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Post by bravesirkevin on Feb 2, 2017 8:11:32 GMT -9
Wow, what a drama! Basically, I'm totally d'accord with the PDFs are better than printed sets sentiment. However, when you are a designer participating in the conventions circus, you will need to produce sets, so you have something to present and sell, since – as has been stated above – customers won't buy PDFs in retail... Anecdotal, but having done the convention scene a few times, I sold quite a few DVDs full of my PDFs, but the pre-printed sheets and the pre-cut minis were mostly shelf warmers.
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Post by bravesirkevin on Feb 2, 2017 1:23:05 GMT -9
If I had to answer your question in two words, they would be "Back art." If I had to answer it in one word, it would be "Time." Time is the big one... even if you skip the back art, it actually takes quite a long time to set up a single mini when you have to scale it down to size, get rid of backgrounds, mess around with the levels and sharpness and contrast and add in the black outline. You could spend an hour and get a couple minis done to a decent standard, or you could spend like $3 and have a page full of minis ready to print, with all that work done for you at very high standard. Doubt there are many people out there that think their hours are worth so little... sure it's worth it if you want to do something special but in terms of savings, it's actually cheaper to get the PDF.
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Post by bravesirkevin on Feb 2, 2017 0:59:09 GMT -9
Value is something that needs to be emphasized. A quality mini shown in the same image as a pain-in-the neck, have-to-be-painted cast mini should be enough motivation for the viewer to see the value, but for some reason they don't usually. Any ideas? Sure. A side-by-side video showing a papercrafter finishing out twenty paper minis in the time it takes a metal-mini hobbyist to paint a single goblin. This video (which features me and has already been posted elsewhere on this forum) actually does cover a lot of these points. Towards the end it has paper minis standing alongside some fully painted GW figures, talks about the benefits of compact storage, mentions the fact that you can reprint, and is actually meant to be all about how quick and easy it is to build the minis, (though it sort of fails on that front because we take almost half an hour to build a single mini each due to being very silly and inefficient in the process)
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Post by bravesirkevin on Feb 1, 2017 18:38:36 GMT -9
Yep, that's what the native english speakers over here sound like. I mostly only use the brayer for flat things, like the minis, but I find it really helps and keeps things from peeling apart later on. I also don't often use the double sided tape, but opted to use it for the sake of the video because my favoured glues would have been way too messy. Landed up making me look a little foolish though because the double sided tape made it harder to cut things and I struggled to get the backing off at one point so it slowed the process down horribly! I have used a bone folder for scoring before, along with a whole host of other methods... I just prefer the knife score method because it gives me the cleanest folds.
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Post by bravesirkevin on Feb 1, 2017 12:39:44 GMT -9
I'm gonna butcher a saying attributed to the late, great Seymour Cray: if you need to plow a field, which would you rather have, one strong ox or 1024 chickens? I don't disagree with you at all, it's just that when you're talking about a strong ox, you're talking about a steady paycheque... AKA a day job. For me, I was a self employed graphic designer and that job was always feast-or-famine. I'd get big jobs that paid a lot, but work on them for 3 months and be broke around the end of month 2 because I couldn't take on smaller jobs and the big jobs wouldn't pay out until about 30 days after I'd issued the final invoice. After the big job was done, I'd then have to spend all my time canvassing to get clients to give me some work, often having to undercut just to get some cash flow in, what I needed was something that kept the money tap open and keep the cash flowing in, and that's what my definition of a cash cow is... an asset that keeps the money coming in even without you having to do a tedious fetch quest just to get the first penny. For me, it worked well enough that I no longer have to canvas for work... I am far from wealthy, but I do have a steady cash flow which means I can fearlessly charge my full rates when quoting on jobs because I'm not desperate to get that money in, and it won't be a devastating blow if they choose not to accept it. As for the one strong ox, it's great if you happen to have that, but 1000 chickens ain't that bad... If one strong ox has a particularly bad week, then you might be kinda screwed, but between those 1000 chickens, you're still going to get something even if a lot of them aren't doing too great, because the others might be doing well enough to pull you through. Like I said though, it is really difficult to make a living doing nothing but papercraft PDFs, but as a part of a more thorough business model, it is definitely quite helpful. Even Paizo and WotC are selling the PDFs in addition to their physical copies precisely because it is a very good low-maintenance revenue stream. I'm with you there... I've never been the one to use cheapness as a selling point, and hate it when others do. No, for me the selling point is value! My kits have something to offer that pre-printed kits do not. Reprintability isn't something I fear... it's something I embrace and so I offer tons of customisability precisely so they'd want to reprint, and then I offer other sets that work well with the first set so that people will leap at the chance to own the second set as well.
