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(updated from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_End_Games, fixed links, focussed on RPGs)
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{{Infobox
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{{wikipedia}}
  
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|Box title = West End Games
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{{Infobox Company
  
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| company_name = West End Games
  
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|Row 1 title = Publisher type
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| company_logo =
 
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|Row 1 info = Private company
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| vector_logo =
 
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|Row 2 title = Foundation
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| company_type =
 
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|Row 2 info = 1974 by Daniel Scott Palter in New York City, New York, United States
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| genre =
 
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|Row 3 title =
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| foundation = 1974
  
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| founder =
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|Row 3 info =
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| location_city = Honesdale, Pennsylvania
  
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| location_country = USA
  
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| location = <!-- this parameter modifies "Headquarters" -->
  
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| origins =
 
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| key_people =
 
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| area_served =
 
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| industry = [[Role-playing game|Role-playing]], [[board game|board]] and [[wargaming]] publisher
  
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| products = [[D6 System]], [[Torg]], [[Junta (game)|Junta]]
  
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| services =
  
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| revenue =
 
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| parent =
 
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| divisions =
  
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| subsid =
 
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| owner =
 
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| company_slogan =
 
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| homepage = [http://www.westendgames.com/ www.westendgames.com]
  
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| dissolved =
 
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| footnotes =
 
 
}}
  
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'''West End Games''' (WEG) is a company that makes [[board game|board]], [[role playing game|role playing]], and [[wargames|war]] games. It was founded in [[1974]] in [[New York]], but later moved to [[Honesdale]], [[Pennsylvania]]. Its current and past product lines include [[Paranoia (game)|Paranoia]], [[Torg]], [[Shatterzone]], [[Men in Black (film)|Men In Black]], [[DC Universe]], [[Star Wars role-playing game (WEG)|Star Wars]], [[Indiana Jones|The World of Indiana Jones]], [[Junta (game)|Junta]], [[Necroscope]], [[Tales from the Crypt]], [[Bloodshadows]], and [[Metabarons]].
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'''West End Games''' (WEG) is a published of [[role-playing game]]s, as well as board games and war games. It was founded by [[Daniel Scott Palter]] in 1974, and produced a number of popular role-playing game lines in the 1980s and 1990s, including ''[[Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game|Star Wars]]'', ''[[Paranoia]]'', ''[[Torg]]'', and ''[[DC Universe Roleplaying Game]]''. However, financial difficulties since the late 1990s led to the company and much of its intellectual property being acquired by other companies. As of 2019 it has no active product lines.
   
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== History ==
   
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West End Games was named after the bar in which the meeting that finalized its founding occurred: the West End Bar near Columbia University.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.castaliahouse.com/a-conversation-with-scott-palter-of-west-end-games/|title=A Conversation with Scott Palter of West End Games|last=|first=|date=2016-09-06|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2017-09-13}}</ref> Initially a producer of board wargames, the company began producing roleplaying games in 1984 with ''[[Paranoia]]''. The high production values demanded by the wargames industry made them one of the few companies who could compete with [[Tactical Studies Rules|TSR]], and they were able to acquire the license from Columbia Pictures to produce an RPG based on the film ''Ghostbusters''. This game, ''[[Ghostbusters|Ghostbusters: A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game]]'', formed the basis of the [[D6 System]] which was to be heavily used in many of their licensed products.
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==Development==
  
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Previously a producer of [[board game|board]] [[wargame]]s, the company began producing roleplaying games in [[1984]] with ''Paranoia''. The high production values demanded by the wargames industry made them one of the few companies who could compete with [[Tactical Studies Rules|TSR]], and they were able to acquire the license from [[Columbia Pictures]] to produce an RPG based on the film ''[[Ghostbusters]]''. This game, ''[[Ghostbusters (role-playing game)|Ghostbusters: A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game]]'', formed the basis of the [[D6 System]] which was to be heavily used in many of their licensed products.
 
   
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Around [[1987]], the company acquired the license to produce a [[Star Wars role-playing game (WEG)|''Star Wars'' RPG]] . Since the films had been released some years ago, and there was (at the time) no new media forthcoming, the success of these books came as a surprise. Their early work on the Star Wars Roleplaying Game established much of the groundwork of what later became the [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]], and their sourcebooks are still frequently cited by Star Wars fans as reference material. [[Lucasfilm]] considered their sourcebooks so authoritative that when [[Timothy Zahn]] was hired to write what became the [[Thrawn trilogy]], he was sent a box of West End Games Star Wars books and directed to base his novel on the background material presented within. Zahn's trilogy, in turn, renewed interest in the franchise and provided many sales for West End Games. In the early 1990s, the [[FidoNet Star Wars Echo]] hosted a message forum for playing the Star Wars RPG on computer [[bulletin board system]]s, and some current and future West End Games freelancers took part.
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In 1987, the company released their [[Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game|''Star Wars'' role-playing game]]. Since the films had been released some years previously, and there was (at the time) no new media forthcoming, the success of these books came as a surprise. The game established much of the groundwork of what later became the ''Star Wars'' expanded universe. Lucasfilm considered their sourcebooks so authoritative that when Timothy Zahn was hired to write what became the Thrawn trilogy, he was sent a box of West End Games Star Wars books and directed to use the background material presented within. Zahn's trilogy, in turn, renewed interest in the franchise and provided further sales for West End Games.
   
