As Matt Forbeck pointed out on Twitter, WotC has owned D&D for 24 years since it purchased TSR in 1997. TSR created D&D in 1974, 23 years before WotC bought it.
That's actually a good term...the TSR system of D&D. I think I might start using that one as it shows just how compatible TSR's D&D systems actually were.So there are four "official" D&D systems: The TSR system, the 3e/PF1/d20 System, the 4e system, and the 5e system.
What's more interesting than the simple elapsing of time is the fact that in almost 50 years, nothing has come close to toppling "D&D - The Brand" as the #1 market leader in its space---even though IMHO there's objectively better game systems out there.
If anything it's an absolute testament to the power of market networking / mindshare / lifestyle interconnection / brand identification. D&D is a fascinating case study of the power of brand loyalty.
When Magic the Gathering and other CCGs started filling up the space in gaming stores, I just didn't understand it. I do remember a friend coming up with a "get rich quick" scheming involving importing a bunch of Magic cards from overseas at a lower cost and selling them, but that fell apart because he didn't reckon on things like taxes, shipping fees, and tariffs. The irony being that if he had just bought a bunch of regular old boxes and waited 20-30 years or so, he'd have likely been sitting on a goldmine.
I think that for many who never really experienced more than 1 version of TSR D&D, or never experienced it at all do not realize just how compatible all of it actually was with each version of D&D back then.
And this is one of the reasons I didn't get into Magic, or Heroclix, and one or two other games. I was thinking of getting into Heroclix when I heard a flim flam man crowing about stealing from child. Put the heroclix stuff back on the game shelf.Lol, that reminds me of a story. My father called my younger brother "the flim-flam man" because he would find some Magic The Gathering ..... My mother told him to stop taking advantage of vulnerable children. He paid her words no attention.
...
Of their own accord, the elves aren't making the stuff that doesn't sell. Hmm.
What's more interesting than the simple elapsing of time is the fact that in almost 50 years, nothing has come close to toppling "D&D - The Brand" as the #1 market leader in its space---even though IMHO there's objectively better game systems out there.
If anything it's an absolute testament to the power of market networking / mindshare / lifestyle interconnection / brand identification. D&D is a fascinating case study of the power of brand loyalty.
What is it, though all the different editions and variations that have kept D&D on top?
Is it the name/brand recognition or something different?
I could say that the brand recognition works for 5e, but with it's growing popularity and vast number of gamers today, it seems that it is due to something more. It's is very simple (which I think is a key to introducing and keeping players enjoying the game, and the more complex it is the less I think it appeals to mass audiences), but there are simpler systems that are easier to learn so there has to be something more to it.
However, what that magic is...I'm pondering...
The beatings continued, and then morale improved...
D&D had two VERY powerful qualities going for it early on:
1: It was First
2: It was Good Enough
We see this effect muted in countries that D&D was slower to get a translation to like Germany and Japan where they had to compete with native versions from the get go. The Dark Eye in Germany, and in Japan Roads to Lord, and now Sword World have always been the #1 fantasy rpg's in their respective countries over D&D.
Largely because they were able to appeal to their native audience with a comparable product that copied a lot of the things that D&D did right.
D&D, especially in its B/X incarnations (which really made D&D IMHO) - Gets a lot of things right for a mass market RPG...
So this is my take...
While discussing with some friends why D&D never had a real challenger until a series of WOTC own goals led to pathfinder...
It became clear, that whether by accident or design, D&D just got certain things right pretty much straight out of the gate. That led to them being virtually unchallenged for over 30 years.
D&D had two VERY powerful qualities going for it early on:
1: It was First
2: It was Good Enough
The 5 points that Secured D&D's dominance:
1: Easy PC creation: You could make a character and begin play in a matter of minutes. A selling point for new players.
2: Graspable Rules complexity: The first levels are not rules heavy. The mechanics were understandable. New players gradually got introduced to any additional complexity, easing the gateway for new players.
