Well, folks, the Elf Lair Crew has gone our separate ways once again (we're scattered across three states) and are back home, settled, and (at least in my case) fighting off the old CON CRUD(TM). The con was an absolute blast, with tons of highlights, and I'm not ashamed to say that in a very real way, it may have saved Elf Lair Games.
Resurrecting the Cabal
Back in my Eden Studios days (which I honestly still have strong hopes will come again one day - I would dearly love to work on some more Unisystem stuff in the future), I hooked up with two of the greatest guys and game designers you could ever hope to work with: Timothy S. Brannan and Derek Stoelting. Many of you follow Tim's blog, The Other Side.
My main role at Eden was to work on All Flesh Must Be Eaten! sourcebooks, of which I wrote or co-wrote three. Derek also did most of his work on AFMBE, and he was a convention organizer and GM wrangler for cons. Tim was heavily focused on the cinematic end of the spectrum as a co-author on Ghosts of Albion. All three of us did some small work on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG, largely conceptual stuff.
We were, however, a major force on the forums in those days and we came to be known as "The Cabal." During the days when production was slowing down from Eden, we all had dreams of coming up with the money to buy out the Unisystem and launch our own company. So when Tim contacted me back in 2019 to write Night Shift, it seemed the opportunity to do that, but in a different way. Elf Lair Games, which till then had been a dba for me to release Spellcraft & Swordplay products, was born as a formalized LLC.
The next logical step, after we'd established that game, was to bring Derek in.
Now, Elf Lair, LLC (dba Elf Lair Games) is my company, technically speaking. It's only important to say that because it's my butt on the line if something goes wrong, and it's entirely for budgetary reasons right now - I simply can't pay Tim or Derek a salary. But they are valued freelancers, deeply valued advisors, and what they say, their ideas, their desires matter in this company. I allow them to wear the ELG company hat when they speak. That's a dangerous thing from a business standpoint, but I trust these two guys with my life, and they have both proven themselves willing to take direction for the sake of the company if necessary. And some day I dearly hope that the three of us will formally be part of this company as LLC members together.
That's just some quick background.
Together Again
So, while the three of us have been in contact pretty much constantly since our Eden Days, we hadn't all been together at a con for at least 15 years (possibly more). Tim helped out at Gary Con two years ago, and we've done a few trips to Origins with Derek as tourists, but nothing in a professional capacity. That all changed this year. The three of us - the Cabal - were together again for the first time in oh, so, long, and it took seconds for us to just fall into the old routines - jabs, barbs, jokes, shooting the wildest ideas back and forth (and no idea is too out there for us; you want to talk about a safe space? We can suggest the most idiotic crap, and it's all on the table).
It really was like the old days, except, as I later said to Derek, older, tireder, and with a bit more aches and pains and fewer late nights. It was exactly the type of thing I needed to recharge these batteries and get ready for a new horizon for Elf Lair Games. It doesn't hurt that both of these guys like the games, and really, truly, believe in what we're doing. Or that Derek specifically is a master GM. Seriously, if you ever want to play a con game you'll never forget...sign up for one of his slots. It may not run the full three hours, but you'll get years of memories and stories out of it.
A Successful Con
Even better, Elf Lair Games had a really successful convention. Given that we have two games, only one of which has a game line so far (more are coming, I promise!) the amount that we sold, nearly breaking even on the costs of the con (which is a net profit in the end since the con itself is a writeoff) was an exciting near-miracle.
We sold a number of copies of Night Shift, and getting new fans for that line is always great, but more importantly, Wasted Lands took off. We got tons of new eyes on the game, tons of positive (and excited) comments from those who played in our official games and in pickup games run by our friend Eric Rex Petersen, and a lot of excitement about the Dreaming Age campaign setting. And each day's sales topped the last, with Sunday's through the roof. So that's fantastic.
We also found a number of folks were pretty excited about Thirteen Parsecs and grabbed our bookmarks to go follow the campaign after the con (how many of them remember to do so is something else, but the enthusiasm was there).
Finally, we made a few potential new business contacts that might help us out in the future as well, and it seems that we are starting (STARTING, mind you) to find our feet as a company, and a fan base.
Of course, I have to give a shoutout to the great crew at Pick Up & Go Games - Heather, Scott, and James - for coordinating and sharing the booth space with us. You should absolutely check out their stuff.
The "Pleasure" End
Outside of business, it was a blast as always hanging out at the bar and cafe (seriously, their breakfast buffet and weekend prime rib dinner buffet are off the hook). I got to spend time with my family at Troll Lord Games, and meet their new young booth minders, who are some of the coolest young folks I've met in a long time, and all of them reminded me of us about 25 years ago, give or take. Just a lot of passion, drive, fire, and excitement about "living the dream" in the industry.
