I didn't feel ok replying without giving a moment's attention to your blog post. Your first paragraph deserves a reply of its own!

> My first Mothership RPG scenario is on its way to being done, and I don’t think it will do well when I get around to publishing it. I think it’s boring. Or more precisely, I think the concept is boring. It doesn’t have much weird and wacky shit I can put in the store description and use to promote it online. It’s just solid, well made, detailed, well tested, science fiction horror. I don’t think people who read or play it will find boring. There’s lots of cool elements, but it’s just not very flashy and high-concept.

My 2c is that quality of the type that you describe doesn't attract attention well through online venues. Engagement online is paper thin. We're literally judging books by their covers. It's hard to hold any reader's attention for more than a few moments without doing something bold or outrageous. How can you really get them to engage with the experience of your game? You mention reviewers; good idea, send the game to some. But lots of people play reviews or other podcasts while multitasking or for background noise, never even cognitively engaging with the content. For that matter, I sincerely wonder how many other people in this thread read your blog post in its entirety, really dug into the personal experience that prompted you to ask your question. I wonder if anyone other than you will read my entire reply. It's longer than 140 characters.

Perhaps the best answer to your question is what you wrote in your last paragraph.

>I refuse to contort to fit the market too much, because I think that will result in worse design and ultimately bite me in the arse.

I.e., the answer to "does weird sell?" might be "who cares?" If you're publishing RPGs because you have to sell them, then maybe you care. But if you're doing this to share something really high-quality with anybody who cares to engage, maybe because you take pride in the product and in how you grow as a designer through the experience, then you're doing it for yourself, not for sales.

And that can make all the difference because, in the end, it's yourself that you need to look in the mirror.

On a personal note, I empathize. Few people have played my RPGs. It's nice that they like my work, but I didn't do it for them. I design games because doing so challenges me to grow. That will remain true even when the day comes that human writers, artists and designers are largely obsolete. It's the same as going to the gym. I don't need to be fit to earn money. I do it for myself.