WotC 2020 Was The Best Year Ever For Dungeons & Dragons

[Oofta]

Do you? Really? Because that can be done, you know.

Maybe it's time to set up a title auction? Maybe a contest?

I bid 20 geezer dollars* on "cranky old coot".

*Geezer dollars: it's the next bitcoin! As soon as I can figure out how people get crypto currency from Minecraft. I've never played the game, but there's gotta be a way to mine the stuff, right? Do you need a special pick or something?

 

[Umbran]

Maybe it's time to set up a title auction? Maybe a contest?

...uh... Yeah, sure! I'll take your money! What custom title that you can totally apply to yourself do you want to pay me to give you?

 

[Parmandur]

It still might be, its possible the writer didn't count that or WotC forgot to tell them.

Its because folks thought the releases would be more staggard, but if two of the major book releases are related, say a campaign setting book and a tie in adventure book, they could both be released at the same time. Chris's adventure and Wyatts book could be released in September and be linked and then in November Amanda's book could come out.

Or completely unrelated. WitC doesn't need to stagge4 if they don't feel like it

 

[grimslade]

Doddering Old Git is taken. Now, where are my Dark Sun book and full psionics system?

 

[imagineGod]

And 2021 will make 2020 look like junior league, hopefully.

 

[Reynard]

And 2021 will make 2020 look like junior league, hopefully.

My guess is the pandemic had a huge influence on D&D's growth last year. We shouldn't start screaming doom and gloom of 2021 shows relatively modest growth.

 

[Umbran]

Doddering Old Git is taken. Now, where are my Dark Sun book and full psionics system?

What? Doddering Old Git can't remember where he put things?

 

[Mistwell]

...uh... Yeah, sure! I'll take your money! What custom title that you can totally apply to yourself do you want to pay me to give you?

This is me. Just 20 years in or so, only now figuring out I can change my own title.

 

[MGibster]

54% of active players are under 30. That's -amazing-.

It means the Grognards are -way- outnumbered! <3

I'm in the 40+ bracket, and I view it as the natural order of things. If D&D is to continue to thrive it really needs to appeal to the younger set than it does to mine. And I've said it many times, I may not like every change to the game they've made but 5th edition is my favorite edition.

Wow. 40% of the community is female? That's great news, as the number of percentage there keeps going up. And most of the community being under 30 is also a big deal (I'm one of those people).

It is. When I started out in the late 80s I knew of girls (at that point in my life girls not women were in my age bracket) that played D&D, but they were as rare as hen's teeth and none of them were in my regular group. And now in 2021 it's not at all unusual to see women (at this point in my life women not girls are in my age bracket) sitting down at the table and playing. The last time I ran a campaign without any women was back in 2018. And, hell, talk about some new demographics I didn't have in the 80s and 90s. It was the first time I was ever in a group where I was the minority. And I think it's great that the player base has diversified.

Does that seem odd to anyone else? What exactly happens to people when they turn 40 that causes such a steep dropoff?

Children, careers, and other social obligations I would wager and then it might snowball. I'm in my mid-40s now and I generally game with people my age. If I suddenly lost access to those players I'm unlikely to start gaming with people in their 20s. Not because there's anything wrong with people in theirs 20s but simply because we're at different points in our lives and I don't think I'd connect with them as well.

Noun. grognard m (plural grognards) a grumbler; one who grumbles. an old veteran soldier, specifically an old grenadier of the Imperial Guard (Grenadiers à pied de la Garde Impériale); an old complaining soldier.

I don't think of myself as a grognard but I'm not offended by being called one. While it certainly means and old complaining soldier I feel as though it's synonymous with veteran at this point.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

The 40+ range is the segment of players who are more likely to still play older editions (3e, 2e, 1e, Basic and Original D&D).

It’s a bit of that, but the biggest factor is that by far the biggest chunk of new players in the surge over the last 7 years are younger.