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1990 saw the release of the ''[[Torg]]'' roleplaying game, followed in 1994 by the [[MasterBook]] system, which was mostly used in licensed RPG adaptations: ''[[The World of Indiana Jones]]'', ''[[The World of Necroscope]]'', ''[[The World of Species]]'', ''[[The World of Tales from the Crypt]]'', ''[[The World of Tank Girl]]'', and ''[[The World of Aden]]''. Another licensed game, the ''[[Hercules & Xena Roleplaying Game]]'' was the last title released by the initial version of the company: in July 1998, West End Games went into bankruptcy, following mismanagement between West End Games and its then-parent company, shoe importer Bucci Retail Group. When the parent company filed for bankruptcy, West End Games was forced to go under as well.<ref name="pyr">{{cite news | url = http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=731 | title = Pyramid Interviews: Scott Palter | accessdate = 2007-04-24 | last = Haring | first = Scott D. | date = 1999-04-16 | work=Pyramid | publisher = Steve Jackson Games }}</ref>
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==Bankruptcy==
  
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Despite the company's early phenomenal success, in July, [[1998]] West End Games went into [[bankruptcy]]. Various reasons for this decline have been debated, ranging from the general deleterious effect the growth of the [[CCG]] hobby was having on the entire [[role-playing game]] market at the time to poor financial management to a series of extravagant but failed game lines which West End Games had launched in an attempt to match Star Wars' success (the Masterbook family of games in particular, including [[Torg]], Shatterzone, and [[Masterbook]] itself) and continued to support well after it was clear that they had failed to find audiences. This problem was exacerbated by the fact that many of the failed lines were based on various high-profile licences, including ''[[Men In Black]]'', ''[[Xena: Warrior Princess]]'', ''[[Hercules: the Legendary Journeys]]'', ''[[Necroscope]]'' and ''[[Tales from the Crypt]]''. None of these licences performed as well as the ''Ghostbusters'' or ''Star Wars'' RPGs had, and the additional cost of acquiring such licences in the first place meant that the failed licences were even more financially damaging to the company than they would otherwise have been; furthermore, the reliance on licences meant that when West End ran into financial difficulties it had to give up the licences, decimating the West End product line. By the mid-1990s there was also a perceived decline in the quality of West End's homegrown RPG lines; the "Fifth Edition" of ''Paranoia'', and the later supplements for the second edition, were so badly received that when a new edition of ''Paranoia'' was produced by [[Mongoose Publishing]] the designers jokingly declared that the products in question were "unproducts", and simply didn't exist for the purpose of the setting's continuity.
  
   
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===D6 Legends===
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Another contributing factor to the failure of West End Games may have been the company's failure to establish an internet presence even after most other game companies had done so years earlier; the company's only acknowledgment of the web-based community was a contact e-mail address through [[America Online]]. Although these might have played a part in weakening their market position, the culminating event involves mismanagement between West End Games and its then parent company, shoe importer Bucci Retail Group. When the parent company filed for bankruptcy, West End Games could not survive the process and had to go under as well. <ref name="BucciRetail">{{cite web
  
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| url = http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=731
  
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| title = Pyramid Interviews: Scott Palter
  
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| accessdate = 2007-04-24
  
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| last = Haring
  
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| first = Scott D.
 
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| date = [[1999-04-16]]
  
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| format = html
  
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| publisher = Steve Jackson Games
  
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}}</ref>
  
   
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The bankrupt West End Games became WEG / Creative Design Group while a new West End Games (D6 Legends, Inc.) was formed in partnership with Yeti, a French design house and publisher and subsidiary of Humanoids Publishing, in March 1999.<ref name="pyr" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010301171919/http://www.westendgames.com:80/html/press.html|title=West End Games and Yeti Announce the Formation of a New Game Company|last=|first=|date=1999-03-23|website=West End Games|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2017-09-03}}</ref><ref name="oc0">{{cite news|last1=Sugarbaker|first1=Mike|title=West End Games Chucks Its System Out There|url=http://ogrecave.com/2002/07/01/west-end-games-chucks-its-system-out-there/|accessdate=January 18, 2017|work=OgreCave|date=July 1, 2002}}</ref> Under court supervision, WEG / Creative Design Group sold off product and assets to pay off debt. WEG / Creative Design Group sold to the new company intellectual property, the ''Paranoia'' licensing contracts, and the trademarks. Licensing contracts for ''Indiana Jones'', ''Star Wars'' and ''Xena'' remained with Creative Design Group,<ref name="pyr"/> though the ''Star Wars'' license was soon lost to [[Wizards of the Coast]], who released [[Star Wars Roleplaying Game (d20)|their own ''Star Wars'' game]] in 2000. As Humanoids Publishing was the publisher of the ''Metabarons'' graphic novels, they utilized the D6 System to release an RPG based upon that setting, ''[[The Metabarons]]''.
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No longer considered stable, all of West End's licenses to produce work based upon various settings were terminated, most significantly the Star Wars license which had produced most of the company's business. West End was forced to liquidate most of its assets, including a large backstock of unsold books. Ironically, the company finally created a web-site while in bankruptcy proceedings in order to facilitate the liquidating of their stock.
 
