Sluggy Freelance Button Men
Frank T. Sronce
>
> Hello there!
>
> My pardon for barging in. I haven't actually visited rgfm before, but we
> were having a discussion over on alt.comics.sluggy-freelance regarding
> Button Men, and someone said, "Hey, there are fans of both Button Men and
> Sluggy over on rec.games.frp.misc, why don't you go get their opinions?" So
> here I am :) If nobody is interested in either, just (a) flame me into
> submission, or (b) let the threat die quietly ;-)
>
> Anyway, the basic topic is: should we do a "Sluggy Freelance Expansion" for
> the game "Button Men" by Cheapass Games?
>
> Button Men is a quick-playing game played with two pin-back buttons and some
> dice (http://209.240.128.190/butnmain.html);
> Sluggy Freelance is a net-only daily comic strip (http://www.sluggy.com)
>
> We already make pretty, shiny buttons for Sluggy, so we thought that doing a
> licensed expansion for Button Men might be fun. Comments, either from
> people who know the game but not the comic, or vice versa?
>
> Many thanks,
> Tom Ricket
So what would Bun-Bun be, 20-20-20-20-X? No, he's pretty fast, too...
perhaps 4-6-20-20-X.
Kiz
-I wouldn't buy 'em (haven't bought any of the others) but it might be
neat. :-)
tri...@my-deja.com
"Frank T. Sronce" <fsr...@myriad.net> wrote:
>
> So what would Bun-Bun be, 20-20-20-20-X?
> No, he's pretty fast, too... perhaps 4-6-20-20-X.
>
> Kiz
Definitely a reason to get those *official* folks to actually come up
with numbers, since if Pete or I did it, going by how we imagine the
Sluggy characters to be, the buttons definitely wouldn't be tournament-
legal :-)
--Tom
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
DavidR3986
I haven't bought any Button Men, in spite of their seeming popularity, but if
there were to be Sluggy Freelance button men, I would certainly pick up a set
or two.
Those things usually come in pairs, don't they? I think Bun-Bun and Torg would
make a great combo...
-David
tri...@my-deja.com
david...@aol.com (DavidR3986) wrote:
> Go ahead and do it!
>
> I haven't bought any Button Men, in spite
> of their seeming popularity, but if
> there were to be Sluggy Freelance button
> men, I would certainly pick up a set
> or two.
Cool :) That's what we want to hear! ;-)
> Those things usually come in pairs, don't
> they? I think Bun-Bun and Torg would
> make a great combo...
It's up to Pete, of course, but it looks like we'll probably start with
a pair of Bun-Bun and Aylee (since they're both good "fighters" in
different ways). If we sell enough to break even on them, then we'll
be able to do another set of two, bringing in Torg or some of the other
core characters.
Die Killfile
>a pair of Bun-Bun and Aylee (since they're both good "fighters" in
>different ways). If we sell enough to break even on them, then we'll
>be able to do another set of two, bringing in Torg or some of the other
>core characters.
I'd suggest going after the production of a larger set and Talking to Cheapass
games about throwing rules into it so it becomes more a standalone product;
once the link is on sluggy.com (maybe even see about a banner ad), we Sluggites
will probably buy them by the hordes.
D. Jorgensen
Alternate Realities Publications
http://world-of-barador.com
Terry Austin
>>It's up to Pete, of course, but it looks like we'll probably start with
>>a pair of Bun-Bun and Aylee (since they're both good "fighters" in
>>different ways). If we sell enough to break even on them, then we'll
>>be able to do another set of two, bringing in Torg or some of the other
>>core characters.
>
>I'd suggest going after the production of a larger set and Talking to Cheapass
>games about throwing rules into it so it becomes more a standalone product;
>once the link is on sluggy.com (maybe even see about a banner ad), we Sluggites
>will probably buy them by the hordes.
>
It's frightening to think that Dana has the good taste to be a Sluggite.
And even more frightening to think he had a good idea.
