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October 24, 2024 14 mins

In this episode, Clint will share his top 3 secrets to the, "Art of the Cool Pitch." It can be tough to get anyone onboard with your idea to try something new, especially a tabletop roleplaying game. Give yourself the best chance by sharing what makes YOUR game irresistible.

Resources mentioned during episode:

Items mentioned during episode:

  • Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (Multiple Formats) - Click Here
  • Building A Storybrand - Clarify Your Message So Customer Will Listen (Multiple Formats) - Click Here

Games mentioned during episode:

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
>> Clint Scheirer (00:00):
Getting others excited about a new idea can be difficult.
Whether it's a new movie you want to see together, a restaurant you
want to try, or maybe a new tabletop Role Playing Game you want to
play, it can be tough to pitch your idea in such a way
that others can get on board. In this episode, I'm going to
share my top three secrets to the art of the
cool pitch. Welcome to claim to Game. We

(00:20):
help tabletop gamers have a great time with friends to experience
amazing stories. It can be overwhelming to start and
run great Games. Let's make it easier for you to
play any Game you want to have fun with your friends.
I'm Clint Scheirer. I've helped thousands of students in my career
find their way to better themselves and better their
game. With more than ten years experience in coaching,
teaching, and developing easy to follow learning plans,

(00:43):
I know I can help you too. It's time for you to make
your claim to Game.

(01:17):
Hello, and welcome back to episode 25.
Now on Season 2 of Claim to Game, still
a predominantly educational, fun Podcast in which I am
daring to coin the word fun educational. It's
like being on a hamster wheel full of laughter, smiles, and
$100 bills. In today's episode,
I am going to share with you my top three secrets

(01:37):
to the art of the cool pitch. Because it can
be tough to get anyone on board with your idea
to try something new, especially when it's a tabletop
Role Playing Game. Give yourself the best chance by
sharing what makes your game
irresistible, and one of the challenges that
gamers have shared with me that they experience when trying to start
a new tabletop game. It's just finding and

(01:59):
convincing people to play. Why is
that? Why do new potential players
hesitate whenever I am asked to try
something new? There are a few questions that run through my
brain. And I'll admit these questions do not come from a place
of growth or learning, but more from a place
of fear and false insecurity. Here are the questions.
First, I ask myself, will I enjoy

(02:21):
this? Is this activity worth my time?
Next, I think if I don't enjoy it, is it
something I just have to do anyway, out of obligation to
society, family, or friends? And finally, and here's
the kicker, the real gut punch to the old self
esteem. Will I be successful or will
I fail? I'm going to hone in on that last one.

(02:42):
Failure. All of my life was portrayed as
the ultimate evil to be avoided at all costs.
If I failed, I did something wrong. Even
those around me said things like, that's okay or
better luck next Time. And I was left feeling not
enough, a loser, essentially wrong
somewhere inside of myself with no way to redeem
myself. I definitely tried to redeem myself with

(03:05):
self deprecating language like way to go clint.scheirer@claimtogamepodcast.com. You're
so dumb. Try harder next time. Or guess
you just weren't made for this. Why did you even try? That was so
stupid. If you are right now
cringing listening to this, just
know so am I. This type of self
talk is crippling and it does not foster any
wonderful emotions that we should get to feel when trying

(03:27):
some new. And what are those emotions when you try
something new? I'm talking about curiosity and wonder,
joy, the desire to persevere in the face of adversity
and the satisfaction of overcoming
failure as we learn from our mistakes.
If you feel disheartened right now and are thinking, man,
that's me talking, that crippling self talk and fear of

(03:47):
failure do not fear. I am living
proof that this mindset is a work in progress and can be
learned to we can change the way we think about new
experiences and even in the way we speak and
encourage others to try new things as well. This
can be revolutionary for us. Coming up
on its 20th anniversary in 2026, American
psychologist Carol Dweck wrote her book

(04:10):
the New Psychology of Success in 2006
and I recently had the pleasure of listening to this via
audiobook shout out to you Spotify. And
it has truly changed the way I think about trying
new things. Now, this book hasn't magically changed me,
but I am now aware mistakes are not a bad
thing. They can have consequences, but they can

