I like the release of actual sales figures for the Starter Set. 126,000 in North America in 2014 (from the July release); 306,000 in North America in 2018. I wonder what we can extrapolate from that!
Hey it was 78. No one was as old as 45 and some were younger than 33.Record keeping was not a TSR strong suit...
Part of the D&D mystique /is/ that gulf between player and DM. Narrow it too much and you get a backlash.
Hey it was 78. No one was as old as 45 and some were younger than 33.
If it is still primarily ENGLISH copies that have sold... (snip)
(1.5 Billion English speakers...but only 360 million are actually NATIVE English speakers as per google look ups, and over a billion are in other areas where D&D isn't sold much such as India...leaving us with 500 million in which the D&D market penetrates.
Wait - it doesn't?
Are you saying that the DM doesn't have to run more characters than the players do? The DM has to run all of the NPCs the players encounter including all of the monsters - the players only need to worry about one character. If you get your fun out of immersing yourself in a single character - either because you like to immerse yourself in a role and play it to the hilt, or tactically because you like to figure out how all of your different abilities can be used on a battlefield, or for any other reason players have for enjoying playing a single character, then you aren't going to get that fun out of being a DM.
Are you saying that the DM doesn't have to lose more battles than the players do? If you're DMing right you will lose and lose and lose again because if you don't your players aren't going to come back. If you get your fun out of the thrill of winning a battle, you aren't going to get that fun from being a DM.
Are you saying that the DM doesn't have to get out of the players way and let them be the stars of the show? I guess that's true that you don't have to be, but in generally they don't make for great DMs - DMs whose NPC characters have to be the best at everything or who won't shut up and let the players play are the worst. When I end up at games run by guys like that at cons it's always a disappointment because I don't get to actually play.
So - characters and plots. A dungeon to explore is the plot. The monsters are the characters. Sure it's not a mystery to navigate, but the exploration of the dungeon is the story and you have to be the person keeping track of it.
Sure, anyone can DM, but can everyone HAVE FUN WHILE DOING IT? That's the actual question that matters - if you don't have fun as a DM you're not going to keep wanting to do it.
I question the assumption about native English speakers being the sole audience. English is not my first language, and it isn't for any of the people I play with IRL, but we still use the English copies of the PHB etc. Firstly because there are no Dutch translations, and secondly because even if there were, hardly anyone would buy them because we're all familiar *enough* with English.
I also question the figure of 40 million people that the original post says. Without knowing how they came up with this number, one cannot say if it is accurate, guesswork, or hyperbole.
Why wouldn't they have fun while doing it? Wouldn't it be better to make it easier for people to try, so they can find out?
Doesn't actually sound like disagreement. The expectation has always been that DMs would play a great deal before getting behind the screen.I couldn’t disagree more. Spending time as a player makes you a better DM. You understand what it’s like to be on the receiving end. It also makes us question all sorts of assumptions we make as DMs about what is fun, what is obvious, and why we play.
Secondly players that have DM’d seem to appreciate playing a lot more once they realize how much goes into a campaign. DMing is definitely something every player should try at least once even if it’s just for a single fun session.
Doesn't actually sound like disagreement. The expectation has always been that DMs would play a great deal before getting behind the screen.