One Shot
Pre-Release
At this stage you have solid ideas and are developing a product, but it may be many months before release. Some publishers choose to be quiet about the product until near the release date, but this is a major mistake. Generating interest in the product as early as reasonably possible gives word of mouth marketing more time to do its job. It slowly drums up excitement in the product and creates an early fan base.
Website: A good website is a powerful resource for any RPG. Pictures of art, a description of the game, ordering instructions, and contact information are all essential. This answers questions, helps consumers find a way to order the product, and gives a sense of concreteness to the project. At the Pre-Release stage your website is probably the first place people will come after hearing about the game from friends or forum chatter, so it’s a good idea to invest the time into making it look sharp.
Blog: They call it “designing in public.” More and more designers are posting updates on their blogs as they build the game, from artwork and fiction tidbits to rules mechanics and thoughts. This is extremely useful and if you don’t maintain an RPG blog you’re making a mistake. It helps to build an early fanbase, which will pay off when the game is released because there is already buzz about it on forums and blogs. It can easily become viral, as first one and then a few dozen people link to the latest blog post and provide that free advertising. Finally, it makes the designer more approachable by the fans. He’s not some game designer, he’s one of us! This leads to feelings of community that will further assist in marketing the game.
If you don’t have an established blog somewhere then there are two things I highly recommend. First, if you have any other contacts among RPG publishers ask them if they’ll help promote your game in return for you doing the same for them. This will allow both of you to capitalize on one another’s fanbase, and it’s a significant boon while getting started. More than once, as a reviewer, I went back and looked at a game again because I saw a publisher I respected talking about it.
Second, as of this writing LiveJournal is where most of the RPG community has gone. Plenty of other places have significant numbers of accounts too, but LiveJournal definitely has the most. If you intend to create a blog elsewhere I strongly recommend creating a LiveJournal page as well. It’ll be easier to take advantage of help from other publishers and to spread your latest project among the fans.
As TonyLB, creator of Capes says “People are far more attracted to genuine personality than they are to commercial promises.” Making use of LiveJournal and developing friendships with other publishers means that people already known to consumers will be talking about your game – that’s a powerful resource.
Forums: The big resources here are RPGnet, StoryGames, theRPGsite and, if it's a d20 product, ENWorld. ENWorld and RPGnet will get you the most exposure by far. I have reviews on ENWorld, RPGnet, theRPGsite, and GamingReport – there’s no contest. RPG.net provides 5 to 10x (and sometimes even more) the hits other sites do for my small press game reviews, and ENWorld is simply the best place for d20 discussion (though RPGnet is still an excellent resource). Talking about your game at The Forge may also be a good way to make contacts and develop interest in your game among publishers and small press fans.
So you know what the big forums are, now what do you do with them? Many of them have forums set aside specifically for advertising. Post a news release and occasional updates there. You won’t get much exposure this way, but if you do it regularly on several sites then the initial time invested becomes more worthwhile. You can make it very business-like if you prefer, but keep in mind your goal is to sell your project. If the news release or ad isn’t interesting then even those users who read it won’t remember it. Some of these sites have RSS feeds attached, so your ad may reach more people than you would otherwise expect.
In forums dedicated to RPG discussion but not marketing you want to avoid starting threads about your game at all steps of the process – at least threads of the “check out my game” variety. This sort of promotion is more likely to irritate potential consumers than really promote your product, and it’s not good for your or your product’s reputations. The best option at this stage is when another user starts a thread about your game. That’s a fine opportunity to appear, respond to questions, and be friendly. Never forget that your reputation in the RPG community is one of many factors that will influence your RPG’s success, so try to leave readers with a positive feeling about you and your game.
Think beyond direct promotion of your game and you may find another excellent marketing resource. By good faith participation in online forums you’ll generate a positive reputation and name recognition that will translate into sales over time. Be sure to keep an up to date Signature (‘sig’) with links to your game’s homepage, your blog, and anything else of interest. Keeping a link to RPG.net’s Gaming Index is also an excellent idea, see below for more on that.
