgments will be based upon Overall Quality(awesome factor), How much depth the IP has, How it fits with other worlds (to make the best product), HOW AWESOME YOU ARE in our interactions and my personal preferences.
Off the wall, bonkers planets are welcome, especially if they have detailed justifications within the laws of our understanding of modern physics! The more detail you have, the better.

I plan to release this competition to other websites and platforms in the coming weeks, so if you're reading this and this is recently posted, you're getting a head start.

Let me know questions, concerns and all that. Sorting out the legal stuff before hand is always important, yet that occurs when we actually have a prototype in development. Before that, we have just a bunch of hobby worlds cobbled together and there's not much value in that alone. You have to buy in from the start, not with money, but with action. Your contributions will matter. I'm running this project and I can make no assurances of it's success at such a nascent stage right now. Don't expect your time to be compensated, because mine won't be either and I'll be working harder than anyone else to get this to see the light of day. I'd like to gain consensus in a natural way so that this is a peaceful enterprise, while knowing full well that humans will be humans.
So I invite the round table concept, you are a knight of your own IP. I expect honorable conduct.

To submit your project, email me at veridianworldcrafters@gmail.com, with the subject line "Cartographer's Guild applicant". We can go over your world in person like an interview, or send links(or both), whatever level of preparation you're at is fine, I know not everyone's IP is going to be giftwrapped. I prefer face to face interactions, but I will warn you, I can be a silly person.

I will update this thread with the contest submission end date at a later time.

I look forward to seeing the best you've got!

[Vigilus]

---Updated---
Contest submission deadline updated! October 9th!

[Wingshaw]

So, I'm a little confused... Your competition is to submit a world of our own creation, which - if selected - you will then turn into a physical globe and sell. Is that right??

Wingshaw

[Vigilus]

Great question! I was just writing an email that outlined more details and I'll just copy some of it onto here.

I don't have an exact business plan, yet. I've been running with the concept in the back of my mind for a few weeks now, it would be something like this(subject to change):

First, your world/IP/Setting has to be project friendly(my call as project director) and in depth and detailed and submitted on time. That will get it a spot at this table.
You work with me at a future point in a few years (I have to release Verrago and release some well planned expansions first)
You design a good map of your world. Don't focus on place names, but DO focus on how you outline your areas. I'll provide a list of "best practices" for you to follow. The more I work on the map with you, the higher the % I get of your future sales. So i'm available to help, but I have to make sure I'm not overwhelmed.

We make an agreement at a future time where we agree and sign some paperwork about the art asset(s).
Then, I'll work on the final bits, to finalize the globe for production and to handle anything else it needs. When it's ready, it's added to the online store.
There will be some overhead production costs for you at this point. We'll see. Costs would be split along percentage lines, so if I do more work and get a higher % I will also pay a higher percent of the up front costs as well. Kickstarters to promote/fund this product will also be shared along the same percentages. You're going to run your Kickstarter for the globe no matter how much work I put into your map. Why? Because I'm one guy and these Kickstarter's shouldn't be too complicated. Feel free to use your branding to your hearts content, cross advertising and all that. I'm not here to limit you, I'm here to provide you new capability that doesn't exist without me.

We sell online, drivethruRPG and any other sales platform that makes sense. I will be managing it and sending out quarterly royalties/earnings.

Then, the sales get divided as follows(subject to change):

1. Production costs go to the manufacturer
2. My business takes a low %, so as to focus on growing the overall size of this market
3. The owner of the IP (you) take the rest.

This allows the consumer to blend IP's together with beautiful worlds and experience huge, wide ranges of ideas. The fun of meshing these worlds together in interesting ways is something rarely explored in the human experience because we're always so busy keeping it all secret for our big market reveal.
Throughout this process you don't have to tell anyone anything about your IP except for me during submission and anything relevant that could be an issue between systems. Since Verrago will be releasing during this time, you'll know in detail what a potential conflict could be. I'll keep your secret safe, the US military trusted me with real secrets, so you know I won't fold under torture.

The beauty of this product is that it needs each IP to be a beautiful and unique world all it's own and that falls directly in line with what every creator is already trying to do.

I can't promise any numbers or margins now, considering that I haven't released my game yet.

As an advantage in the market, your book can advertise this globe and it will greatly increase your sales, prestige and legitimacy. I helped edit my brother's book (Ira Heinichen author of Starstuff) so I know how insanely competitive writing can be. You can apply this strategy across different mediums, all the while improving and developing your IP each medium you add.

[Wingshaw]

Okay. I'm still a little confused. What do you see as the key point behind having a globe of our own fantasy world? Is it just the coolness of the globe, or is it merchandise for a larger project? Or is it part of this game you've mentioned?

