RPG Evolution: The Coming Social Collapse

The trend of letting social media platforms manage engagement for gaming communities is coming to an end. What's replacing it?

Picture courtesy of State of Create​

The "State of Create 2025" report, published by ConvertKit, offers a valuable snapshot of the evolving creator economy, revealing both the challenges and opportunities facing content creators today. For tabletop role-playing game creators, these shifts have profound implications, demanding a renewed focus on community building, direct fan engagement, and strategic diversification.

It All Falls Apart​

We're going through an unprecedented change as social media platforms who have long dominated discourse are beginning to collapse:

The major platforms are going through a lot right now. TikTok is fighting with Washington, YouTube and Instagram are fighting to win back attention from TikTok, X-née-Twitter is fighting to keep advertisers. And yet, unexpectedly, all of this volatility has actually helped creators by encouraging them to turn toward more stable, direct-to-fan revenue streams like subscriptions and sales of digital goods.

The report highlights the dominance of algorithm-driven "For You" pages on social media platforms. While these algorithms can offer creators a pathway to wider exposure, they make creators vulnerable to their whims. The "broad but shallow" approach to fandom becomes the default. Indie game creators, like their counterparts in other creative fields, often find themselves chasing fleeting trends, pressured to create short-form video content, constantly at the mercy of shifting algorithmic priorities. This makes it incredibly challenging to cultivate a stable audience base. The emphasis on engagement metrics over genuine connection can lead to creator burnout and a feeling disconnected rom the very communities they seek to serve.

From Broad to Deep​

In stark contrast to the algorithmic rollercoaster, the report underscores the growing importance of direct-to-fan relationships. This is in line with the Thousand Fan Theory, which states that rather than trying to engage a large audiences, creators are better served building a loyal following of 1,000 superfans.

It's becoming increasingly clear that cultivating a smaller, highly engaged community of superfans is far more valuable than a vast, but passive, following on social media (how many of these massive accounts ask questions of their fan base on social media and get no answer?). Dedicated fans, on the other hand, directly purchase products and act as passionate advocates for the creator's work. This deep connection empowers creators to build sustainable business models that are less dependent on the whims of platform algorithms. It's a shift away from the "broad" approach to fandom and towards a "deep" approach.

This "deep" approach is where focused online spaces become critical. Message boards like EN World offer a dedicated space for in-depth discussions, feedback, and community building. Similarly, platforms like Patreon provide a direct avenue for creators to offer exclusive content, behind-the-scenes glimpses into their creative process, and even opportunities for playtesting and direct input from their most dedicated supporters. Emerging platforms like Bluesky, with their emphasis on community ownership and control, offer another potential avenue for creators to build tighter, more engaged communities. These platforms allow for deeper engagement than the fleeting interactions on mainstream social media, which is increasingly seems to not be worth the effort.

What to Do About It​

The report also emphasizes the critical need for diversification. TTRPG creators can no longer rely solely on the sales of core rulebooks. A wide of revenue streams helps, including digital supplements, miniatures, merchandise, streaming content, and even organized play programs. Furthermore, they must be willing to experiment with new platforms, formats, and engagement strategies.

• Embrace the Direct-to-Fan Model: TTRPG creators can build strong relationships with their fans by offering exclusive content, such as digital products, physical products, or access to private communities. This can help to generate more stable income and foster a sense of belonging among fans. Crowdfunding tools like Kickstarter and Patreon are all a path forward here.
• Focus on Community: Building an engaged community is essential for long-term success. TTRPG creators can create opportunities for fans to interact with each other, such as online forums, Discord servers, or in-person events. This helps foster a loyal fan base. My experience with Bluesky has proven that the community is very receptive to discussing and supporting creative content, including RPGs.
• Leverage Social Media Platforms Strategically: While the "For You" page can be challenging, social media platforms can still be valuable tools for reaching potential fans. I stopped paying for Facebook ads to drive traffic to my page and instead shifted those dollars to Buffer, which allows me to schedule posts out throughout the year on multiple platforms.

It's becoming clear that just "grinding it out" to grow a fanbase is no longer a viable option as the bigger social media platforms have given up on rewarding content creators in favor of monetizing their platforms with dollars from much larger brands.

Conclusion​

In some ways, the State of Create confirms what those of us who have been struggling on social media have always suspected: things are getting worse. By embracing the direct-to-fan model, building strong communities, and leveraging social media strategically, TTRPG creators at least have a path forward. The "For You" page might be fleeting, but a loyal fanbase -- unlike social media -- is forever.

 

[VHawkwinter]

Discord might go public. The enshittification of that platform will no doubt accelerate.

That seems likely.

