Mercurius
Legend
As I was reading through various threads talking about D&D Next, I was once again struck by what a finicky bunch we D&D players are - we want our game just right, and unfortunately we all have different variations on the general theme of "What Is D&D To Me." Now if you go back to the original design goals of D&D Next, it was to cater to that sort of customization - and it seemed that Mearls & Co were fully aware (probably painfully so) what a finicky and, dare I say, difficult bunch of folks we D&D fans are.
But as I was reading through these threads, shaking my head with a sense of bemusement and, in a way, pity for WotC--because gamers are very, very difficult to please--a new thought struck me: The D&D populace is getting old. I've thought about that before, the "graying" of D&D, but what was new was wondering whether Mearls & Co are accounting for this in their design.
Think about it: D&D was at its peak in the 1980s, with the somewhat mythical number of "25 million" D&D players active. Now whether or not this is true, I don't know. For the vast majority of those folks it was a passing fad, something you and your friends did in middle school before you discovered girls. But a smaller--but still sizeable--group survived puberty and continued on into the 90s (This wasn't the first generation of D&D players, mind you, but it was the biggest - the first being the true Graybeards that cut their teeth on OD&D and B/X in the 70s).
The Graybeards of the 70s are now in their 50s and 60s and probably a relatively small, if faithful, group. But many of these folks aren't interested in new editions, except perhaps in terms of historical interest or as a spectacle. But the "Graying Beards" of the 80s are now in their 40s, or close to it. There's a sizeable younger generation that began in the early Aughties with 3e, but even they are approaching 30 or so. It may also be that this generation is more focused on career and starting to form families and don't have time for D&D, while the 80s group has already established a career and family life style, and has the time and space for a hobby.
Let me use my gaming group as an example. I realize that anecdotal evidence isn't really evidence, but I think my group is a good example for WotC to think about. We're a group of 5-6 men, all in our late 30s to mid-40s. We started three years ago and played regularly for the first two, but sporadically since. We're thinking about starting up again in January with the D&D Next playtest rules.
When we started out, I was the only one who had played D&D since the 90s. A couple of them had played in college, but most hadn't played since high school in the 80s - AD&D 1e or 2e (two of them were players in my high school 2e campaign during the late 80s and early 90s). Speaking for myself, I was a life-long player, although during the 90s and 00s would go years without playing, with about a five-year hiatus in the late 90s. But I always stayed in touch with the game, experiencing a resurgence of interest for 3e (I was here at the original Eric Noah Unofficial 3e News). I played 3e during the early 00s but then stopped around the time 3.5 came out and went on another hiatus until rumors of 4e sparked my interest.
My group generally enjoyed 4e, but mainly because it was D&D, not necessarily because of anything specific about 4e (although the most cut-throat member of the group loved it for the tactics he could employ with his rogue). The reason we haven't played much in the last year is that I'm the only one who really has the interest (or, to be frank, ability) to DM well, and I've been busy with Life & Other Stuff, so just haven't been able to pull off planning a campaign - in addition to work (teacher), family (married with two kids), other interests (writing), not to mention going back to school (grad degree in psych).
Yet Next is making me rethink a bit. It seems to re-capture some of what I felt was lost with 4e - a free-wheeling style of play that relies more on imagination than battlemats, for which the "powers" are based upon player ingenuity and described action, not a little card that can be played like Magic: The Gathering. Don't get me wrong - 4e is a fun game and we enjoyed it, but it veered a bit too far out of the zone of traditional RPGs by incorporating elements of Magic and video games that, rather than augmenting the RPG-experienced, ended up taking away from it. In my opinion, of course.
Anyhow, I think my group would enjoy Next. I think it will facilitate a loose, imaginative style of play. But I'm also thinking about aging and time. And for me, this is where WotC can really sell me: Can they provide the support for Next that will allow me to live my busy life and not need to spend hours of preparation before each session?
In that regard, two things come to mind: campaign design tools, like encounter builders, adventure builders, etc, and simply pre-published adventures and adventure paths. My guess is that many of my generation would love to play, but can't or won't because of all the preparation it takes. But we want to play "real D&D," not a hybrid RPG/board/card/video game.