(04:30):
act as pivotal signposts. They can help direct
me to when I need to change direction for better future
outcomes.
So as gamers who want to experience amazing stories through
tabletop role playing Games with friends who may be
hesitant to even get started, how do we help change this
mindset? How do we, in a small way, help set
the stage ensuring our new would be players,

(04:51):
the players we want to join our group and experience our
stories. How do we set them up for success and
jump over the hurdle of fears going on
in between their ears that may prevent them from even giving our Game a
try? We do so by giving them a super
valuable, highly specific and easy exit,
super cool pitch. That's how. Hey, quick pause in
the episode, do you struggle to find people to play with in your

(05:14):
very own Tabletop RPG Games? Would you like to find
some friends, some like minded people who can help you have a great
time and tell amazing stories you can do this in
three easy steps. One, click on the link in the show notes to
join the Claim to Game Discord community. Two,
navigate to the category called community
and three, click on the channel called look for a Game.

(05:35):
Either post your own desire to play a Game or respond to somebody
else's plea for camaraderie, adventure, and
fun. Join the CTG Discord by clicking on the link
in the show notes. Thanks and now back to the episode.
Another really great book I recently read was Donald Miller's
story. Clarify your message so that customers will
listen. And I read this book wanting to create more value

(05:55):
to those I serve when making this podcast and exploring new
tabletop role playing Games. What I didn't expect
was to actually learn a new way to help
guide new gamers into this hobby in an easy,
honest way. In Hollywood, movies often have a one
sentence description that sells the screenplay and also
hooks the audience to watch the movie. It's called the

(06:16):
Logline and the goal here is not deception. We're not trying
to hook players to play a new Game like we're trying to hook
fish on a line. No, we really are just trying to
naturally extract what makes your Game so
cool. We're trying to eliminate the hesitation that folks
have asking those same fear based questions that they
often ask when trying something new. Will I enjoy this?

(06:36):
Is this something I have to do out of obligation? Will
I fail? And when we kick these questions off the
playing field, there isn't a Reason someone wouldn't want
to check out your game or at least give it due consideration before
saying yes or no to your invitation. We can
create your games one liner much like the latest Hollywood
blockbuster by honing in on four elements.
One, who are the characters?

(06:58):
Two, What is the problem they are trying to solve?
Three, What is the plan or their potential plan
for solving the problem? And four, the
success. What does success promise to look
or feel like for the characters once they've accomplished their
goal? For a Tabletop RPG, you can basically
hit most of those points if you have the game's general
theme and also the plot hook for the advanced adventure that you want to

(07:21):
run. Whether it's an adventure that you've created yourself
or a premade adventure, this will aid you in
creating your one liner for what this experience will be like
for your gamers. Here are some examples of one
liners that I've created for some popular Tabletop
RPG's using this Hollywood formula.
Dungeons Dragons medieval Fantasy characters go on Quest

(07:42):
to fight monsters, find treasure, and grow in
strength as they uncover the real threats and try to save
the World they live in. Call of
Cthulhu it's the 1920s and
average human beings are faced with the task to
investigate horrific creatures and dangerous cults,
all while trying not to slip into mental
insanity. Blades in the Dark,

(08:04):
a crew of scoundrels seek their fortunes on the haunted
streets of an industrial Fantasy city by staging
heists to acquire riches despite the threats of occult
mysteries, dangerous bargains and bloody
skirmishes.
Morkborg, lost souls in a dying
apocalyptic Fantasy World, vainly try to seek
redemption, forgiveness and riches as the

(08:25):
inevitable doom creeps closer. And Time will
tell if their heroic efforts make any difference
in the end to come.
Brindlewood Bay, a group of elderly women,
members of the local murder Mavens Mystery Book Club,
help the authorities solve murder cases in a picturesque New
England town to face a Dark occult conspiracy in order

(08:46):
to save their community.
Tip number two in the art of the cool pitch is, "The Time
commitment. Up front, I would say this tip is, "The deal
maker or breaker after the initial interest is
ignited by your one liner, everyone only has so much
time that theyre willing to commit each day to the things that they
need to do or want to do. Your friend may want to
give this Game a try, but if the Time commitment conflicts with

