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4 Hours w/ RSD - Escapist Bonus Column
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<blockquote data-quote="Jawsh" data-source="post: 7648023" data-attributes="member: 17061"><p>I'm not sure if this type of gamer is really that new. I think it has always been the case that the game has been picked up and enjoyed by people who did not understand the rules. You do hear from the rules-knowers over the decades, because they're the ones who write letters and post on forums. But I don't think the character of the modern geek has changed that much. I think the human appetite for rules content is roughly constant. </p><p></p><p>The difference is simply the fact that there are more options out there for them. Complicated or simple, they will pick up what they like either way. By far the most influential factors will be artwork, layout, the social network (do my friends play this game?), and accessibility/reference-ability (increasingly meaning online access). The complexity (or lack thereof) of the rules is, IMO, a non-factor.</p><p></p><p>IMO every TRPG product should have the Gygax quote printed on its inside cover: <em>"The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules."</em></p><p></p><p>Rules don't matter. You don't need rules to get a game of D&D going. All you need is the idea to get you started. And further products will always simply be sources for new ideas. I often wondered about why TSR didn't invest more in actual realistic reference books, since Gygax so often recommended sources that dealt with things like real-world castles, caves, heraldry, and endless other topics. </p><p></p><p>I also want to pick on this idea of TRPGs being like best-selling novels. If we're looking to model a business on best-selling novels and films, then surely the Core Rulebooks ought to be the DVD players, the VCRs, and the E-Book Readers. Thus the "best-selling novels" should be storylines, whether they are campaign settings, actual novels, or adventure modules.</p><p></p><p>If WoW is threatening TRPGs, then TRPGs should be setting their sights on films and novels. Those industries are in trouble too, so go after them like sharks that smell blood.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jawsh, post: 7648023, member: 17061"] I'm not sure if this type of gamer is really that new. I think it has always been the case that the game has been picked up and enjoyed by people who did not understand the rules. You do hear from the rules-knowers over the decades, because they're the ones who write letters and post on forums. But I don't think the character of the modern geek has changed that much. I think the human appetite for rules content is roughly constant. The difference is simply the fact that there are more options out there for them. Complicated or simple, they will pick up what they like either way. By far the most influential factors will be artwork, layout, the social network (do my friends play this game?), and accessibility/reference-ability (increasingly meaning online access). The complexity (or lack thereof) of the rules is, IMO, a non-factor. IMO every TRPG product should have the Gygax quote printed on its inside cover: [I]"The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules."[/I] Rules don't matter. You don't need rules to get a game of D&D going. All you need is the idea to get you started. And further products will always simply be sources for new ideas. I often wondered about why TSR didn't invest more in actual realistic reference books, since Gygax so often recommended sources that dealt with things like real-world castles, caves, heraldry, and endless other topics. I also want to pick on this idea of TRPGs being like best-selling novels. If we're looking to model a business on best-selling novels and films, then surely the Core Rulebooks ought to be the DVD players, the VCRs, and the E-Book Readers. Thus the "best-selling novels" should be storylines, whether they are campaign settings, actual novels, or adventure modules. If WoW is threatening TRPGs, then TRPGs should be setting their sights on films and novels. Those industries are in trouble too, so go after them like sharks that smell blood. [/QUOTE]
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