Any idea what the best replacement for Discord is currently? Part of what makes it popular is 1) video, audio and text chat, 2) image and video sharing, 3) hosts have moderator/user controls 4) many other creators use it so almost all the social communities people follow are within one platform. Users don’t need to download a different app for every Creator. For example, all the Patreons I support have a server in Discord.

Any ideas? Are there affordable self-hosted platforms?

There's Matrix / Element. I don't know what features it's missing, but I've heard it's Discord-esque.

 

[VHawkwinter]

People yearn for community. They're starving.

We have 9001 ways to play D&D Medieval Fantasy Role-Playing Games but still haven't solved large scale "Interest Matchmaking" in the space, seemingly.

The closest I've found to that are the custom feeds you can make on Bluesky. I have a few I've made myself that are TTRPG focused (and that people could follow), but it does take some knowhow to set them up.

Still. Social media with your choice of algorithms you like is better than either a single corporate algorithm or Mastodon's disorganised flood of "what's happened in the last 30 seconds, nevermind if it's relevant to you".

 

[TheSword]

I find Patreon fascinating as I’ve seen it work from both sides.

As a consumer I know I’m directly putting money in the pocket of the creators I like best. In my case I’m supporting 5 patreons between £3-8 a month each. Heroic Maps and Seafoot Games because they make the most beautiful maps I’ve seen online and I want to see them make more. Tyche Maps because he’s pretty much mapped all of Waterdeep and Undermountain. Techlanders because it’s really hard to find futuristic assets and I’m building up a library. Finally recently James’ RPG art because I’m interested in testing some animated maps.

My reasons for supporting them varies but usually stems from really liking what they do and how anting them to do more. That usually starts from the Patreon granting full access to a library of resources rather than only allowing the live releases. The former gets a person hooked and engaged and while it’s possible to raid that trove and cancel, I find that I just don’t want to do that because the quality makes me want to see more.

At best guess some of these Patreons are taking £10k+ a month from patreon alone. Supplementing that with DriveThruRPG sales and direct sales through their own sites. The first three I’ve been supporting for 3+ years. Others have come and gone for between 3-6 months but I often go back to some like Neutral Party and Afternoon maps to see what has changed. I’ll typically review every 3-6 months to see if I’m getting my money worth and if there is anything I would like to switch to. I try and keep it under £30 a month too.

On the flip side a member of one of my gaming groups managed to make a decent sum £1k-£2k a month for a comic series he ran through Patreon and supplemented directly through various comic forums. Not a fortune but substantially more than he was getting through commissions or if he had published in print.

In short. I love Patreon and think it’s a great meeting point.

 

[Uta-napishti]

Folks don't even think about Discord as Social Media, as it has settled into a niche much much more like old fashioned Forums, but as a free service, and with a global login/account rather than individual self hosted software with individual accounts. I definitely expect Discord investors to want their money at some point. While paying at all may be a shock to everyone, it's probably worth paying a little bit per month for what Discord offers, as it is much superior to most social media communities, and running your own hosted forums means web server skills, handling logins and especially dealing with abusive users and content yourself with even less support than Discord offers. Of course I haven't looked at the price of Discord Nitro (the paid version) -- if it's a lot, it's a bad sign... Their strategy, in my opinion, should be getting 25-50% of the servers out there to pitch in a few dollars a month, and keep becoming more ubiquitous...

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Well, I guess this makes my private phpBB board that I've had going since the Clinton administration (with security updates, thank you) look smart, not lazy, in retrospect.

 

[Uta-napishti]

If you have the desire and skills to run web servers and find nurturing and policing a community fun rather than a burden, then indeed, hosting your own platform can be smart. Lots of people don't have the desire or ability though,and are better off paying to support a service that will hopefully stick around...

 

[payn]

If you have the desire and skills to run web servers and find nurturing and policing a community fun rather than a burden, then indeed, hosting your own platform can be smart. Lots of people don't have the desire or ability though,and are better off paying to support a service that will hopefully stick around...

Its easy when you have a few hundred members. Not so much when its thousands.

 

[Belen]

Who has the time for discord or Patreon? I do not use social media, in general.

 

[sevenbastard]

I thought this was an artical on how RPGs would see a huge surge in our post apocalyptic future. Let's face it when it goes all Mad Max out there RPGs will have a huge surge in popularity as they don't need electricity.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I think my board has 30-something users, and fewer than 20 regulars. If Discord goes the way of Facebook or Twitter, I can probably find a way to move all of my Discord life onto my own hosted server, but I'll need to find a live chat option and maybe a voice chat client. And realistically, I'll need to pay someone to handle all the technical stuff.

Definitely not a solution for everyone.