You'd tell the retailer ...

[Ron Edwards]

Hi there,

I'm looking for constructive suggestions for what you think a game-store retailer ought to know about Sorcerer.

Blurbs are best - one or two lines.

Remember, these guys aren't interested in playing the game, but in moving it. What do they need to know that helps them understand that the game isn't just a hype-based point-and-shoot short-term thing?

Actual-play based comments are useful insofar as they represent something about that issue.

Best,
Ron

[Blake Hutchins]

Some ideas here, Ron.  Good luck.

Fast-moving, easy to learn rules and an innovative perspective on the structure of play makes Sorcerer a game for intense character development and storytelling, one that can be customized to any setting.

A pithy take is: Easy entry, deep play, innovative system.

A marketing monkey take might be: Now in hard copy after enjoying years of underground popularity as an electronic book sold over the internet, Sorcerer brings its innovative, streamlined system to give players the creative tools to create compelling stories and worlds of dark glory and otherworldly passions.

Best,

Blake

[dunlaing]

Well, based on what happened when I asked a local retailer if they had it, I'd say "It should only cost $20" would be good. Also, "You might want to put it in your inventory system as both 'Sorceror' and 'Sorcerer' if you want your surly sales people to be able to find it when someone asks."

They said they could order it, but it would cost $30.

[Ron Edwards]

Hi,

They said they could order it, but it would cost $30.

What?? Jesus. They're lying through their teeth.

This is why direct-order exists. I'm all for supporting one's local retailer who makes an effort to provide a service, but stores like this are literally nothing but parasites on the hobby.

Back to the regularly-scheduled program ...

Blake, those are pretty good parallels to the copy I used at the last couple of GAMA shows. Anything else?

Best,
Ron

[GreatWolf]

Is there access to demoers?  I do know that you provide demo materials (Lincoln High and In Utero, IIRC).  Would this be a selling point to include?

Seth Ben-Ezra
Great Wolf

[Sidhain]

Don't. Please. Use the word innovative. It's /way/ overused in gaming and while may very well be apt for Sorcerer--try something else. Find a positive review and ask to quote that review, or other similar things.

[Gordon C. Landis]

Game store retailer?  Who sells to traditional gamers?  Uh - does that mean we consider the sorta thing that might seem a bit . . . simplistic?

Like "Supports a contemporary horror setting like the WoD, but with REAL darkness and YOU control the world."  And "Powerful demon-summoning magicians done right - power really does come at the the price of Humanity (a defined-by-the-group in-game stat)."  And "Rules that really support and encourage roleplaying, at all levels."

"An easy-to-use but sophisticated game engine that puts the GM and players in control of what's really FUN about roleplaying.  And once you get the hang of it, it's very extendable - there are supplements available that extend it to pulp fantasy, cyberpunk, and more."

And I think the "Both the player's and the GM get to build the demons that will drive play" is an interesting "marketing" point - everyone in a play group has good reason to own the book, not just the GM.

Not exactly polished copy, but it sounds like you want sound bites that'll play in the standard gamer community.   Referring to other published games and slipping in a cliche or two is generally an asset rather than a drawback, IME.

Gordon

[jburneko]

How about something along the lines of:

"Facilitates the creation of consistent themes without pidgeonholing or dictating your character's actions."

Jesse

[Paul Czege]

Easy entry, deep play...she'll scream your name out loud.

I'm truly sorry Blake.

Paul

[szilard]

Easy entry, deep play...she'll scream your name out loud.

I'm truly sorry Blake.

Paul

Paul,

I think Ron was asking about blurbs for the main book, not the new supplement...

::snicker::

Stuart

[Blake Hutchins]

*ahem* Put your comma back in, Paul.  No worries.

And because I know my own warped sense of humor, I'll forego any further comments lest I end up hijacking the thread.  *laugh*  

Hmmm.  X years in the designing, and out now for Y years, Sorcerer offers a unique alternative to the run of the mill onslaught of mainstream RPG fare.  Perfect for players who want no-holds-barred, sanity-threatening, walk-on-the-dark-side kind of story-intense roleplaying.  Leave your soul at the door, sweetheart, and go gibbering into the night.

Along the personal experience kind of take:  Moments after Sorcerer play started, we were rocketing along, caught up in a helter-skelter mix of demons, imperiled humanity, transgression, and lost innocence.  Very, very cool.  And that's no joke.  This game's like a fuckin' jet engine.

Best,

Blake

[Le Joueur]

I think this would be the place you'd use the "...makes you shudder...then play..." thing.  I forget the actual quote.

Fang Langford

[jburneko]

Just thought of a couple actual play related comments.

"This game moves FAST.  In just a few sessions of weekly play my group had covered as much in-game material that took months or years of play with other systems.  It really cuts to the chase."

Also,

"The results of play were more like a movie or novel than any other game I've played."

Jesse

[Bankuei]

"Dark, dangerous, and deadly...terror isn't from beyond, but within...Welcome to roleplaying without rails, Sorcerer, the game of hard choices between humanity and power, desires and dreams, hell and heroism.  The choice is yours."

A bit dramatic, but I tend to think in terms of movie trailers anyway.

Chris

[M. J. Young]

For retailers; not for gamers. This isn't about why you would play the game (as important as that is) but about why you need to have it on the shelves.

I'd mention the "prestigious Diana Jones Award". Hey, I'm not impressed so much by awards myself, but if you're a retailer you need something that tells you this game is different from several hundred others, and the fact that the author won such an award is a definite indicator.

--M. J. Young