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Old 05-08-2011, 01:46 PM   #1
dgrm4
 
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Default Gurps is dying a slow death

I already know that this may create some negative responses, but I will say this because I think it needs to be discussed. With SJG new electronic strategy for Gurps, it is slowing shrinking away and dying as a product line. In a product life cycle if you are not maintaining or growing then you are shrinking. Simple math, only three choices. When you pull all your product off store shelves and rely strictly on electronic sales, you are losing market and shrinking. We are not an electronic society regarding our books just yet. There are a LOT of published game systems on my local hobby stores shelves, but Gurps space is shrinking away and so are the local players interest in the system. It is such a shame to watch it die off, but it is.

The question is: HOW CAN WE PULL TOGETHER AND REVERSE THIS TREND?


If I was SJG, my strategy would be this. Pick one area with a few hobby stores and then try some marketing tactics there. Pay attention to the results and note what gets Gurps interest growing and expanding. Then I would just copy that into every other market as resources allowed!
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Old 05-08-2011, 01:51 PM   #2
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Default Re: Gurps is dying a slow death

Quote:
Originally Posted by dgrm4 View Post
If I was SJG, my strategy would be this. Pick one area with a few hobby stores and then try some marketing tactics there.
Like having the MIB do demos and such?

If you really are interested in promoting GURPS you should a)join the MIB and b) post reviews to sites like RPG.net. You are preaching to the choir here.
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Old 05-08-2011, 01:51 PM   #3
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Default Re: Gurps is dying a slow death

Oooo, monday morning development.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dgrm4 View Post
Simple math, only three choices. When you pull all your product off store shelves and rely strictly on electronic sales, you are losing market and shrinking. We are not an electronic society regarding our books just yet. There are a LOT of published game systems on my local hobby stores shelves, but Gurps space is shrinking away and so are the local players interest in the system. It is such a shame to watch it die off, but it is.
You can tell from the slowly shrinking GURPS electronic sales, the fact that hardback consistently outperforms electronic copies, and the utter irrelevancy of the indie market.

Or wait, the opposite of that.

Quote:
The question is: HOW CAN WE PULL TOGETHER AND REVERSE THIS TREND?
Know the market, know where it's going, adapt or die, instead of living in a past where FLGSes were THE only place to get a role-playing book.

Quote:
If I was SJG, my strategy would be this. Pick one area with a few hobby stores and then try some marketing tactics there. Pay attention to the results and note what gets Gurps interest growing and expanding. Then I would just copy that into every other market as resources allowed!
If I were SJGames, I would analyze the actual performance of my products, decide where the greatest profit was to be made, and stop trying to shove a square peg into a round hole.
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Old 05-08-2011, 01:59 PM   #4
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Default Re: Gurps is dying a slow death

For what it's worth, the tabletop gaming industry is dying a slow death. When I started gaming 15 years ago the hobby was arguably in its heyday and finding players was trivially easy. These days you have to explain to people who only know video games that it's possible to play RPGs "analog."
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Old 05-08-2011, 02:03 PM   #5
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Default Re: Gurps is dying a slow death

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Originally Posted by ciaran_skye View Post
For what it's worth, the tabletop gaming industry is dying a slow death. When I started gaming 15 years ago the hobby was arguably in its heyday and finding players was trivially easy. These days you have to explain to people who only know video games that it's possible to play RPGs "analog."
On the plus side you no longer have to explain to people how it's not Satanic ritual.
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Old 05-08-2011, 02:03 PM   #6
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Default Re: Gurps is dying a slow death

They no longer carry GURPS at my FLGS. Surprisingly, D&D is dying off too. Pathfinder now has twice as much shelf space as D&D.

They have a whole rack devoted to Munchkin. Perhaps SJG should do a GURPS: Munchkin.
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Old 05-08-2011, 02:08 PM   #7
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Default Re: Gurps is dying a slow death

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Originally Posted by dgrm4 View Post
*snip*
Ah. I see that Kromm's responses to your expressing this idea previously have been forgotten. May I suggest you go back and re-read your previous threads on this topic to refresh your memory?

SJG is doing what gives them the best returns on their investments. You appear to disagree with what their numbers tell them. That's ... nice, I guess, but ultimately irrelevant.
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Old 05-08-2011, 02:15 PM   #8
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Default Re: Gurps is dying a slow death

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On the plus side you no longer have to explain to people how it's not Satanic ritual.
I have a friend who can't even play World of Warcraft because the local cult leader* won't allow it. They claim they walked into his room and "smelled brimstone." So trust me, that toxic meme is still plenty well alive in the right parts, just updated for new technology.

* Not to get into local politics, but the church he goes to qualifies in being called a "cult" according to the guidelines set by Issac Bonewits.
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Old 05-08-2011, 02:21 PM   #9
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Default Re: Gurps is dying a slow death

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Originally Posted by ciaran_skye View Post
I have a friend who can't even play World of Warcraft because the local cult leader* won't allow it. They claim they walked into his room and "smelled brimstone." So trust me, that toxic meme is still plenty well alive in the right parts, just updated for new technology.
It seems vastly less persuasive than it did in the 80s. The difference could be geographic though.
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Old 05-08-2011, 02:47 PM   #10
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Default Re: Gurps is dying a slow death

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Originally Posted by ciaran_skye View Post
* Not to get into local politics, but the church he goes to qualifies in being called a "cult" according to the guidelines set by Issac Bonewits.
Not that I want to derail the thread, but could you point me towards these guidelines?
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death of gurps, death of the industry, kromm explanation, rev. pee kitty, uninformed speculation

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