Ad Swap: Many small press RPGs come with 2–5 ads in the back of the product for other games. Consider contacting other publishers and doing some ad swaps. When I first began reading small press games I was quickly made aware of others thanks to these ads, and if you can convince a more well known publisher to swap with you then you’ll once again tap that publisher’s fan base.
Banner Ads: Useful at multiple stages of development, I want to mention them briefly here. As a consumer I occasionally click on a banner ad that captures my interest, and I know others who do the same, but I can’t speak to cost effectiveness of this method. If you have the money it’s probably worth it to generate some public consciousness of the game at major sites and I recommend at least looking into it.
To sum up: Your goal is to develop name recognition and an early fan base who will bring word of mouth advertising of your project to even more consumers.
Release
Congratulations! You’ve got a great game up for sale, now you just need to move those copies. The above advice is still good – you want to be respected on forums and to continue to develop a reputation with your fans and other publishers. More marketing techniques come into play at this stage.
Reviews: Reviews are useful because they will sell your product to people who haven’t quite committed to buying. While anyone can review a game, it can be difficult to get a good review of a game out there. Your best bet is to contact an established reviewer and provide them with a review copy. Start with a PDF offer, since it’s much less expensive to provide PDF copies, but if you have the funds sending off a print copy is worth it. Due to number of hits, RPGnet is the place to get a review unless it’s a d20 product – then ENWorld or RPG.net are good choices. I say this as a reviewer who has reviewed for all the major sites and kept an eye on hits – RPGnet simply draws a larger and more diverse crowd. RPGnet also has the benefit of the Gaming Index and other useful functionality (more below).
When a review comes out, whether it was solicited by you or a fan review, you need to be on top of several things. First, be friendly to the reviewer. Even if it’s a very negative review, stopping by a review thread to say “Thanks!” will score you points in the community. Having your sig there, filled with more information on the game, also means that someone intrigued by the review will see those resources and automatically start out thinking well of you. Link the review on your LiveJournal and website, acknowledging the source and reviewer. Doing this even for negative reviews will do more good than ill, because many consumers want a “balanced” report of things and seeing those resources instills confidence that the publisher isn’t just reporting the favorable reviews. It gives you better credibility in the eyes of the community, and never forget that this is a very reputation driven business.
If the review has some good quotes then message the reviewer and ask for permission (not necessary, but polite) to use them to advertise the game – this is especially useful in the case of well known reviewers like Ken Hite and Dan Davenport. Always keep in mind that by developing a positive reputation with a reviewer you may end up with a fan who will advocate your game to others and seek out other products for review, a very useful friend to have. It’s also worth noting that reviewers often have an interest in publicity too – they want to expand their reputation just as much you do yours.
Finally, keep in mind that you want some reviews as close to launch time as possible. There’s more interest in new games, and having a review up will capitalize on that interest and result in even more discussion of your game when you need it most.
The RPGnet Gaming Index: The largest RPG database online is an oft overlooked tool for free and effective promotion. Anyone, including you, can add an entry for your latest RPG to the Index. This provides you with a host of benefits. For one, anyone who searches the index for any of the entered criteria will stumble upon your game. More importantly, the Index serves as a platform for mini-reviews and RPG rankings. A clever publisher will put links to their product in the Index in their sig and encourage fans to rate the game and write mini-reviews. The Index is integrated with RPGnet’s review system, so anyone who sees the entry for your game will also see links to reviews of that game – a powerful tool indeed.
Podcasts: Yeah, really, podcasts. There are a lot of good ones out there, and whether it’s a review, a brief mention of your game, or an interview it’s worth looking into. While I doubt podcasts are as effective of a marketing technique as, say, reviews on RPGnet, they do reach a lot of people who respect what the podcasters have to say. I’ve been sold on more than one game from listening to the energy and excitement podcasters bring to the table, so if you have a new game and want to talk about it I encourage you to drop your favorite podcast a line.
