Monday Musing: Evil Hat’s Alignment

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Apr 252011
 

So over on Seth Godin’s blog today, he’s talking about the notion of alignment — not in the D&D sense, but in the “my goal and your goal are aligned with each other”. When a company’s goal and the goal of a client/vendor/customer/retailer for that company are aligned, the relationship is at its strongest, producing consistently positive and (importantly) long-term benefits.

So, let’s set aside product specifics for a moment and talk about you and Evil Hat in general. When it comes down to brass tacks, what is the thing or experience that you want from your interactions with Evil Hat? What’s the foundation of the relationship you have with the company?

I figure the more I know what you want, the more chances I’ll find to make it the thing we want.

Go! The comments are open.

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 Posted by Fred Hicks at 11:22 am  Add comments
  • http://www.shalar.net Jesse Pudewell

    Transparency. Communication. Damn good products. Not going stale.

    Which you already have fully covered … but keep doing it!

  • Scott

    I want interesting and quality products from a customer focused responsive company. I want you to keep getting better with each product. I want to trust you that if you put your name behind it the game is a passion not just a way to gather coins.

  • http://www.uncledark.livejournal.com Lon Sarver

    I really value the sense that, when dealing with Evil Hat, I’m dealing with folks who are gamers rather than just publishers.

    Obviously, you are publishers, and want to make money at this. Otherwise, you’d be putting dollar PDFs up on a website, rather than doing the hard (and well done, I think) work of building a public presence and creating beautiful, professional product. When I read (or more rarely, meet) you or Ryan or Rob, I feel like I’m talking to someone who thinks about games the way I do, as vehicles for creative fantasy rather than units of product to be moved.

    Feel free to become rich and famous, just don’t lose that love-of-the-game attitude.

  • Mick Bradley

    The very act of posting this question is one thing that makes you guys special.

    Also, building partnerships instead of just cultivating a fanbase. Transparency. A steady flow of communication from a group of people who not only know how to make a design do what is intended but can speak and write about games with passion, panache and not come off as handing stuff down to us plebes from on-high.

  • Mick Bradley

    Oh, one other thing: openly admitting that what you’re doing is a branding strategy but still being hella sincere and authentic and convincing me you really care about our engagement with your stuff.

  • Reverance Pavane

    This. <grin> The fact that you engage with your customers and provide an interesting insight into the problems of being a small press publisher in what is in reality a niche industry. This openess tends to breed a higher level of unconscious trust, especially since we can appreciate the actual risks you (as a person rather than a faceless corporate entity*) are taking with each release. Then your enthusiasm about each new product makes us want to look at them. And the physical quality of production (especially in layout and editing) make them objects of beauty that you want to own. We can trust that any game we get from you will be well-produced. Which is especially important when you don’t have a retail outlet nearby or you are supporting a pre-release of the game.

    Which is all rather important because you don’t have a flagship game line that you can attract an audience to and keep. So we have to trust that you will be producing games that will excite you.

    And you have an evil hat. Which is the most important thing.

    [* Yes, we realise that this is true of all small press publishers given the economics of the industry; if they weren't enthusiastic about their product they couldn't be making it, but often you get the feeling that they are not really engaging with their customers, outside of possible face-to-face encounters at cons or faceless websites. Which presents a subconscious distance.]

  • http://thepumpkinsociety.blogspot.com/ Rob Hall

    The thing that keeps me interested in Evil Hat is your communication with us fans and your great products. It always makes my day when I mention an evil hat product in my blog or in a tweet to get a response back from you. I can ride that nerd high for days. The books and PDFs you put our are great to read and play and awesome quality.

    Keep up the great work!

  • The Drau

    You asked, I’m saying. I wouldn’t mind being part of it. Helping out, being part of something that is obviously cared about. I found y’all through the Dresden game books, which yay. Made you my hero and stuff! But following your blog I see how much effort, attention and love you put into this with a professionalism that doesn’t destroy the weird, a honest interest in your market’s feeback…it’s just kind of amazing and enviable these days! Who wouldn’t want to be part of a team like that?

   
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