As we enter my summer convention season, I want as many ways as possible to spread the word about Capes.

My preferred mode of contact, of course, is to get people at a table and demo the system. But, for those who won't put in that amount of time, I figured I'd put together a trifold flyer to try to drag them back to either the demo table or the website. I've got the Interior and Exterior up for people to critique.

One of the things that I can't really tell is whether I should be playing up the ways that it's similar to standard roleplaying games, or the ways that it is different from standard roleplaying games.

My current take on it is "Yeah, it's different, for good and solid reasons of game design... here's what it accomplishes as a result." But I get the feeling (from an obviously imperfect self-editing viewpoint) that it comes across as somewhat defensive... more "Don't criticize me! I meant to do this!" than "Here's what I meant to do, I hope it interests you."

Hiya Tony,

Been reading over your trifold. It seems a bit negative and defensive. If I read this trifold at the con without knowing anything about Capes in advance, I'd pass. Mostly because reading the trifold would make me assume that more people are saying bad things about the game than good things.

Trifold wrote: Is Capes really an RPG?
Play it and find out.

The conflict resolution system in Capes can handle any conflict that two characters might get into. You can say that Dr. FastFoot is ten times faster than Lady Flash. And prove it. Want to convince Professor Braniac to donating a new wing to the Center for Youth Mutants? Capes has that covered.

I read your flyer and I can tell you, I don't think it would make me buy your game if I didn't already have a copy at home. :)

First off... it's too long. At a con, you want people to come to your product and come quickly. I was at Origins this past week and I can tell you, I still have flyers in my bag that I haven't read yet because they were too long! I wasn't going to waste precious gaming or shopping time at a con to read a flyer! The ones that were quick and concise drew my attention. Something small. Something they can read in under a minute.

I think you also focus too much on what it isn't rather than on what it is. This seems like you are down-playing your own game!

You want to draw them to your game? Hand them a pre-made charater that you put together and invite them to a demo for a few minutes. You can tell them that you have a game where they can make a kick ass character in under five minutes. I guarantee more than a few will say "Really? How?" Then you've got them. (My years in sales catching up with me.) ;)

If I were you, I'd take that first paragraph on the interior fold, put that great pic under it, toss the rest and I'd say you're done!

One thing I forgot to mention:

I would say don't compare your game to other games. All it's going to make me do is think about that other game. Especially if I am already familiar with that other game.

All games have similarities. All have differences. I say you should just focus on what your game is.

Okay, I think I'm done. :)

Thank'ya much, folks! That gives me a solid direction to go with (not to mention a well-deserved kick in the seat of the pants to get over my defensiveness). Very helpful!

Keep us updated Tony. We want to see any updated versions.

-Eric

Will do. Newest updates: Interior and Exterior.

Trifold wrote: And for "entertain", of course, you should read "torture."

Hey, ya' remember that time when Superman and Lex Luthor were having that argument about that thing? Luthor got his ass kicked but stood up laughing? Do you think it would have been more fun to play the ass-kicking Superman or the laughing Luthor in that scene?

Glad you like it better! I'm much happier with it too, mostly due to the on-target feedback you guys provided.

As for getting people who aren't interested a'tall... Yeah... that's a hard one for me. I do a much better job with even sixty seconds to demo a fragment of system. I like your idea of a question, though... something nice and tight and punchy, like Vincent's "He's going to go kill the woman that slept with his son, you're standing in his path, now what do you do?" Except, honestly, I like your multiple choice version better, because Vincent's tends to make people go "Uh... drrr... I d'know...." Or maybe that was just me. The multiple choice lets people voice their snap judgment.

Something like "Y'know the end of the X-Men movie when Magneto says 'You know I'll get out' and Patrick Stewart says 'And I'll be waiting.' Who won that exchange?"

Me, personally? I think Magneto, hands down. Magneto wins all their exchanges (except "I feel a great swell of pity for the man who comes to that house looking for trouble"...that's a TKO line if ever I heard one). But other people can reasonably interpret the data differently.

Exactly. Get the passersby to start thinking about comics.

But.

I'm gonna lean back toward my example a bit. The one where Superman kicks ass and Luthor laughs. Two reasons. The first is that it's a classic scene from any superhero & supervillain matchup. Batman kicks Joker's ass and Joker laughs ('course, he always laughs). Spiderman kicks Green Goblin's ass and Goblin laughs. Over and over you see it happen. So, when you mention that scene, everyone who likes comic figures has seen some version of that scene.

The second reason is to illustrate something you can get from Capes that other games can't really give you; A reason to giggle with glee at the foolishness of your opponent when you've just had your ass handed to you. In Capes, Luthor's player laughs at Superman's player because Luthor's player just gained a bucket of power for getting his ass handed to him. Now Luthor's player can reveal that Superman has been wasting his time in the ass-kicking and no longer has the time to stop the bomb that threatens Jimmy Olson's life. And he can back it up with the system.

That's why it's just as fun to play the laughing villain as it is to play the ass-kicking hero and that's why someone should pick up and play Capes.

-Eric

p.s. I'm totally going on actual play threads and what I remember from your design notes for my Capes examples. I picked up my copy at Origins but haven't gone through it yet.

And you used my copy. I'm downright blushing. Without threat of patting myself on the back even a little bit, I have to say I think the "Conflict is Conflict" section is great. It really says what the conflict resolution system is all about.

Yeah, that's pretty neat.

As a systems junkie, I'd love a few more teasing hints dropped about the mechanics: not just the Exemplars bit, but something about Story Tokens and winning-by-losing as well. I suspect a lot of convention-goers will be systems junkies as well, frankly.

Oh, and the "reviewer" blurbs on the back seem a little "this is kinda weird, but..." As if they're your Mom telling you to eat your Brussells Sprouts or something (and I love Brussells Sprouts). Maybe something more unashamedly gushing? At least for the first of the three.

I'm very fond of the reviewer quotes, all of which say (to my mind) "Capes is not cool in any of the ways you're expecting... it is, however, very cool. Cool in an entirely new denomination."

Now see, me, I'd take one look at that and say "Damn! They went out and picked people who have concerns about the system, and even those people are telling me that the system's worth a look. That's both gutsy and revealing."

Which is my justification for doing it by fiat, rather than my opening salvo in an argument about whether or not it's right. My intuition is telling me in no uncertain terms that the guardedly positive quotes are the right way to go.

I feel bad saying that, because I don't like to shut down people who have (a) my best interests at heart and (b) the better intellectual argument. But I've only got one intuition that's my very own, and I've learned to respect it, inconstant as it is.