Dread: The Second Coming

[rafael]

This is going to be a weekend of seconds for Dread.  This is the second month that it's been in print, I just sold out of my first print run and had to order a second one, and I'm going to be attending my second convention.

The first month was interesting.  Order fulfillment was a learning experience.  I finally settled on Saturday morning post-office runs, to keep from getting gouged at places like Mailboxes And Robbery or whatever it's called.

I went to a convention -- Trinoc*Con, Durham, North Carolina -- and it was a blast.  Andy wrote up his experiences, and as soon as I can get my head together, I'll do the same.  There's nothing like explaining your game to total strangers in five minutes and they're like, yeah, let's play, let's do this, let's set something on fire.  Exhilirating.

The online sales have been good.  Steady and sure, and there's been some good feedback as well.  One thing I tackled was local game store sales.

At Trinoc*Con, I met and gamed with a guy who (as it turns out) works in a game shop downtown.  So he emails me a few days after the con, says his boss wants to talk to me.  I talk to the guy's boss, he buys five copies sight unseen.  The gods are with me.  He wants another five, as the first batch sold out.  I am turning less of a profit on each sale, naturally, but that's okay, because I'm reaching an audience that I'd otherwise miss.

This weekend's convention, MACE (High Point, NC), is a gaming convention at which I'll be selling Dread.  I've got a booth (a folding card table with a "spooky" black tablecloth), marketing materials (some "photocopied" fliers), and an assistant (my "infinitely patient" woman).

Anyone with any kind of con experience (hawking wares, buying wares that were hawked) should feel free to offer any and all advice.  I'm scouring the boards, looking for the heads-up, but offer me counsel and I shall accept with humility and gratitude.

Basically, I've turned a profit, I'm writing some checks to my artists tonight, and I'm looking forward to shaking hands with new friends this weekend.

Notion: It can be done.

Word is bond,

Rafael

[S.Lonergan]

good to hear!

-- Seamus

[Demonspahn]

Excellent Rafael!

No con advice here, but I've been meaning to PM you to say how cool Dread is.  Still digesting all the background material/demon info but I talked to my players (who have been in search-and-destroy mode lately) about it and they're jumpin' to kick some demonic tail.

Anyway, glad to hear you sold out on your first run.  Even more glad to hear you're turning a profit.  Hope future print runs go so well.

Pete

PS - Great touch, the demon changing his name.

[rafael]

Still digesting all the background material/demon info but I talked to my players (who have been in search-and-destroy mode lately) about it and they're jumpin' to kick some demonic tail.

Search-and-destroy... I like the sound of that.  If you get a chance, let me know how that goes.  I'm all about some searching and then the destruction.

Night before the con.  Ready to rumble!

-- Rafael

[xiombarg]

Night before the con.  Ready to rumble!

I met Raf -- totally unexpectedly -- at the con (MACE)! I tried to get the word out about Dread, but I dunno if it upped his sales any; the price-point was a stickler for a lot of my friends at the con. Regardless, I'm digesting the game and already planning on running it.

Reading Dread, I've been impressed by its single-minded focus on a lot of the issues we discuss here at the Forge, like player protagonism and social contract, laid out in plain, easy-to-understand language, in some cases in only a couple of concise paragraphs. Definately a model to emulate. Raf, I'm considering pitching Dread to my players as "furious Hong Kong action meets splatterpunk"... do you think that's accurate?

(Vaguely off-topic, I should have some Actual Play comments from the con fairly soon, too.)

[rafael]

I met Raf -- totally unexpectedly -- at the con (MACE)! I tried to get the word out about Dread, but I dunno if it upped his sales any; the price-point was a stickler for a lot of my friends at the con. Regardless, I'm digesting the game and already planning on running it.

Hey!  Yeah!  It was a real pleasant surprise to run across another Forge person (Forgite?  Forger?  Hephaestian?) at the con.  And thanks for putting the word out.

I know what you mean about the price point.  Tell you the truth, I had to think on it long and hard during the publishing process.  Ultimately, I decided that if a hardcover's about twenty-five or thirty bucks, and if going to a flick with a few friends will cost the group about twenty-five or thirty bucks, then a game can cost about the same.  Figured if no one bought it because it was too expensive, I could just give copies to people for Christmas, save myself the horror of going to the mall on Christmas Eve like last year...

Reading Dread, I've been impressed by its single-minded focus on a lot of the issues we discuss here at the Forge, like player protagonism and social contract, laid out in plain, easy-to-understand language, in some cases in only a couple of concise paragraphs. Definately a model to emulate. Raf, I'm considering pitching Dread to my players as "furious Hong Kong action meets splatterpunk"... do you think that's accurate?

Thanks for the kind words!  Furious Hong Kong action meets splatterpunk...  I like the sound of that.  A lot.  In fact, I may rip that line off, since I don't really have a concise description like that -- when people ask about Dread, it's always a different answer.  But I think that's an excellent pitch.  That cool with you, if I quote you?

All told, I must say I had a lot of fun at the con.  It was a good way to meet new people.  I distributed dozens of fliers, met some wonderful people, and sold a few copies.  I even spoke with someone who wants to talk about the possibility of LARP rules for Dread at another local con next year.

One thing I'm really thrilled about is, I got to meet Greg Porter, author of Macho Women With Guns.  It was great.  We talked about gaming, and he told me about his new system (EABA, the End-All Be-All game system).  He studied a copy of Dread, asked a lot of serious questions, and we chatted about marketing and so on.  Then, he asked if I'd be willing to trade games.  I was like, hell yeah.  So he handed me a copy of EABA, and I gave him a copy of Dread.  Traded email addresses.  Real nice guy.

So, all told, the con was a blast, and I'd recommend attending a con in your area.  I don't think I'll be traveling to any cons outside North Carolina anytime soon, but thus far, the two locals that I've attended have been well worth it.  Made contacts, sold product, got the name out there, met a Forgette.  All very cool.

Word is bond,

Rafael

[xiombarg]

Thanks for the kind words!  Furious Hong Kong action meets splatterpunk...  I like the sound of that.  A lot.  In fact, I may rip that line off, since I don't really have a concise description like that -- when people ask about Dread, it's always a different answer.  But I think that's an excellent pitch.  That cool with you, if I quote you?

You're quite welcome to quote me on that...

All told, I must say I had a lot of fun at the con.  It was a good way to meet new people.  I distributed dozens of fliers, met some wonderful people, and sold a few copies.  I even spoke with someone who wants to talk about the possibility of LARP rules for Dread at another local con next year.

One should never underestimate the power of the con circuit...