I was reading the Alpha Omega RPG which came to me for review; and there's a little letter from the game company tooting their own horn in there, talking about the incredible success of their viral marketing campaign.  There's no question that was a successful campaign, which is likely to make some difference in the overall success of their game.  However, their "success" was more due to luck than anything, if I've got my facts right, because that campaign happened at the same time as the people producing the Cloverfield movie did their viral marketing campaign, and somehow the two got mixed up in the popular perception, leading to millions of people visiting the Alpha-Omega homepage under the impression that it was going to have something to do with Cloverfield.

So, aside from luck, how likely is this sort of marketing to make an impact on a new RPG (or even an old one)?

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;281557I was reading the Alpha Omega RPG which came to me for review; and there's a little letter from the game company tooting their own horn in there, talking about the incredible success of their viral marketing campaign.  There's no question that was a successful campaign, which is likely to make some difference in the overall success of their game.

Well, what are they using to measure this success? Number of web hits? Number of sales? Number of people playing the game? Number of friends on MySpace? Because while I don't know anyone who purchased the game, I DO know several people who stopped paying attention as soon as they found out it wasn't either Cloverfield or a Computer Game (though considering their close association with Full Sail, it could very well soon be).

If it counts, I actually enjoyed the viral marketing campaign itself (which in ways reminds me of Myst) FAR more than the actual product (which I think has pretty art). I'd love it if they extended the puzzles with harder solutions and deeper secrets and released the whole thing.

Quote from: RPGPundit;281557So, aside from luck, how likely is this sort of marketing to make an impact on a new RPG (or even an old one)?

For RPGs, gameplay itself NEEDS to be its own viral marketing.

Just look at how popular games like Mobsters and Heroes and Vampires are on MySpace. I'm sure a less complicated version of an RPG could be distributed like that, with a more interesting version available for the table.

Alpha Omega?

Isn't that this visually overproduced but otherwise perfectly conventional RPG into the artwork and promotion of which its creators sunk an estimated several tens of thousands of dollars (mega-sized Gen Con stand), only to see it consigned to oblivion as yet another (overproduced) roleplaying game?

If so, the impact of viral blather would pan out like this:

Short term, noticeably; middle term, not so much; long term, forget about it.

Yeah that's the one, cool website, flashy looking book, but I don't know anyone that's playing it or any stores that even pushed it, hell most stores I've been into haven't even heard of it and had to look it up when I asked about the price.  When I found out their price I also stopped asking about it.  It's a novelty game at best.

Quote from: RPGPundit;281557So, aside from luck, how likely is this sort of marketing to make an impact on a new RPG (or even an old one)?

RPGPundit

Honestly, the viral marketing is the part of the Forge activities that I find most offensive. As soon as I figure out that the buzz is artificial about something, I start tuning it out (especially if the buzz is internet only).

I never even heard of it until it was mentioned in a previous thread on this site.

Quote from: kryyst;281571Yeah that's the one, cool website, flashy looking book, but I don't know anyone that's playing it or any stores that even pushed it, hell most stores I've been into haven't even heard of it and had to look it up when I asked about the price.  When I found out their price I also stopped asking about it.  It's a novelty game at best.

Out of curiosity, what prices were you quoted for the game?

Anyways, to do a little viral marketing of my own, keep checking at my blog for a complete RPGPundit review of Alpha Omega in the near future (next couple of weeks)!

RPGPundit

Quote from: brettmb;281605I never even heard of it until it was mentioned in a previous thread on this site.

I never even heard of it until it was mentioned in this thread.

me either, what sort of rpg is it?

Quote from: Broken-Serenity;281682me either, what sort of rpg is it?

Rifts meets Shadowrun by way of aliens as angels and demons, with gorgeous art, lovingly produced book. Complex system, has magic and technology in a future post-apocalyptic world where humans and hybrid aliens/mutants and AI live in city states and travel is dangerous outside the city states.


It like Waste World better (simpler system, more cohesive backstory), but it wasn't as pretty as AO.

Quote from: Broken-Serenity;281682me either, what sort of rpg is it?

A kind of meh one. It's pretty. The website is pretty. But...

Seanchai

well from the description it dosent sound like my sorta game so i'll give this one a miss.