I can still purchase past copies in PDF. I have a full collection of every version of D&D on my hard drive. I have a bunch of physical ones and I think a lot of them are available POD.
What Does a "Successful" RPG Look Like?
- Thread starter SlyFlourish
- Start date
I think that can be a valuable conclusion to arrive to and is also part of the point of discussing what makes an RPG die and what makes an RPG successful in one's mind. It re-establishes our baselines so we're not constantly calling an RPG a failure if it doesn't dethrone D&D or an RPG dead even if people are still playing it.
These discussions help us recognize the resilience of RPGs; something I am absolutely fascinated by in this age of built-to-fail technology.
That copy of Orkworld can last a thousand years if well preserved.
Anyway, I'm finding the conversation here fascinating.
Aldarc
Legend
Fair enough. But I do think that there are a fair number of successful RPGs where this is not possible. Regardless of what either of us may have on our hard drives, I can't buy WEG Star Wars; but by all accounts, it was successful and it even contributed to some of the EU and Disney canon of Star Wars.
MGibster
Legend
West End Games had the Star Wars line from 1987 through 1999, during which they produced two different editions of the game (three if you count the revised & expanded rules) and more than 100 sourcebooks, adventures, and supplements which is an astonishing number. If it wasn't a successful game then there's no such thing.
"was" is an interesting word here and part of something I learned in this thread. "Success" is a moving spectrum. Games may be successful for a very short bit and then fall off.
Aldarc
Legend
"Was" seems appropriate as nothing lasts forever, particularly when it comes to games with licensed IPs. Not sure why you are so eager to discount those sorts of successes.
MGibster
Legend
Falling off is just a natural part of life. No matter whether we're talking about games, bands, television shows, or even empires, even the biggest and the best of them will fall off eventually. I imagine there are many young people in the United States today who have never seen an episode of I Love Lucy, M*A*S*H, or The Andy Griffin Show.
Micah Sweet
Level Up & OSR Enthusiast
It is my deepest frustration in RPG publishing: there being no legal way to purchase a product no longer under license. This sort of thing only encourages piracy, since that's your only option.
Elvish Lore
Adventurer
I saw someone use Gen Con as a data point that Avatar Legends actually is quite popular as a rpg that gets played.
There are 137 events listed under Avatar Legends.
130 of them are demos and/or sessions being sponsored directly by Magpie.
There are 137 events listed under Avatar Legends.
130 of them are demos and/or sessions being sponsored directly by Magpie.
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