Shouldn't the ship designs have more variaty?

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:19 pm

I wouldn't bet a penny against a million dollars that Paramount would give us the rights to those ships for any amount on any basis.

Is ADB a thorn in Paramount's side or something?

Just wondering...

Post by **Steve Cole** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 2:35 pm

Paramount ignores us and (apparently) wishes we would just dry up and blow away in the wind. Our contract with them has no expiration date, so they can never get rid of us or make us renegotiate or pay more money. That, and our contract allows us to create new stuff which we own (and they have no rights to it, unlike their other licensees). They cannot and will not do anything to stop us, but nobody can make them do anything that helps us either. If Paramount would sell Fed Commander on StarTrek.com they would make more money than all of the royalties from their other licensees, but that would "help" us stay in business, and they continue to hope that someday we will just go quietly out of business.

DorianGray · Post by **DorianGray** » Mon Apr 06, 2009 6:45 pm

Wow, I'd imagine some hard-core FedCom fans among the people that work at Paramount.

Any ideas on how to market FedCom more aggressively now that Star Trek is returning to TOS? Hopefully this will increase ADM's profits and reach in the boardgaming world!

dave · Post by **dave** » Mon Apr 06, 2009 7:38 pm

Well, actually...
I believe FedCom T-shirts are available. If every fedCom player wore one to as many showings of the new movie as possible, that should attract some attention and raise awareness. (Not to mention the expanded revenues for ADB from increased T-shirt sales

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 1:37 am

If ADB would send a T-shirt to me, I'd wear it to every showing of the new Star Trek movie that I will go see (and that will be definitely more than once!)...

How about some free advertising? They could even include some cards that could be handed out to everyone who asks about the T-shirt.

DorianGray · Post by **DorianGray** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 3:06 am

Don't be cheap! Buy them yourself, and for all your friends.

I'll be buying one for the movie.

Anyway, apart from this I was asking about more concrete marketing such as at startrek.com or several fan sites and in some magazines.

OGOPTIMUS · Post by **OGOPTIMUS** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:35 am

DorianGray wrote:
Anyway, apart from this I was asking about more concrete marketing such as at startrek.com or several fan sites and in some magazines.

Seeing SVC's post regarding Paramount's attitude, I doubt that's going to happen in the future.

Sllarr · Post by **Sllarr** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 12:23 pm

Well, for all that is worth my interest for Star Trek has been re-ignited due to Federation Commander. I had not watched an episode from any series for many years until I discovered FedCom in 2006. That made me go back into watching the TOS Remastered series which led to interest in the other series as well. All in all I bought 4 complete Trek seasons on DVD on past 3 years and already made the decision to collect the TOS Remastered series in Blu-Ray.

My point here is that is very short sighted to not support a licensed product line that clearly sparks interest in the franchise and leads to sales of other items.

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 1:56 pm

SVC wrote:

If Paramount would sell Fed Commander on StarTrek.com they would make more money than all of the royalties from their other licensees, but that would "help" us stay in business, and they continue to hope that someday we will just go quietly out of business.

Has anyone at ADB actually spoken with Paramount about offering Fed Commander for sale on StarTrek.com?

Why would Paramount want ADB to go out of business? ADB doesn't compete with them for any specific products.

mjwest · Post by **mjwest** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 2:17 pm

Mike wrote:
SVC wrote:

If Paramount would sell Fed Commander on StarTrek.com they would make more money than all of the royalties from their other licensees, but that would "help" us stay in business, and they continue to hope that someday we will just go quietly out of business.
Has anyone at ADB actually spoken with Paramount about offering Fed Commander for sale on StarTrek.com?

Come on guys! Steve has been at this for over 30 years! Don't you think he would have tried to work out something better multiple times?

He can talk to them all he wants. If they aren't listening, it isn't going to do any good.

Why would Paramount want ADB to go out of business? ADB doesn't compete with them for any specific products.

Because ADB is associated with "Star Trek", and Paramount does not control ADB. Because Paramount doesn't give a crap about table-top games, doesn't understand the market, and doesn't really want to. Because Paramount was stuck with a contract and license they wanted nothing to do with.

I could go on, but you get the idea. Paramount decided long ago that they wanted nothing to do with SFB, ADB, or the SFU. That stance has not changed in however many years, and isn't going to anytime in the near future.

Why do American companies do stupid, irrational things that cost them money? Who knows. They do, and they will continue to do so. Wishing it weren't so isn't going to change that.

dave · Post by **dave** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 2:23 pm

Thanks MJW. I wasn't even about to open that can of worms.

It is what it is.

Post by **Steve Cole** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 6:24 pm

Yes, we have talked to Paramount about them selling our games on Startrek.com. They said "not interested".

They want us to go out of business because they have 1% of the control over us that they have over other licensees. Our contract never expires, never comes up for renewal, pays low royalties, and let's us own what we create. (CBS pretty much exploded when they found out we own more of the knowledgebase than they do, and that they cannot get a SUCCESSFUL computer game published without paying us for our game engines.)

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:54 pm

SVC, thank you for the rational response. These were genuine questions that I posed. I had no idea what the history of this was, but I think I understand things a little better now. I wasn't asking questions to imply a course of action. I asked those questions because I did not know the answers to them. I don't recall ever seeing anything in print or in a file on either website about these issues that went into this amount of detail.

Questions answered. As far as I am concerned, topic closed.

Post by **Steve Cole** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 2:28 pm

I go into this amount of detail on the BBS and/or forum four or five times a year when somebody asks. Not a word of what I posted is anything new. Look now many people told you before I did. They got it from one of the 37 previous times I was asked and I answered, in public, on the record.

gambler1650 · Post by **gambler1650** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:32 pm

I personally plan to show up to the new Star Trek movie with a Romulan Border T-shirt. Who knows maybe I'll get a question or two and can point folks to the SFU.

I've said it before, but I really like the Star Fleet Universe, particularly the history and background of Star Fleet Battles. It hangs together a heck of a lot better than the various Star Trek series (each of which really have to be viewed as separate alternate universes..).

As far as the original query in the thread, it's something that's bothered me somewhat before, but it makes sense in a military or even general context. Heck, the Soviets made a good start on creating a 'space shuttle'.. Look familiar? Admittedly they used the U.S. space shuttle as the blueprint for theirs...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buran_(spacecraft)

My guess is that when humanity reaches the stars, that military ships will all have a certain 'look and feel' to them, ships with other specific tasks will also be very similar in style to each other (as airplanes are), etc.