D&D 5E Don't Throw 5e Away Because of Hasbro

[SteveC]

m just not seeing this...didnt the NY Times do multiple articles on D&D at the end of December... there was a Time Magazine Special Edition done on D&D I just picked up today...Polygon just did some good and not so good articles on D&D... The D&D episode for Secret Level on Prime dropped recently, Vox Machina is still going strong, WotC is releasing regular videos for their new corebooks and mods are dropping for Baldurs Gate...what type of articles or representation do you feel is missing?

Man, it is just my day to be a Debbie Downer<tm>. I have a copy of the Time Magazine issue, and it's getting framed for my wall, but that was back in September (I just had to search because I thought it was a while back...). The New York Times article is something we've been discussing here (although that's died down), and ... it's been controversial and not a "D&D is great!" situation. I've had it forwarded to me by some older relatives (who are getting scarce; I'm getting old!), and their opinion was, "Isn't this a mess?" As Tony Stark said, "Not a good plan."

I'm not trying to be a downer here (perhaps it just comes naturally to me), and I openly admit to not knowing the future.

 

[Imaro]

Man, it is just my day to be a Debbie Downer<tm>. I have a copy of the Time Magazine issue, and it's getting framed for my wall, but that was back in September (I just had to search because I thought it was a while back...). The New York Times article is something we've been discussing here (although that's died down), and ... it's been controversial and not a "D&D is great!" situation. I've had it forwarded to me by some older relatives (who are getting scarce; I'm getting old!), and their opinion was, "Isn't this a mess?" As Tony Stark said, "Not a good plan."

I'm not trying to be a downer here (perhaps it just comes naturally to me), and I openly admit to not knowing the future.

I guess I'm still unclear on what you are looking for or expecting... it seems you're conflating whether D&D is still popular with whether it is pleasing you personally. And the cold hard truth is that I'd be more worried if D&D was still mainly catering to an aging out consumer base... there's no future there. I'd be more interested in younger generations and how they view the game. Anecdotal and all but I'm just not seeing the negativity you're expressing there.

 

[SteveC]

I guess I'm still unclear on what you are looking for or expecting... it seems you're conflating whether D&D is still popular with whether it is pleasing you personally. And the cold hard truth is that I'd be more worried if D&D was still mainly catering to an aging out consumer base... there's no future there. I'd be more interested in younger generations and how they view the game. Anecdotal and all but I'm just not seeing the negativity you're expressing there.

I guess I thought it was really pretty simple: I'm making the claim that D&D interest is starting to ebb with the 50th Anniversary being done. You're talking about the Time Magazine article ... which I pointed out came out in September. And the New York Times article that was a piece that had some strong negative parts to it.

Those aren't indications that it's doing gangbusters now. I read a lot of people on social media and I think that's where this notion really started with me. People whose brand is D&D aren't excited in the same way. Some of them stepping away from it.

I don't know that there's more to say than that. Other than I'm saying I may be 100% wrong. I suppose I should say that I may not be a hip kid, but I'm wondering where the young generation is showing their interest in the game. I'd love to read some positive and excited spins on things if they're out there. So maybe that's something to discuss.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I guess I thought it was really pretty simple: I'm making the claim that D&D interest is starting to ebb with the 50th Anniversary being done. You're talking about the Time Magazine article ... which I pointed out came out in September. And the New York Times article that was a piece that had some strong negative parts to it.

Those aren't indications that it's doing gangbusters now. I read a lot of people on social media and I think that's where this notion really started with me. People whose brand is D&D aren't excited in the same way. Some of them stepping away from it.

I don't know that there's more to say than that. Other than I'm saying I may be 100% wrong. I suppose I should say that I may not be a hip kid, but I'm wondering where the young generation is showing their interest in the game. I'd love to read some positive and excited spins on things if they're out there. So maybe that's something to discuss.

I have often wished there was a good way to learn what fans who aren't forum posters think about changes to the game. We're always saying that people here aren't representative. How do we know what people who are representative think of all the stuff we argue about here?

 

[Remathilis]

I have often wished there was a good way to learn what fans who aren't forum posters think about changes to the game. We're always saying that people here aren't representative. How do we know what people who are representative think of all the stuff we argue about here?

A lot of the problem is the Amazon Problem: online reviews are rarely indicative of actual opinions on the subject. There are just too many agendas. Earnest fans for which the subject can do no wrong. Paid shills. Disgruntled "fans" who think the subject is dying because it no longer conforms to their vision. Tourists looking to grift dissatisfaction for a quick buck, etc. Everyone has got an agenda.

The only people who know how healthy D&D is is WotC and that's based on sales numbers. Everyone else is tea leaf reading. And if WotC notices a significant dip, I suspect we'll see a shakeup in future plans. But we're not anywhere near that point yet. Hell, we don't even have all three Core books out yet. There are still a lot of people who have not tried the new rules out yet. I think we're still at least two years minimum away from writing obits about D&D.

 

[Umbran]

Nor does it make it any more than your subjective opinion, and a rather bleak one at that IMO.

He didn't claim it was otherwise. So maybe don't get on his case, hm?

 

[Umbran]

We're always saying that people here aren't representative. How do we know what people who are representative think of all the stuff we argue about here?

We don't. Actually finding out would be an expensive proposition, and none of us have the money to throw away on it.

 

[Micah Sweet]

We don't. Actually finding out would be an expensive proposition, and none of us have the money to throw away on it.

I know. That's why I phrased it as a wish and not a detailed plan with maps and stuff.

 

[SteveC]

How do we know what people who are representative think of all the stuff we argue about here?

That's a really good question. I think people who are extremely active in the larger gaming community can give the best answer. So I'd listen to SlyFlourish about what's going on in the hobby over SteveC.

And that's the thing at the end of the day: we're all just giving opinions based on our experience and coming from our biases. And we can (hopefully) have an interesting discussion where those beliefs intersect and where they don't. And I hope we can learn something from it. And enjoy the experience.

 

[Scribe]

I’m at PAGE in Philadelphia this week and Shadowdark is everywhere.