Tony Vargas
Legend
Doesn't really matter, nothing different stepped into the RPG place or into the mainstream. LARPing came closest as TSR failed, but TSR was a business failure, it made no difference to how people approached the hobby that D&D went from TSR to WotC or that it changed editions - people tried D&D, if they weren't into it's brand of fantasy, they might be repelled from the hobby, even in the case of 4e which did away with many of D&D's weirder, less-new-player-friendly bugaboos and sacred cows. At the moment, 5e is doing relatively well (relative to expectations). New players may not be aware of why D&D made it into the mainstream consciousness, they're just aware that people play it, and a lot less likely to be aware of any other TTRPG.It has that. But it had that when TSR nearly went bankrupt, and when 4E basically tanked, and all these decades latter when its a huge success with people who don't know anything about those things.
That's rather the point. D&D is the gateway to the hobby, if you don't care for D&D, you're less likely to stick with the hobby, if you do, you're likely to gravitate towards similar games, too.Think like this, whats the #2 game? D&D with a different name.
The name is good, but its not just the name.
I don't believe it ever came anywhere near, no. Never made the news or anything, never impinged on mainstream consciousness. I picked it because it was 1) sci-fi and 2) a very close contemporary to 0D&D.Though did Traveller ever do as well as D&D? Even in the golden age of Traveller? And I don't mean just in sales, but also number of tables played in any given week? OK I know no one could possibly have good numbers on the later, except for maybe convention schedules.
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