From Newsgroup: rec.games.frp.misc

Honestly, this whole Diamond mess seems to be a giant headache for a lot
of companies. Diamond is basically taking everyone for a ride.


Source: https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2025/07/rpg-green-ronin-launches-crowdfunding-campaign-for-legal-defense-in-diamond-bankruptcy.html

RPG: Green Ronin Launches Crowdfunding Campaign For Legal Defense In
Diamond Bankruptcy
J.R. Zambrano
4 Minute Read
Jul 11 2025

Green Ronin launched a crowdfunding campaign to cover its legal defense
in a campaign to reclaim inventory amid DiamondrCOs bankruptcy.

As the bankruptcy proceedings for Diamond Comic Distributors progress,
more and more of the tabletop industry is swept up in it. Today, Green
Ronin Publishing, makers of the Expanse RPG and the upcoming Fifth
Season RPG, published a crowdfunding campaign. Its aim is to help cover
legal costs in the bankruptcy battle. Green RoninrCOs aim? Reclaiming inventory from the tabletop distribution giant after Diamond filed a
motion to claim ownership of its rCLconsignment inventoryrCY to pay off its largest creditors.

Green Ronin Launches Crowdfunding Campaign For Legal Defense Fund

Green RoninrCOs crowdfunding campaign is the latest in a wave of tabletop publishers announcing the dire straits that DiamondrCOs filing may put
them in. Previously, Paizo announced that its books would not be
available for wider retail, thanks to the distributorrCOs bankruptcy. But
it goes further. As part of the bankruptcy proceedings, Diamond filed to
take ownership of its consignment inventory. Why is this a big deal?

Consignment inventory is stock that a distributor normally stores and
sells, but doesnrCOt own. Working through retail stores, it sells the merchandise, paying the manufacturer and retail stores after the product
has been sold. In most cases, unsold stock would be returned to the
original owners, the individual publishers and manufacturers in this case.

However, Diamond has filed a claim that these publishers have not
rCLsatisfied the requirements under applicable law to perfect their interestsrCY in the inventory. Meaning that Diamond could claim ownership
of the unsold stock rCLfree and clear of the consignorrCOs interestsrCY. Meaning it can be sold to pay off its larger creditors. They would be
more likely to be prioritized in a case like this.
What the Publisher Has to Say

rCLMy name is Nicole Lindroos, co-owner of Green Ronin Publishing. Diamond Comic DistributorsrCO recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy has impacted
over 100 independent publishers, including Green Ronin, putting us in a
very precarious position. Diamond is attempting to use a legal
technicality to claim ownership of millions of dollars worth of
consigned inventory, which amounts to several hundreds of thousands of
dollars for Green Ronin Publishing alone. This is stock that we still
own and have not been paid for.

This is a dire financial threat to our company, not just today, but
well into the future. We must secure legal representation immediately
before the deadline to do so passes.

While there is no rCLgoodrCY time for someone to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of your property to sell for the benefit of
their biggest creditors, it is especially challenging given that Gen Con
is weeks away. Gen Con is not just a convention for us, itrCOs our most important annual event for connecting with TTRPG enthusiasts, our
business partners, and our community, and this year is no exception.
WerCOre launching new products and have already committed significant
funds to cover everything from booth space, travel (flights, rooms), and
most critically, the production of new books and merchandise
specifically for the show floor.

DiamondrCOs bankruptcy and this legal action also mean that Green
Ronin has lost its book trade distributor. We are looking for a new
partner, but that will take some time. Book trade sales of literary
licenses, currently The Fifth Season and The Expanse, are a key part of
our strategies for those games. This is especially bad timing for The
Fifth Season RPG because we recently received final approvals from N.K. Jemisin and the game is ready to go to print.

We simply donrCOt have the cash on hand to do all of this, pay for an attorney, or participate in any collective legal actions with other
publishers in our same position.

The banks are stopping at nothing to wring every last dollar out of Diamond rCo including taking several hundreds of thousands of dollars
worth of Green Ronin product to sell in order to pay DiamondrCOs debts rCo
but they canrCOt do that, and werCOve got a legal agreement that says as
much. Now, we just need to secure a law firm to represent us in the courts.

The funds raised through this campaign will be used directly to
cover the escalating legal fees associated with fighting DiamondrCOs claim
in bankruptcy court. This includes attorney retainers, court filing
fees, and the costs of pursuing every possible avenue to recover our
inventory and protect Green RoninrCOs assets.rCY

And yeah, the timing of all of this couldnrCOt be worse for RPG
publishers. As Green RoninrCOs co-owner, Nicole Lindroos emphasizes, Gen
Con is one of the biggest events in tabletop gaming. And itrCOs right
around the corner.

As is a scheduled hearing with the Bankruptcy court. The set is date as
July 21st to hear objections from vendors involved in DiamondrCOs case.
Now, Green Ronin, Paizo, and more than a hundred other vendors have
precious little time to put objections together. Every second and every
dollar seems to count in this whirlwind of a case.
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