James Raggi and the Albatross? revisited

 Bit of a philosophical ramble to come:

I posted late last year about James Raggi's reupping his working relationship with Zak Smith. That announcement was a Youtube video talking about Gencon, and in the last minute or so of that vid James gave Zak a bit of a soapbox moment to talk about his long running problems and that he will be "making games" with Raggi once again. While ZS kind of performatively huffed a smoke on the balcony of the apartment of the person he was long term couch surfing on, he mostly came off with a certain amount of bitterness, and it seemed less about Raggi's company or the work and more about his misfortunes which always seems to have to be the headline.

James Raggi the Third

I pondered if this was a good move for James. Ending his working relationship with Smith some years back, despite Zaks current claim that James was a "stupid coward," was from a business standpoint the best decision he could make. Fairly or unfairly, the name Zak S. had become toxic after the Mandy Morbid situation. Compiled to a large degree by negative interactions and bridge burnings with a lot of the online communithy. He seemed to have been eventually reduced to poverty and relying on others to live. He would end up posting mostly about personal hardships due to his cancellation, including being evicted and having several teeth removed (presumedly due to gum disease, which is most often due to lack of long term hygiene and regular cleanings before you need thousands of dollars to treat it)  presupposition apparently that he went broke from paying lawyers for all his lawsuits, though he claims to have won all those suits, so I am not sure how all that works (and I worked as a paralegal for several years). I have no deeper insight on that situation other than some guy named Ettin in Australia who had to pay what was theorized to be several thousand dollars (he said his several thousand dollar kickstarter for help covered it all). 

Just kidding, this is James

But because Raggi's company is based on edgy stuff, it may make sense to some that to have an embittered loose cannon is kind of punk rock to appeal to his die hard followers over a maybe more widely acceptable and consolatory "hey, I think these are great products and I look forward to working with James, the man who has given me a leg up despite the controversies. I hope people will give these high-quality books a look and will give me a second chance to work in the hobby I love. " It is clear that those bitter pills will remain, but will they help or hinder the company?

In the recent years that I am trying to be a fairer minded and balanced person, I don't want to pick on somebody who seems to have had their life turned upside down, deserved or not. We all get our lives turned upside down, and there can be various levels of self-sabotage or icky misfortune. So won't judge or make too much light of it. But I think most things are fair to bring up for context. 

For a big picture of the Zak controversies and a variety of lawsuits, the Coins and Scrolls blog has an extensive (and potentially biased to one degree or another) lay out of it all. Like with everything that comes from a personal place it can be taken with a grain of salt. Blog author Skerples is one of the folk who had negative experiences with ZS and posted about it extensively. It seems smartly laid out, and probably a lot true. The stuff you can research online if you cared enough. Like I said, for one reason or another, negative experiences. 

And most of those were in the higher profile days of the OSR blog and forum spheres. Tensions were high. In my own case for a time I was taking a sort of snarky Howard Stern, very forward (most often in a satiric sense I like to think) style and had some hot water situations that often were my fault to one degree or another to be sure. But I also didn't take any guff and I would often blog about it when maybe shoulda kept it private?  To me the real life rpg adjacent foibles are all part of the games that were in my life since I was a kid and I wanted to talk in an adult way about it all. Tales to tell in an often satire dripping way that might make it more humorous to some. YMMV.

When things got heated and I myself was having a lot of negative feelings, I stopped blogging and focused on actual DnD sessions when I wasn't working on a moving to a different state. That is were its at anyway. Doing the thing.  Running games. But Zak had this full cancellation, and he was clearly working on a brand up till then. HIM. HE was the brand. And looking forward from there who knows what was lost. A youtube channel perhaps started before all these Bob the World Builders and Ginny D people became big.  Could have ended up making millions I guess with luck and drive and a clear amount of talent that made his blog popular (along with the porn connection that was part of the brand, but with gaming the main focus. But mentioning big "gazongas" never hurts in looking for attention).

When Raggi does a youtube video, Zak involved or not, I have noticed that it often takes months for them to get a couple thousand views. So an online video log presence may not be fiscally lucrative.

And that may bring us to the current question. How are the new books, particularly Zaks, doing in sales? At the con and online.

Zak, far left, and DnD executive Mike Mearls at far right,
 a guy who game Smith the high profile opportunity to
consult on DnD 5e, and for reasons decided to sue.
This was about a decade ago and were happier times.

Raggi went to Gencon and sold the new line. And the online store has the new books (investments and collectables to be sure more than settings that will be used). They include Zak's remake of Red and Pleasant Land (many of his detractors love this book, which makes me kind of tempted to just have to look through) and his new Asia theme land meets Mystery Flesh Pit  the Nebulith. 