--
Terry Austin <tau...@hyperbooks.com> http://www.hyperbooks.com
"Terry's an artist and a master chemist; he can set fire to water."
--Sea Wasp, rec.arts.sf.written
tri...@my-deja.com
dana...@aol.comguard (Die Killfile) wrote:
>
> I'd suggest going after the production of
> a larger set and Talking to Cheapass
> games about throwing rules into it so it
> becomes more a standalone product;
> once the link is on sluggy.com (maybe even
> see about a banner ad), we Sluggites
> will probably buy them by the hordes.
>
*nod* I'll definitely bring this up with Pete. The only problem is
money, of course (ain't it always?) .. since we have to sell about 33
sets per character we make to break even, we want to avoid going *too*
much into debt :) Hmm .. the main question, I guess: if we went after,
say, a set of 6 characters, instead of 2, we'd need to sell 200 sets
(of 2 characters) to get back to that zero point. Hmm... <ponder> ..
so, you think that'd bo better, since it could act more as a
standalone? Must think on that ....
Die Killfile
>money, of course (ain't it always?) .. since we have to sell about 33
>sets per character we make to break even, we want to avoid going *too*
>much into debt :) Hmm .. the main question, I guess: if we went after,
>say, a set of 6 characters, instead of 2, we'd need to sell 200 sets
>(of 2 characters) to get back to that zero point. Hmm... <ponder> ..
>so, you think that'd bo better, since it could act more as a
>standalone? Must think on that ....
Yep. As a stand-alone, it would definitely have more appeal, as the sluggites
could play with their friends and get more people hooked into buying them. As
simple a set of button men for Sluggy, you'd just be able to sell at a mere
segment of that market; the Sluggites who happen to know about Button Men
(which probably is less than 10% of the Sluggy readership).
Out of curiosity, if a set of two requires 33 sets sold to break even, why does
a set of 6 (3x larger) require the sales of 200 (6x larger)?
tri...@my-deja.com
dana...@aol.comguard (Die Killfile) wrote:
>
> Yep. As a stand-alone, it would definitely
> have more appeal, as the sluggites
> could play with their friends and get more
> people hooked into buying them. As
> simple a set of button men for Sluggy, you'd
> just be able to sell at a mere
> segment of that market; the Sluggites
> who happen to know about Button Men
> (which probably is less than 10% of
> the Sluggy readership).
*nod* Good points. The problem, of course, is the initial cash-outlay
required .. the $600 for a set of six would put a pretty hefty dent in
our checkbooks :(
> Out of curiosity, if a set of two
> requires 33 sets sold to break even, why does
> a set of 6 (3x larger) require the sales
> of 200 (6x larger)?
Because I didn't list the numbers right before :) Each individual
button that we license costs us $100. So a two-button pack actually
means we have to sell 66 packs, not 33. I just wasn't careful enough
when I typed the initial numbers. Basically:
2-button set: 66 sets (of two) to break even
6-button set: 200 sets (of two) to break even
Now, of course, if people bought an entire "set" of 6 characters, that
counts as 3 sets, as far as we're concerned.
--Tom
>
> D. Jorgensen
> Alternate Realities Publications
> http://world-of-barador.com
>
>
Mark 'Kamikaze' Hughes
tri...@my-deja.com spake:
>In article <19991102182327...@ng-fp1.aol.com>,
> dana...@aol.comguard (Die Killfile) wrote:
>> Yep. As a stand-alone, it would definitely
>> have more appeal, as the sluggites
>> could play with their friends and get more
>> people hooked into buying them. As
>> simple a set of button men for Sluggy, you'd
>> just be able to sell at a mere
>> segment of that market; the Sluggites
>> who happen to know about Button Men
>> (which probably is less than 10% of
>> the Sluggy readership).
>
>*nod* Good points. The problem, of course, is the initial cash-outlay
>required .. the $600 for a set of six would put a pretty hefty dent in
>our checkbooks :(
>6-button set: 200 sets (of two) to break even
>Now, of course, if people bought an entire "set" of 6 characters, that
>counts as 3 sets, as far as we're concerned.