   
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At the 1999 GAMA Trade Show, the new West End Games announced a third edition of ''Paranoia'' for late June or early July of that year, followed by a Bug Sector supplement,<ref name="pyr"/> but these were never released. The ''DC Universe'' license was acquired and a new ''[[DC Universe Roleplaying Game]]'' was also announced at that time,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010301171919/http://www.westendgames.com:80/html/press.html|title=DC Comics and West End Games Reunite to Launch Long-Awaited DC Comics Roleplaying Game|last=|first=|date=1999-03-25|website=West End Games|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2017-09-13}}</ref> which was published in 1999.
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However, despite appearances West End Games did not disappear. A European company invested in them, and produced a game using the D6 mechanics for the [[Metabarons]] setting, a popular French comic story. Unfortunately the game never found a following with American audiences and did not lead to a resurgence of the company.
  
   
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On July 1, 2002, the company made its systems—D6 Classic, D6 Legend, MasterBook, and ''Torg''—available via license to any publisher.<ref name="oc0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030224115700/http://www.westendgames.com:80/html/press16.html|title=West End Games House Systems License Available|last=|first=|date=2002-07-01|website=West End Games|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2017-09-13}}</ref>
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==Eric Gibson's Ownership of West End Games==
  
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In [[2004]] West End Games was bought by Eric J. Gibson. Under his tenure, WEG's flagship line was a generic version of the [[D6 system]], which led to a line of irregularly produced supplements and met with general approval from fans. Unfortunately, this approval did not translate into high sales; in a post on the official West End forums in 2008 Eric Gibson announced that none of the D6 products produced since he acquired West End had turned a profit, and West End's other RPG lines were not performing as well as he had expected, leading to losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars.<ref name="EricGibson">{{cite web
  
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| url = http://www.westendgames.com/forum/showpost.php?p=30187&postcount=200
  
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| title = Septimus Preorder
  
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| accessdate = 2008-06-11
  
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| last = Gibson
  
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| first = Eric
  
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| date = [[2004-04-03]]
  
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| format = html
  
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| publisher = West End Games.
  
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}}</ref>
  
   
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=== Purgatory Publishing ===
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West End also expanded back into board games, beginning with a new edition of ''Junta'', which according to Eric was one of the few products that was turning a profit.
  
   
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In November 2003 West End Games was bought by [[Eric J. Gibson]]'s [[Purgatory Publishing]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040803124728/http://www.westendgames.com:80/html/press17.html|title=West End Games Under New Management|last=|first=|date=2003-11-14|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2017-09-13}}</ref> He moved the company to Downingtown, Pennsylvania, in 2004. Under his tenure, ''Torg'' received a revised edition<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sdc.org/~ksjim/rulebook.html|title=The "Revised & Expanded" Rulebook|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2017-09-13}}</ref> and a generic version of the [[D6 System]] was produced, which led to a line of irregularly produced supplements and met with general approval from fans. However, this did not translate into high sales; in a post on the official West End forums in 2008 Gibson announced that none of the D6 products produced since he acquired West End had turned a profit, and West End's other RPG lines were not performing as well as he had expected, leading to losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.westendgames.com/forum/showpost.php?p=30187&postcount=200|title=Septimus Preorder|last=Gibson|first=Eric|date=2004-04-03|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2008-06-11}}</ref>
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West End Games' most recent planned offering, the Septimus roleplaying game, was cancelled by the company in March of 2008.<ref name="Eric Gibson2">{{cite web | url = http://www.gamingreport.com/article.php?sid=24990&mode=thread&order=0 | title = Bill Coffin's Septimus Cancelled | accessdate = 2008-07-18 | last = Gibson | first = Eric | date = [[2008-03-31]]|format = html | publisher = Gaming Report.}}</ref> Eric Gibson announced on the morning of July 16th, 2008 that West End Games could not currently afford to provide refunds to customers who pre-ordered the cancelled Septimus product, and indeed could not even afford to pay the postage to ship books to individuals who expressed a willingness to accept a refund in the form of products instead of money.<ref name="Eric Gibson3">{{cite web
 
