Convention Gaming as Advertising

[tj333]

Here's the situation. A local anime convention is looking for people to be running games at it this year. They just want more games and have additional space set aside for games this year. It looks like a good thing for me since my game is anime based as well.

Now the idea. My game is as of yet unpublished, unnamed, but it has been playtested and is looking good.
The idea is I will run the game at the convention and sell copies of my game. What I will sell is a simple yet well done booklet for $2 that has a $5 off coupon in the back. The idea of this is get them waiting and watching for the game to come out next year or even late this year. The only cost to me will be $3 off every copy of the game ($20 market price when done) I sell here and $50 for additional advertisements at the con and around town.

The main flaw of the game at this time is lack of setting, artwork, and there is nothing inherent in the game to makes it kickass. Fun yes, but not kickass.

So any suggestions?
Specifically: Do you think doing this with an incomplete game will do more harm then good? Suggestions for how many different demo game setups I should have on hand for a 500+ attendees 3 day convention?

[TonyLB]

The main flaw of the game at this time is lack of setting, artwork, and there is nothing inherent in the game to makes it kickass. Fun yes, but not kickass.

Setting ... feh.  Artwork?  Who cares.  But no Kickass?  That's a problem.  You gotta have a whole dripping six pack of pressurized, nitrogen cooled kickass ready to spray wildly on anyone even in the vicinity of your demo.  You need people halfway across the con to be saying "Hey!  What the hell is this feeling that I'm getting, listening to that raucous shouting and laughter down the hall?  Why ... I do believe it's kickass!  I want to go get my ass kicked by that demo!"

I've got a humorous tone, but my overall point is dead serious:  If you aren't going into the convention convinced that you have the greatest demo ever created then you'd better have some goal for the convention other than making sales, because you aren't going to make many.  People will read that lack of confidence at a hundred paces.  There are plenty of good alternate plans, though:  like, say, going to the convention in order to hone your demo until it is the greatest one ever created.

Suggestions for how many different demo game setups I should have on hand for a 500+ attendees 3 day convention?

All you need is one really, really good one.  So good that people will happily queue up to do the same demo, again.

[Luke]

If your game's not done, don't sell it. Demo it, sure, but don't sell it. Spend the money you would have used on the booklets for stickers or postcards with your website address. Hand them out to people who sit at your table and strew them about the con.

[MatrixGamer]

First and foremost have fun running your game. Cons are expensive but fun to do.

You could look at this as a chance to play test. You can never get enough of that!

Chris Engle
Hamster Press = Engle Matrix Games

[Josh Roby]

Or do what I did this last weekend: use this as an opportunity to see how the whole "con" thing works, and figure out how you're going to optimize your approach for when you do have a game-in-hand to sell.

[tj333]

Okay I think I got this figured out now.

I won't do a preview book though I will get some business cards and post cards with the web site on them to hand out during the con. Also I will take a names and emails from people that want to be notified of the game's release.

Why ... I do believe it's kickass!"

Point made there Tony. One pressurized six pack of kickass coming up for the con.

[VirtualBasement]

It's also a great opportunity to talk to anime fans about your game and figure out the best way to advertise to them if you're looking for crossover.

I do agree that you should do demos, even if you don't have printed copies of the game.  get the word of mouth going.

[David "Czar Fnord" Artman]

I'd say that, if you can't finish the whole book--System, Setting, and all--then at least finish a "player's guide" that summarizies major concepts, character creation rules, and any "charts and graphs" that a player needs to play your game.

And if you can't finish THAT, at least get a two-sided, one-page handout finished that summarizies rules or reference charts even more succintly, but has some space devoted to promotion of your game's "kick-ass-ness" and uniqueness.

In short, give them SOMETHING... and the more utility that something has, then more likely it will be kept. If you just hand out an "ad flyer," it's going to be trash. There's got to be something the player can USE in the handout, something worth keeping--even if it's merely a very nice "mini poster" on one side of the single sheet, with the back side devoted just to promotional material. That's not as good as actual usable content or rule systems on the handout (i.e. the handout as a type of reference material), but it's at least a value add (the handout as a decoration) over a mere ad flyer (the handout as spam... and trash).

Hope this helps;
David