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Post by bravesirkevin on Feb 1, 2017 9:09:39 GMT -9
Exactly what it says on the tin.
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Post by bravesirkevin on Feb 1, 2017 9:05:03 GMT -9
I'm going to weigh in here because I think I have something to add! Physical products cost a lot to produce, and more over time, and aren't always available There's a massive economies of scale argument to be made here. Pre-printed minis like those Pasiphilo produces are produced in incredibly tiny runs and that means the unit price of production is really, really high and likely involves a lot of labour on his end when it comes to handling the packing and shipping. Large companies that can guarantee sales of hundreds of thousands of figures can produce hundreds of thousands of figures of extremely high quality at an incredibly low unit-price and they already have the infrastructure to handle the packing and shipping in a very efficient way. PDFs technically cost absolutely nothing to produce, because if you were going to print, you'd need to make a PDF anyway because that's what print companies use to make their printing plates. That said, you wouldn't be creating a fancy multi-layered PDF with clickable buttons powered by Javascript and doing that actually does take a bit of time. Maybe. Maybe not. I think small producers like Pasiphilo likely would make a ton more money selling PDFs than they would selling physical products simply because so much effort has to go into the process of completing the order and thus all profit gets sucked up in lost opportunity. With an efficient distribution chain set up, and the ability to actually sell the large volumes of product you'd need to take advantage of the economies of scale, I imagine one could actually make a lot more money selling physical products rather than digital ones, but that sort of infrastructure is difficult to set up and running it would be a full time job, and you'd also need someone doing the marketing which would also likely be a full time job, so you couldn't quite pull it off as a one-man operation and you'd need to start with a fair bit of capital. Piracy does matter... It matters quite a bit actually. The culture of piracy is quite damaging as a whole... Spend an afternoon on reddit and see just how many people feel entitled to get everything for free, even going so far as moaning about adverts because not only are they not happy with paying their own money and they're annoyed that some corporation is willing to pay the money for them. It makes my blood boil! They might buy one of your products, and then trade it with a friend who has bought another, then share both to get a third and fourth set and after a while 20 people have 20 of your sets each and share them with everybody and from that you only got the money from 20 sales of an individual product each. That said, I agree with you that the folks who pirate stuff rather than buying it probably aren't your customers anyway. They pirate because they're broke kids or because they're scrubby adults who don't actually want to give you money. The truth is that worrying about piracy costs you a lot of lost opportunity, and that is a far bigger hit than you take as a result of that piracy, and so you kinda just have to accept that it's going to happen and get on with things. PDFs are awesome for customers, less so for sellers. Unless they're a side thing that supports your actual cash cow, or it's a product that lends itself to endless expansion and also tickles the fancy of the mass market. Strangely, I have the complete opposite opinion. I think PDFs can be your cash cow, in the sense that you can make the PDF, put it up and make money off of it forever without putting in a single bit of extra effort. Sure it's a mere trickle rather than a constant rushing river, but that PDF will provide a perpetual passive income. Making a living off of them is a considerably more difficult feat, of course, and like you said, you would need to keep working and adding sets to turn those tiny trickles into a substantial cash flow, and you'd likely need to get some other cash streams going to keep your bank balance positive, but the fact that there is revenue coming in from a product without the need for any further labour or expense makes it the perfect cash cow! While I can see the logic here, I'm not sure it's really that much of an issue. Sure folks will buy multiples for a game of Warhammer and GW's business model actually depends on that. Our business model depends entirely on the opposite... It costs us nothing if people print out a hundred copies of the set they bought from us, but they fact that they could have a hundred soldiers for the price that GW charges for just one is a massive selling point in our favour. We get our $3 for an infinitesimal fraction of the investment that it took GW to get their $35.