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| url = http://forum.rpg.net/showpost.php?p=9121659&postcount=28 | title = Pandemonium Games and the strange death of WEG | accessdate = 2008-07-18 | last = Gibson | first = Eric | date = [[2008-07-16]] | format = html | publisher = RPGNet.}}</ref> Around the same time, Gibson revealed that he had refused recent purchase offers for West End Games intellectual properties, despite the company's current financial predicament, since he did not consider the offered prices to be sufficient.<ref name="Eric Gibson4">{{cite web | url = http://www.westendgames.com/forum/showpost.php?p=32391&postcount=13 | title = Yet Another One | accessdate = 2008-07-18 | last = Gibson | first = Eric | date = [[2008-07-16]] | format = html | publisher = West End Games.}}</ref>
  
   
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West End also expanded back into board games, beginning with a new edition of ''Junta'', which according to Gibson was one of the few products that did turn a profit.
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==Current Status==
  
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On Sunday, July 19th 2008, following both an extended discussion of West End's failure to provide refunds for those who had preordered Septimus and the ensuing forum flameout<ref name="Eric Gibson5">{{cite web | url = http://forum.rpg.net/showpost.php?p=9139148&postcount=173 | title = Pandemonium Games and the strange death of WEG | accessdate = 2008-07-21 | last = Gibson | first = Eric | date = [[2008-07-20]] | format = html | publisher = RPGNet.}}</ref>, Eric Gibson announced on the West End Games forums that he is officially through with the company and is selling all of its properties<ref name="Eric Gibson6">{{cite web | url = http://www.westendgames.com/forum/showpost.php?p=32452&postcount=1 | title = For Sale | accessdate = 2008-07-21 | last = Gibson | first = Eric | date = [[2008-07-20]] | format = html | publisher = West End Games.}}</ref>; he revealed that he had already had some interest from some game companies, but felt that he should make the facts about the offering public. It remains to be seen whether the West End Games name survives the sale, or whether it will be quietly discarded; Gibson has expressed the view that the company's properties will end up being sold off piecemeal to multiple different game companies.
  
   
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In 2007, the company announced a new science-fiction RPG by [[Bill Coffin]] called ''[[Septimus]]'', offering preorders, but following delays it was publicly cancelled by Gibson in March 2008.<ref name="Eric Gibson2">{{cite web | url = http://www.gamingreport.com/article.php?sid=24990&mode=thread&order=0 | title = Bill Coffin's Septimus Cancelled | accessdate =July 18, 2008 | last = Gibson | first = Eric | date = March 31, 2008| publisher = Gaming Report.}}</ref> Gibson stated in July 2008 that West End Games could not afford to provide refunds to customers who preordered the cancelled ''Septimus'' product, and indeed could not even afford to pay the postage to ship books to individuals who were willing to accept a refund in the form of products instead of money.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?404426-Pandemonium-Games-and-the-strange-death-of-WEG&p=9121659#post9121659|title=Pandemonium Games and the strange death of WEG|last=|first=|date=2008-07-15|website=RPG.net|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2017-09-13}}</ref> Following the ''Septimus'' cancellation and fan backlash, Gibson said that he was planning on selling all of WEG's properties,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sugarbaker|first1=Allan|title=West End Games for sale, maybe|url=http://ogrecave.com/2008/07/21/west-end-games-for-sale-maybe/|accessdate=January 18, 2017|work=OgreCave|date=July 21, 2008}}</ref> although this did not occur at that time. WEG eventually released ''Septimus'' via PDF and [[print on demand]].
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==Associated Designers==
  
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Game designers previously affiliated with West End Games over its long history include [[Greg Costikyan]], [[Paul Murphy]], [[Eric Goldberg]], [[Joe Balkoski]], [[Jon Southard]], [[Jeff Briggs]], and [[Ken Rolston]].
  
   
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Gibson stated in a 2010 podcast interview that he was "perhaps foolishly optimistic" in assuming sales would be higher than they turned out to be because "the name West End Games would carry a lot of weight". He further stated that this led him to print more books than he could sell, books which he eventually had to destroy in order to save on storage costs. Gibson planned to release the d6 System under the terms of the [[Open Gaming License]] (OGL) to increase sales but also "to protect it from myself", meaning that if the company had to be sold or go out of business, the system would still be available to the general public.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dicecast.blogspot.ca/2010/12/dicecast-special-holiday-interview.html|title=DiceCast Special Holiday Interview Episode|last=|first=|date=31 December 2010|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref> In 2009, West End Games moved forward with these plans, with the resulting license known as [[OpenD6]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ogc.rpglibrary.org/index.php?title=OpenD6|title=OpenD6|last=|first=|date=|website=RPG Library Open Game Content|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2017-09-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ogc.rpglibrary.org/index.php?title=OpenD6:OpenD6_and_the_Open_Game_License|title=OpenD6 and the Open Game License|last=|first=|date=|website=RPG Library Open Game Content|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2017-09-13}}</ref>
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==Systems developed==
  
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*[[D6 System]] - Used in games like ''Star Wars'', ''Ghostbusters'', and MIB.
  
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*[[Masterbook]] - The Masterbook system grew out of the system used in the game [[Torg]]. It was further developed and became the basis for games such as [[Necroscope]] and [[Tales from the Crypt]].
  