You see, I make fantasy maps, and I make fantasy worlds. But I don't see a globe as being something that I especially need, or as something that will enable me to monetise my worlds. If I was the owner of a well-established world (like, say, Middle Earth or Game of Thrones) then I can definitely see the appeal of having a physical globe. But as a hobbyist I'm not so sure...

(Sorry if my response seems harsh or too critical, but I feel like I'm still not connecting the dots of what you're trying to communicate)

Wingshaw

[Vigilus]

Hey Wingshaw, it's all right. I'm a game designer, feedback should be exactly like what you're giving me. Have you experienced/studied Star Citizen and their success in detail? I have. This project is analogous to that in some ways.

So you already have multiple maps made with fleshed out worlds, that's great! Having them in globe form allows you to sell them in a new way. You're right, that doesn't generate revenue inherently, people have to value what they are buying. Your IP will do that, as will association with the Orbis Orr project. You'll know the strength of this concept by how well received my game Verrago: The Fantasy Globe Game (https://linktr.ee/veridianworldcrafters) is received on Kickstarter.
You'd be gaining benefits from selling because of the awesomeness factor of building an orrery in your living room.
This preselling of art is exactly how Star Citizen has the funding it has. You have a physical, professionally made product that will be on a market. Once it's on the market, advertise it, sell it. It's your IP, grow it. I'm giving you a hand up in this process at the start and I'm only asking for a small % of the pie, much smaller than a regular "publisher". This is the best deal you're going to get if you want to go in this direction.

This is a new way of thinking about monetizing, so naturally your first instinct is NO, because you don't understand that. That's why I'm starting this process early, so eventually you'll see that it's actually worthy of a solid YES. There's only a win win scenario here as far as getting a product to market. Once there it's up to you and me to help it succeed in our different ways. Kinda like an App store. Verrago will help it make much more sense once it's released on Kickstarter, I have a lot of explanations planned. This is a Low risk(not a lot of money required to get this project rolling), low reward type scenario, with the potential to get bigger. I have many ideas on how to grow my product, but I'm not sharing anything at the moment.

Thanks for your interest!

[Vigilus]

Another thing I was thinking about.

Just to be clear, you don't have to use the marketplace or anything, that is just a higher form of service I can provide.

You can just pay the initial setup and get the globe of your world in your hands.

You can then choose whether or not to invest more into production to sell it.

This will allow you to have a lot of flexibility in choice in your production setup with no pressure on you, since you'll already have the map completed.

Any map changes would have to be made with me right before I send them off to production.

[Vigilus]

Many people have addressed their concerns over "IP control loss" and similar points. I hear you. I'm just like you, I want to develop my IP and make it marketable.

The simplicity of the arrangement is this: You're leasing your artwork to me to make a globe that will make you money. It's a simple and direct use that's well protected under the law.

There's no mystery here, companies in this business do this sort of deal with artists constantly and this is what feeds starving artists.

If you want to make money on your IP, then you have to share it. I've been doing exactly that, carefully sharing bits of my IP while withholding the really awesome stuff. I expect you to do the same.

I'm providing you a new way to earn that's already going to be the cheapest option possible, that's all.

There's nothing mysterious about the legal relationship, it's banal and exceedingly simple.

The added benefit is that while you further flesh out and design your world you'll be making money on the maps you make. This is in stark contrast to storing your IP in the cloud or in something like Google Docs. Don't kid yourself if you do, posting your IP in unsecured networks doesn't keep it secret. Not in today's world of the big business of information sharing.

That's why I wrote everything down by hand in my journals...

So if you're wanting to go into business for yourself, this is a new form of possible income for you.
I don't plan on telling anyone or using your IP without your permission, if it goes beyond the scope of the art asset agreement.

My system is designed to handle ALL POSSIBLE IDEAS. The Veridian RPG System is designed to support the creations of others in a way that is not limiting to them. I consider it a piece of creative technology that's human focused(as opposed to machine focused).

This system is designed to make it easier to manage your creations without using technology. So if **** ever does hit the fan you'll still have a powerful game that doesn't rely upon the stability of civilization.

If you want to know more, I have to know who I'm talking to. Submit your project at veridianworldcrafters@gmail.com by Oct. 9th.

[Vigilus]

--UPDATED--

The deadline wasn't really a deadline in that it's fixed and that's the end of it. Instead, I have decided to keep the contest open for the time being and you can feel free to apply whenever you feel like it. There's plenty of time until the Kickstarter, yet once the Kickstarter for Verrago: The Fantasy Globe Game launches, this opportunity will disappear. Think about it! Please submit your questions and concerns, I'd love to hear them.

Thank you!

[Vigilus]

---UPDATED---

Posted for the update, I wanted to let everyone know that this project is still alive. This is a long term project. Don't DM me, just reply here with your interest/suggestions/questions. Happy New Year!
!