Post-Release
Actual Plays: An Actual Play is where a fan writes up their experiences with the game into a story-like format. These can be pure gold for you, and if you happen upon one be sure to thank the original poster and include links on your blog and website. Ideally you want to be encouraging fans to create Actual Plays, most likely through a blog and by responding to posts on a message board. “Hey, if you get a chance I’d love to hear more about your game!” is the sort of response that will get a fan excited about writing an AP of your game.
Play By Posts: Examples of your game being played on messageboards can also be an excellent resource to take advantage of. Not only can interested consumers watch a game in progress, but they can even contact individual players or post on the same messageboard and get information from people they know are familiar with the game. Slower and less likely to pack the punch of a well written Actual Play, a good PbP is still a gem and definitely worth promoting.
Reviews: Your approach to reviews should change after your product has been out for a while. You still want new reviews to provide cheap advertising, interest new folk, and remind existing fans that your game is out there and worth talking about. You may want to consider staggering reviews if you provide free review copies. I can guarantee that when multiple reviews of the same product come out near one another they receive fewer hits than if they were, say, a month or two apart. Still, a good reviewer or a well meaning fan is a powerful resource and worth assisting however you can.
Some people will talk at length of the merits of “Capsule,” or unplayed, reviews and Playtest reviews. In my experience people have different opinions on these types of reviews but they get the same amount of attention. Some discerning readers will put more stock in a Playtest review, and rightfully so since actually playing a game often results in a very different (and more accurate) impression of a game than a Capsule review. However, these readers are the exception rather than the rule and I encourage you to support both Capsule and Playtest reviews.
Website and Blog: Be sure to continue to keep on top of Actual Plays, Reviews, Play By Posts, and everything else even after your game has been out for a while – keeping an updated blog encourages people to regularly check it out. One easy way to do this is to encourage your fans to point out any such resource, and to thank them when they do. That saves you time hunting down content and allows fans to interact with you in a helpful way. I strongly recommend posting links to the best material on your website as well since it’s still the most likely stop for people interested in your game.
Conclusion
It’s all about name recognition, reputation, and word of mouth. While developing those doesn’t have to be expensive it does take time and effort. Fortunately, it’s always cheaper the next time thanks to the continued development of your reputation and fan base. Best of luck!
Useful Resources
Forums
RPGnet - The site for general RPG discussion among a large audience.
The Gaming Index - The largest online database of RPGs made even more powerful thanks to its integration with the RPGnet review system.
ENWorld - The best resource for d20 reviews and discussion, EN World reaches an incredible audience.
StoryGames - An excellent resource for RPG discussion with a heavy publisher presence.
The Forge - If you want to generate early interest in your project among other designers, this is a fine choice.
theRPGsite - While it receives less traffic than many other sites and is offensive to some with its zero moderation policy, theRPGsite is an excellent resource thanks to its frank attitude and abundance of small press game designers.
Podcasts
Sons of Kryos - There are a lot of great podcasts out there, but this is the one I keep coming back to. For an example of how enthusiastic discussion of games can be an excellent resource to tap into listen to a few of their shows.
Blogs
Fred Hick’s LiveJournal - To see a master of online game marketing at work who also happens to show off incredible skill at posting to forums and leaving folk feeling great about him, check out Fred’s LiveJournal. Don’t Rest Your Head and Spirit of the Century didn’t just succeed by being great games, but through great promotion.
Chad Underkoffler’s LiveJournal - An excellent example of “designing in public,” Chad creates buzz for his upcoming game Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies while designing it.
Product Promotion
Dictionary of Mu at IPR - Shows off how game review quotes can spice up an entry and get consumers excited.
The Dawning Star Homepage - Demonstrates how an excellent website can be very, very helpful to would-be consumers.
Reviewers
Dan Davenport - For examples of very well done reviews and the sort of community buzz that even unknown products can draw when done by such an excellent writer and respected community member check out Dan’s RPG.net reviews.
Ken Hite’s “Out of the Box” Column - A well respected column reviewing a wide variety of RPGs.
