Ask Jay: Tichu for Two, and Two for Tichu
Jay Tummelson from Rio Grande Games answers a few questions about future releases, one non-release, and business in general:
Business overview
Q: Will the worsening dollar-euro exchange rate affect RGG production, prices, or profit margins?
A: It already has, and there will be increases later this year if the present trend continues. In the past few years, I have tried to balance reduced margins with small price increases and will continue to work in that manner.
Q: Are sales for “classics” such as Carcassonne increasing every year over the previous year?
A: Yes.
Q: Are there other RGG titles for which this is the case?
A: Yes, the other “classics”: Puerto Rico, Lost Cities, Bohnanza, Power Grid, Alhambra, El Grande, Gulo Gulo, Chicken Cha Cha Cha, Coloretto, Tichu, Niagara, Thurn & Taxis, and Caylus are the biggest.
Q: Why do RGG games go out of print? Is it that reprinting a game like Aladdin’s Dragons would not pay off, or is it more often that the rights have reverted to the designer? Are there other reasons?
A: Going out of print is based on expected continuing sales being too low to justify a print run. Also, when the Germans drop the game from their line, I have to print alone and that can raise the cost and the number needed for a minimum run to a point where a reprint is not practical.
Nacht der Magier
Q: Have you considered a domestic release of Nacht der Magier (the dexterity game that can be played in the dark with glow-in-the-dark pieces)?
A: No, I have not - I am not familiar with the game, sorry.
Future releases
Q: Will the reprint of El Grande Decennial include any changes from the first edition? Rules, materials, or card text?
A: It will be printed back in Germany with the card text problems corrected. Otherwise, there are no changes.
Q: Any word on whether RGG will be doing Alan Moon’s Baltimore & Ohio?
A: That project is still in development, but I expect to be involved when it is produced.
Q: Has the Sakkara rule change from the original been approved? Can you let us know what it is?
A: Yes, I am still testing, but so far it looks good.
Q: Have you considered selling a double Tichu deck, replacing the black deck with the opposite color, so you could get a red deck and a gold deck in a single package? Will the upcoming release listed on the RGG website be the metal tin version?
A: I now have the English license and will produce a double Tichu deck later this year as a Rio Grande Games, but not in metal.
Many thanks to Jonathan Franklin for pulling this together!
Posted by W. Eric Martin on Jul 24, 2007 at 02:00 PM in Special Features, Ask the Publisher, Ask Rio Grande Games / 1708
Comments:
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I played Nacht der Magier a bunch of times. I got it last year from germany, and it is a very fun kids game that plays quickly - just before bedtime when it’s dark. Very well made. But it may be very expensive with the exchange rate being so bad for us. As always, thanks for the updates Jay. Posted by Robert Zurfluh on Jul 24, 2007 at 01:22 PM | #
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Does RGG have plans to print all of the Kosmos 2-player games? Or maybe a better question would be, “Which of them should I pick up in German?” :) Posted by Scott Russell on Jul 24, 2007 at 02:04 PM | #
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Q: Will the reprint of El Grande Decennial include any changes from the first edition? Rules, materials, or card text? A: It will be printed back in Germany with the card text problems corrected. Otherwise, there are no changes. There’s also a “5” missing from the score track. Posted by Jim Cote on Jul 24, 2007 at 02:06 PM | #
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Scott, I’ll ask about the Kosmos two-player line next week. Posted by W. Eric Martin on Jul 24, 2007 at 02:14 PM | #
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I know that Mayfair is at least considering Anno 1701, but, when I last had correspondence with them, they had not reached a decision. There’s enough German on the cards to make it an English edition worth a wait… I have to agree with the positive remarks on Nacht der Magier - I’m very happy that I was able to track a copy down. I think it should have won the KSdJ last year. It’s a good children’s game that is also good for the last game of the evening, but perhaps not something that is likely to sell in enough of a quantity to merit Rio Grande’s attention (if it had won the KSdJ it might be a different story). Thanks for the updates, Jay! Eric, is there any possibility of something like this for Mayfair or other companies - even if it happens on a monthly (or less frequent) basis? This is one of the features of Board Game News that I have mentioned to folks who don’t visit (or support) the site that sets it apart from everyone else… Posted by David Reed on Jul 24, 2007 at 05:37 PM | #
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David, I’ve talked with a few other publishers or their reps about writing a guest column or answering questions, but there’s no commitments yet from anyone else. I’ll keep pushing… Posted by W. Eric Martin on Jul 24, 2007 at 05:42 PM | #
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Interesting how we have to beg publishers to allow us to give them free advertising. As I’ve said before, this is my favorite feature of this site (sorry Scott, Valerie, Brian, Eric, et al.......of course, I do also enjoy your articles) Posted by Robert Ramirez on Jul 24, 2007 at 07:25 PM | #
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I’d also like to thank Rio Grande and Jay for agreeing to do this column! I strongly urge the other publishers (e.g., Mayfair, Z-Man, Fantasy Flight, Uberplay, Valley Games) to take note of the great interest this column creates in upcoming Rio Grande games and agree to do similar columns on Boardgame News. Posted by Tom Rosen on Jul 24, 2007 at 08:35 PM | #
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I’ll add my voice to this thread as well. I look forward to this column every week, and would enjoy seeing similar content from other publishers. Posted by Michael Potts on Jul 24, 2007 at 09:04 PM | #
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I agree with the others. I look forward to Jay’s remarks more than anything else on the site (except the Essen previews, of course) A direct line to other publishers would further enrich this site. I’m hoping mostly for Z-Man and Mayfair, but anyone else in the Euro-games arena would be very welcome. Keep trying, Eric! Posted by Mike Marshall on Jul 25, 2007 at 05:13 AM | #
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Is it possible to archive the Ask Jay interviews and add a link to the top of the front page? Posted by Robert Zurfluh on Jul 25, 2007 at 06:51 AM | #
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Robert wrote: “Interesting how we have to beg publishers to allow us to give them free advertising.” Yes, that’s a point I’ve made elsewhere. Publishers often aren’t adept at marketing or are just too busy running their business to do so. A different Robert wrote: “Is it possible to archive the Ask Jay interviews and add a link to the top of the front page?” It is. I wasn’t sure whether the feature would keep going, so I hadn’t created a category for it. Now’s a good time… Posted by W. Eric Martin on Jul 25, 2007 at 07:07 AM | #
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The title of this column, “Tichu for Two, and Two for Tichu”, had me wondering how a 2-player variant for Tichu would work? :p Now I see you were referring to 2 decks, not 2 players… I’m interested in reading about how Jay chooses which Kosmos 2-player games to reprint. He obviously doesn’t do their whole catalog, so does he have some say in the choosing, or does Kosmos simply hand him what they want to have in English, or does Jay play-test and decide, or what? I find Jay’s column fascinating and would also love to be able to read his older columns in an easy-to-find archive. Posted by Diane Close on Jul 25, 2007 at 02:01 PM | #
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Diane: “The title of this column, “Tichu for Two, and Two for Tichu”, had me wondering how a 2-player variant for Tichu would work?” http://www.boardgamenews.com/index.php/boardgamenews/comments/larry_levy_teech_for_two/ Posted by Larry Levy on Jul 25, 2007 at 03:15 PM | #
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