Of course, that also reminded me how old we've gotten, but still, it was also a great way to recharge the batteries. I understand TLG did gangbusters at the con, which is great, as I'm STILL a staff-writer for that company and will always be loyal to their games (Amazing Adventures is, after all, my baby and the very first core rulebook I ever produced for a company - and will be back in print SOON!).
It is, of course, always nice to see old friends that you never get to see outside of cons, like Geek Preacher Derek White, Tim and Stephanie Decker, Eric Rex Petersen, Dakota Ortiz, Chuck Cumbow, and SO many others.
We also got to meet the folks at The Bewitched Parlor, who were our "across the aisle" neighbors, and great neighbors they were. I got the hat from them (see below) and they purchased the whole Night Shift line. If you get a chance to check out their website, do so!
We got to have a few brushes with celebrity - seeing Joe Mangianello in onesie PJs with a chihuahua on his lap, sitting next to Vince Vaughn who was dressed to the nines was a surreal experience. Todd Stashwick and Tom Morello both walked past the booth a couple times, but we did not get the opportunity to invite them in. One of the cool things about Gary Con is the fact that these guys just kind of show up at the con and hang out, knowing that they are not going to get mobbed and treated like celebrities, but just as "one of the gang."
There is a bit of a celebrity cult of personality starting to grow up there, which I hope does not take serious hold, but overall it's just got a vibe that's cooler than any other con going. You do, however, have to be into the old school scene to get it.
In the dealer's hall itself, I grabbed up more goods than I have in a long time. I picked up Shadowdark, Mutant Crawl Classics, Aces & Eights Reloaded, the Children of Eiru supplement for Ragnarok, and a few other bits and bobs including a witch hat for my wife.
I even found two copies of The Rifter #16 at Chimera - which was my first ever gaming industry professional publication. Of course, I bought them for my archives. I also grabbed two sets of Gary Con dice (the tin and the Expert set with crayon) and the True Deck of Many Things. All in all, a pretty solid haul.
Saving Elf Lair Games
So how did Gary Con save Elf Lair Games? Wasted Lands has been a bit of a blow to the ego for me. I really believe in that game like nothing I've ever done before. It was a passion project of mine for a long time and I really feel it has something unique and original to bring to the table. It has, however, seen a series of setbacks.
The first hit came when it barely funded (thanks to a last-minute angel). Then we saw pretty much zero in direct sales and I'd heard nothing from my distributor. I was starting to figure, what's the point? After all, you're in this biz to sell books, right? If they're not selling...
It wasn't really a depressive, feeling down on myself thing. Just a growing feeling that this thing wasn't going anywhere and maybe it was time to call it a day and say I tried my best. There is a conventional wisdom in the industry that you've got to have a fantasy game to compete in the market. I'm starting to think, however, that a fantasy game isn't necessarily essential, and in fact, it's almost impossible to distinguish yourself among the million other (brilliant) fantasy games out there. Still, I love Wasted Lands and will continue to push it.
Seems I was wrong. I've been revitalized thanks to a few things that happened just before and during the con.
Anyway, the first boost came right before the con when my distributor emailed me to say they needed more (a LOT MORE) books to fulfill the surprisingly large distribution order they had in. Then at Gary Con, after a slow day one, Wasted Lands ended up being a hit of the convention. Again, we nearly broke even (which for a publisher ELG's size with the low amount of product we have at this stage in the game was astonishing), and got lots of eyes on the game.
The Future's So Bright...
So, thanks to everyone who already supports us, and to everyone who is just discovering us now! As you all know, it means the world. Now, if we can just knock Thirteen Parsecs out of the park, all will be right with the world. As for Wasted Lands, I still believe in it and think it has something unique and original to bring to the table. It's more fun to play than any fantasy game I've ever encountered, and while yes, I'm biased on that front, I also speak as a PLAYER and not a GM. I'm playing in a game right now and it's wildly fun. Also, we got that comment from almost everyone who played in one of our games at the con, and from everyone who played in the pickup games one of our fans ran upstairs.
I Gotta Wear Shades
I am revitalized and excited for the future, which I think is looking bright. We came up with an idea for a dungeon crawl scenario that will span Wasted Lands, Night Shift, AND Thirteen Parsecs. We're looking to develop a kid-centric version of Night Shift to introduce young players to the game, based on our Generation HEX Night World. We're looking to do tons of other things with all three games and I'm super excited about all of them. On my own, I've started putting together a game powered by Cd8 (the Chutzpah! system) called "The 77s: Tech-Noir Adventures in the Retro Future."
The trick now is to get all these ideas organized, project management timelines laid out, assigned, and through the queue while focusing on the existing projects I have (including a bunch for Troll Lord Games that I MUST get moving on). First up, however, is this 13p Backerkit in May, which if you're not following, you should! tinyurl.com/13psignup
That's all for now, folks. Stay tuned for more, and as always, follow us online for all the news and updates!
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