Proof D&D is in serious decline

[Umbran]

What I think would be more interesting is a thread exploring the psychology of those who so actively search for signs of D&D's demise and why.

Because, as we all know, on the internet, addressing the person and personality of the poster is a constructive way to engage in conversation!

(That was my sarcastic voice - obviously, El Mahdi here has momentarily forgotten our usual advice about not trying to ascribe motives to posters, or otherwise engage in internet mind-reading. We are game-hobbyists, not mental health professionals. Let us keep to our specialties, okay?)

I'm more tempted to explore the psychology of people like you who casually troll threads like this without really considering the evidence or arguments. There's a parallel there with climate change skeptics.

A hint for you: Responding to something you don't like with something even more blatantly insulting is not going to be a winning play for you. Including reference to a political topic on a board where politics is banned is not exactly an extra-bonus-point, either.

Remember, everybody: Address the content of the post, not the person of the poster. And, keep it civil. Please keep in perspective how we are talking about games in which we pretend to be elves. This is not business to take too seriously, okay?

 

[MoonSong]

Fun fact: put popular abbreviatures for speciffic editions (3.5 and PF) those DWARF the rest for a big margin. 3.5 is in a small decline bu PF gets a steadi pace upwards. In the most current visites both are tied. and unlike with "Pahfinder", I don't think mani car fans use it.

http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=dungeons and dragons, d&d, pathfinder, 3.5, pf&cmpt=q

PS Forgive ani glaring spelling mistakes, the letter beween X and Z is missing on this keiboard.

 

[timASW]

IMO D&D in its current "lets all sit around a table with dead trees and play" is definitely dying soon. 5e will almost certainly be the last gasp of that style.

That does not however mean that D&D is dying. It means its future is on tablets, roll out tablet style digital touch maps and everything in PDF or better form. A game where you roll out your digital battlematt, the DM hooks his IPAD (or whatever) into it and downloads the map, with fog of war onto it.

And all the players link with their own smart device with character sheets and what not and a mini map and dice roller. Then with simple touches you can maneuver your digital character around the main map, revealing things as you go.

All of this ideally with nice special affects built in to player and NPC actions.

 

[Stormonu]

Fun fact: put popular abbreviatures for speciffic editions (3.5 and PF) those DWARF the rest for a big margin. 3.5 is in a small decline bu PF gets a steadi pace upwards. In the most current visites both are tied. and unlike with "Pahfinder", I don't think mani car fans use it.

http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=dungeons and dragons, d&d, pathfinder, 3.5, pf&cmpt=q

PS Forgive ani glaring spelling mistakes, the letter beween X and Z is missing on this keiboard.

um, did you notice that for "PF" most of those searches are for PF Chang's (the Chinese restaurant) and for 3.5 its mostly Microsoft .Net 3.5?

 

[GreyLord]

I typed in pathfinder, it looks like it spikes a few years ago, but now is currently on a slow upward trend since about a year and a half ago (plus I think the beginner box may have added to some of it's climb in searches too?).

Pathfinder still can include the vehicle and other items though, but it could indicate that the RPG is on the rise...

 

[GX.Sigma]

http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=world of warcraft, &cmpt=q

http://users.telenet.be/mmodata/Charts/Subs-1.png

I'm pretty sure Google searches are not directly proportional to number of active players.

 

[Stormonu]

As much as I like PF, it's not even a blip compared to D&D in google searches. If you want a reality check, just do the search on "Pathfinder RPG" or Paizo vs. "Dungeons & Dragons"/D&D and WotC.

<EDIT 1> Shown Here
<EDIT 2> 'Bout the closest comparison I can get

(So, for edit 1, I wonder why D&D is so much higher? MMO?)

 

[Shemeska]

To some extent I suspect it's because D&D has become almost a generic term for fantasy RPGs, like kleenex, xerox, q-tips, and even coke are for their respective subjects. This is both a good and a bad thing, depending on who looks at it.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

That assumes that it is possible to reverse this trend. After all 4th ed was an attempt to look outside the RPG pond and get a few of the computer game/WOW gamer pool. This approach to develop a more gamist and cinematic game alienated a large segment of people in the RPG pond - I am not sure how many new gamers were attracted. Is DDN with its focus on the history of the game really going to expand the game?

IF that was their goal -- and not just have a gamist centrist design and actually labeling the roles that most people have been playing since the 1970s, freaking some people out -- they did a horrible job in the ACTUAL REACHING OUT TO PEOPLE aspect of it. (Which makes me doubt that was ever really their plan.)

A Field of Dreams is a movie. If you build it, they will not come, unless you spend real time and energy telling them about it.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I agree that tabletop roleplaying is in serious decline (it's to video games as radio plays are to TV - and with a similar fate), but this isn't really proof.

The RPG equivalent of The Thrilling Adventure Hour will be worth the wait.