[Promoted Thread] So Cam Banks asked this question on Twitter on June 18, setting off a string of interesting tweets by Mr. Mearls. Tweety caveats apply (limited characters, loss of nuance, etc.) I've ordered the posts by time as best I could, and sblocked tangents so that they don't interrupt the flow. But be sure to read them. Also, I used Mearls as my guiding star, so conversations generally end with him. However, there were other interesting posts by other folks that I haven't included here, so if you're interested, check out Mearls' Twitter feed, for June 18th, around 11 AM.
Cam Banks, 11:04
But the question is: is there a D&D 5e-sized market for a new SF RPG, whether it's Traveller or something else revisited?
Mike Mearls, 11:10
I don't believe out of the gate. I think an audience could be built, though.
Cam Banks, 11:11
I think so, too. I think we've seen sufficient market interest in other media that it's almost a no-brainer.
Mike Mearls, 11:11
challenge with RPGs is publishers go all in on one title, compared to how board game publishers manage their lines
Cam Banks, 11:12
Multiple lines with multiple support?
Mike Mearls, 11:12
I'd love to see an FFG of RPGs emerge, focusing on new games and following the hits with support.
Gurney Halleck, 11:13
I think the markets are very different due to the nature of the games themselves.
Mike Mearls, 11:13
yeah, with most titles core game and nothing else if they lack traction
Gurney Halleck, 11:13
To make that sustainable you would need a MONSTER hit of a core game.
Mike Mearls, 11:13
yeah, current RPG fans have a script that plays out badly for publishers
[sblock=Eurogame Tangent]
Gurney Halleck, 11:13
The Euro-stylegames created a new market. RPGs are an existing one, and that’s hard to alter.
Mike Mearls, 11:14
board game fans of 1995 (pre-Settlers) were much different beasts, different expectations than today...
Gurney Halleck, 11:15
The Euro-stylegames created a new market. RPGs are an existing one, and that’s hard to alter.
Mike Mearls, 11:16
in some ways, but I think Euros captured the old market + added all sorts of on ramps
Gurney Halleck, 11:18
Not sure I agree. SOME wargamers got carved off, and some mainstream players. But I think Settles built something.
Mike Mearls, 11:19
it established some new norms, and redefined what came before, says the guy who just ordered Heroes of Normandie[/sblock]
Rob Donoghue, 11:13
"support" means something pretty different.
Mike Mearls, 11:15
yeah, board games have such clear expansion paths - more players, expand card deck X to size Y, replace A with B
Mike Mearls, 11:15
RPG fans are like - publish another entire game worth of stuff that just adds complexity!
Rob Donoghue, 11:17
Yah. I think there's a lack of a real playbook for how to handle RPG success consistently. Many one offs.
[sblock=Supplements tangent]
Dean Gilbert, 11:18
I'm starting to think that there isn't a very large market at all for supplementary material.
Mike Mearls, 11:21
it's tricky, and I think it looks much more like the board game expansion market than what RPGs have been[/sblock]
Cam Banks, 11:17
Many of us are experiment-minded at heart but feel bound by the past.
Mike Mearls, 11:18
no one has solved it, in terms of a business model. the biggest challenge of 5e will be years 3 - 5.
Rob Donoghue, 11:18
Curse of super thin margins, little time, and a tyrannical streak.
[sblock=Magazine Tangent]
Adam Jury, 11:18
Big problem is educating retailers about new things.
Mike Mearls, 11:19
and fans! We need a White Wolf magazine for the 21st century
Rob Donoghue, 11:20
Magazines unfortunately are facing the same uncertainty.
Cam Banks, 11:20
I'm looking at Dragon+ to see how that performs.
Mike Mearls, 11:21
it's funny, people get really loud and upset if they aren't getting stuff for the game they already play
Mike Mearls, 11:22
that's been very consistent across Dragon's lifespan[/sblock]
Mike Mearls, 11:20
yeah, the most expensive product I can do is an RPG book. board games have components, but dev time is way shorter
Jim McGarva, 1:14
Are you hoping to change that over at Wizards? To stop going all-in on D&D and branch out to multiple lines?
Mike Mearls, 2:41
we're pretty much the D&D company, and that works for us because D&D is also video games, board games, etc