I Want to Turn You All Into Money-Grubbing Whores

Yesterday, the 22nd, was the 2nd anniversary of LotFP as a professional concern. It's gone well so far.

Looks like that distribution thing is going to happen. The price for parcels to the US increased to the point where it didn't make much sense to keep sending packages to multiple locations in the States anymore, so I'm arranging to just send a pallet to a single location whenever there's a new release.

It could potentially put me in every game store in North America and many more around the world, but realistically being available doesn't mean the stores will stock it. But some will. Not every Mom and Pop game store wants the box with the boobs on the cover, but they'll take Vornheim if they're smart. (It's passed Death Frost Doom as my all-time biggest seller). Upcoming releases will mostly be store-shelf friendly but of course I won't be able to resist a bit of mischief now and again because if you can't have fun watching people become outraged at pictures and words in a game book, why bother?

At the rate the releases are coming out though, that mischief won't be out until 2014. Hell, Carcosa and Isle of the Unknown are well past their expected original dates (I'm the holdup on Carcosa as I go through the prelim layout making notes, but almost 300 pages is just hell to read on a screen, but it's a multi-color layout and I'd destroy my printer if I printed it out... *sigh*), and Exquisite Corpses is all Poag . And my policy with these is "Take the time you need, we have no deadlines, let's do it right."

I need smaller things popping up a little more regularly. I'm progressing well with the Monolith adventure (and I've seen the cover prelims... I have a feeling we're all going to shit ourselves in awe) but I need more.

So I thought I'd trot out drafts of my Compatibility License and Submission Policy. These are indeed drafts, not final versions for use, and I'd like your comment. What's missing? What's ambiguous? Let me know.

LotFP Compatibility License Terms 1.0

This license allows non-affiliated “third party” publishers to release free or commercial publications for use with, and declaring compatibility with, LotFP Weird Fantasy Role-Playing. You do not have to pay a licensing fee nor submit your product for review prior to publication.

Your product must comply with all applicable trademark and copyright laws. LotFP is not responsible for any infringement claims against your product.

The title of the work may not contain “Lamentations of the Flame Princess,” “LotFP,” nor have a three word product name beginning with “Death” and ending with “Doom.”

The compatibility statement/logo must be smaller than your product's title and your company's logo.

Your product must not in any other way give the impression that it is an official LotFP release.

In your legal text, you must include the following: “This product is an independent production by [Your Company Name] and is not affiliated with Lamentations of the Flame Princess. LotFP and Lamentations of the Flame Princess are trademarks owned by James Edward Raggi IV.”

You must submit one copy of your product, in every format it is published, to LotFP after publication.

If these requirements are satisfied, you may declare compatibility with LotFP Weird Fantasy Role-Playing and use the compatibility logo (link to the graphic to come later, made by The Yoqqothl Grimoire's own Il Male™ ). The logo may be resized and the color changed to fit your product's graphic design, but may not be cropped or otherwise altered.

LotFP Submission Policy

LotFP is looking for submissions for its series of adventure modules. These are to be 32 page A5-sized pages. This averages out to 15,000-18,000 words plus maps.

All submissions must have been used in actual play.

LotFP Adventures should be different than the usual traditional fantasy adventure! In particular:

• Every monster in the adventure (other than real-life animals) should be an individual and unique creation and they should be used sparingly.
• Magic items should be also be rare and unique.
• NPCs with class and levels should be rare.

Think outside the box.

All submitted work should be your own original work that you own all rights to, and the work should not have been previously published elsewhere in English.

Compensation will be handled in one of two ways, chosen by you:

• 0,015€ per word (final draft, after editing) up front, paid upon publication. LotFP owns the work outright after payment is made.
• 30% of profits made from the work, paid every quarter. No up front money, but rights will revert back to you when the print run is sold out or after five years, whichever comes first.

(contracts noting the specifics would be sent in either case; these are just the sum-ups)

If you have a longer-form project in mind (or even a full game), different arrangements can be made – get in touch!