3: Easily grasped Default play mode: The Dungeon, an easy to understand and grasp mode of play. New players knew what they were gonna do right away. Explore a forgotten crypt, kill things and take their stuff.
4: Easily understood and relatable implied setting: Common fantasy tropes of 'Tolkienesque" Elves Dwarves, Halflings/Hobbits, Fighting evil Orcs, Trolls, monsters, etc... And Dragons! New players could easily imagine the kind of medieval fantasy land their PC's were adventuring in.
5: Straight-forward reward mechanism: The leveling mechanic is a great 'gratification' reward for killing things and taking their stuff. New players unambiguously knew how many XP they needed for the next level, and what to do to get it.
Yes you can point to the rules bloat of AD&D 2e and 3e, and legitimately argue that some of those points got stretched more than a bit. But at the time it just didn't matter as D&D had already cemented its market position.
And during the 1eAD&D era B/X was acting as the ultimate gateway drug.
What is particularly interesting is that when you really think about things, virtually all of D&D's early US competitors failed miserably on more than one of these points.
In almost every case, D&D was delivering a more newbie accessible, better overall Game than any of its potential early competitors.
.
Lol, that reminds me of a story. My father called my younger brother "the flim-flam man" because he would find some Magic The Gathering sucker (usually an elementary school age player) and trade his common or uncommon cards for hard-to-find rares.
If anything it's an absolute testament to the power of market networking / mindshare / lifestyle interconnection / brand identification. D&D is a fascinating case study of the power of brand loyalty.
And during the 1eAD&D era B/X was acting as the ultimate gateway drug.
#1, 2, and 3 are probably going to be in the game going forward if we get Edition #6...The beatings continued, and then morale improved...
D&D had two VERY powerful qualities going for it early on:
1: It was First
2: It was Good Enough
We see this effect muted in countries that D&D was slower to get a translation to like Germany and Japan where they had to compete with native versions from the get go. The Dark Eye in Germany, and in Japan Roads to Lord, and now Sword World have always been the #1 fantasy rpg's in their respective countries over D&D.
Largely because they were able to appeal to their native audience with a comparable product that copied a lot of the things that D&D did right.
D&D, especially in its B/X incarnations (which really made D&D IMHO) - Gets a lot of things right for a mass market RPG...
1: It was First
2: It was Good Enough
The 5 points that Secured D&D's dominance:
1: Easy PC creation: You could make a character and begin play in a matter of minutes. A selling point for new players.
2: Graspable Rules complexity: The first levels are not rules heavy. The mechanics were understandable. New players gradually got introduced to any additional complexity, easing the gateway for new players.
3: Easily grasped Default play mode: The Dungeon, an easy to understand and grasp mode of play. New players knew what they were gonna do right away. Explore a forgotten crypt, kill things and take their stuff.
4: Easily understood and relatable implied setting: Common fantasy tropes of 'Tolkienesque" Elves Dwarves, Halflings/Hobbits, Fighting evil Orcs, Trolls, monsters, etc... And Dragons! New players could easily imagine the kind of medieval fantasy land their PC's were adventuring in.
5: Straight-forward reward mechanism: The leveling mechanic is a great 'gratification' reward for killing things and taking their stuff. New players unambiguously knew how many XP they needed for the next level, and what to do to get it.
Every couple of years or three some new hotness turns up, lasts 5 minutes and is effectively dead in a year or two.
The markets probably to small overall and bug bane licences probably cost to much or don't appeal to enough people at least as an RPG.
Really? I first played in 1981, I was 15. In those days, TSR still did those big one-day tournament gaming events back then, and one was happening in my home town. I did not own any of the rules yet, so I ended up with the Basic box set of that time. Tournament uses pregens, so I don't have to make a character, but I read through the rules. Get to the event and dozens of tables going and everything is AD&D. Look for gaming groups through my local comic shop and find people only playing AD&D. Bought the PHB, eventually got rid of the useless box set, and never looked back. Plus, to a teenage boy at the time, why wouldn't everyone want to use the rules for advanced people?