The last year or so I have been following James, though though not really buying as far as his material (trying to minimalize my life and collectables), which is high quality and often appealing to own. But I like Raggi's goings on for the same reason I like the backstage real-life story of what goes on in Pro wrestling over the actual in ring hoo haw. I think the guy (who seems a big wrestling fan) and his life is kind of fascinating. All the moving on a whim to another country (to stalk a girl maybe potentially? Citation needed. But hey, we all been in love, right?) and getting a grant from Finland to fund his rpg company and all the travel and all that. 

Raggi and Zak in 2017 Gencom booth wheeling
and dealing. I like Zak's cheery looking sales tactic.
"Please buy this eye sore!" ..but happier times. BTW
I think ZS is still banned by Gencon, so these two
hustling together at a high-profile thing again is unlikely

So I saw his quickie after Gencon video (that I cannot seem to find right now..deleted?), lying in bed, bemoaning a simple fact. Nobody at the con of note wanted to review the Zak stuff. No names given, but we can guess. Youtubers. Prof DM maybe. Seth Skokowski probably. Ginny D probably not. But seems they refused a copy. James bemoans this. But yes, the name is still toxic to some. 

Surely they will get sales online from the faithful.  But how did they do at Gencon? James must spend a lot on getting the books shipped ahead of his travel and all that. Did the curious see the shiny covers and quality paper and snap them up? Or any of the books for sale? Or were most of the people there to meet Matt Mercer and his vocal squad and buy 5th/2024 material? Fucking dice and oddball containers for them. At this point in time, are there a large amount of people in the states actively playing DnD who want to buy something, such as Zaks two that are full on settings, for mostly collectability or to a very small degree start new ongoing campaigns with these fairly unique combo settings/DnD performance art books by somebody they probably have not heard of. 

For some context to that thought, I moved to a new city in a different state/ I played at a local shop (didn't know nobody in town, yall) learning 5th ed, then since Covid several decently long campaigns online with Roll20. Lately I run every week, and am involved in two other campaigns run by players of mine (this is the best group I have every had). In all that, these last several years, I have asked local gamers if they heard of  Raggi or Zak at some point or another (in relation usually to the old school renaissance with no mention of controversies) and nobody has ever heard these names. 

In Los Angeles before I left some folk did. But these were all older school dudes. And many did not. But I had a guy in a bunch of DnD and Traveller games, a middle age dude who taught yoga or something, who said he was running Vornhiem. So some gamers knew. But that particular guy was close to 12 years ago, and right before I left LA I did not game for over a year. In that time Critical Role had billboards around the city. Current DnD was blowing up, and younger people were jumping in (and now all the players I am playing with on the reg are like 24-35). LOTFP is not on store shelves. Its stuff is only rarely brought up by bigger streamers. The bettter known old school forums like Dragonfoot the old timey regulars mostly talk about the frustrations of getting good takeout or finding replacement parts for their 40 year old lawnmowers. So who is buying the stuff Raggi makes?

I of course have no numbers. But that is the question. Inquiring minds want to know. Not to goof, but because it is interesting. That yoga guy I mentioned was running that setting 10 or 12 years ago. That  feels like still the golden age of LOTFP and Zak. Then If I recall Zak made like 70 grand off that Demon City kickstarter that happened right before the Mandy Morbid stuff and the cancellation (and Demon City was delivered something like 5 years late..at least to those who did not decide they did not want it and wanted their names taken off the doner list because reasons). 

Zak many years ago in happier times
(is there a theme here?). This photo is 
from his clearly self written entry, though
info about the abuse allegations are still 
there so I guess he could not get them removed. 

So now. Right now. With DnD still strong, many popular new things like Shadowdark going strong, is the market for this stuff still good? Like 80 grand a year good for Raggi to have a living after paying for the productions costs and convention travel and paying the artists. I know nothing, but my notion is that even for great looking books the market is way down from several years ago for alternative stuff that has little connection to the big poplar games right now. 

"Hey guys, do you want to try a campaign set in Alice in Wonderland plus Dracula?" It sounds kind of cool to me, and some folks of course would, but I suspect most more or less casual players who don't collect lots of game stuff would kind of laugh it off. 

I am guessing that most sales are to the faithful to Raggi and Zak who are getting older but have been on the ride thru the OSR. And of course, Europeans who eat up the odd grim dark. Then what after that, impulse buys of pretty bookies with cool covers? They ain't cheap, so I would think that is limited.

But maybe that is the thing. Collectability. That could make for a thousand or so sales, and for a book that cost around a hundred bucks or more maybe that is enough?

We will likely never see actual (proven) numbers, but I guess the bottom line is I would like to see Raggi and his company continue even if I never buy one of the books. I am all for alternatives. In love, in politics, in friends, and in my gaming. And the production of weird but high quality books that aren't just overpriced DnD supplements is probably a good thing. 

Cheers