Pardon my ramble. I wasn't intending to go this far afield from the initial inquiry, but there you have it: the rambling mind of an aging D&D player.
But as I was reading through these threads, shaking my head with a sense of bemusement and, in a way, pity for WotC--because gamers are very, very difficult to please--a new thought struck me: The D&D populace is getting old. I've thought about that before, the "graying" of D&D, but what was new was wondering whether Mearls & Co are accounting for this in their design.
Think about it: D&D was at its peak in the 1980s, with the somewhat mythical number of "25 million" D&D players active. Now whether or not this is true, I don't know. For the vast majority of those folks it was a passing fad, something you and your friends did in middle school before you discovered girls. But a smaller--but still sizeable--group survived puberty and continued on into the 90s (This wasn't the first generation of D&D players, mind you, but it was the biggest - the first being the true Graybeards that cut their teeth on OD&D and B/X in the 70s).
The Graybeards of the 70s are now in their 50s and 60s and probably a relatively small, if faithful, group. But many of these folks aren't interested in new editions, except perhaps in terms of historical interest or as a spectacle. But the "Graying Beards" of the 80s are now in their 40s, or close to it. There's a sizeable younger generation that began in the early Aughties with 3e, but even they are approaching 30 or so. It may also be that this generation is more focused on career and starting to form families and don't have time for D&D, while the 80s group has already established a career and family life style, and has the time and space for a hobby.
Let me use my gaming group as an example. I realize that anecdotal evidence isn't really evidence, but I think my group is a good example for WotC to think about. We're a group of 5-6 men, all in our late 30s to mid-40s. We started three years ago and played regularly for the first two, but sporadically since. We're thinking about starting up again in January with the D&D Next playtest rules.
When we started out, I was the only one who had played D&D since the 90s. A couple of them had played in college, but most hadn't played since high school in the 80s - AD&D 1e or 2e (two of them were players in my high school 2e campaign during the late 80s and early 90s). Speaking for myself, I was a life-long player, although during the 90s and 00s would go years without playing, with about a five-year hiatus in the late 90s. But I always stayed in touch with the game, experiencing a resurgence of interest for 3e (I was here at the original Eric Noah Unofficial 3e News). I played 3e during the early 00s but then stopped around the time 3.5 came out and went on another hiatus until rumors of 4e sparked my interest.
My group generally enjoyed 4e, but mainly because it was D&D, not necessarily because of anything specific about 4e (although the most cut-throat member of the group loved it for the tactics he could employ with his rogue). The reason we haven't played much in the last year is that I'm the only one who really has the interest (or, to be frank, ability) to DM well, and I've been busy with Life & Other Stuff, so just haven't been able to pull off planning a campaign - in addition to work (teacher), family (married with two kids), other interests (writing), not to mention going back to school (grad degree in psych).
Yet Next is making me rethink a bit. It seems to re-capture some of what I felt was lost with 4e - a free-wheeling style of play that relies more on imagination than battlemats, for which the "powers" are based upon player ingenuity and described action, not a little card that can be played like Magic: The Gathering. Don't get me wrong - 4e is a fun game and we enjoyed it, but it veered a bit too far out of the zone of traditional RPGs by incorporating elements of Magic and video games that, rather than augmenting the RPG-experienced, ended up taking away from it. In my opinion, of course.
Anyhow, I think my group would enjoy Next. I think it will facilitate a loose, imaginative style of play. But I'm also thinking about aging and time. And for me, this is where WotC can really sell me: Can they provide the support for Next that will allow me to live my busy life and not need to spend hours of preparation before each session?
In that regard, two things come to mind: campaign design tools, like encounter builders, adventure builders, etc, and simply pre-published adventures and adventure paths. My guess is that many of my generation would love to play, but can't or won't because of all the preparation it takes. But we want to play "real D&D," not a hybrid RPG/board/card/video game.
Pardon my ramble. I wasn't intending to go this far afield from the initial inquiry, but there you have it: the rambling mind of an aging D&D player.
