Went to browse the store for the DHMG product lines, and each time I tried to click on an animal sub-category, I got an error screen (PC, Firefox browser)
"Page not found
The requested page "/store/category/rabbit-sized-games" could not be found."
Also, is there a breakdown somewhere of what the different animal lines mean?
There is a description on the DHMG website: http://www.dicehatemegames.com/games/categories/
Rabbit titles tend to be the light, casual and fast-paced games in the Dice Hate Me Games catalog. They are designed to be easy for younger players to pick up and play, and make for great family games. Diner, Brew Crafters Travel Card Game, Pie Factory, The Fittest, Easy Breezy Travel Agency, and Isle of Trains are examples of Rabbits.
Monkey titles are a step up from Rabbits, yet still very accessible to casual gamers. These games are also flexible and deep enough to provide a lasting challenge to experienced gamers. Carnival and The Great Heartland Hauling Co. are examples of Monkeys.
Rooster titles are our mid-range games. These games are perfect for gamers who are ready for a step up in complexity from Monkeys and typically include more involved gameplay, and a broad range of tactics and strategy. Roosters are still very accessible to casual gamers, and many experienced gamers will discover extremely satisfying play. Compounded and VivaJava: The Coffee Game: The Dice Game are examples of Roosters.
Tiger titles are a bit more complex than Roosters, typically involving deeper strategies and tactics, as well as a robust system of open social play. These titles make up the bulk of the upper-range line of games with large boards, wooden and plastic bits, and thick punchboard components. VivaJava: The Coffee Game and Brew Crafters are examples of Tigers.
Dragon titles are the big boys – these include the most bits, the largest scope of strategy and tactics, and, naturally, have the biggest box! The themes of Dragon games are broad of scope, and involve new worlds or interesting twists on classic archetypes. Stay tuned for new and exciting things coming to the Dragon line.
Cute.
FYI, the box size names all come from the Chinese Zodiac Calendar/Signs.
That doesn't make them more comprehensible to someone new to your products. IMO, a simple tee-shirt sizing system would serve just as well and be less confusing. Plus, I'm not sure what knowing the size of the box tells me about the game. I would imagine there's a rough correlation between box size and the number of components I'll get (hopefully), but it doesn't give me any useful info about the complexity or type or theme of the game, which are things I want to know when deciding on a purchase. Unless it does?
I'm sure once a customer gets comfortable with your products, they'll know what to expect from the different box sizes, but making a new customer click through each category to figure out what games you sell seems like an unnecessary hurdle you're making them jump before they can give you money. At least, that's how it seems to me.
I agree that having those as the 'entry way' to the catalog is a bit backwards and it is on the list of webstore revisions to have fixed.
I half see the appeal of the categories, but as a way to break down the catalogue it's different to how I approach games - I look for theme first, with weight as a secondary consideration. If the theme has no appeal, then the weight and (even the quality) of the game won't persuade me to buy it. That said, I expect that there are people who are the opposite of that, not caring about theme, but really interested in mechanics and play weight so would know which categories they'd find most appealling.
Alas, Bottom Of The 9th falls foul of the theme thing for me. Baseball bores me rigid. I love the sound of the mechanics, I will probably enjoy playing it, but there is no way I'll buy it. Now if you do a tiger or dragon level game about running an NFL franchise, I'll be all over it!
We could call it:
"How to violate all the national labor laws, rip off taxpayers and get away with it."
But then it could be any professional sport.
What would be a great game would be a dice based fantasy sports simulator.
That would be fun, esp. if it was tongue in cheek. The bidding and bookkeepping, it would be the worst game ever.
And I'd love it.
Level99 are working on a game to simulate Collectible Card Games. I have no idea how they're going to achieve that, but that's not a million miles away in terms of strange themes!
The relationship between sports and labour laws is an interesting area - if people could quit to go to an employer who could pay them better money, it'd cause havok, but that's the norm in any other industry. The laws about signing youth players is a difficult area in particular
What makes the NFL appeal is that with the salary cap/revenue sharing to equalise resources, and the draft helping teams that are behind catch up, it actually has the hallmarks of a Euro. The difference in resources in European soccer would lead to the most ridiculously unbalanced starting positions any game could ever have