   
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Following the ''Septimus'' project, Purgatory Publishing sold off most of their properties. In June 2010, ''Torg'' was sold to German game company [[Ulisses Spiele]], while in July 2010 the MasterBook system, ''Shatterzone'', and ''Bloodshadows'' were sold to [[Precis Intermedia]].<ref name="oc">{{cite news|last1=Sugarbaker|first1=Allan|title=Precis Intermedia acquires remaining West End Games properties|url=http://ogrecave.com/2010/07/18/precis-intermedia-acquires-remaining-west-end-games-properties/|accessdate=January 18, 2017|work=OgreCave|date=July 18, 2010}}</ref> West End Games itself and its remaining properties—which by then consisted primarily of the D6 System—was purchased in April 2016 by [[Nocturnal Media]], the gaming company of [[White Wolf Publishing]]-founder [[Stewart Wieck]]'s gaming company.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nocturnal-media.com/blog/2016/4/13/nocturnal-media-acquires-west-end-games|title=Nocturnal Media Acquires West End Games|last=|first=|date=2016-04-13|website=Nocturnal Media|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2017-09-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Appelcline|first1=Shannon|title=2016: The Year in Review|url=https://www.rpg.net/columns/advanced-designers-and-dragons/advanced-designers-and-dragons10.phtml|accessdate=January 18, 2017|work=Advanced Designers & Dragon|publisher=RPGnet|date=January 3, 2017}}</ref>
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==Board games==
  
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* ''[[Against the Reich]]''
  
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* ''[[Bug-Eyed Monsters]]'' (1983)
  
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* ''[[Junta (game)|Junta]]'' (1985)
  
   
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=== Nocturnal Media ===
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Nocturnal intended to keep the West End Games brand alive, and their first project using this branding was a revised edition of Greg Costikyan's 1984 WEG boardgame, ''Web and Starship''. A Kickstarter was launched in April 2016 and was successfully funded, but the death of Nocturnal owner Stewart Wieck in June 2017 ultimately resulted in the cancellation of that project. No further WEG-branded titles have been announced since that time.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1861515217/web-and-starship-greg-costikyans-classic-sf-game|title=Web & Starship — Greg Costikyan's classic SF game|last=Wieck|first=Stewart|date=2016-04-19|website=Kickstarter|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2018-03-10}}</ref>
   
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== Associated designers ==
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==References==
  
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<references/>
  
   
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Game designers previously affiliated with West End Games over its long history include:
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==External links==
  
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* [http://www.westendgames.com/ West End Games' official website]
  
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* [http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showpublisher&publisherid=8 Publication list on Pen & Paper]
  
   
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*[[Joe Balkoski]]
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[[Category:publishers]]
  