(09:08):
already pre existing things that they need or want to do,
it may be too much to ask for them to try a brand new
endeavor. It ultimately is, of course,
their decision whether or not they have Time to play. But being
upfront and clear about the Time commitment in your cool
pitch is, "The kindest way to be clear
and get an honest yes or no. You should include
the following details when being clear about the upfront Time

(09:30):
commitment. How often will you meet at, what general time will
the Game start? How long will each session last
and where are you meeting? Knowing these details can give
a person what they need to evaluate their own schedule and
ability to commit to the Game. To jump this hurdle,
here is my suggestion. Instead of asking your friend
to commit to an adventure that could be weeks, months,

(09:51):
and even years in the making, start with just one
three to four hour game. This is lovingly known
as follows, "A one shot by the Tabletop RPG community
and in essence is exactly how it sounds. Just
one gaming session, no longer than three to 4 hours of
playtime. Start to finish. It allows your friend to get a taste
of what the Game or the group will be like, kind of like a pilot episode

(10:11):
for a new tv series, but by the end of the session,
they should have enough information to decide if they want to make a future
commitment to play with the group again. Here's an example of what it
may sound like to be upfront with the Time commitment after you
share your game's Hollywood one liner. Our group plans
to meet from 05:00 p.m. to 09:00 p.m. the first Saturday
of every month at my house. Would you be interested in a spot at

(10:32):
the table? The third and last pro tip here in the art of the
cool pitch is providing an exit ramp. I have
personally turned down requests to participate in activities
which I sense the danger of forever
membership. I don't want to sign up for a newsletter, a
service, or anything which traps me into a contract
for which there is no easy way to escape or say

(10:52):
yeah, I don't think this is for me anymore. So why not
make it easy for a friend to say no and be honest with
you. In the end, you are really doing
everyone a favor. You don't want a person to show up to a Game
out of obligation. You want a person to show up because they
are fully aware of what type of Game you are playing, how
much Time is needed to commit, and you can

(11:12):
honor that commitment by giving them the chance to bow out
gracefully afterwards. If its just not their jam or just doesnt
fit their schedule. This exit ramp strategy
can be as simple and short and straightforward as you want. Heres
an example. If you do decide to play
and decide this Game is not for you, totally fine. You
can exit the group at any Time. Okay, lets

(11:33):
put this cool pitch together all together using tip
one, the movie one liner, tip two, the up
front Time commitment, and tip three, the easy
exit ramp strategy. Here's what it would sound like if I was
getting a group together to play a Game of Dungeons &
Dragons. I'll pitch my idea to my imaginary
gamer friend, Denzel.
Hey Denzel, I'm putting together a group to play

(11:55):
a Game of Dungeons & Dragons. It's about medieval
Fantasy characters who go on Quest to fight monsters,
find treasure and grow in strength as they uncover the
real threats and try to save the World they live in.
Our group plans to meet from 05:00 p.m. to 09:00 p.m. the
first Saturday of every month at my house. Would you be
interested at a spot at the table? If you do decide to
play and decide the Game is not for you, totally

(12:18):
fine. You can exit the group at any Time.
Excellent. This has a way better chance to get your friends to
the table than hey bro, sister Mother
dude I just met at the grocery store with The Dragon tattoo. Wanna
play D20 and D20? To recap the art of the cool pitch
needs three elements. Your Hollywood movie one
liner, sharing the characters, the problem, the
potential ways to solve that problem, and the promise of what success

(12:41):
can look like. You need to be upfront about the
potential Time commitment with how often, when
and where do you expect to play, and lastly,
give your friend an easy exit ramp if they end up not enjoying
themselves. That's it. Now go out there and
pitch your next game. Join us next time as we find
the best ways to have great times with friends and experience

(13:01):
amazing stories through tabletop role playing have
you ever wanted to start your own Tabletop RPG group but just
didnt know how? What if you could follow six
simple tasks to get your Game up. And running in just
30 days or less? Oh, you can, my friend.
Download your free quick start guide either by clicking on the link in
the show notes or by visiting www.claimtogamepodcast.com.

(13:21):
follow the six simple tasks outlined in the guide
and go. Enjoy playing your best game and may you keep having
fun. As we continue to make our claim to Games, it.
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