Ask Peter Abrams how much sales he gets on other Sluggy merchandise.
I would expect it to be much larger numbers than that...
And if there was a complete set with rules, I'd certainly buy them
all, and I've had no burning interest before now in Button Men.
Bun-Bun, Torg, Riff, Zoe, Kiki, and Aylee would make an awesome set.
-- <a href="http://kuoi.asui.uidaho.edu/~kamikaze/"> Mark Hughes </a>
Josh Marquart
tri...@my-deja.com wrote:
>
> In article <3819A575...@myriad.net>,
> "Frank T. Sronce" <fsr...@myriad.net> wrote:
> >
> > So what would Bun-Bun be, 20-20-20-20-X?
> > No, he's pretty fast, too... perhaps 4-6-20-20-X.
> >
> > Kiz
>
> Definitely a reason to get those *official* folks to actually come up
> with numbers, since if Pete or I did it, going by how we imagine the
> Sluggy characters to be, the buttons definitely wouldn't be tournament-
> legal :-)
>
There's actually a process behind it. You could even use the special
"vampire dice",
since there are a couple of vampire sluggy characters. I know of an
entire subculture of gamers who specifically set out to collect all the
buttonmen. Maybe you could work out a deal with Cheapass, especially
since Sluggy provides to a wider audience than just gamers.
-JD
--
This Message from Joshua Marquart
DC Heroes - Blood of Heroes
http://w3.one.net/~joshdm
tri...@my-deja.com
kami...@kuoi.asui.uidaho.edu (Mark 'Kamikaze' Hughes) wrote:
> Ask Peter Abrams how much sales he gets on other Sluggy merchandise.
> I would expect it to be much larger numbers than that...
>
> And if there was a complete set with rules, I'd certainly buy them
> all, and I've had no burning interest before now in Button Men.
> Bun-Bun, Torg, Riff, Zoe, Kiki, and Aylee would make an awesome set.
Hello, all!
Thanks for all the feedback about doing Sluggy Button Men -- you've
convinced us! :)
Looks like we're going for it, and going for a full set of six
characters (3 packs, of two characters each). James Earnest (the
Button Men creator) will be looking at the character information we
provide, and seeing if he can create a special "Sluggy Freelance"
modification for the expansion.
Since we have 6 slots open, that basically means we'll be doing "the
main six" characters, although it's not set in stone. In general, this
means:
* Torg
* Riff
* Zoe
* Bun-Bun
* Kiki
* Aylee
I know some of you who are Sluggy fans may want your other favorite
characters (Val, Oasis, Gwynn, Sam, etc.), but for now, we'll probably
go with these, since they form the "core" of Sluggy, and it just
wouldn't be right to ignore any of them.
So, I'll let you know more when we actually get closer to having them
available .. at which point it will be your good gamer duty to go out
and buy them all! <insert evil cackle here>
--Tom
Frank T. Sronce
>
> Since we have 6 slots open, that basically means we'll be doing "the
> main six" characters, although it's not set in stone. In general, this
> means:
> * Torg
> * Riff
> * Zoe
> * Bun-Bun
> * Kiki
> * Aylee
>
> I know some of you who are Sluggy fans may want your other favorite
> characters (Val, Oasis, Gwynn, Sam, etc.), but for now, we'll probably
> go with these, since they form the "core" of Sluggy, and it just
> wouldn't be right to ignore any of them.
>
You could also put Val, Sam, and maybe even Gwynn under the 'vampire'
rules with Shadow Dice, of course.
Kiz
> --Tom
>
Mark 'Kamikaze' Hughes
"Frank T. Sronce" <fsr...@myriad.net> spake:
>tri...@my-deja.com wrote:
>> Since we have 6 slots open, that basically means we'll be doing "the
>> main six" characters, although it's not set in stone. In general, this
>> means:
>> * Torg >> * Riff >> * Zoe >> * Bun-Bun >> * Kiki >> * Aylee
Hooray!
