RPG customer survey?

[fireinthedust]

Hi there! I'm taking a business training course, and part of it is a survey on a customer base. I'm starting up a publishing house for Roleplaying Games in Toronto, so I've chosen the RPG community. If you're interested, have a look at the questions and answer as honestly as you can. If you want to answer here, that's fine by me (and I'm sure it's a great conversation topic). If you'd rather keep your answers private, like for demographics, feel free to email them to me at elias@fireinthedust.com


And if you don't want to answer a given question, skip it!


It's just for me, and I don't need names or identifying information or anything, I'll just be summarizing the results of customer buying habits, in probably really broad terms. I'm pretty sure I have an idea, but it's always good to learn more.


As an incentive to fill it out: if you email me your answers or post them here, I'll send you (PM here a link, I guess) a copy of a really handy table for GMs that I've put together, part of my "random stuff" series. A sample of what's being forged at Fireinthedust Productions, and something I hope will be useful when your players root through boxes, wagons, and rooms the GM hadn't considered.


I hope it's okay that I take this poll/survey here? If it works as a discussion question, we can share information as a community.


And please respect other people's answers, even if you don't like them (naturally).


DEMOGRAPHICS


Gender: Male, Female, Other?

What age group are you in? 10-15, 16-20, 21-29, 30-40, 41-65+?

What country do you live in?

Marital Status: Single, In a relationship, Married, Separated/Divorced?

If in a relationship, does your significant other/spouse play RPGs?

Do you have children? If yes, do your children play RPGs with you?




SURVEY QUESTIONS


1) What was the last RPG product you bought, and what was its format? (adventure, system, sourcebook, novel, GM screens, miniatures, etc.)


2) How many of your RPG products that you have purchased are:
Adventure modules?
Setting sourcebooks?
Monster collections?
Magical item collections?
Core rules?
Player character rules?
Other?


3) How do you use your purchases?
Exactly as written?
use parts of it in your own adventures?
As inspiration only?
As entertainment, for a good read, but not in actual play?
As art objects to enjoy visually?


4) What RPG system do you most often buy products for? Regardless of your personal favourites, what you most often use and purchase? (It can include third-party publishers using these systems; it can be approximate, if you have a large collection)


Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition
Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition
Dungeons & Dragons 3rd/3.5 edition
Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition
Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition/D&D Next
Pathfinder
d20 Modern/Future
FATE
Traveller
GURPS
World of Darkness/New World of Darkness
Mutants & Masterminds (any edition)
Cortex/Firefly/Marvel Heroic Roleplaying
Dragon Age
WEG D6
Numenera/The Strange
Palladium/Rifts
Stars without number
Other






5) How many of your RPG purchases have been:
Fantasy?
Science Fiction?
Superheroes?
Modern?
Horror?
Other?




6) What are the biggest issues you’ve had using purchased modules in your games?






7) What are the biggest challenges during gameplay for your group? (example: GM improvisation when players go outside preparation material; group dynamics; rules lawyers; not knowing enough rules; and any other issues you can think of)






8a) what was the longest continuous series of game sessions you ever played with a group? (ie: the longest running characters in the same or connected campaigns)
8b) How many sessions did it last?
what game rules were they? (Dungeons & Dragons OSR, 3e, Pathfinder, 4th Edition, 5th Edition; GURPs; Fate; World of Darkness/Storyteller System; Mutants & Masterminds; )
8c) Were you a player or running the game?
8d) how many adventures did you buy for this campaign?
8e) how many adventures did you buy for this campaign?
8f) What genre was the game (fantasy, horror, science-fiction, modern, post-apocalypse, pirates, etc.)




9a) What was the second-longest continuous series of game sessions you ever played with a group?
9b) what game rules were they? (Dungeons & Dragons OSR, 3e, Pathfinder, 4th Edition, 5th Edition; GURPs; Fate; World of Darkness/Storyteller System; Mutants & Masterminds; )
9c) Were you a player or running the game?
9d) how many adventures did you buy for this campaign?
9e) how many adventures did you buy for this campaign?
9f) What genre was the game (fantasy, horror, science-fiction, modern, post-apocalypse, pirates, etc.)


10) How many game products do you own?


11) How many different rules systems do you own? (include also different editions of a single game)


12) How do you buy your adventures? (PDFs, Hardcover, Softcover)


13) What are your favourite character abilities? (blowing things up, hitting things, sneaking around, owning stuff, tricking NPCs, overcoming traps, solving riddles, exploration, commerce,


14) What is your favourite part of playing RPGs? (ie: character building, hanging out with friends, telling stories, other)


15) Where do you purchase adventures?
bricks & mortar stores
online specialty RPG/PDF stores (like DrivethruRPG.com)
online book retailers (like Amazon or Chapters/Indigo or Barnes & Noble)

16) Who do you buy RPG products for?
Yourself?
Someone who runs games for you or your group?
As a gift item for a friend or family member?)


