Timewaster's Guide Archive
Games => Role-Playing Games => Topic started by: 42 on May 01, 2003, 12:04:06 AM
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So I have a theoretical question. If you were the owner/producer of an RPG game, how would you market it to a general audience?
Perhaps it is simply illogical to think that an RPG game could be as popular with the masses as a blockbuster movie, but it would be cool if there was one. Then my enjoyment of lesser known RPGs can be even more elistist.
So according to WotC, there are about 6-10 million RPG players in the world. How could it be a 100 million or more. (That would have to include a diverse demographic of Blacks, Jews, Latinos and girls)
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Lots of PR work. TV ads that concentrate on it's aspect as a fun way to pass time while exercising your mind. Rope it in with CRPG's, point out the connections.
Remove the stigmata attached to the hobby.
Get books out of the comic shops and into the highstreet bookshops. Push for good placement in waterstones, in a prominemt position. The more people who see the nice cover of the PHB, the more players you are likely to get. Many people will pick it up just to see what it is really like. Some, or most, of those will become players.
Set up clubs, where people can form gaming groups. Kinda like what GW has done with the club network.
Interestingly enough, GW's mission statement says that they are aiming to have copies of warhammer in every home in britain. Seems like the entire spectrum of games within the hobby are pushing for mainstream.
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I have a few questions before I can answer.
How much money do we have?
Has our check to the printer cleared?
Are we wanted for bank fraud?
Do we have an offshore bank account on an island that doesn't extradite?
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I would sell it to schools.
As heinous as that sounds I would create a system that is easy to play, non-threatening, adaptable and visually attractive and market it to schools (the same way channel 1 does) targeting 4th-12th graders. I think It can be done if you lose the roleplaying game monniker and call it something educational.
Backed up with an intense media blitz on the net, Radio, TV and in print I would make my game the most accessible and preferred system for gamers.
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I don't think you can. It's like comic books. Surely people would enjoy them, but I don't know I believe they ever will, because they're stubborn. My parents once role played with my brother and I, made they're own characters and everything. Once. Not ever again. They just didn't want to.
As for putting them in mainstream bookstores... they're already in Barnes & Noble and Borders, where else do you want them?
I do think a prime time ad campaign might help; featuring of course good looking kids, who might look like they play sports or cheerlead or whatever instead of looking like chess club members.
Also diversify the subject. Name an RPG (still in print) that doesn't focus on non-fantasy/science fiction/horror subjects. With a few WWII exceptions, I can't think of any.
BESM is probably best positioned for that spot, since the core book already references sport fantasy settings, but really, how many jocks are going to want to play an Anime setting. You'd have to repackage it with photos of Steve Young, Ty Detmer, and Tiger Woods instead of girls with cat ears.
Basically, you're looking at a decades long project, one that I think has already started. Note the lack of nudity in the D&D 3E as opposed to 1E. Look at the general production quality of RPGs over the last few decades. Nerds will deal with stuff that looks cheezy if it's still interesting (I point at Fell's feelings about Palladium). But the mainstream wants a nice package, so RPGs are starting to deliver that. However, before we have 100 milllion role players, and before I can go to work and just ask some employees if they want to play like the other guys do with B-Ball, we're looking at a LOT of change.
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You would also have to have a game that does not need violence as its core component (D&D is out) but does embrace conflict of emotions skills and talants.
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You would also have to have a game that does not need violence as its core component (D&D is out) but does embrace conflict of emotions skills and talants.
Ah. That would be Nobilis then. But such a game is very limited in it's appeal.
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And too complex for Joe Six-pack.... We are talking TWERPS level involvement here.
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The obvious model for this type of project is The Sims, the most popular game in video game history because it was able to appeal to a mass market. It's actually more popular with women than men, and a lot of the reasons for that have already been mentioned: it's easy to learn, has strong media support, and deals in a non-violent way with a non-fantasy subject. In many ways it's a lot like an artificial life where you just do the stuff you do in real life--that sounds boring to us, but we're obviously not the mass market. Strange as it sounds there are apparently people out there who will spend hours playing a game where you go to a pretend job and decorate your pretend house.
The problem is that this exact formula won't translate into an RPG. A computer game give you a visual structure and "solid" rewards for everything you do: if you put a green couch right THERE, it will stay there and look good next to your purple lamp. You can do that in an RPG, but you can't see it in anything other than your imagination--you can't show it to other people or come back later to admire it. Most people have no experience with the level of imagination required to play an RPG.
