thread: 2012-03-21 : Monster Mania Con: barriers to interest
On 2012-03-21, Troy_Costisick wrote:
Heya Vincent,
I have a few thoughts on this. First, I have to wonder if Monster Mainia Con was the right place to get the books in the hands of your target audience. If $10 was too much to spend on a piece of entertainment for the con-goers, would any RPG of good quality be right for them? Wouldn't part of your target audience be "someone willing to spend $10?" I'm not asking this to be snide or anything; I'm asking genuinely. Indie publishing had done a great job of lowering the costs to produce a good quality game, but at $10 you're starting to bump against the lowest limit where a large enough profit can still be made. Did you guys happen to do a half-price discount the last day to see if it really was price that kept some of the con attendees away?
Second, do you think using the term "Story Game" may have been a more effective marketing technique than using "roleplaying game?" I don't know how much of a negative connotation RPGs have anymore thanks to stuff like WoW, EverQuest, and Final Fantasy. But do you think Story Game might have hooked them better?
Third, I know that Paul Czege has spent a TON of time selling RPGs at non-RPG conventions. Or, at least he used to. I have no doubt he has some really good insights into how to appeal to non-gamers. Have you had any conversations with him on the topic?
Fourth, as usual, everything Chris said makes perfect sense to me. Vincent and/or Chris, do you think if the books were in a box it would have mattered to the con-goers? Would that have looked more like a game to them?
Peace,
-Troy
