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Independent Game Forums => Adept Press => Topic started by: Ron Edwards on April 06, 2005, 11:10:18 AM

Title: [Trollbabe] Sales spike
Post by: Ron Edwards on April 06, 2005, 11:10:18 AM
I'm not sure why, but Trollbabe has been selling like hotcakes for about a month. I wonder why? Usually such things happen due to a review at a widely-visited site, or to an advertisement or reference in someone else's game.

Dogs, maybe? It includes some kind & appropriate references to Trollbabe.

Or perhaps one of the extra-Forge discussion venues had a Trollbabe-specific exchange?

Best,
Ron
Title: [Trollbabe] Sales spike
Post by: Larry L. on April 06, 2005, 11:12:19 AM
I broke down and bought, seeing as the alleged print version may be a while.
http://www.indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=14549

I'm only one customer though.
Title: [Trollbabe] Sales spike
Post by: Brennan Taylor on April 06, 2005, 11:39:21 AM
I'd love to see a print edition of this sometime. For some reason, I never get around to playing the PDF games I buy. Something about a book sitting on the shelf motivates me to run a game.
Title: [Trollbabe] Sales spike
Post by: Rausch on April 06, 2005, 01:43:01 PM
Hi Ron,
I'm a part of that sales surge. Like Larry, it was the recent discussion of a print version that prompted me do it. I'd been holding out for one, thinking I wouldn't feel the value of my money spent on a pdf. But seeing a print version will be a long while off if it happens at all, I broke down. It seems odd to me now that I waited. Having only given it a cursory read, the $10 already seems well spent.

If you do go ahead with a print version (and I've gotten some good use out of the game by then) it's likely I'll be part of that sales surge too.
Thanks,
Jesse
Title: [Trollbabe] Sales spike
Post by: Rob MacDougall on April 06, 2005, 01:46:50 PM
I'm in a multi-session game of Trollbabe that's started up recently and we've talked it up a little at 20x20 Room and some of its affiliated LiveJournals. I doubt we have true hotcake power, though. I think it's also getting namedropped at Vincent's blog. Vincent's blog plus Dogs could well be the vector.

It's also just a great game, mind you. That's gotta count for something.
Title: [Trollbabe] Sales spike
Post by: lumpley on April 06, 2005, 02:57:00 PM
Well don't look at me. Dogs' sales are spiking too. I mean, I suppose maybe Dogs' spike is leading Trollbabe's, but even if so that wouldn't explain the spike in general.

I wonder how broad it is. Anybody else?

-Vincent
Title: [Trollbabe] Sales spike
Post by: Andrew Norris on April 06, 2005, 04:57:14 PM
I'm a data point. I bought a copy last month, because I couldn't find the copy I'd gotten a year ago, and I somehow had multiple Forge Bookshelf accounts.  (I just like giving Ron money, I guess -- I lose Sorcerer supplements every time I move).

I picked up a copy to run one-on-one with my fiancee. Now that I think about it, seeing it mentioned in the back of Dogs might have been what brought the idea into my head.
Title: [Trollbabe] Sales spike
Post by: Keith Senkowski on April 06, 2005, 05:16:35 PM
Ron,

I was looking for something to run with my wife since she doesn't reallly play much anymore (and niether do I for that matter) and was reminded by Dogs.  I figured it was about time I buy a copy since it will be perfect for us.  However, I doubt it will be Trollbabe, but rather Damphyr (or however you spell it).  Same principle (character is the destabilizing element between two "worlds"), just more to here sensabilities.

Keith
Title: [Trollbabe] Sales spike
Post by: sirogit on April 06, 2005, 07:13:46 PM
I'm another random statistic.

I was thinking "Hmm, you know, I'd really like to nail down the most basic elements to having a cool Nar game. Hey, doesn't Trollbabe have stuff like that?"

I do think that the print discussion and DitV ad played a part in refreshing itself in my mind, though.
Title: [Trollbabe] Sales spike
Post by: MarcoBrucale on April 07, 2005, 05:39:38 AM
Quoteoriginally poted by sirogit:
I was thinking "Hmm, you know, I'd really like to nail down the most basic elements to having a cool Nar game. Hey, doesn't Trollbabe have stuff like that?"