I would suspect that a mass market RPG would deal with the relationships of real people doing real things, and beleive it or not I think that such a game would be a LARP. Look at things like "How to Host a Murder," and then expand the idea to cover the types of situations you see on television dramas--business partners discussing a deal with a rival business, doctors trying to save someone's life, high school sweethearts meeting again after ten years. None of that sounds very interesting to me, to be honest, but neither does The Sims, so what do I know?
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As already mentioned, since you're dealing with a niche market with a lot of stigma attached it's going to be difficult to push anything into the mainstream. It's hard enough to have a successful game just marketing to gamers, I can't imagine trying to win over the uninformed public.
That said, your best bet is to market big liscences and kids. If you had a lot of money you could do some really crazy stuff.
Imagine just before Episode III there's a commercial on the screen. A Jedi, a noblewoman, a wookie, and a scoundrel embroiled in the action of intrigue in the Star Wars Universe. It would look like a preview for a new film. Then, in a flash, we're at the gaming table. "You, too, can live the Star Wars universe!" How many copies of the SW RPG would that have sold??? Get it on the bookshelf with the other tie in products and you're golden.
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I think Fell has hit the nail. I can't think of ways I disagree. I think MrP has got it right too. Obviously, product tie-ins alone won't do it (SW, LOTR, MIB, a host of others). But if you tie them in to all the OTHER products and incorporate the TV ads.... Well then, maybe you got something.
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I'm suddenly seeing Coca-Cola the Role-playing game.
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And force kids to play them in schools while they are watching channel one and drinking mind control cola.
Soylent RPG is People!!!
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Actually, the school tie in is a great idea. Children are the gift that keeps on giving, particularly since people can't stop having sex so there is always new generation of children to by your product.
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Kids are a good idea if you keep with the expanded genre. Otherwise, you're really only getting the same people, just sooner. So yeah, your sales increase, but not wide enough to fit the answer we're seeking.
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True, but kids our a perpetual market. For a wider market we'll need more than just kids. I wonder if we could get superbowl time and what the commercial would look like?
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Gee, Saint, you made my day.
If I may bring up a tangent, I've been thinking a lot about kid-oriented RPGs lately, mainly because I have two now and want to roleplay with them someday. Also, being a religious man (you non-Mormons might not care about the rest of this post) I think that a Bible or Book of Mormon-based RPG could be a really interesting learning/amusement tool. I don't really have anything else to say about it, except that it's been rolling around in my mind and relates (in a sort of tangential way) to the current topic.
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oooh oooh I wanna be Moroni!!!
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Actually, this idea was brought up by my mother-in-law, who had bought her rabid LOTR fan-girl duaghter the FOTR Adventure Game box. They didn't understand what an RPG was so I explained, and she asked why I didn't do one for Mormons. I mostly explained I didn't think it would be a profitable venture, since the demographic of RPG buyers vs. the overall population is so small that further limiting that demographic to Mormons would make it completely economically disastrous. Besides, you'd have problems with "divine interventions," good guys losing, etc. Even if you had an EXCELLENT system and a good publication (which is rare in Mormon publication land) I think it would be a bigger headache than it's worth. Maybe a small system for just you and your friends... then when they keep passing it to their friends, and a lot of people already like it, you could do it.
OR!
You could do an Book of Mormon d20 expansion!
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Not to mention overcoming the Religious stigma against RPG's
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The religious stigma would be the hard part, definitely. Once you've overcome that, Mormons would buy a Mormon RPG specifically because it's Mormon. That's how the market works.
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Yeah but... what would you do in such a RPG? Be errily nice and cheerful to everyone while plotting to take over the world through sheer weight of numbers? (i kid... i kid).
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"Ok, so you're planning to take dinner to the Carlsons who just had a baby. What's your caserole skill? Roll against a difficulty of 15. Oh, and your husband must make a 'Shmooze' check against difficulty 20 to make them laugh at his corny jokes."
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How would I market RPGs to a general audience? The same way most everything else is marketed: use a celebrity pitchman. This may sound like a smartass answer, but I'm quite serious. Role-playing is usually associated with hopeless social misfits and computer geeks, hence the negative connotation.
Pretty girl: "Who should I go out with this weekend."
Bob: "I'm a D&D player where I play a seventh level druid."
Chuck: "I'm on the football team where I play quarterback."
Pretty girl: "Oooooh, Chuck (squeal)!"
