TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

This is the multi-year Q&A sessions held by D&D co-creator Gary Gygax here at EN World, beginning in 2002 and running up until his sad pasing in 2008. Gary's username in the thread below is Col_Pladoh, and his first post in this long thread is Post #39.

 

[gideon_thorne]

I couldn't agree more. I know several kids locally here that wanted to get into D&D but couldn't because of the $90+ buy in. This is why I absolutely love C&C, $40 and you have everything you need. I am very excited to see the C&C Quick Start Rules being distributed on Free RPG Day as well.

Keep a weather eye out for the C&C Basic set forthcoming as well. Complete rules in a box, with a much more basic theme. Race classes and all. ^_~`

 

[FATDRAGONGAMES]

Keep a weather eye out for the C&C Basic set forthcoming as well. Complete rules in a box, with a much more basic theme. Race classes and all. ^_~`

Yeah, I'm planning on getting this as well (I love RPGs that come in a box!)
Have they posted a release date yet? The last time I cruised their site it was listed as TBA.

 

[gideon_thorne]

Yeah, I'm planning on getting this as well (I love RPGs that come in a box!)
Have they posted a release date yet? The last time I cruised their site it was listed as TBA.

Summer...ish. This year. Next couple of months or so. Cant be more specific than that.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The only effective means of actually bringing significant numbers of new participants to the RPG hobby is by an extensive campaign of advertising a simple starter RPG at a reasonable price.

One of the best deals in gaming history were the Microgames Melee/Wizard/Advanced Wizard/In the Labyrinth.

Only a few stats, PC gen in under 10 minutes, combat maps & cardboard critter & character chits...and all for about $20, +$5 per adventure. Production values were one step above the Cheapass Games.

Something along those lines hitting the market could be a boon to the industry/hobby.

If it were done as an industrywide cooperative marketing ploy- say, having a national "Learn an RPG" day, instead of/in conjuction with "Free RPG" day- just to get people to try it on for size?

Could be a real winner- you'd potentially bring in a bunch of new blood to the hobby, and you'd almost definitely demystify/destigmatize the hobby somewhat.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

One has to wonder why WotC are not making major advertising and promotion efforts for D&D in this regard.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[ragboy]

The only effective means of actually bringing significant numbers of new participants to the RPG hobby is by an extensive campaign of advertising a simple starter RPG at a reasonable price.

Anything else is basically fighting over existing perticipants, and old-timers teaching their children to game.

Cheers,
Gary

I'm sure you're not discounting old-timers teaching gaming to the brats of the age. My four little acolytes have prosletyzed the game to varous friends. My nephews actually have converts that play at school! Back in my day, we didn't talk about D&D at school. The first rule about D&D club was that there was no D&D club.

I think the draw to paper rpg gaming has flipped an earlier tendency, though. As kids, we drifted from paper rpgs to computer rpgs (and developed our own). The kids today seem drawn to paper rpgs because they enjoy computer versions, but the computer games are too limiting. Is anyone tapping that tendency?

 

[thedungeondelver]

One has to wonder why WotC are not making major advertising and promotion efforts for D&D in this regard.

Cheers,
Gary

There is a "basic" version of the current D&D game out there, and it's for sale at toy stores and general retailers - at least online. I haven't seen it in the wild, but then I haven't looked that closely either.

With that said, I also don't see major advertising and promotion of it either, and at a glance it rather looks like an encapsulated form of the game with no room for expansion. Granted, one could make the same argument about J.Eric Holmes' edit of the D&D rules. However, when I read a review for the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS BASIC GAME here, it appears less of an RPG and more of a minis/boardgame (like DESCENT: JOURNEYS IN THE DARK or even DUNGEON! with little or no ability for players to expand beyond the limited confines of the contents of the box.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

With all due respect to those grognards that teach their children to play and enjoy RPGs, this trickle of new blood merely slows the decline of the audience for paper games. Most computer gamers want instant gratification, and theyget that by playing anytime they wish, for as long as desired, with friends if they like, and fast game rewards fo that their PCs gain all manner of goodies and umpteenth level in short order. They also get the satisfaction of PKing, or takingtrevenge for that being done to them.

Without substantial active advertising solicitation for new pager RPG players, the audience for this game form will never expand, and more likely shrink as attrition thins toe ranks of active devotees.

WotC should be marketing an introdctory boxed D&D game at a low pirchase price, this work designed to interest the participant in expanding the game into the full-blown D&D offering--most easily by acquiring additional sets as was done with Original D&D. Of course, they no longer have effective consumer interest/loyalty-building support vehicles such as GenCon, the magazines, and an active RPGA, so it seems doubtful to me that there will ever be a campaign to recruit new persons to the RPG hobby. Likely that conceptis totally foreign to Hasbro.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[tylerthehobo]

Hard words to hear, but as a fella who runs open games in a comic book shop for newbies, stuff that sounds pretty accurate... :\

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hard words to hear, but as a fella who runs open games in a comic book shop for newbies, stuff that sounds pretty accurate... :\

Just so...

It disturbs me considerably that WotC is not actively seeking to expand the participant base for the D&D game by the means I noted. TSR expended a lot of effort in this regard, and it was quite successful. WotC has the means that TSR had, and no campaign has been launched.

Cheers,
Gary