Are your adventures selling? If not lets figure out why.
- Thread starter Sledge
- Start date
2WS-Steve
First Post
I suspect that this will all end badly.
Some cheerful adventure publisher might actually chip in here, then promptly get a face full of "your adventures suck, that's why they're selling badly" -- which might be true, but also might not be true since one primary reason d20 publishers' adventures don't sell is because there's a tiny market for them and it's already dominated by more established companies.
After which, cheerful adventure publisher over-reacts by calling a bunch of other people names and then everyone leaves the thread unhappy.
Some cheerful adventure publisher might actually chip in here, then promptly get a face full of "your adventures suck, that's why they're selling badly" -- which might be true, but also might not be true since one primary reason d20 publishers' adventures don't sell is because there's a tiny market for them and it's already dominated by more established companies.
After which, cheerful adventure publisher over-reacts by calling a bunch of other people names and then everyone leaves the thread unhappy.
Sledge
First Post
There is no place for "your adventures suck" in this thread. Why you ask? Because in order to evaluate whether an adventure sucks, then you have to buy it. If you bought it, you can't describe it as not selling, because you gave them a sale. So no this thread should not have any downers in it like that.
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
Three words: Word of mouth.Sledge said:
A sucky adventure does not sell. This thread is heading for the icebergs as we speak, captain.
I give the one I've written up away, & plan to do the same with the rest.
But...here are my opinions for anyone who would like to sell adventures:
1. The most important thing to realize (as several threads here on ENWorld have made abundantly clear) is that different people want different things from adventures. There is no single formula for the contents of an adventure that will sell to everyone. You need variety. You need to clearly communicate the differences between different styles of adventures so that customer A will understand that adventures I, J, & K will give him the kind of contents he's looking for while adventures X, Y, & Z probably won't be to his liking. While customer B will understand that X, Y, & Z are the style he likes, but I, J, & K aren't.
This, however, is going to take some hard work.
2. Instead of focusing on getting as much as possible on each page (because modules don't make money), focus on making the module as easy to use as possible. Try to come up with innovative layouts & techniques that will make the DM's job easier. Thus, you will add value to your product & customers will not only buy them, but be willing to pay a premium.
& while I'm at it, I'll throw in my pet peeve:
3. The text of the adventure should only include diagrams that help the DM understand the text. The diagrams should be functional first & pretty second. Any prettiness that distracts from functionality should be eliminated.
All other artwork should be segregated from the main text in a way that the DM can show it to the players.
But...here are my opinions for anyone who would like to sell adventures:
1. The most important thing to realize (as several threads here on ENWorld have made abundantly clear) is that different people want different things from adventures. There is no single formula for the contents of an adventure that will sell to everyone. You need variety. You need to clearly communicate the differences between different styles of adventures so that customer A will understand that adventures I, J, & K will give him the kind of contents he's looking for while adventures X, Y, & Z probably won't be to his liking. While customer B will understand that X, Y, & Z are the style he likes, but I, J, & K aren't.
This, however, is going to take some hard work.
2. Instead of focusing on getting as much as possible on each page (because modules don't make money), focus on making the module as easy to use as possible. Try to come up with innovative layouts & techniques that will make the DM's job easier. Thus, you will add value to your product & customers will not only buy them, but be willing to pay a premium.
& while I'm at it, I'll throw in my pet peeve:
3. The text of the adventure should only include diagrams that help the DM understand the text. The diagrams should be functional first & pretty second. Any prettiness that distracts from functionality should be eliminated.
All other artwork should be segregated from the main text in a way that the DM can show it to the players.
Just_Hal
First Post
RFisher said:
Well been there and done that and guess what, the adventures sold OK, but rulebooks sold better.
I used theme boxes (where you could adjust an adventure for many varied parties/levels/sized) and POI's (places of interest, with tie ins and rumors) and made the modules as plug n play as possible, also all info that was new was reprinted in my stuff so you did not have to own another of my books.....and ya know what?
We no longer make gaming products
So ppl have tried and ppl have failed and no idea is a new idea BUT if you can make it work god bless ya!
Last edited:
pogre
Legend
I was told in no uncertain terms that adventures are not a big seller for most publishers. I decided to publish my adventures for free. I thought I could get some feedback and people would play them and appreciate my contributions. Well, my adventures have been downloaded over 10,000 times. I have received exactly three comments....
I think my next round of adventures will be sold. People who buy an adventure seem to have a more vested interest in actually playing them. If only six people buy them and four comment, in my mind I'm ahgead of where I was giving them away for free.
I think my next round of adventures will be sold. People who buy an adventure seem to have a more vested interest in actually playing them. If only six people buy them and four comment, in my mind I'm ahgead of where I was giving them away for free.
I think one reason it might be hard to sell d20 adventures is because the market is automatically splintered into 20 different segments.
You can't just buy any old adventure, you've got to find one written for the level your characters are at. And you can only use one adventure for each level- once the characters get to fifth level, all those nice third level adventures are no longer options.
Compare this to other systems, where you can pretty much use any published adventure at any point in your campaign.
You can't just buy any old adventure, you've got to find one written for the level your characters are at. And you can only use one adventure for each level- once the characters get to fifth level, all those nice third level adventures are no longer options.
Compare this to other systems, where you can pretty much use any published adventure at any point in your campaign.
The only adventures we sell in numbers that make it worth the effort are for M&M Superlink.
www.roninarts.com/superline
But, and this is what is both sad and funny, the print versions don't sell well enough to continue printing them. I'm constantly told that people want print over PDF but we sell 50-100x more PDFs than we do print books.
D20 adventures, anything d20 fantasy, isn't worth the time for us these days.
www.roninarts.com/superline
But, and this is what is both sad and funny, the print versions don't sell well enough to continue printing them. I'm constantly told that people want print over PDF but we sell 50-100x more PDFs than we do print books.
D20 adventures, anything d20 fantasy, isn't worth the time for us these days.
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