Now there are several celebrities out there who have heartily admitted to playing and enjoying RPGs for a long time. The three that I can think of off the top of my head are Elijah Wood, Jolene Blaylock, and Vin Diesel. Think about getting Vin Diesel as the spokesperson for WotC. Hell, think about Elijah Wood pitching the LotR RPG. And can you IMAGINE the response a game would get if Jolene Blaylock's picture appeared on the cover of the main rulebook? The unspoken thought would be "If these cool, beautiful people play these games, then I will be more like them if I play, too." In business terms, this is known as shameless pimping, but it works.
Another avenue to get more people into RPGs is to advertise them on tv! This might seem obvious, but when it the last time that any of us saw any commercials for RPGs? Sticking a few commercials in a prime time viewing slot might go a long way to getting the word out to the mass market.
And by all means, we need a game that is going to appeal to EVERYBODY. It should be fun, allow for all sorts of adventures ad character types, have easy rules, and should have a non-gaming reference point that everybody is familiar with. That said, I have absolutely no clue why nobody has come out with a game based on Harry Potter. Think about it; it would be an instant hit and EVERYBODY would want to buy it so they could play Hogwarts students standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Harry, Dumbledore, Mad-Eye Moody & co. as they try to prevent You-Know-Who from regaining his old power. Hell, I'd play it.
Finally, just a word on religious role-playing-games. There is an excellent game out called Holy Lands which will be coming out with it's second edition very soon. Also, in less than a month we will be seeing a d20 game called Testament: Role-Playing in the Biblical Age. From what little I have seen of it, it looks absolutely incredible. Heck, it gives me an uncontrollable urge to go out and smite Philistines!
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Whoa! Hold on one g-damned second there!
Vin Diesel plays RPG's?
Vin Diesel knows how to read?
This is news to me man. And i was not aware that Elijah Wood did either.
And who is Jolene Blaylock? The token alien chick in Enterprise? Vulcan?
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Yeah, you sure on your sources for this Slant? Or have you just been reading "Dork Tower (http://www.gamespy.com/comics/dorktower/archive.asp?nextform=viewcomic&id=727)" again? (go ahead two spots if you read that, #729 is hilarious)
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I just came up with the commercial:
We make one for Decipher. Elijah Wood (in the expected costume is preparing to throw the ring into the fires of Mt Doom. Only Gollum shows up. And all the Nazgul. And Sauron. And Saruman. And a fleet of orcs. Frodo backs away frightened. Until Van Disel, dressed as Aragorn, comes in and kicks everyone's butt into the stone age.
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And then Jolene Blaylock plants a big sloppy kiss on Frodo.
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mmmmmmmmm..... sloppy kiss from Jolene Blaylock.... <insert drool here>. Wait, is this *MY* fantasy or Elijah Wood's?
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All the references to celebrity gamers were taken from interviews with said gamers. But the fact that people seem to have a hard time believing it DOES illustrate my earlier statement that certain types of people are percieved as gamers, and others aren't. Yes, Virginia: good-looking, famous, popular people play RPGs too.
And yes, Vin IS a gamer. Although I'm not sure if that is a point for or against gaming in general.
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I'm not sure if I count as a confirmation, but I've heard the same thing Slant has about those celebs. I've heard Vin likes to play half orcs to get into character, actually (seriously). These things just don't get publicized much. Robin Williams is an avid 40K player and you only see that come up when he walks into a game store and plays someone who frequents popular message boards like DakkaDakka and Portent.
As for Mormons...I bet if they did a study of different religions/denominations you'd find the highest percentage of gamers per capita is in the Mormon faith. I'd say at least 80% of the Mormons I've met have gamed or do game. Just something I've noted over the years...
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This might be because you've met Mormons THROUGH gaming. Church around here is about hte LAST place I'll look for someone to join my gaming group. I can count two I was in wards with during the last 15 years that were gamers. This ignores the obvious (skewing) results of gaming in Provo, where EVERY gamer you meet is 90% likely to be a Mormon.
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Nope, Saint. I've never met a Mormon through gaming. I've always known them through school or other organization and then come to find out they've gamed.
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I think if you count computer and miniature gaming, he's not far off. Mormons have the same religious stigma about RPGs that every other religion has, but we sure do love our other games.
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I don't know if ANYONE ON THE PLANET who isn't related to me read the article in BYU Magazine that they wrote about TLE and primarily interviewed me for, but I pretty much laid out a really simplified version of my theories on why Mormons are so interested in SF/F. We really do have an affinity for it. That combined with the need for the wholesome entertainment of most party and board games sort of makes us liable to be gamers, I suppose. I guess I just haven't seen it around here. I should try to convert more of my elder's quorum on to gaming.
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Vin said on Connan O'Brian and in an EW article that he's been playing D&D sence if first came out