D&D Advertising & D&D Lite

[ced1106]

It's all about the DMs. Said the DM.

As an erstwhile AD&D player, I went to an RPGA event. As an erstwhile AD&D player trying to learn 3e, I had no assistance whatsoever in creating my character. We don't just need DMs. We need convention events for new rpg'ers. I ran two "intro to AD&D" evnets for WotC (and wasn't compensated for it as promised). Both were at full capacity. Not that I've been looking for them, but I frequent the SF Bay rpg conventions, and **no** events specifically target the new gamer.

That's where I would start.


Cedric.
aka. Washu! ^O^

 

[JeffB]

"The next step would be to sign up for unemployment.-ColonelHardisson"

You mean like what's happening now with all the layoffs?

LOL...

touche'

 

[William Ronald]

Making it easier to recruit players

As Anthony Valterra wisely said, we need to recruit more players and gain greater exposure for our hobby. As WotC is the leading RPG company, it can and perhaps should take the lead. However, there are some other initiatives which others might want to take part in. Several have already been suggested.

1) "What the heck is role playing?" Maybe publish a short (2 to 4 page) product that introduces the concepts of role playing. WoTC and any other company working on it could include web site links, and possibly links to any organizations that defend the good name of RPGS. I seem to recall some relatively inexpensive products along these lines.

2) In Defense of Gaming's Good Name: Maybe an educational pamphlet debunking anti-gaming myths, or at least a few web links in the "What the heck is role playing?" brochure. Besides organizations, maybe having links to the sites of such people as James Wyatt, Monte Cook, and Tracy Hickman. As well as links to any celebrities who might want to be involved. (Lexa Doig and Vin Diesel come to mind. If we can't afford a commercial, maybe just a link to the part of their sites where they talk about gaming.)

3) Coverage: There should have demos at every Renaissance fair, as well as brochures. Also, maybe in any mall with a movie theater and gaming shop. It would be good to link the hobby to movies like Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings.

4) Events for Newbies: Maybe have more introductory events at conventions.

Here is one that a friend and I did for a while in the early 1980s.

5) Libraries: A friend and I ran games and demos at two Chicago Public Library branches, and encouraged people to check out books. This improved circulation at the libraries, and allowed us to have demos (and dispel a few myths.) Maybe local hobby shop owners can be recruited into this effort. Also, maybe stress some things that gaming can spur interest in: history, politics, and the benefits of such things as diplomacy and teamwork in a game.

Also, there are things that we can do as gamers. First, I treat gamers of any age, race, gender, planet of origin, et cetera, as human beings. I do not put down a gamer for lack of experience. Secondly, I do believe that making a good first impression counts. If you are running a game demo, make sure that you and the spell stinking cloud have little in common.
Thirdly, take time out to help people with questions.

Some people need help with the mechanics, others need help with role playing. Perhaps help new gamers with a quick review of rules and roles, and maybe ask them to think how their character might respond to a situation. Or lacking that, themselves. Give new players a chance to do such things as engage in combat, solve riddles, and role play.

Over all, I think our hobby is in good shape. However, we can make it better and perhaps a bit better understood.

 

[Mobius]

Changing perception about a fringe hobby to widen its popularity will never be cheap, and will never be quick. An ad campaign is going to have to realize this up front. It may be a money loser for a couple of years, only to bring in folks by the droves in the next decade after that. Companies, however, don't think in decades, but in quarters - not enough time for any great idea to get in and germinate in the public consciousness. This, to me, is the failure of smaller companies when they examine TV. Big companies got that way because they had the moxie to tie a good product to a good campaign and to ride it to fruition rather than kill it on the vine.

Making a commercial for D&D could be absurdly cheap. WotC, really, is selling the enjoyment of our own imaginations, so all the commercial would have to do is *suggest* things rather than show them so that the viewer uses his or her imagination to fill in the gaps.

On the word of mouth and networking issue, my advice is this:

Pretend that the stigma doesn't exist. This means speaking in public about the game, speaking in mixed groups, speaking on the street, speaking at the dinner table and speaking at parties. Do not pointedly offer, for example, that you are a role-player but when someone asks what you do for fun, list it along with all the other stuff you enjoy. When a normal person starts rattling off gaming in their list of hobbies and is willing to talk about it eruditely and without prejudice, the attitude alone will attract people.

My ex-wife, a distinct non-gamer, tried Harn with me one night precisely because I was open and unashamed when talking about it. She felt badly stigmatizing me without having played and I made it seem so much more accessible than the stereotypes paint it to be - so she gave it a whirl. She will never game on a regular basis, mind you, but my attitude won her over undoubtedly.

 

[William Ronald]

Heck, just have a link to WoTC's home page or the section on How to Play D&D on every copy of a D&D based video game. Maybe even have a special clue or spoiler for a video game.

Maybe even link in biographies of some of the characters that appear on the video games.

I do agree that any advertising campaign should be seen as a long term effort. We are a niche hobby, so we do not have the resources of some other hobbies.

 

[Dark Helmet]

I suggest making a movie or a saturday-morning cartoon based upon D&D.

Perhaps someone will do this someday.

 

[Corinth]

Folks, it's been nearly 30 years since D&D first arrived. D&D is, for all practical purposes, a firmly-entrenched part of mainstream society now. There are doctors, lawyers, secretaries, librarians, actors, musicians, soldiers, sailors, programmers, grammarians, teachers, writers, housewives, politicians, journalists, policy wonks, bartenders, brewers, vinters, engineers, technicians, mechanics, nurses, smiths, students and so many more folks from all walks of life who make time to pretend to be fantasy heroes that throw fireballs and thwop orcs with +1 swords. All that's needed to expand the hobby is to expose the truth of this to the wider world.

The only campaign needed is for the D&D community to stand up and say "I'm (X), I'm a (Y) and I play D&D."

 

[Ezrael]

I think Corinth has a point. I hear a lot about RPG's being a fringe hobby, but I can still remember being on a boat heading for the Orkney Islands and having a sixty year old grizzled-as-hell crewman coming up to me while I was reading a copy of James Ward's Greyhawk Adventures and saying "Dungeons and Dragons?" I ended up listening to that man talk about the Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh for close to three hours. He'd be a great spokesman for the universal appeal of D&D.

 

[olethros]

Think about it. Joe the fantasy enthusiast and his pals are standing in line for LOTR: Two Towers or HP: Sorc Stone. Up walks a man in scale mail accompanied by a hot chick wearing little more than a belt of spell components.

Maybe scantily clad ladies is not the way to go. I've heard alot of talk recently in the buisness world about how marketing to woman is a goldmine waiting to happen. Even the stereotypical hard-workin' symbol of maleness, the pickup truck, is being bought in record numbers by women. Maybe we should try to do some marketing to the female population out there. Doing so would also help repair the image that all gamers are scary, smelly, and social inept....which we're not...right?

 

[Qlippoth]

Maybe scantily clad ladies is not the way to go. I've heard alot of talk recently in the buisness world about how marketing to woman is a goldmine waiting to happen. Even the stereotypical hard-workin' symbol of maleness, the pickup truck, is being bought in record numbers by women. Maybe we should try to do some marketing to the female population out there. Doing so would also help repair the image that all gamers are scary, smelly, and social inept....which we're not...right?

Exactly. White Wolf made a lot of money and brought loads of formerly-non-gamers into the fold by appealing to both genders.