I'm speaking both about online and IRL encounters here.  At Gen Con this year, I had people try to sell me on various games.  Now, I don't mind a push.  I do mind when they push too hard, make me uncomfortable, or don't take a "no" or "maybe" for an answer without acting royally pissed..  At least two smaller-press game designers did that this year (and one much larger-press vendor), and I'm not sure if it's just a bit of overzealousness or what.

It's pretty much the equivalent of the "Wushu Factor" online.  After someone pushes something so hard, you begin to doubt their sincerity, intent, and honesty, to a point.  If a game is recommended incessantly, annoyingly, and without regard for basic courtesy, be it online or at a Con, my Inner Gamer completely shuts down, tunes out, and sets his virtual profile to Ignore.

The other one is "This Game is Only For People Who Like X", or "X is better than Z!!!!".  Geez, man, I'm cool with honest comparison, but how about not shitting on games I may like while you're doing it?


So what gets you when you're curious about a game?  What approaches do you like, and what turns you off?

Quote from: Zachary The FirstSo what gets you when you're curious about a game?  What approaches do you like, and what turns you off?

I like people who express an interest in me (it shows their eminent good taste!)

So, for instance, I can usually be drawn in by a pitch that starts with "What do you like playing?" and follows up with "Well ... if you like that then let me point you at X," where X is actually something reasonably close to what I said I liked.  It's a back-and-forth where I feel that I'm actually an important part of the conversation.

What turns me off ? (on a game ...)

 If I see any thread on the Big Purple this titled: "Sell me on _____".

 Damnit why? If they already know the title of said game and they are on the internet - they can reserach for themselves if they are smart enough.
 I keep wanting to post to every one of those threads : "Fuck no! Sell yourself on it. " "Don't waffle!... either buy it or don't buy it , but don't waste time starting a thread about it with another boring variation on "sell me on___!!"


 Oh...on a ligter note : What sells ME on a game? If it seems like it might be fun or a sense of humor is involved.

 Squirrel attack ? - you got me interested.

Navel-gazing psycho-babble crap games that try to "empower players" (and screw the GM , if there is one) - not going to appeal to me in any way.


- Ed C.

You guys could totally do this thread better with Exalted.

*Spit-take* with a drink


 Now someone has to mention wushu....


Its like waiting for the other shoe to drop

Have you tried Castles & Crusades?

Personally, I like to read the instructions or the rulebook. Failing that I look for a quickstart packet, a review or a salesman who can summarize the product.

Trashing someone else's product is poor salesmanship and a waste of my time, but I appreciate someone who can show me the differences between two competing products (Gamescience v.s. Chessex).

Rudeness and meglomania are turnoffs of course. :what:

Yeah, a quickstart is far more likely to catch my eye than pages of exposition about how awesome the system is. I want something with substance, not overblown ad copy.

And nothing turns me off more than than the hard sell, especially if it's face to face. By all means try to catch my attention and promote your product as best you can, but the moment you start trying to convince me it's something I need is when I walk away. It's an RPG, not an answer to all of life's woes.

I want to be able to pick up the rulebook and see what a character build looks like, and what kind of resolution system the game has. Hide that away in chapter 4 after pages and pages of waffle (I'm looking at YOU, WoD!) and I'm likely to turn my back on the game straight away (although when later introduced to Vampire, it turned out to be a great game hidden in amongst tons and tons of tedious, excessive text).

I DON'T want to be told all about a game, just put it out there on a page where I can see what I need to see about the system and the setting.

Quote from: Zachary The FirstAfter someone pushes something so hard, you begin to doubt their sincerity, intent, and honesty, to a point.  

Or pushing themselves. I'm not interested in the authors of a game.

Quote from: One Horse TownOr pushing themselves. I'm not interested in the authors of a game.

I think theres a balance to be struck there. If, say for example, Gygax has written a product for a system, I'm interested to see it (he's got a good record after all!). But if that becomes a big part of selling the system to me, I'll remain skeptical till I've seen it.

It has to be about something other that just nihilism.  This usually disqualifies most modern roleplaying games, forgie or not.

Fun games (those that don't try to redefine the word "fun") pretty much sell themselves.

I refer you to Alex Toth's 20th Question, written in 1991:

http://www.tvparty.com/comics/toth20.html

He was talking about comics back then, but the point has stuck with me.

That guy is one delusional old fuck. If you ask me.

I really don't mind folks trying to "sell me" on their favourite RPGs, as long as they keep their spiel honest and free of unnecessary trash talk. You never know when learning all about what makes some obscure game tick and why someone likes it will turn out to be useful.

Quote from: KoltarWhat turns me off ? (on a game ...)

 If I see any thread on the Big Purple this titled: "Sell me on _____".

 Damnit why? If they already know the title of said game and they are on the internet - they can reserach for themselves if they are smart enough.
 I keep wanting to post to every one of those threads : "Fuck no! Sell yourself on it. " "Don't waffle!... either buy it or don't buy it , but don't waste time starting a thread about it with another boring variation on "sell me on___!!"

Really don't agree.

I can wander to any fan website and get the author and already-sold fanboi's takes on how wonderful their game is. But such a one-sided opinion is rarely worth much to me.

But what I do frequently desire if I am sitting on the fence is actual experiences of folks who may have more of a mixed opinion, who might not care enough to provide an unsolicited opinion. Further, though I could hunt up older threads, I may desire the opinions of a group that has played with it for a while and/or of someone who can perhaps contrast it against newer offerings.

So then, as long as my interest is already piqued, "sell me" threads are useful to me.