Kiki says: *POING* "Stay good, tricket! Stay... Oooh, shiny side..."
> You could also put Val, Sam, and maybe even Gwynn under the 'vampire'
>rules with Shadow Dice, of course.
Along with Mr. Squeaky-Bobo, Reaak, and K'Z'K, from the Dimension of
Pain. What're "Shadow Dice"?
And a Santa (watch out for those explosives!) and Mecha-Easter Bunny
holiday pack!
Frank T. Sronce
>
> Hooray!
>
> Kiki says: *POING* "Stay good, tricket! Stay... Oooh, shiny side..."
>
> > You could also put Val, Sam, and maybe even Gwynn under the 'vampire'
> >rules with Shadow Dice, of course.
>
> Along with Mr. Squeaky-Bobo, Reaak, and K'Z'K, from the Dimension of
> Pain. What're "Shadow Dice"?
>
A kind of rules add-on. A "shadow die" can take any other die which is
showing anything from the number rolled on the shadow-die UP TO the
maximum number rollable on the shadow-die. So, the lower you roll, the
wider the range of numbers you can take, but the more vulnerable you are
to losing that die. Dunno if that's how it'll really work- that's just
what I recall from browsing their "Coming Soon!" announcement about it.
Kiz
Michael T. Richter
news:38299252...@myriad.net...
> A kind of rules add-on. A "shadow die" can take any other die
> which is showing anything from the number rolled on the shadow-die
> UP TO the maximum number rollable on the shadow-die. So, the
> lower you roll, the wider the range of numbers you can take, but
> the more vulnerable you are to losing that die. Dunno if that's
> how it'll really work- that's just what I recall from browsing
> their "Coming Soon!" announcement about it.
That is how shadow dice work in the Button Men I have which use them.
--
Michael T. Richter <m...@ottawa.com> http://www.igs.net/~mtr/
"get a life. its a plastic box with wires in it."
-- Nadia Mizner <nad...@onthenet.com.au> (in private correspondence)
Geoff Wedig
> Frank T. Sronce <fsr...@myriad.net> wrote in message
> news:38299252...@myriad.net...
>> A kind of rules add-on. A "shadow die" can take any other die
>> which is showing anything from the number rolled on the shadow-die
>> UP TO the maximum number rollable on the shadow-die. So, the
>> lower you roll, the wider the range of numbers you can take, but
>> the more vulnerable you are to losing that die. Dunno if that's
>> how it'll really work- that's just what I recall from browsing
>> their "Coming Soon!" announcement about it.
> That is how shadow dice work in the Button Men I have which use them.
One thing I wondered about this, was how they worked with a Finesse (I think
it was finesse. Where you use multiple dice to attack) attack. do they
just add normally, or subtract from the Finesse total? The website didn't
say anything about combining them.
Geoff
Michael T. Richter
news:80ekd5$k2r$1...@alexander.INS.CWRU.Edu...
>> That is how shadow dice work in the Button Men I have which use them.
> One thing I wondered about this, was how they worked with a Finesse (I
think
> it was finesse. Where you use multiple dice to attack) attack. do they
> just add normally, or subtract from the Finesse total? The website didn't
> say anything about combining them.
From the Dunkirk/Starchylde set:
"Shadow dice are normal in all respects, except that they cannot make power
attacks. Instead, they make inverted power attacks, called shadow attacks."
In other words they participate in skill attacks exactly as any other kind
of die type: you add their value to the total and match one of your
opponent's dice. You can't make power attacks with them at all. Instead
you make a shadow attack as previously described.
Die Killfile
>characters (Val, Oasis, Gwynn, Sam, etc.), but for now, we'll probably
>go with these, since they form the "core" of Sluggy, and it just
>wouldn't be right to ignore any of them.
Those are the characters you use for the two-button mini-sets that you wanted
to do initially ;)