Universalis Sales Data

[Valamir]

b]Year by Year Uni sales:
 

2002:<2003:   Second printing of 750 units was available in January.  In May I started using RPGMall as a delivery channel in addition to direct sales.  Total 2003 sales = 192 of which 9% were at conventions and 21% through RPGMall.  The rest were direct through me.

2004:   In May of 2004 I began using Key20.  The additional sales through distribution was an immediate boost to volume.  Total 2004 sales = 349 of which 6% was through conventions, 47% through Key 20 and 11% through RPGMall.

2005:<2006: <2007: <2008:  

2002:<2003:   Second printing of 750 units was available in January.  In May I started using RPGMall as a delivery channel in addition to direct sales.  Total 2003 sales = 192 of which 9% were at conventions and 21% through RPGMall.  The rest were direct through me.

2004:   In May of 2004 I began using Key20.  The additional sales through distribution was an immediate boost to volume.  Total 2004 sales = 349 of which 6% was through conventions, 47% through Key 20 and 11% through RPGMall.

2005:<2006: <2007: <2008:

[Eero Tuovinen]

Interesting data, that. Thanks for sharing it. My initial feeling is that I'd keep the game in stock via another reprint if I were in your stead, but there are good arguments either way.

[David Artman]

Hard to recommend a short-run reprint, these days. What's your minimum order, and what opportunity costs do you incur from tied-up funds (compare print costs against potential interest earned form other investments, diminished according to average sales rates). If you can put that cash into a nice mutual fund (I recommend emerging economies and Asian markets, for the time being) and go with Lulu for Uni, it's a win-win for you. Maybe consider spending some of your investment interest on advertising, to prime the pump further.

Do you know any accountants who'd do a cost/benefit analysis for you? The math's not hard, you just have to know how to punch the numbers into a financial calculator....

[Tony Irwin]

I can't believe it's been six years.

The way you describe it - it's kind of sold itself. I didn't know about the board game geek experience (although I think I remember reading a review about it there.) Are there other markets (like the board games market) that are close to yet different from the RPG market where you could push it? Perhaps even capitalise on the "But is it really an RPG?" guff. There must be a whole world of people who wouldn't touch an RPG but would try Universalis (I've reached that point now). What about online Star Trek communities, or LoTR communities, or Anime. People who have some commitment to celebrating and sharing fiction with each other but not gaming. (as opposed to gaming but no story, like board gamers.)

Or what about the whole world creation aspect to it - really pushing it as a supplement to the game world and campaign that a group is already playing in. I did this with L5r successfully and repeatedly - I've read lots of people doing simillar on the forums. What if you targeted D&D folks or Hero Quest folks with it.

Switching to Lulu and PDFs kind of seems like a step down. If you go with PDFs obviously it will make it a lot easier for, say, the whole RPG.net community to buy a copy for the sake of checking it out when ever there's a review of it. Is there a way you could at least use it as a "calling card" for your other games? In a PDF you'd be free to add in a quick play version of Robots & Rapiers.

I've no experience in any of this - just chucking out ideas. Its been thrilling to watch the success of an incredible game, with a superb rule book.

[David Artman]

Switching to Lulu ... kind of seems like a step down.

Out of curiosity, why is this so? Having handled books from Lulu and Universalis (Revised) itself, I find little difference in quality.

I can agree with you on the PDF front: I don't value a PDF nearly as much as a book--hence the reason I haven't ever bought one--and the free PDF/HTML games that I find online, I invariably format for print and print-out. The only PDF game I "own," I got for free: Vincent e-mailed Mechaton to me so I wouldn't have to wait for the physical book to begin reading.