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*[[Jeff Briggs]]
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*[[Greg Costikyan]]<ref name="pyr" />
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*[[Dan Gelberg]]<ref name="pyr" />
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*[[Eric Goldberg]]<ref name="pyr"/>
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*[[Greg Gorden]]
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*[[Paul Murphy]]
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*[[Ken Rolston]]
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*[[Bill Slavicsek]]
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*[[Bill Smith]]
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*[[Jon Southard]]
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== Systems developed ==
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* [[D6 System]]<ref name="pyr"/> – Used in games like ''Star Wars'', ''Ghostbusters'', and ''Men in Black''. A simplified version of the system called the [[Legend System]] was used for ''Hercules & Xena'' and ''DC Universe''.
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* [[MasterBook]]<ref name="pyr"/> – The MasterBook system grew out of the system used in the game [[Torg]]. It was further developed and became the basis for games such as ''[[The World of Necroscope]]'' and ''[[The World of Tales from the Crypt]]''. Sold to Precis Intermedia.<ref name=oc/>
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* ''[[Torg]]''<ref name="pyr"/> – Sold to Ulisses Spiele.<ref name=oc/>
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== Role-playing games ==
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===Unique system games===
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* ''[[Paranoia (role-playing game)|Paranoia]]'' (1984 original designed by Greg Costikyan, Dan Gelberg, and Eric Goldberg; 3rd Edition 1999)<ref name="pyr"/>
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* ''[[Torg]]''<ref name="pyr"/> (1990)
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* ''[[Shatterzone]]<ref name="pyr"/>'' (1993, sold to Precis Intermedia)<ref name="oc" />
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* ''[[Septimus]]'' (2007, published via print-on-demand)
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===[[D6 System]] and [[Legend System]]===
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* ''[[Ghostbusters]]''<ref name="pyr"/> (1986)
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* ''[[Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game]]'' (1987)
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* ''[[Ghostbusters International]]'' (1989, second edition of ''Ghostbusters: A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game'')
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* ''[[D6 System: The Customizable Roleplaying Game]]'' (1996)
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* ''[[Indiana Jones Adventures]]'' (1996, conversion of ''[[The World of Indiana Jones]]'' to the [[D6 System]])
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* ''[[Men In Black: The Roleplaying Game]]'' (1997)
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* ''[[Hercules & Xena Roleplaying Game]]'' (1998)
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* ''[[DC Universe Roleplaying Game]]'' (1999, published under [[Les Humanoïdes Associés|Humanoids Inc.]])
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* ''[[The Metabarons]]'' (2001, published under Humanoids Inc.)
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* ''[[D6 Adventure]]'' (2004)
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* ''[[Bloodshadows]]'' (2004, conversion of ''[[The World of Bloodshadows]]'' to the D6 Adventure system)
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===MasterBook===
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* ''[[The World of Indiana Jones]]'' (1994)
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* ''[[The World of Bloodshadows]]'' (1994, based on an original setting called [[Bloodshadows]])
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* ''[[The World of Necroscope]]'' (1995)
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* ''[[The World of Species]]'' (1995)
  +
* ''[[The World of Tank Girl]]'' (1995)
  +
* ''[[The World of Tales from the Crypt]]'' (1996)
  +
* ''[[The World of Aden]]'' (1996)
  +
  +
== Non-roleplaying games ==
  ⚫
===Board games===
  ⚫
* ''Bug-Eyed Monsters'' (1983)
  +
* ''Junta''<ref name="pyr" /> (1985, third edition. The first edition was released in 1978, but not by West End Games) (1997)<ref name="pyr" />
  +
* ''Web and Starship'' (1984)
  +
* ''Kings and Things'' (1986)
  +
* ''Star Wars: Star Warriors'' (1987)
  +
* ''Star Wars: Assault on Hoth'' (1988)
  +
* ''Star Wars: Battle for Endor'' (1989)
  +
* ''Star Wars: Escape from the Death Star'' (1990, not to be confused with the 1977 game by Kenner)
  +
* ''Tales of the Arabian Nights''
  +
  +
=== Wargames ===
  ⚫
* ''Against the Reich'' (1986)
  +
* ''Air and Armor'' (1986)
  +
* ''Air Cav'' (1985)
  +
* ''The Battle of Shiloh'' (1984)
  +
* ''Chickamauga'' (1986)
  +
* ''Desert Steel'' (1989)
  +
* ''Druid'' (1984)
  +
* ''Eastern Front Tank Leader'' (1986)
  +
* ''Fire Team'' (1987)
  +
* ''Imperium Romanum II'' (1985)
  +
* ''Kamakura'' (1982)
  +
* ''Killer Angels'' (1984)
  +
* ''The Last Panzer Victory'' (1983)
  +
* ''Marlborough at Blenheim'' (1979)
  +
* ''Operation Badr'' (1983)
  +
* ''RAF'' (1986)
  +
* ''Salerno: Operation Avalanche'' (1977)
  +
* ''Soldiers: Man-to-Man Combat in World War II'' (1987)
  +
* ''South Mountain: Prelude to Antietam'' (1984)
  +
* ''St. Lo'' (1986)
  +
* ''Western Front Tank Leader'' (1987)
  +
  +
=== Other ===
  +
  +
* ''Social Disorder'' (2005) card game
  +
* ''Star Wars Miniatures Battles'' (1989) miniatures game
  +
* ''Zoon'' (1999) card game<ref name="pyr" />
  +
  ⚫
== References ==
  +
  +
{{reflist}}
  +
  ⚫
== External links ==
  +
* {{wp link}}
  ⚫
* http://www.westendgames.com/, West End Games' official website (no longer online)
  ⚫
* [http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showpublisher&publisherid=8 Publication list on Pen & Paper]
  +
* [http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=526565 Precis Intermedia Acquires Last WEG RPG Properties]
  +
* [http://www.crosstimbershaven.com/games/west-end-games-open-d6.html West End Games' D6 Rulebooks], D6 System RPG rulebooks for D6 Adventures, D6 Space, and D6 Fantasy genres.
  ⚫
[[Category:Publishers]]

Revision as of 09:18, 11 January 2020

Template:Infobox

West End Games (WEG) is a published of role-playing games, as well as board games and war games. It was founded by Daniel Scott Palter in 1974, and produced a number of popular role-playing game lines in the 1980s and 1990s, including Star Wars, Paranoia, Torg, and DC Universe Roleplaying Game. However, financial difficulties since the late 1990s led to the company and much of its intellectual property being acquired by other companies. As of 2019 it has no active product lines.

History

West End Games was named after the bar in which the meeting that finalized its founding occurred: the West End Bar near Columbia University.[1] Initially a producer of board wargames, the company began producing roleplaying games in 1984 with Paranoia. The high production values demanded by the wargames industry made them one of the few companies who could compete with TSR, and they were able to acquire the license from Columbia Pictures to produce an RPG based on the film Ghostbusters. This game, Ghostbusters: A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game, formed the basis of the D6 System which was to be heavily used in many of their licensed products.

