TOPIC: The 2012 Tokens << Why the Big Increase in Sales?

This year we are experiencing the biggest jump in the improvement in tokens sales since we went from the 2006 woodies to the 2007 chippies. We are on track to sell out the 2nd printing by the end of the month. Crazy! This has been a welcomed surprise, but a mystery of sorts.

Would anyone care to opine why we have seen an increase in token sales? I can tell you that the total number of orders is up to -- so it is not just the same people buying more tokens.

I have my theories, but I want to hear yours. Any input would be appreciated.

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.

I think there are a number of factors this year Jeff.
1) The extra day of runs (Sunday). More people = more sales
2) The excitement of changing venues. More exposure = more sales
3) The token quality. This year's UR are interesting and diverse. There are a lot of tokens that are pretty close to must haves for every class. -Ring of Riches, -Might Items, Charm of Synergy, Pouch of Tulz, -Ring of Evasion
4) The new transmutation system. People who wanted to transmute needed trade items.

Personally I went from a $500 to a $2000 buyer, as I needed to outfit my party. I don't know how much I will spend next year, but this year I went for as many tokens as I could getting ready to equip 10 for TD this year.

Jeff:

I'd add one more thing to those listed above, with which I agree. When we first chose to invite more of our crowd to go on Hajj to Indy, we knew we'd have to expand our buy. However, the extent of that expansion was greatly increased because of the excitement and support of the collectors on this forum. They educated us, traded heavily in our favor, and were just good ambassadors for True Dungeon.
You've got a good group here. Not just the Grognards - the new folks are excited too. TD is a fantastic concept with some excellent folks guiding it along - I feel confident that you can avoid the game balance issues and token overload disease that afflicts collectible games.
Now send me that golden ticket - you know it's the right thing to do!!!

Initially, I was wondering if it might have something to do with the number of events, but that is not it. In 2011, there were 620 TDA adventures in the Gencon catalog, in 2012 the number is 613. It certainly can't hurt that 2011/2012 was a great year for promotion (Thank you, Felicia Day and Wil Wheaton!). Is there anyway to tell the number of unique event ticket purchasers has changed versus prior year?

This sort of thing always leads to more questions:
Was the uptick steady from initial purchases in the Fall?
Speaking of which, didn't we a longer length of time to purchase this year?
Did it spike abnormally high in May after event registration?
Have you seen a notable change in the mix of Pack types sold?

No need for answer. Just wondering out loud.
(Why, this should be a room puzzle!)

Jeff,

I think the Transmutation program is a HUGE part of it. Before, people (myself included) had boxes and boxes of tokens stacking up, and that was a disincentive to buy more tokens. Now, a lot of us have cashed in nearly all our excess tokens to get Relics and Legendary Tokens, and for the first time we've even had a number of people putting in token orders and selling off the PYPs just so they could get raw materials for transmuting.

I think the number of outstanding PYP's that are going out of print this year (especially Ring of Riches and Boots/Girdle/Scepter of Might) and all of the outstanding UR's in this set drove a lot of sales also.

The additional runs probably helped also, bringing in a lot of new people to play, plus the new people that played last year probably bought a lot of tokens.

Now - one warning sign you probably need to pay attention to is the drastic drop in demand and prices for the majority of UR's. You probably need to do something with them along the lines of the Trade Item tokens - maybe as simple as adding a "any UR" ingredient to Relic recipes.

I can't stop without adding that your personality, as well as that of all of the Volunteers, is a huge factor in the growth of True Dungeon. You've really made it seem like a community and family that people want to belong to. Part of my token purchases this year I made because I wanted to help True Dungeon grow and succeed, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

I can only speak for myself.

Bought 2k last year, 4K this & (fingers crossed) 8K next.

PS Smak & Laz hopin 2 be @ Ur buy level by 3999!

sonofrich wrote: I can only speak for myself.

Bought 2k last year, 4K this & (fingers crossed) 8K next.

PS Smak & Laz hopin 2 be @ Ur buy level by 3999!

I also doubled purchasing this year - just under 1k last year - just over 2k this year.

I am pretty sure all the best reasons have been covered. I would lean more towards the Transmute recipes being a main cause though.

Question about token orders, and the looming sellout. I have 13 packs ordered under my account for this year. If I order 17 more, will that qualify me for a PYP?

Lastly, as Wil Wheaton is making another appearance this year, any chance you can rope him into another TD run?

I can speak to our experience. Me and my sons made 1 run in 2010 and 2 last year. We had a great time and have recruited a group of 8 from friends and family for this year. We volunteered to equip the group and somewhere along the lines we caught token fever...sounds like it may be catching. The symptoms are strong desire to acquire more and more tokens, it starts with wanting the best reds and greens you can find, but quickly elevates into purple and blue fever. We are already plotting a $1k buy next year (large increase over this year) and wished I had made a larger buy this year. Bottom line great product; so many who care about the game: from Jeff, to the volunteers, to forum crew; new locale I would say is a plus as well.

Keep up the good work!

Thought of another reason that may be contributing...the free tokens given away in the swag bags, as well as coupon book free pack and free pull from GamingEtc treasure box. Might have have won over some new people wanting to try out TD just based on how cool free stuff is...

Any freebies planned for this year?

ian ferguson wrote: ...Question about token orders, and the looming sellout. I have 13 packs ordered under my account for this year. If I order 17 more, will that qualify me for a PYP?...

Per Jeff, (as stated in a different thread) individual pack buys are the only option NOT available for a higher level purchasing reward.

You must buy at least $250 at time of order to recieve a PYP.