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Post by bravesirkevin on Jan 24, 2017 8:46:56 GMT -9
The time has once again come to bundle some of our wondrously magical paper minis into a single convenient pack! This set also contains a brand new exclusive mini, the Magnanimous Djinni, possibly our biggest paper mini yet! This set, named Wondrous & Magical is packed with creatures and creations of a magical nature is perfect for adding a touch of the mystical to your fantasy roleplaying sessions! Kev's Lounge Paper Minis: Wondrous & Magical!We're extremely grateful to those of you who support us... It enables us to devote more time to these allowing us to put out better sets and release more stuff more often! Miniatures in this set: • Iron Guardian • Water Elemental • Rising Phoenix • Magnanimous Djinni • Foreboding Spirit • Gargoyle • Faerie Dragon The set also includes an artbook which has lots of photos of the minis in action, and includes nice high resolution copies of the artwork for each character. The artbook also includes a lot of sketchbook art that explains a little of the design process that went into each character. Cutfiles coming soon!
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Post by bravesirkevin on Jan 24, 2017 8:46:32 GMT -9
The time has once again come to bundle some of our wondrously magical paper minis into a single convenient pack! This set also contains a brand new exclusive mini, the Magnanimous Djinni, possibly our biggest paper mini yet! This set, named Wondrous & Magical is packed with creatures and creations of a magical nature is perfect for adding a touch of the mystical to your fantasy roleplaying sessions! Kev's Lounge Paper Minis: Wondrous & Magical!We're extremely grateful to those of you who support us... It enables us to devote more time to these allowing us to put out better sets and release more stuff more often! Miniatures in this set: • Iron Guardian • Water Elemental • Rising Phoenix • Magnanimous Djinni • Foreboding Spirit • Gargoyle • Faerie Dragon The set also includes an artbook which has lots of photos of the minis in action, and includes nice high resolution copies of the artwork for each character. The artbook also includes a lot of sketchbook art that explains a little of the design process that went into each character. Cutfiles coming soon!
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Post by bravesirkevin on Jan 20, 2017 12:15:03 GMT -9
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Post by bravesirkevin on Jan 18, 2017 6:50:06 GMT -9
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Post by bravesirkevin on Dec 7, 2016 3:06:34 GMT -9
wyloch has recently become a member here actually! Sure he'll get up to speed pretty quickly
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Post by bravesirkevin on Dec 5, 2016 13:49:16 GMT -9
You're welcome! It's pretty cool to see it in use... see you went with the green scheme. That's one of my favourites!
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Post by bravesirkevin on Dec 5, 2016 12:44:53 GMT -9
Awesome!
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Post by bravesirkevin on Dec 5, 2016 12:39:58 GMT -9
Welcome aboard wyloch!
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Post by bravesirkevin on Dec 1, 2016 23:01:05 GMT -9
Holy cow...are those guys locked in some alternate universe where cardstock is more expensive than ink? As Vermin King said, this goes back to the days when these things were litho printed en masse, and either sold as kits or included in books/magazines, and in that environment, the cost of the ink was indeed negligible compared to the price of the paper. Also, the cost for the printing plates was the same whether the page was packed with pictures or virtually blank, so it was seen as a lost opportunity to not squeeze in as many pieces as one could.
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Post by bravesirkevin on Dec 1, 2016 7:15:29 GMT -9
Vermin King turned me on to google image searches. If you don't have to worry about usage rights it is totally the way to go. Google images is fantastic! I'd also recommend searching on pinterest.com... tends to give you a far more attractive and relevant selection because it's mostly curated by human beings rather than algorithms and you can often find whole libraries of related content. I find it absolutely invaluable when looking for reference material for things like armour and weapons!
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Post by bravesirkevin on Nov 29, 2016 6:02:28 GMT -9
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Post by bravesirkevin on Nov 29, 2016 6:00:07 GMT -9
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Post by bravesirkevin on Nov 27, 2016 12:45:25 GMT -9
That elf's a winner! Whoever rejected it really lost out
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Post by bravesirkevin on Nov 26, 2016 18:34:58 GMT -9
Oh, that tiefling is legendary!