17) How do you play RPGs? Please Check all that apply:
in person groups with friends
through gaming clubs
through organized play clubs
play-by-post on forums
online with friends via programs like Skype or Roll20
never but you still enjoy the products
other

 

[Wicht]

DEMOGRAPHICS
Gender: Male
What age group are you in? 41-65+ (42)
What country do you live in? USA
Marital Status: Married
If in a relationship, does your significant other/spouse play RPGs? When I ask her to
Do you have children? Yes If yes, do your children play RPGs with you? Certainly

SURVEY QUESTIONS


1) What was the last RPG product you bought, and what was its format? (adventure, system, sourcebook, novel, GM screens, miniatures, etc.)
Pathfinder AP

2) How many of your RPG products that you have purchased are:
Adventure modules? Lots
Setting sourcebooks? Lots
Monster collections? As Many as Possible
Magical item collections? Some
Core rules? A good Bit
Player character rules? Some
Other? Probably

3) How do you use your purchases?
Exactly as written? Often
use parts of it in your own adventures? Occassionally
As inspiration only? A good bit of the time
As entertainment, for a good read, but not in actual play? More than I like to admit
As art objects to enjoy visually? Not normally, though they do all look good on the shelves

4) What RPG system do you most often buy products for? Pathfinder

5) How many of your RPG purchases have been:
Fantasy? Mostly; 90% perhaps
Science Fiction? A few
Superheroes? Very few >1%
Modern? Some few
Horror? A good bit; 7% perhaps
Other? Probably (Pulp)

6) What are the biggest issues you’ve had using purchased modules in your games?
Not enough time to run them all

7) What are the biggest challenges during gameplay for your group? Finding large chunks of time to play.

8a) what was the longest continuous series of game sessions you ever played with a group? (ie: the longest running characters in the same or connected campaigns) Played through the entirety of Rise of the Runelords
8b) How many sessions did it last? 2 years
what game rules were they? Pathfinder

8c) Were you a player or running the game? DM
8d) how many adventures did you buy for this campaign? 6
8f) What genre was the game fantasy


9a) What was the second-longest continuous series of game sessions you ever played with a group? A Kalamar campaign
9b) what game rules were they? 3e
9c) Were you a player or running the game? GM
9e) how many adventures did you buy for this campaign? none
9f) What genre was the game fantasy


10) How many game products do you own? hundreds


11) How many different rules systems do you own? 30+

12) How do you buy your adventures? Hardcopies, both soft and hardcovers

13) What are your favourite character abilities? Depends on the character

14) What is your favourite part of playing RPGs? Creativity, story-telling, and exploration

15) Where do you purchase adventures?
bricks & mortar stores yes
online specialty RPG/PDF stores yes
online book retailers yes

16) Who do you buy RPG products for? Myself and some for my children

17) How do you play RPGs? Please Check all that apply:
With family and friends, and at conventions

 

[fireinthedust]

Thanks! Finishing touches being put on the table this weekend, then I'll PM the info to everyone who's answered here, or reply to those who've emailed your answers to me.

And thanks so much for this, everybody who's doing this. I'm hoping to create a super product, if you will, that will actually be USEFUL rather than just take up space. The sort of game product people nod and say "yeah, he knows his stuff", and can trust will be worth their time. The sort of game that wins Ennies (though I'm not expecting that at first, it's a level of quality I need to aspire to), or what have you, even if it's just a small press.

 

[Tranick]

Demographics
Male
16-20
USA
Single

1) Forge of Fury (adventure)
2) Adventure Modules- 3
Setting Sourcebooks- None (So far)
Monster Collections- 2
Magical Item Collections- 1
Core Rules- 7
Player Character Rules- 5
Other- Can't think of anything that fits in this category

3) An equal mix of exactly as written and inspiration for my own adventures

4) 3rd edition D&D

5) Fantasy- 9
Science Fiction- 1
Superheroes- None (currently saving up for one)
Modern- 1
Horror- 1 (same as the modern)
Other- Generic 2

6) Getting the group together

7) Keeping attention focused long enough for a session

8a) Homebrew
8b) 10 game sessions
Dnd 3.0
8c) DM
8d) 0
8f) fantasy

9a) Homebrew
9b) 6 game sessions
Dnd 3.0 again
9c) DM
9d) 0
9f) fantasy

10) Around twenty to thirty

11) Seven (nine if count free ones)

