[GenCon] People Selling Games, A Heads Up

[Andy Kitkowski]

I was preparing some adventures for demos, but realized that most of the stuff I'm going to run is going to be of the top of my head anyway. I just needed character sheets for all the games I was planning on running.

I was about to print out a bunch myself, but I was hoping that the folks selling stuff out there could pick up that slack.  It would help, if you're planning on selling a game, to bring at least 40-100 character sheets or more. Think 3 poeple per demo, 10+ demos, plus extra for the after-con games and the like.

Last year, a lot of the sit-down demo time was wasted by having the players copy the stat/skill/blank names from the character sheet in the book onto loose leaf before we began the actual playing. That's a few minutes of boredom that we need to turn into faster play.

So please, for the demo-ers, and for yourself, bring blank character sheets.  Lots of them. For great justice.

That is all.

-Andy

[TonyLB]

Or laminate just a few, and bring china markers to write and tissue to clean.

But then, of course, people can't take the character sheets as souvenirs.  So there's pros and cons.

[Adam Dray]

Character sheets are advertisement. Gamers take them home with them. Even if they ran out of money and couldn't buy your produce, they'll remember your demo and have the reminder of the sheet in their bag when they get home. When the next pay check comes, they might buy your game.

Make sure you put a web address on the sheet, somewhere bold and conspicuous, for them to get more info and buy your game!  It's an ad, not just a play aid.

[daMoose_Neo]

I already intended on bringing a good deal of pre-gens.
Imp creation can be a hilarious process, but it is time consuming. A pre-gen with a couple blanks that can be filled in though should set anyone running Mischief & Mayhem up just fine.
For folks who have some really cool chargen bits you want to show off, that'd be the better way to do it,  structure the sheets so that the players get to do the cool thing and then leap into play.

[Larry L.]

Even if they ran out of money and couldn't buy your produce,

This is a delightful typo. I envision customers thumping on game books to see if they're ripe, checking for bruises and blemishes. Paying for games by the pound, wrapping their games in tied-off celophane bags.

Brightened my morning!

Back to your sales discussion, then.

[Adam Dray]

Oops! The thumping image is pretty damned funny. Anyway, back on topic. ;)

[Andy Kitkowski]

I'm not kidding folks- I know there's that KINKOs near the con- Make sure you have enough for booth games, Forger side-games, and after hour games, or be ready to make a KINKOs run.  There are very few games where "Let's draw up a character sheet on notepad paper" can work without interrupting play, but it still looks sloppy as hell. Help us help you sell your game.

I'm outta here, see y'all tomorrow.

-Andy