[UA] Release Schedule, alternative products

[James O'Rance]

"Dylan Craig" <wytchfynder at hotmail.com> said:

 >>>Have you considered an alternative product line? What I have in mind is 
something priced around $5, no binding or book-format, just a stapled, 
shrink-wrapped folio with a striking loose-leaf cover<<<

I've run a couple of scenarios from "One Shots" as demos at a local game 
store, with a very positive response - players who hadn't played UA before 
were able to quickly learn the rules and enjoy a self-contained scenario. It 
helped that I had a photocopy of the basic rules for players to flip 
through, but most folks seem to grasp and remember the dice rolling tricks 
on first explanation.

Unfortunately, it can be hard to convince people to buy a $50 AUS rulebook, 
even if they enjoyed the game. Nine in ten of these people were the avatars 
of the Poor Uni Student.

This experience made me wonder if "One Shots" may have worked as a 
self-contained game - a "this book contains all you need to play" kind of 
deal. Adding in four extra pages to cover the basic rules surely wouldn't 
have been difficult.

If I had been able to run one scenario from such a product, it would have 
been a lot easier for me to sell a few copies of the book to players, 
especially given the lower price. Folks might be more willing to give the 
game a try; if they enjoy it (as they probably will), they'll be more likely 
to come back for the main rulebook.

Naturally the main rulebook would contain all sorts of goodness that the 
self-contained scenario product wouldn't have space/need to cover - things 
like the full magic system, an in-depth background for the OU, avatars, 
world background, game mastering and campaign advice, etc.

When it comes down to it, would such a product hurt sales of the main 
rulebook? Maybe, I don't have that kind of market understanding. Would it 
have better sales than One Shots? It seems logical that sales would be at 
least the same, all other things being equal.

Just my opinion.

Cheers,


James O’Rance
“Divine being creates petting zoo. It gets out of hand.”
- The Bible (summarised by John W. Mangrum)

http://www.geocities.com/dragon-dreamer/

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