12) PDF

13) Exploration

14) Telling stories

15) Online RPG stores

16) Myself

17) In person groups of family

 

[was]

DEMOGRAPHICS
Gender: Male
Age: 41
Country: United States
Marital Status: Single
Children: none

SURVEY QUESTIONS
1) DMG (print format)
2) Adventure modules (05%)
Setting sourcebooks (05%)?
Monster collections (05%)
Magical item collections (05%)?
Core rules (69%)
Player character rules (10%)
Other (01%)
3) Heavily modified
4) DnD (2nd, 3.5 and 5th) and Pathfinder
5) Fantasy(80%), Science Fiction(10%), Modern(05%), Horror(05%)
6) Modifying the modules to fit the groups game style
7) Challenging/new scenarios for experienced players
8a) One year
8b) Weekly (about 45 - 48)
8c) DnD 3e
8d) Both
8e) two
8f) fantasy
9a) Eight months
9b) DnD 3e
9c) player
9d) none
9f) fantasy
10) 75-80
11) 9
12) softcover
13) overcoming traps, solving riddles and exploration
14) telling stories
15) bricks & mortar stores
16) myself
17) in person groups with friends, through gaming clubs

 

[steenan]

Gender: Male, Female, Other?

Male.

What age group are you in? 10-15, 16-20, 21-29, 30-40, 41-65+?

30-40

What country do you live in?

Poland

Marital Status: Single, In a relationship, Married, Separated/Divorced?

Married

If in a relationship, does your significant other/spouse play RPGs?

My wife plays and runs games.

Do you have children? If yes, do your children play RPGs with you?

I have children, but too young for true RPG yet.

1) What was the last RPG product you bought, and what was its format? (adventure, system, sourcebook, novel, GM screens, miniatures, etc.)

InSpectres sourcebook, in pdf.

2) How many of your RPG products that you have purchased are:
Adventure modules?

None.

Setting sourcebooks?

Several, somewhere in 5-15 range.

Monster collections?
Magical item collections?

None.

Core rules?

A lot. 80-100

Player character rules?

None.

3) How do you use your purchases?
Exactly as written?

Most of them.

use parts of it in your own adventures?

That's quite natural for settings, isn't it?

As inspiration only?
As entertainment, for a good read, but not in actual play?

Many. I definitely have more games than I manage to play.

As art objects to enjoy visually?

None. All of them are in digital format.

4)What RPG system do you most often buy products for? Regardless of your personal favourites, what you most often use and purchase? (It can include third-party publishers using these systems; it can be approximate, if you have a large collection)

Fate Core. But it's still not that many, maybe around 10 books total.
I have a lot of different systems.

5) How many of your RPG purchases have been:
Fantasy?

Most of them

Science Fiction?

Several

Superheroes?

A few

Modern?

Several

Horror?

None, I think.

6) What are the biggest issues you’ve had using purchased modules in your games?

They aren't created with my PCs in mind and they make a lot of assumptions about what the PCs will/should do.
I haven't ran any published adventure (other than DitV towns) in last 10 years.

7) What are the biggest challenges during gameplay for your group? (example: GM improvisation when players go outside preparation material; group dynamics; rules lawyers; not knowing enough rules; and any other issues you can think of)

Timing and spotlight issues.

8a) what was the longest continuous series of game sessions you ever played with a group? (ie: the longest running characters in the same or connected campaigns)

Fantasy campaign, with players getting caught in a conflict between gods.

8b) How many sessions did it last?

About 40

what game rules were they? (Dungeons & Dragons OSR, 3e, Pathfinder, 4th Edition, 5th Edition; GURPs; Fate; World of Darkness/Storyteller System; Mutants & Masterminds; )

Homebrewed.

8c) Were you a player or running the game?

GM

8d) how many adventures did you buy for this campaign?

None

8f) What genre was the game (fantasy, horror, science-fiction, modern, post-apocalypse, pirates, etc.)

Fantasy

9a) What was the second-longest continuous series of game sessions you ever played with a group?

Fantasy, in Brandon Sanderson's "Mistborn" trillogy setting.

9b) what game rules were they? (Dungeons & Dragons OSR, 3e, Pathfinder, 4th Edition, 5th Edition; GURPs; Fate; World of Darkness/Storyteller System; Mutants & Masterminds; )

Mistborn Adventure Game

9c) Were you a player or running the game?

Player

9f) What genre was the game (fantasy, horror, science-fiction, modern, post-apocalypse, pirates, etc.)

Fantasy

10) How many game products do you own?

About a hundred, or a little more

11) How many different rules systems do you own? (include also different editions of a single game)

A lot. Over 80.

