How they did it (D&D & Vampire)

...and how WE can too.

Branching off from creating a successful rpg line, Zak and I conferred on a few reasons as to why things have gone the way they have in the big leagues. These also provide a map of how we can do the same.

D&D - There is no great reason for TSR's success. They followed 'marketing 101' because D&D existed in a void for several years. Plus it was marketed entirely on the wargaming hobbyist with a splash of Tolkien.
They defined the oft-imitated applecart of Ron's essay. D&D was a good enough product with no competition.

Vampire - That it came around at the right time and gave special attention (and even prestige) to a youth subculture is undeniable. But more subtle and never mentioned is that Vampire was the first 'big league' rpg to make welcome female gamers. Consider the packaging, art and writing. Vampire is not a horror rpg, it is a tragic and romantic one before anything else.

Summation:
Genres of horror, sci-fi, western, post apocalyptic and sword & sorcery fantasy, are all well traveled highways to that desired escape known as 'adventure'.

But about the side-streets like romance, innocence, tragedy, or even comedy?

We should strive to target more than simply a genre audience. As a gamer myself I want more than just sci-fi, I want something from it specifically. And that something' may be subtle or even something not immediately thought of as being related to the genre itself.

Professor Jeff has spoken.
There will be a test.