Is the RPG hobby dying? [RPG Blog Carnival]

[ExploderWizard]

Is technology a key component of growing the hobby? No, but I do see technology as an enabler for those who may have been intimidated before e.g. character creation with the Character Builder has been a boon for 4E I feel, it's never been easier to make a character for any edition of the game.

Really? The CB is a handy tool but character creation is still a lot more involved than it once was. The staggering number of options (especially for a brand new player) can lead to "analysis paralysis" or decisions made in ignorance that might be discovered as poor once play begins.

I think the new red box builds are a step towards reducing this factor for inexperienced players.

New builds or not, it cannot compare to the ease of rolling up an old basic D&D fighter.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Overall I am pretty satisfied with the state of the hobby. I think there are great opportunities to continue to integrate technology into TTRPGs and I do think they are important if the industry wants to remain relevant with younger gamers.

Something interesting: the place where my kids go for swordfighting and fencing classes recently ran a D&D game night. They had tables set up for the younger kids and seperate tables for older kids and adults. I wasn't able to go that evening, but they said the response was so good they are going to make it monthly event and add additional tables.

I have seen quite a few of the kids carrying around 4e books when I bring my to class.

 

[Wik]

I love when this question pops up, every six months or so. It always makes me realize that I honestly don't care if RPGs live or die.

RPGs are not a cult, despite what some fundamental christians in the 1980s fervently believed - ironically, with cult-like fervor. There is no "eternal reward" for those who spread the message, nor should there be.

If I'm not playing RPGs in twenty years, well... odds are, I'll have found something else more enjoyable. And I'm cool with that. If RPGs follow the route of wargames... meh. Because if I want to game, I'll be able to find someone to game with - whether the books are easy to find or not.

We don't need to proselytize. We just need to play our individual games, have fun, and leave it at that.

My two cents, at least.

 

[DaveMage]

If I'm not playing RPGs in twenty years, well... odds are, I'll have found something else more enjoyable. And I'm cool with that. If RPGs follow the route of wargames... meh. Because if I want to game, I'll be able to find someone to game with - whether the books are easy to find or not.

We don't need to proselytize. We just need to play our individual games, have fun, and leave it at that.

Agreed!

 

[Umbran]

If I'm not playing RPGs in twenty years, well... odds are, I'll have found something else more enjoyable. And I'm cool with that. If RPGs follow the route of wargames... meh. Because if I want to game, I'll be able to find someone to game with - whether the books are easy to find or not.

There is a realm between the cultist and "I don't give a damn". It's called being a fan.

I've been playing RPGs for decades now. And I havent' stuck with just one. I've had strings of years where my major game has changed - D&D, Marvel Superheroes, Shadowrun, back to D&D, White Wolf, back to D&D, Deadlands...

If the hobby goes the way of wargames, when it is time for me to play some other game, it may be very difficult for me to find a good game to play. And, despite your assertion, finding good people to play with can also become difficult even today, and that'll only get more difficult if the games drop in popularity. It isn't like the world'll be lost, but gosh darn it, I might not have as much fun. What's so wrong with putting in a little effort to raise the chances of having fun in the future?

So, it isn't like a cultist, but more like someone who really enjoys a particular TV show, and doesn't want to see it go off the air.

 

[DaveMage]

If the hobby goes the way of wargames, when it is time for me to play some other game, it may be very difficult for me to find a good game to play. And, despite your assertion, finding good people to play with can also become difficult even today, and that'll only get more difficult if the games drop in popularity. It isn't like the world'll be lost, but gosh darn it, I might not have as much fun. What's so wrong with putting in a little effort to raise the chances of having fun in the future?

This is kind of a chicken-and-egg thing, though, isn't it?

If the hobby goes the way of wargames/drops in populartity, it's because interest has already waned. Interest wanes for many reasons, but in this case, it would likely be that some other similar form of entertainment - perhaps providing a superior experience - has taken its place.

I think the best way to keep a hobby alive is simply to participate in it.

 

[Wik]

There is a realm between the cultist and "I don't give a damn". It's called being a fan.

I've been playing RPGs for decades now. And I havent' stuck with just one. I've had strings of years where my major game has changed - D&D, Marvel Superheroes, Shadowrun, back to D&D, White Wolf, back to D&D, Deadlands...

If the hobby goes the way of wargames, when it is time for me to play some other game, it may be very difficult for me to find a good game to play. And, despite your assertion, finding good people to play with can also become difficult even today, and that'll only get more difficult if the games drop in popularity. It isn't like the world'll be lost, but gosh darn it, I might not have as much fun. What's so wrong with putting in a little effort to raise the chances of having fun in the future?

So, it isn't like a cultist, but more like someone who really enjoys a particular TV show, and doesn't want to see it go off the air.

Ha. I was only making the "Cult" comparison for comedic sake. But when these threads pop up, I'm always reminded of some fringe religions that go out of their way to "convert" others - and it's not behaviour I see as being necessary.

Davemage has hit the nail square on the head - if RPGs are going the route of wargames, that means they're no longer fulfilling a meaningful place in the public's needs.

I'm not saying that you should never attempt to introduce the game to new people; I've done it quite a few times, myself. What I am saying is that you should introduce people to the game that you want to play with, for the sake of playign the game... not for the sake of "growth of the hobby".

And I don't know about you, but I've never had a problem finding people to play with. Sometimes they've heard of D&D, sometimes they have not. Chalk it up to differing experiences, but I have absolutely no worries there.

 

[MortonStromgal]

Well if the amount of PMs I have been getting about my WFRP 3 videos on youtube are any indication. There are more new groups out there forming up who have never played a pnp rpg before than I would have thought.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

This is kind of a chicken-and-egg thing, though, isn't it?

If the hobby goes the way of wargames/drops in populartity, it's because interest has already waned. Interest wanes for many reasons, but in this case, it would likely be that some other similar form of entertainment - perhaps providing a superior experience - has taken its place.

I think the best way to keep a hobby alive is simply to participate in it.

I dispute that interest faded and that caused the death of wargames, wargames are still played but the type of game is different and designed to be played in a shorter timeframe. That said i still want to play World in Flames but I do not have the time.

Now I could see a situatio where in the near future technology could enable to play WiF again with out taking up 10 sq. meters of my house with maps a counters for 2 months.

 

[nedjer]

I dispute that interest faded and that caused the death of wargames, wargames are still played but the type of game is different and designed to be played in a shorter timeframe.

Yeah, a lot of them tired of arithmetic, got Agricola and Catan, and never came back.