12) How do you buy your adventures? (PDFs, Hardcover, Softcover)

I don't.

13) What are your favourite character abilities? (blowing things up, hitting things, sneaking around, owning stuff, tricking NPCs, overcoming traps, solving riddles, exploration, commerce,

Varies. I prefer charactersthat have some supernatural powers, if the setting allows that. I prefer to be somewhat competent in a lot of things than to be very good in a few.

14) What is your favourite part of playing RPGs? (ie: character building, hanging out with friends, telling stories, other)

Creating interesting stories together (in contrast to telling a pre-planned story).
Taking my friends' ideas and building on them and letting them build on mine.

15) Where do you purchase adventures?
bricks & mortar stores
online specialty RPG/PDF stores (like DrivethruRPG.com)
online book retailers (like Amazon or Chapters/Indigo or Barnes & Noble)

DrivethruRPG in most cases. I also got many games by supporting their kickstarters.

16) Who do you buy RPG products for?
Yourself?
Someone who runs games for you or your group?
As a gift item for a friend or family member?)

For myself and for my wife.

17) How do you play RPGs? Please Check all that apply:

In person, with friends.

 

[Eminence_Grise]

DEMOGRAPHICS
Gender: Male
What age group are you in? 30-40
What country do you live in? Canada
Marital Status: Married
If in a relationship, does your significant other/spouse play RPGs? Yes!
Do you have children? Yes If yes, do your children play RPGs with you? Not yet, they are 2 and 4 years old

SURVEY QUESTIONS


1) What was the last RPG product you bought, and what was its format? (adventure, system, sourcebook, novel, GM screens, miniatures, etc.)
A few old schoold adventures: White Plume Mountain, Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, The Keep on the Borderlands

2) How many of your RPG products that you have purchased are:
Adventure modules? Lots
Setting sourcebooks? Lots
Monster collections? Some
Magical item collections? Some
Core rules? A good Bit
Player character rules? Some
Other? Probably

3) How do you use your purchases?
Exactly as written? Most of the time. We play in french, so if it's an adventure that contains a word play or an enigma, than I need to do some translation. Not all of my players understand english as much as I do.
use parts of it in your own adventures? Occassionally
As inspiration only? If I don't plan on using it, I usually don't buy it.
As entertainment, for a good read, but not in actual play? Few
As art objects to enjoy visually? Not normally, though I do enjoy the quality of the Monte Cook Games books

4) What RPG system do you most often buy products for? Currently Numenera since I have an ongoing campaign. I'll probably shift to D&D 5E later this year.

5) How many of your RPG purchases have been:
Fantasy? Mostly; 90% perhaps
Science Fiction? A few
Superheroes? Very few. I've been burned by Mutants and Masterminds
Modern? Almost never (The Strange RPG and World of Darkness being the only exception in my collection)
Horror? Almost never
Other? Not that I can think of

6) What are the biggest issues you’ve had using purchased modules in your games?
Not enough time to run them all. I also have a large budget for RPG purchases, meaning that I probably buy too much books for what I can handle through gameplay.

7) What are the biggest challenges during gameplay for your group? None!

8a) what was the longest continuous series of game sessions you ever played with a group? (ie: the longest running characters in the same or connected campaigns) Ptolus game, before the book was out, based on the campaign journals. I was inspired by a poster named Eric of Ptolus to do this. That reminds me, I need to find him and thank him for the idea.
8b) How many sessions did it last? 5 or 6 years
what game rules were they? Arcana Evolved

8c) Were you a player or running the game? DM
8d) how many adventures did you buy for this campaign? 1
8f) What genre was the game fantasy


9a) What was the second-longest continuous series of game sessions you ever played with a group? Transylvania Chronicles
9b) what game rules were they? Vampire : Dark Ages
9c) Were you a player or running the game? GM
9e) how many adventures did you buy for this campaign? 4
9f) What genre was the game I'm unsure how you can classify this. Historical fantasy perhaps?


10) How many game products do you own? hundreds. If you can minis, than thousands.


11) How many different rules systems do you own? 20+

12) How do you buy your adventures? Physical books. I'm not a fan of pdfs.

13) What are your favourite character abilities? What's fun.

14) What is your favourite part of playing RPGs? Having fun. I always say that if we have fun, than it's a success. I also love getting players excited, blowing their minds.

15) Where do you purchase adventures?
bricks & mortar stores Less and less.
online specialty RPG/PDF stores Yes!
online book retailers Never.

16) Who do you buy RPG products for? Myself

17) How do you play RPGs? Please Check all that apply:
With family and friends, gaming club (Roludo) and at conventions