Report To The Stakeholders

[DeDiceManCometh]

Originally Posted by Gorkamorka

Third might be Wil Wheaton from Table top...But good luck pulling that off.

A bit tangential here, but, Table Top would have to be in content of the hobby broadview, if not the source. Every FLGS in my area is driving its Open Game Night off of it -- but only after a period of noticing sudden empty spots on shelves for some time -- before discovering that the spontaneous demand for sundry items was not, as it seemed, random, but tied to the show.

[Gorkamorka]

Originally Posted by Steve Jackson

Oh, TableTop, absolutely - not as an in-depth study of trends, but a good sampling of what's being played out there in the short-games category, engagingly presented.

WRT modifying my conditions: Sure! It's a discussion.

When you recommend somebody, post a URL or other way that the rest of us can locate and benefit from the wisdom . . .

Fred Hicks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fredhicks
Company: http://www.evilhat.com/home/
Blog: http://www.deadlyfredly.com/
Associated podcast: http://2d6feet.com/ (Mostly about the state of the gaming industry)

Actually that makes me thing of another person.
Chris Hanrahan. One of the hosts of 2d6 feel in a random direction.
He is the owner of a successful gaming store (Endgames), is a host on a gaming industry podcast (2d6feet) and I believe he is a part owner or at least heavily associated with Evil Hat.

[Andrew Hackard]

The update you are most likely to see is the report itself. Until then, the answer remains "Steve is working on it, as his other tasks permit."

[Andrew Hackard]

We ALL had to resist the temptation to throw too much of 2014 in the report. Time enough to brag about 2014 in next year's report, five or six months hence.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Owen Smith

... I don't get how what is effectively a single joke has sustained a product line so large and for so long.

Humans are weird. I'm happy that a company that makes games that I like as an additional side job can afford to do so because of Munchkin.

[Bampop]

Originally Posted by Owen Smith

It saddens me that Munchkin is over 75% of sales. Not sad for SJ Games, because they're making money, but sad for what it says about the hobby. I get the joke in Munchkin, but I don't get how what is effectively a single joke has sustained a product line so large and for so long. It does nothing for me.

I don't understand what you think it says about the hobby. You're sad that people enjoy something that does nothing for you?

[Refplace]

It was a good report overall, especially considering how many other companies have been struggling.
I am also happy to that GURPS Charecters made the top 40, wish it had been more but at least its visible.Also Illuminati did well!
Thank you Steve and everyone for this visibility

[Pragmatic]

I haven't been helping out with the Munchkin revenue as much as I had in the past. My cousin, for whom I buy the packs, isn't as into the game as she used to be, so I haven't bought anything new this year. :-(

It's definitely scary that so much of the company's revenue is tied up in one product line...

[Kuroshima]

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

It's definitely scary that so much of the company's revenue is tied up in one product line...

Indeed, but at least they recognize this and are trying to diversify. It saddens me that GURPS isn't higher up on the priority chain, but well, the realities of economics are what they are.

[Cpt. Sqweky]

Originally Posted by Owen Smith

It takes the mickey out of role playing. Munchkin itself says that there are all these geeks playing this dumb role playing stuff, and they'll do anything to get one over on their buddies. The fact that people enjoy playing something that enshrines this in the rules, I find very sad. It's almost the antithesis of what I enjoy in role playing games. This may partly explain role playing's ongoing decline, we're driving away serious role players by taking the mickey out of it and saying it's only for the superficial style of play that Munchkin makes fun of.

It's called being able to poke fun at yourself and not taking yourself too seriously. It's the same reason nerds can enjoy The IT Crowd. You take some stereotypes, push them to an absurd extreme, and make sure it's all in good natured fun (which is the reason nobody should ever like a certain other show which I shall never name, it's very mean-spirited, despite the strange Stockholm Syndrom a lot of nerds seem to have towards it). And I assure you, while I don't know them personally, given everything they've done, People like Steve, Andrew, John, and everyone else involved in Munchkin are definitely doing it in a good-natured manner. They do it because of how much they love RPGs, not to be mean to roleplayers or to say that all roleplayers are in fact Munchkins. That's why Munchkin is so popular among a lot of gamers: they see and recognize the stereotypes (in themselves or people they know), recognize it's all in good-natured fun, and are able to have a good laugh.

Though I do admit, it is a bit concerning that Munchkin makes up such a huge percentage of the revenue. I'm not saying they should stop making Munchkin stuff. (Please do keep making more.) It only makes sense for them to focus on it for as long as it keeps making this much money. It just seems that any company needs a decent amount of diversity in their revenue stream, and I'm not sure the myriad of different forms of Munchkin counts. If, heaven forbid, Munchkin has a bubble that bursts, where would that leave SJG? It doesn't look like that would happen anytime soon, but still, one needs contingency plans. Be prepared, and all that.