In 1987, the company released their Star Wars role-playing game. Since the films had been released some years previously, and there was (at the time) no new media forthcoming, the success of these books came as a surprise. The game established much of the groundwork of what later became the Star Wars expanded universe. Lucasfilm considered their sourcebooks so authoritative that when Timothy Zahn was hired to write what became the Thrawn trilogy, he was sent a box of West End Games Star Wars books and directed to use the background material presented within. Zahn's trilogy, in turn, renewed interest in the franchise and provided further sales for West End Games.

1990 saw the release of the Torg roleplaying game, followed in 1994 by the MasterBook system, which was mostly used in licensed RPG adaptations: The World of Indiana Jones, The World of Necroscope, The World of Species, The World of Tales from the Crypt, The World of Tank Girl, and The World of Aden. Another licensed game, the Hercules & Xena Roleplaying Game was the last title released by the initial version of the company: in July 1998, West End Games went into bankruptcy, following mismanagement between West End Games and its then-parent company, shoe importer Bucci Retail Group. When the parent company filed for bankruptcy, West End Games was forced to go under as well.[2]

D6 Legends

The bankrupt West End Games became WEG / Creative Design Group while a new West End Games (D6 Legends, Inc.) was formed in partnership with Yeti, a French design house and publisher and subsidiary of Humanoids Publishing, in March 1999.[2][3][4] Under court supervision, WEG / Creative Design Group sold off product and assets to pay off debt. WEG / Creative Design Group sold to the new company intellectual property, the Paranoia licensing contracts, and the trademarks. Licensing contracts for Indiana Jones, Star Wars and Xena remained with Creative Design Group,[2] though the Star Wars license was soon lost to Wizards of the Coast, who released their own Star Wars game in 2000. As Humanoids Publishing was the publisher of the Metabarons graphic novels, they utilized the D6 System to release an RPG based upon that setting, The Metabarons.

At the 1999 GAMA Trade Show, the new West End Games announced a third edition of Paranoia for late June or early July of that year, followed by a Bug Sector supplement,[2] but these were never released. The DC Universe license was acquired and a new DC Universe Roleplaying Game was also announced at that time,[5] which was published in 1999.

On July 1, 2002, the company made its systems—D6 Classic, D6 Legend, MasterBook, and Torg—available via license to any publisher.[4][6]

Purgatory Publishing

In November 2003 West End Games was bought by Eric J. Gibson's Purgatory Publishing.[7] He moved the company to Downingtown, Pennsylvania, in 2004. Under his tenure, Torg received a revised edition[8] and a generic version of the D6 System was produced, which led to a line of irregularly produced supplements and met with general approval from fans. However, this did not translate into high sales; in a post on the official West End forums in 2008 Gibson announced that none of the D6 products produced since he acquired West End had turned a profit, and West End's other RPG lines were not performing as well as he had expected, leading to losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars.[9]

West End also expanded back into board games, beginning with a new edition of Junta, which according to Gibson was one of the few products that did turn a profit.

In 2007, the company announced a new science-fiction RPG by Bill Coffin called Septimus, offering preorders, but following delays it was publicly cancelled by Gibson in March 2008.[10] Gibson stated in July 2008 that West End Games could not afford to provide refunds to customers who preordered the cancelled Septimus product, and indeed could not even afford to pay the postage to ship books to individuals who were willing to accept a refund in the form of products instead of money.[11] Following the Septimus cancellation and fan backlash, Gibson said that he was planning on selling all of WEG's properties,[12] although this did not occur at that time. WEG eventually released Septimus via PDF and print on demand.

Gibson stated in a 2010 podcast interview that he was "perhaps foolishly optimistic" in assuming sales would be higher than they turned out to be because "the name West End Games would carry a lot of weight". He further stated that this led him to print more books than he could sell, books which he eventually had to destroy in order to save on storage costs. Gibson planned to release the d6 System under the terms of the Open Gaming License (OGL) to increase sales but also "to protect it from myself", meaning that if the company had to be sold or go out of business, the system would still be available to the general public.[13] In 2009, West End Games moved forward with these plans, with the resulting license known as OpenD6.[14][15]

Following the Septimus project, Purgatory Publishing sold off most of their properties. In June 2010, Torg was sold to German game company Ulisses Spiele, while in July 2010 the MasterBook system, Shatterzone, and Bloodshadows were sold to Precis Intermedia.[16] West End Games itself and its remaining properties—which by then consisted primarily of the D6 System—was purchased in April 2016 by Nocturnal Media, the gaming company of White Wolf Publishing-founder Stewart Wieck's gaming company.[17][18]

Nocturnal Media

Nocturnal intended to keep the West End Games brand alive, and their first project using this branding was a revised edition of Greg Costikyan's 1984 WEG boardgame, Web and Starship. A Kickstarter was launched in April 2016 and was successfully funded, but the death of Nocturnal owner Stewart Wieck in June 2017 ultimately resulted in the cancellation of that project. No further WEG-branded titles have been announced since that time.[17][19]

Associated designers

Game designers previously affiliated with West End Games over its long history include:

