D&D Snobs and Marketing your Game

[MarktheAnimator]

Hello,
Again, more good advice.

thx. :)

[Bankuei]

Hi folks,

Advertisers discovered the mechanism of brand loyalty;  a product or a lifestyle becomes a part of a person's self image and identity.  With that, people tend to get very defensive and protective of anything associated with that.  Folks also seek to convert others to their views in order to reinforce their self image.

Any major product, or game, is sold first on the image that it provides;  the perception of the what it supposedly is about.  For me, I saw the ad for Basic D&D in a comic book, and it showed a lone warrior taking on a giant dragon alone, to which my 8 year old mind said, "Cool!"  Whether the system or game actually produces the experience is secondary to whether folks continue to believe in the image it creates.

Another point of the defensiveness is that it becomes a source of pride with that identity.  Ask any person who only plays a certain kind of game and they'll pour innumerable "reasons" why their game(they, themselves are) better than the others.

Is this all completely irrational?  Yes.  But that's how folks are.  What this means for you is:

1) If your main concern is selling games, then marketing is prime, product is second.  Image is everything.

2) There is no benefit to attempting to convert people or "open their minds".  Present your game, and there will always be somebody, somewhere who will try it out.  

Think of it like elections; your best bet is to present your game to the "swing voters" not the fanatics.  There's no point in being frustrated with trying to have a conversation with someone who isn't listening and has already made up their mind.  Suggesting anything else is percieved as a direct attack on their self identity, so they react defensively.

Chris

[LoreTG]

I do agree that image is important..but an accurate image. I for one bought the basic D and D set for the same reasons Bankuei did. I saw the lone warrior fighting the dragon and thought "I want to do that!" Therefore I bought the game almost immediatly. At the time I was ignorant of roleplaying, and when I discovered that the image presented was not a true liklihood of the mechanics I was gravely dissapointed and it actually seriously damaged my opinion of D and D.  To this day I am still not a big D and D fan, and I hold that image partially responsible. So, although I agree with the importance of image, make sure it is an accurate one.

[MarktheAnimator]

Hello,
The reason I bought D&D was because I overheard a conversation on a bus about somebody's adventure (they were raiding a tomb and had to fight some skeletons).  Wow!  That was cool!  So I went out and bought the game.

ok, so if the image is so important, are we talking about the cover art?

I've spent years looking for a great artist.  I finally found one.  He charges lots of $$$.  While I've heard that you shouldn't pay too much for your artists, I've found that most of the pros charge pretty much the same prices.

Also, I went out and bought a package deal for a bunch of images based on the portfolios I saw.  While the art was excellent, I didn't think most of it fit well with the game.  So directing your artists is also important.

So do you think the product's image is mostly a function of the cover art, the internal art, or the other stuff inside?  

Also, while the product's image is important in getting them to buy it initially, do you think the quality of the product (how fun it is) will be important as well?  At least in getting the customers to recommend the game?  After all, one sale should multiply by 5 if they love the game, because thats how many players most people have.

I've also found that the image of a game is not only in the artwork, it is also in what people say about it.  
I've always hated listening to conversations about games that included lots of game mechanics, so I've always strived for a system design that allowed you to play the game without having to talk rules all of the time.

I've heard that people are either visual, kinesthetic, or audio, so perhaps the image of your product that you project should appeal to all three?


Perhaps we should start a new thread on this.....

[LoreTG]

Yes - image is important. We have spent countless hours sweating over what will be good cover art for Lore: Uprising.  A well covered professionaly bound book goes along way. A potential customer who has never heard of your game might pick it up to at least glance through it based on looks alone. I know that is why I picked up Vampire. I saw the green cover with the rose and thought "That looks cool...wonder what this is," and I ended up walking out of the store with it.
Reader opinion is just as vital. I can not tell you how many games I have bought because a friend of mine told me about how well the game was done. Where image will get people to look at your game, gamer opinion will get people to either buy it or blacklist it despite the image. You could have the prettiest bok in the world, but if you system is subpar you are wasting your time.
The multiply x5 is a good thought to keep in mind, but a bit optomistic in my own cynical opinion...lol. How many times did you simply use your friends books because you did not want to shell out $30....lol. But I digress...lol.
It comes down to a package - you want to have a well designed and well imaged product, but it needs to be solid as well. The two will feed off each other. Image will get you a good first impression, but system/setting will give you staying power....This is all in my opinion of course though...lol

[Bankuei]

Hi folks,

When I refer to image, its the entire way the game or product is "spun" in terms of media promotion.  A good deal of that is producing the perception of "community", which is what a lot of the conventions, tournaments, magazines, online forums, "Living Campaigns" and LARPS are aimed at.  The more popular it "seems" the more people get interested into it.  The key point is that each of these things reinforces advertising the game itself.

If you can generate interest in the game, in enough people, over enough time, you will have sales.  Most gamers buy games never having played them, never knowing if the game actually will suit their needs or if the system does anything that the back cover says it will.  You simply need to keep folks hearing about it until they are willing to lay down cash to see for themselves.

Now, the long term issue of actual content; its about what people perceive about your game.  Most rpgs are missing major sections on how to actually play(if you've never played before), most have really wonky systems or bad writing, which is why games often have serious errata or tons of house rules floating around.  In some cases, people are literally selling incomplete games.  But this is never seen as a problem amongst the fans, its either overlooked or considered a "feature", not a bug.  As long as people are willing to do so, they'll keep playing it and supporting it regardless of content.  A lot of players are still waiting for the magic day when their fighter levels up to the point to take on that dragon...

It's creating this sense of ongoing community and identification with the product that produces the die-hard fans.  When you attack D&D, or White Wolf, or whatever game is the this person's "fan favorite", they take it as a personal attack on who they are.  The same thing happens if you happen to diss a band that someone likes.  It's instantly "transferred" to an insult of them personally.

Now, smaller games also can produce this sense of (rabid) community.  Check out how fierce things get for Riddle of Steel!  Along with the establishment of a community, there will instantly appear folks who hate it for no real reason.  While both the fanatical supporters and detractors rarely have anything meaningful to say that really informs people about what the game is about, what it does do is produce continued curiosity and interest in the game, and more people buy it.  Oftentimes its just to see what the hell is it about this game that gets everyone riled up.

All in all, this is less of a matter about individual aspects of artwork, layout, etc., and best looked at in the sense of marketing;  You're looking at an overall message being conveyed by all forms of media.  If you're looking to do the small, long term sales, such as most of the games here, then you're looking at building a strong community and letting that be the source of most of your promotion.  If you're looking at doing larger sales, then its simply a matter of mass marketing and distributing, and focusing on the perception of the game.

Just remember, if you're out to create rabid fans either way, the only difference between your rabid fans and those of D&D(or Whitewolf, or whoever) is who's pocket they're filling.  They're still just as likely to be obnoxious and crazed as any.

Chris