24 Million Lapsed D&D Players - Define "Lapsed"

[ggroy]

At the present time, I suppose I'm now a "lapsed" D&D player. My previous 4E game ended a few months ago, and I'm not playing in any regular rpg games at the moment. The most I've played over the last few months, is several one-shot evening games of Castles & Crusades with premade characters.

 

[jaerdaph]

I always chuckle at these threads. Every time WotC releases some marketing numbers, we get suspicious folk questioning their motives and methods. As if the idea that "lapsed" players might include those not playing 4e is some sort of veiled insult.

WotC wants you to be playing 4e. Duh. Failing that, WotC wants you playing some form of D&D, either an earlier edition or some sort of clone, as getting your paying business back is easier if you are an active player of some sort. Heck, if you're not playing some version of D&D, WotC would rather you be playing any sort of RPG rather than moving away from the hobby entirely.

The accuracy and source of WotC's numbers are unimportant (to us). WotC's a relatively big company, big enough to be able to do excellent market research. Something they've been doing since the day they purchased TSR (in regards to D&D).

The point of the numbers is that while a lot of people are playing D&D 4e, there is a huge order of magnitude more of D&D fans and former players who are not playing 4e . . . and WotC wants to recapture some of that business. Not as an insult or to demean players of retroclones or Pathfinder, simply to grow their business. Which is neither sinister, suspect, or foolish. Quite smart, actually.

Wow. You must be reading a different thread than me, because I implied no such thing nor have I seen any of that implied in the posts so far at all.. except from you.

 

[Umbran]

Enlighten me!

Small piece of critique that may enlighten you a bit - you'll get faster responses if you explain the source of your questions in the OP, rather than make folks guess.

As for "active" players - I will guess nobody here's seen any better information than you have. However, I'll note that in the 1999 WotC market survey, an active player was someone who played on average at least once a month. I wou;dn't be surprised if they were using a similar definition here.

 

[jdrakeh]

Wow. You must be reading a different thread than me, because I implied no such thing nor have I seen any of that implied in the posts so far at all.. except from you.

Quit quoting the WotC apologists!

 

[jaerdaph]

Small piece of critique that may enlighten you a bit - you'll get faster responses if you explain the source of your questions in the OP, rather than make folks guess.

You are correct - I should have mentioned the EN World news piece posted today as the source of my question.

As for "active" players - I will guess nobody here's seen any better information than you have. However, I'll note that in the 1999 WotC market survey, an active player was someone who played on average at least once a month. I wou;dn't be surprised if they were using a similar definition here.

I was kind of hoping someone who was at the seminar presentation might know something about how they collected that info, how active and lapsed were defined etc.

 

[Stormonu]

I always chuckle at these threads. Every time WotC releases some marketing numbers, we get suspicious folk questioning their motives and methods. As if the idea that "lapsed" players might include those not playing 4e is some sort of veiled insult.

<snip>

I would consider myself a lapsed player and I see no insult from the linked articles (not that I think you're talking to me, but in general). There are, however, two things that concern me:

1) The 6 million number is on a legal document that was presented to a court. I am hoping that WotC had evidence to back up the stated numbers were it questioned, and would not stoop to exaggeration to make its case (side question: could that be considered perjury if they were exaggerating the numbers?).

2) If the 6 million/1.5 million is accurate, what's happened to cause the drop? Were I the CEO, I'd certainly be putting a big effort into finding out why so many are "lapsing" and what - if anything - can be done to reinvigorate the market (which, hopefully the recent April survey and such is attempting to do).

 

[Fanaelialae]

The 6 millions players was (IIRC) all players who currently play any edition of D&D.

The 1.5 million is most likely their estimate of how many currently play 4e.

 

[jaerdaph]

The 6 millions players was (IIRC) all players who currently play any edition of D&D.

The 1.5 million is most likely their estimate of how many currently play 4e.

Thanks - that seems reasonable.

 

[ggroy]

What year was this 6 million figure from?

If it was from 2007 or earlier, it only counts 3.5E and earlier editions.

 

[Shemeska]

The point of the numbers is that while a lot of people are playing D&D 4e, there is a huge order of magnitude more of D&D fans and former players who are not playing 4e . . . and WotC wants to recapture some of that business.

To say nothing (good or bad) of the content of the game they're trying to sell to former players, in light of the initial marketing of 4e, it's got to be an uphill struggle in a serious way to reclaim folks rather than see them drift off to other games or to different older or current editions.