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Post by bravesirkevin on Nov 25, 2016 16:37:02 GMT -9
"EcoHelmet absorbs blows from any direction as effectively as traditional polystyrene." Ha! As effective as a styrofoam helmet. That wouldn't make ME feel safe. As unsafe as it sounds, that's exactly what virtually every commercially available cycling helmet is made of. Motorcycle helmets are also mostly polystyrene but they have a hard shell on the outside and a lining on the inside so the polystyrene is pretty much completely hidden. The intention behind the design is that polystyrene will deform horribly during the impact destroying the helmet but also dissipating most of the energy protecting the head from the impact and preventing concussion and brain injuries. They generally work pretty well. This design works in pretty much the same way and I imagine it would be pretty good as long as it's not raining!
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Post by bravesirkevin on Nov 18, 2016 16:11:39 GMT -9
The others are great, but that gargoyle is one of the best pieces of artwork for a gargoyle that I have ever seen. Thank you Thank you! I really struggled with that one... wasn't sure I was going the right direction with it... so I'm very happy to hear that someone likes it
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Post by bravesirkevin on Nov 18, 2016 10:59:58 GMT -9
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Post by bravesirkevin on Oct 31, 2016 10:16:44 GMT -9
I have seen paper modrons, but I don't know if the designer who created them has released them yet. He shared them privately with me on FB while discussing a potential partnership. I'll ask him what came of them and when he gets back to me I'll let you know
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Post by bravesirkevin on Oct 30, 2016 8:46:47 GMT -9
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Post by bravesirkevin on Oct 29, 2016 9:42:03 GMT -9
Between clearing out dungeons and braving the wilderness, a party of adventurers needs to stop in at town to rest up and restock! Being within the walls of the city does not mean that the adventure is over though... There is a lot of room to throw in a challenging encounter while they're in the middle of their shopping sprees and this set includes a nice variety of merchant NPCs perfect for those situations! The Basic Edition includes just a single version of each mini, giving you 6 unique designs for a nice low price. The Deluxe Edition has loads of customisation options allowing for a massive variety of minis, with tens of thousands of unique combinations. Get them here: • A Day at the Market: Deluxe Edition• A Day at the Market: Basic EditionThis set includes an apothecary who can supply the party with potions and oils, a herbalist who can mix up some poultices and remedies, a baker who can supply them with rations and food, a smith to do a variety of metal work and repairs and a pair of clerks who can help them out at any other store they land up in! The figures are scaled to 28mm, and will look good alongside most popular brands of miniatures and all manner of 28mm scaled scenery. Each model has a distinctive front and back, and both sides feature rich and gorgeous detail. The detail is boosted by the high resolution of the PDF, and the colours have good contrast to make them pop at a distance! Cutfiles are being worked on and will be available soon!
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Post by bravesirkevin on Oct 29, 2016 9:41:30 GMT -9
Between clearing out dungeons and braving the wilderness, a party of adventurers needs to stop in at town to rest up and restock! Being within the walls of the city does not mean that the adventure is over though... There is a lot of room to throw in a challenging encounter while they're in the middle of their shopping sprees and this set includes a nice variety of merchant NPCs perfect for those situations! The Basic Edition includes just a single version of each mini, giving you 6 unique designs for a nice low price. The Deluxe Edition has loads of customisation options allowing for a massive variety of minis, with tens of thousands of unique combinations. Get them here: • A Day at the Market: Deluxe Edition• A Day at the Market: Basic EditionThis set includes an apothecary who can supply the party with potions and oils, a herbalist who can mix up some poultices and remedies, a baker who can supply them with rations and food, a smith to do a variety of metal work and repairs and a pair of clerks who can help them out at any other store they land up in! The figures are scaled to 28mm, and will look good alongside most popular brands of miniatures and all manner of 28mm scaled scenery. Each model has a distinctive front and back, and both sides feature rich and gorgeous detail. The detail is boosted by the high resolution of the PDF, and the colours have good contrast to make them pop at a distance! Cutfiles are being worked on and will be available soon! Cutfiles for "A day in the Market" Paper Minis available now!
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Post by bravesirkevin on Oct 24, 2016 18:12:39 GMT -9
In case you're unaware, there's a huge halloween sale going on at RPGNow at the moment, and virtually all of the Kev's Lounge paper mini, dungeon tile and 3d scenery sets are massively discounted! It's a great opportunity to grab any of our sets that you haven't got yet! Click here to see our wares!
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Post by bravesirkevin on Oct 16, 2016 8:10:03 GMT -9
Hello, does such thing exist now? No. We just landed up abandoning the idea because coming to a consensus proved too difficult.
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