I would tend to agree with the assessment offered below by "The Broasted".
For myself: My wife is a bigger TD fan than I am and is always up for having more TD tokens to choose from when building characters out. Given the previous expense and lack of utility for a mass majority of tokens that you don't end up using.... Well, I wasn't willing to spend a lot on TD tokens - we had enough to play and have fun, but weren't hardcore players with UR tokens floating about.
However.... Now we have the trade-in and transmutation programs. Now that all the previously "useless" tokens now have value as part of those programs. Neato. That appeals to me. I like the idea of hunting down all the bits and pieces I need for "that new toy". For the first time this year, we have been willing to spend A LOT more $$$$ on tokens than we EVER have in all previous years combined.
I also like the expansion into the new space. But rather than things like "true grind" and "truecraft", I have to wonder why we only have two story "modules" to play through.... Rather than side events, I'd rather have another module to play through. I have to wonder why we have only one campaign plot line to play in, instead of two....
All the changes this year, including all the online programs on the TD website, have expanded the offerings and tools and availability of TD to a wider audience in the geek/nerd community. All positive changes that have drawn more people in.
That said, there is always room for improvement. For example: Using just a few basic tokens of the Common and Uncommon variety I can make a decent character for most of the character classes. It is still nearly impossible to make a decent Monk, Druid, Wizard or Rogue without a boatload of UR tokens... unless of course you enjoy dying a lot as cannon fodder. Which means the whole scope of the game is less open to beginners than it otherwise could be. So yeah, lots of improvement over the past year, but still plenty more room for improvement.
And all those things combined, will draw in more and more people over the years to come.
The Broasted wrote:
I'm sure there are a large number of factors at work, but I'd say the top three are:
1. The Transmuted Token program
2. The expansion into the new space
3. The signing of the partnership agreement with Gen Con
The transmuted token program gives all levels of collectors reason to buy more tokens. Now that there is a tangible use for almost every token, either in its natural form or as a part of a trade token, there are no "wasted" token packs.
The new space offers a lot to get excited about, both from the regular dungeons and from the storyscape. It also lends air of "legitimacy" to True Dungeon, in that the event can be seen as growing and expanding. This encourages players to buy more tokens to enhance their experience in a known and growing entity.
The signing of the agreement shows that TD isn't going anywhere. So, folks can feel safer making an investment in tokens. This also goes back to the "legitimacy" idea, in that players can feel vested in the event since they know that it will be around for at least as long as the terms of the agreement.