  • Joe Balkoski
  • Jeff Briggs
  • Greg Costikyan[2]
  • Dan Gelberg[2]
  • Eric Goldberg[2]
  • Greg Gorden
  • Paul Murphy
  • Ken Rolston
  • Bill Slavicsek
  • Bill Smith
  • Jon Southard

Systems developed

  • D6 System[2] – Used in games like Star Wars, Ghostbusters, and Men in Black. A simplified version of the system called the Legend System was used for Hercules & Xena and DC Universe.
  • MasterBook[2] – The MasterBook system grew out of the system used in the game Torg. It was further developed and became the basis for games such as The World of Necroscope and The World of Tales from the Crypt. Sold to Precis Intermedia.[16]
  • Torg[2] – Sold to Ulisses Spiele.[16]

Role-playing games

Unique system games

  • Paranoia (1984 original designed by Greg Costikyan, Dan Gelberg, and Eric Goldberg; 3rd Edition 1999)[2]
  • Torg[2] (1990)
  • Shatterzone[2] (1993, sold to Precis Intermedia)[16]
  • Septimus (2007, published via print-on-demand)

D6 System and Legend System

  • Ghostbusters[2] (1986)
  • Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game (1987)
  • Ghostbusters International (1989, second edition of Ghostbusters: A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game)
  • D6 System: The Customizable Roleplaying Game (1996)
  • Indiana Jones Adventures (1996, conversion of The World of Indiana Jones to the D6 System)
  • Men In Black: The Roleplaying Game (1997)
  • Hercules & Xena Roleplaying Game (1998)
  • DC Universe Roleplaying Game (1999, published under Humanoids Inc.)
  • The Metabarons (2001, published under Humanoids Inc.)
  • D6 Adventure (2004)
  • Bloodshadows (2004, conversion of The World of Bloodshadows to the D6 Adventure system)

MasterBook

  • The World of Indiana Jones (1994)
  • The World of Bloodshadows (1994, based on an original setting called Bloodshadows)
  • The World of Necroscope (1995)
  • The World of Species (1995)
  • The World of Tank Girl (1995)
  • The World of Tales from the Crypt (1996)
  • The World of Aden (1996)

Non-roleplaying games

Board games

  • Bug-Eyed Monsters (1983)
  • Junta[2] (1985, third edition. The first edition was released in 1978, but not by West End Games) (1997)[2]
  • Web and Starship (1984)
  • Kings and Things (1986)
  • Star Wars: Star Warriors (1987)
  • Star Wars: Assault on Hoth (1988)
  • Star Wars: Battle for Endor (1989)
  • Star Wars: Escape from the Death Star (1990, not to be confused with the 1977 game by Kenner)
  • Tales of the Arabian Nights

Wargames

  • Against the Reich (1986)
  • Air and Armor (1986)
  • Air Cav (1985)
  • The Battle of Shiloh (1984)
  • Chickamauga (1986)
  • Desert Steel (1989)
  • Druid (1984)
  • Eastern Front Tank Leader (1986)
  • Fire Team (1987)
  • Imperium Romanum II (1985)
  • Kamakura (1982)
  • Killer Angels (1984)
  • The Last Panzer Victory (1983)
  • Marlborough at Blenheim (1979)
  • Operation Badr (1983)
  • RAF (1986)
  • Salerno: Operation Avalanche (1977)
  • Soldiers: Man-to-Man Combat in World War II (1987)
  • South Mountain: Prelude to Antietam (1984)
  • St. Lo (1986)
  • Western Front Tank Leader (1987)

Other

  • Social Disorder (2005) card game
  • Star Wars Miniatures Battles (1989) miniatures game
  • Zoon (1999) card game[2]

References

  1. ↑ "A Conversation with Scott Palter of West End Games" (2016-09-06).
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 Template:Cite news
  3. ↑ "West End Games and Yeti Announce the Formation of a New Game Company" (1999-03-23).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Template:Cite news
  5. ↑ "DC Comics and West End Games Reunite to Launch Long-Awaited DC Comics Roleplaying Game" (1999-03-25).
  6. ↑ "West End Games House Systems License Available" (2002-07-01).
  7. ↑ "West End Games Under New Management" (2003-11-14).
  8. ↑ "The "Revised & Expanded" Rulebook".
  9. ↑ Eric Gibson (2004-04-03). "Septimus Preorder".
  10. ↑ Eric Gibson (March 31, 2008). "Bill Coffin's Septimus Cancelled". Gaming Report.. Retrieved on July 18, 2008
  11. ↑ "Pandemonium Games and the strange death of WEG" (2008-07-15).
  12. ↑ Template:Cite news
  13. ↑ "DiceCast Special Holiday Interview Episode" (31 December 2010).
  14. ↑ "OpenD6".
  15. ↑ "OpenD6 and the Open Game License".
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Template:Cite news
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Nocturnal Media Acquires West End Games" (2016-04-13).
  18. ↑ Template:Cite news
  19. ↑ Stewart Wieck (2016-04-19). "Web & Starship — Greg Costikyan's classic SF game".

External links

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