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Halloween Handouts and Growing the Hobby

5 replies [Last post]
Sat, 09/26/2009 - 18:42
Willi B
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Joined: 07/28/2008

I recently posted an idea at the geek and wanted to get thoughts here as well.

I thought that a good idea to grow the hobby would be to get people to print and hand out free print and play games that were age appropriate as extras during Halloween.

Adding a card with the geek on it would be helpful to the cause as well as your local game shop.

If you have thoughts or ideas please feel free to add them. If you have some idea of some good free games that would appeal to the youngsters, please post them on the thread at the geek for people to see or start a geeklist.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/3976286#3976286

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Mon, 09/28/2009 - 16:53
#1
Dralius
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A great idea

But i FEAR that i may not be able to handle the volume and give one out to every child.

We should try to come up with a game that can be produced in large quantities cheaply. Oh and with the appropriate seasonal theme.

I smell a GDS.

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Tue, 09/29/2009 - 02:11
#2
Willi B
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Joined: 07/28/2008
I figure that the game(s)

I figure that the game(s) would get costly... but if you give out 1 game per "group" and it's all Black and White paper, that would probably be doable to me. Asking the kids to come up with some dice or pencils shouldn't be too hard.... I think age appropriateness is the hardest to achieve, especially when trying to include boys and girls.

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Tue, 09/29/2009 - 09:45
#3
InvisibleJon
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One-page games...

I think that you could do just fine if you restrict the game to one double-sided sheet of cardstock. That's very inexpensive to produce and a perfectly fine give-away to include with a mini candy bar or other such treat.

Although I haven't done one per year, I've deliberately designed several one-page Game of the Month games as convention handouts. The rules go on one side of a standard (8.5" x 11") sheet of paper, and the board goes on the other side. The games use standard household components (one or two d6, loose change, Poker cards, pencil and paper). I typically print these on bright-colored card stock, put them in a lucite brochure stand, and set that up on the "free stuff" table at the convention. They're usually all gone by the end, so I'm happy with it.

If you assume that the recipient has access to those standard components and restrict yourself to one sheet of paper, there's still a surprisingly large design space available to you. I was about to make a list of Invisible City games that fit these criteria, but realized that it'd be too much gratuitous self-promotion.

I replied to the BGG posting with a list of several Invisible City games that should fit their needs well. Most of those are one-page games. The biggest problem I had was age range.

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Tue, 09/29/2009 - 13:23
#4
Willi B
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Joined: 07/28/2008
Thanks!

I knew you had a vast library to choose from... glad you replied because threads at the geek seem to get buried fast. I agree that the age thing is the hardest... it would be great to have more games that introduce the younger kids to new mechanics and ideas in games while still being simple enough to get and keep their attention.

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Tue, 09/29/2009 - 16:05
#5
larienna
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it's a wonderful idea

Effectively, it would have to be small. I would say maximum a 8-1/2x5 envelope. Unless you do not place it in the bad of candies but hand it out separately.

I really like the idea, it's a good way to promote board games. And it can give me a good reason to make free small games!

It could even be a new type of games: "trick or treat games". We could setup a standard box size that all trick or treat games would have (maybe smaller but as thick as cheap as game boxes) and deliver them during the haloween.

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