Exactly what I thought, too. Maybe I'm a statistical anomaly (always wanted to be one) but I don't own DitV and I wasn't influenced by the print discussion.

BTW, Trollbabe is 100% pure gold, as all the other material by Ron Edwards I own.

bye
MB
Title: [Trollbabe] Sales spike
Post by: lumpley on April 07, 2005, 01:56:09 PM
Matt Wilson tells me that he is not experiencing a spike. This surprises me; last two times I had a spike, he did too.

Any other publishers?

-Vincent
Title: [Trollbabe] Sales spike
Post by: Eero Tuovinen on April 07, 2005, 02:04:41 PM
Well, Arkkikivi had a spike (we're mostly retail, though). Although if my humongous news-letter a couple of weeks ago didn't cause it, then I'm rather screwed and on the mercy of international markets.

I bought Trollbabe earlier this spring (a couple of months ago), and it was just because I remembered it's existence on an opportune moment. No particular inspiration.
Title: [Trollbabe] Sales spike
Post by: Paul Czege on April 07, 2005, 02:23:19 PM
Matt Wilson tells me that he is not experiencing a spike. This surprises me; last two times I had a spike, he did too.

Any other publishers?


No spike.

Paul
Title: [Trollbabe] Sales spike
Post by: Sölvi on April 07, 2005, 02:24:16 PM
The low value of the dollar is probably a contributing factor. I just bought a number of games through IPR because of that. (And the service there was excellent, incidentally).
Title: Experienced GM seeks new trollbabers
Post by: b_bankhead on April 07, 2005, 06:19:24 PM
Hey has this sales spike also lead to a play spike?  If so would new Trollbabers(?) like to play online with an experienced player and GM?
Lately I play online at the #indierpgs channel on magicstar.net  , where some of the leading lights in indie gaming also hang out.
Title: Re: Experienced GM seeks new trollbabers
Post by: sirogit on April 10, 2005, 10:56:02 PM
Quote from: b_bankheadHey has this sales spike also lead to a play spike?  If so would new Trollbabers(?) like to play online with an experienced player and GM?
Lately I play online at the #indierpgs channel on magicstar.net  , where some of the leading lights in indie gaming also hang out.

I put a set-up thread for such on the indie-netgamign board.
Title: [Trollbabe] Sales spike
Post by: JamesDJIII on April 14, 2005, 08:33:55 PM
I just purchased my copy... and wow!- Good job Ron.

I was spurred to purchase over my initial "that's darn geeky" reaction to the title by a description of the conflict resolution as opposed to task resolution mechanics.

Just finished reading it... thanks again Ron for a good product worth every buck I spent.
Title: [Trollbabe] Sales spike
Post by: remi on April 19, 2005, 03:44:39 AM
Hi all,

as they say in the gross point blank movie "long time listnener, first time caller". (i.e., long time reader, first time poster, and long time gamer, recent indie gamer).

I bought Sorcerer several years ago in Paris. I cant' explain why but I was not excited about pdf.

Then, Wushu has been translated in french and I bought the pdf recently.
It was an eye opener (both the game and the distribution mode).
In the past few months, I have bought numerous indie games (InSpectres,
Elfs, TSOF, TROS, Cats,...). One of them is Trollbabe, I bought it for
many reasons, one of them is this sentence in TSOY "(In Ron Edwards' Trollbabe, this is called the free-and-clear stage.)"

--Remi

PS: Ron and Clinton thank you for this web site.
Title: [Trollbabe] Sales spike
Post by: matthijs on April 19, 2005, 04:49:45 AM
I bought one right now, as a result of this thread :) If everyone else is doing it, I want to do it too. See, that's why I like indie games, we're all individuals making our well-informed choices, not affected by what other people say is cool and hot right now, and uh...
Title: [Trollbabe] Sales spike
Post by: Ron Edwards on April 19, 2005, 08:36:04 AM
Hi everyone,

Although a number of the recent purchases remain unexplained, a lot of them now seem to be the result of cross-reference advertising and mentions in other games. Which is a very good thing, and perhaps a little payback for all the advertising I do in my games.

Note to self: get more Sorcerer, Elfs, and Trollbabe ads into upcoming games. Also: continue non-reciprocal advertising (i.e., not demanding anything) for existing and upcoming games in all Adept titles.

Best,
Ron