Going “Off the Rails” and Selling Solutions

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A lot of tabletop games creators have a crystal clear vision of their game

After all they have built all the mechanics, given it a theme, and spent hundreds of hours play testing to make sure if flows perfectly. It is the result of unquantifiable sacrifice.

If you are a tabletop games designer, there is no question in your mind that your game is YOURS.

Or… is it?

As a Dungeon Master, I feel the same way about my DnD campaigns.

For ever hour my friends play, I am investing 2-3 hours of prep.

Granted, that involves lots of multi-tasking while watching the office or baseball… but it still consumes a lot of my free time and energy!

Well, I had a bunch of friends who were hoping to give Dungeons and Dragons a try, and I prepped them everyway I know how:

• I gave them a quick lecture on the essence of the game (ex: “no winners or losers”)

• I had them all do a “training session” where I had them learn the basics

• I helped them fill out a character sheet

• I sent them videos on classes and spells to help being them up to speed

And weeks later, the moment for the first session came.

All in the same city, we planned to play in person. I arrived early, politely greeted the host, and eanestly got to work getting my lil’ DM station all set up with dice and such.

And then, I patiently awaited their arrival, thinking of how excited they would be to play.

And don’t get me wrong… they were! But not in the way I thought.

You see, as they walked in, one by one, they didn’t immediately take their seats and go over the abilities of their character class one more time.

Instead, they said hi, walked upstairs, and chatted over snacks.

And of course this is expected and normal: people like to chat.

But I was shocked when the socializing lasted nearly an hour!

For them, DnD was first and foremost a social event, not an escapist fantasy.

We eventually sat down and played, had a great time, and we play once a month to this day.

But also to this day we spend a solid 30 min catching up… which is like 6x more time than any of my other campaigns!

Turns out, it doesn’t matter how much direction I provide as a veteran and Dungeon Master…

Because ultimately it is always the players that decide what DnD night is, and what kind of game it is.

The players decide the purpose and identity of the game.

Now you may be thinking:

“Riley, that all makes sense for D&D 5e, but that is because tabletop role playing games are cooperative storytelling… they are supposed to have a say in what the game is!”

All true!

Except, within the story is a much, much more true marketing maxim:

Your customer decides WHAT you are selling.

Your understanding of your tabletop game is essential… no doubt.

But you won’t sell a single copy, set, or PDF if your customer does not think that your game will A) solve a problem or B) satisfy a burning desire.

That is what VALUE is… and value is the only reason customers in any industry spend a dime.

Ultimately, you don’t sell a GAME… you sell a SOLUTION to something in their life.

That is what causes the urge to purchase, and that is why people get so EXCITED about a game that they are willing to pledge hundreds of dollars to a kickstarter for a game they will not play until months (of not years!) into the future.

What is the takeaway from this?

You have to understand the perspective of your target audience before you do any branding, marketing, or sales.

Because if you don’t, then you will just waste all that time and money on images, copy, and channels that don’t resonate with the people you need on your side.