Gothmog
First Post
Other folks have answered this before (and probably more eloquently than me), but I'll give it a shot.
D&D always has been the most recognizable brand name in RPGs, regardless of which company has had the rights to it. It has always had the greatest amount of resources available to it, the name recognition, and market penetration. When someone thinks of RPGs, most likely D&D is the first thing that enters their heads.
If D&D were to fail, most gamers wouldn't know there are alternatives out there, and certainly far fewer new gamers would be attracted to the hobby. We have to face the fact that those of us who frequent message boards are not "typical" gamers- we're the fanatics, the ones who follow the trends and development of RPGs. Most people who play tabletop RPGs never even visit a forum site. D&D is the "gateway game" for many folks by name recognition alone, who eventually branch out and try other systems they may or may not stick with in the long term. If 4e D&D fails, for all intents and purposes, tabletop RPGs are dead in the public eye, and as a result, fewer people will be buying the RPGs of other publishers. Most will probably just quit gaming. As sales dwindle, other RPG companies will begin to fold, as they cannot maintain their razor-thin profit margins, and fairly soon there simply wouldn't be anyone able to produce RPGs as a viable business. In addition, tabletop RPGs already have to fight with MMOs for a segment of the player base (especially younger players), so if D&D were suddenly to be gone, most people who didn't know other RPGs were available would most likely switch to MMO play, which frankly is faster to get into and you can play according to YOUR schedule and whims, and is much flashier than tabletop RPGs. The few people who come to gaming via MMOs are probably told that "D&D is the precursor to MMOs", and check it out due to curiousity to see where their favorite online games roots came from.
So without D&D, Paizo, Green Ronin, FFG, and many other publishers are simply DEAD (the possible exception being White Wolf). Even without competition from D&D, the other companies I mentioned simply don't have the resources to flood the market with enough product to really make a difference, and tabletop gaming would most likely die a slow, lingering death over about a 5-10 year period.
Personally, I disliked 3.0 and 3.5, but I knew a lot of people enjoyed it, and I didn't wish for its demise like some people do for 4e today. Instead I branched out and discovered new games during its run that I enjoyed more (WHFRP2, Savage Worlds, nWoD), and I'm better off for it, as are the companies whose products I purchased. 4e has returned D&D to a game my group and I enjoy, and fans of 3.x still have tons of published materials from its run, as well as Pathfinder to explore. What doesn't make sense to me is why quite a few people rant and rave about having D&D cater to their exact whims, when there are other games that DO cater to them already in existence, but which they refuse to investigate further. That smacks of some people trying to dictate how everbody else should play, and that they are trying to determine what is "badwrongfun" for everyone. What is good for one person's specific concept of what D&D should be isn't always the best thing for the long-term health of the hobby.
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