Are there any real DnD newbies?

[vortex]

Reading a few posts talking about new editions/vile content/ combat vs skill being good for gaming or bad for gaming has made me think - are there any real newbies playing DnD?

It seems (from messageboard polls at least) that most of us started playing 15-20 years ago when we were kids or teenagers and have just kept going with it. Do you think anyone goes to a shop, sees a Player's Handbook and says "that looks interesting" and buys it. Do you think that anyone, once buying the book, reads it and works out how to play?

It seems with the new edition(s) that a great deal of consideration has been given to newbies to get into the rules - nothing wrong with that. But do you think that this scenario really happens?

Sometimes I think it is like we are trapped in some sort of timewarp. We picked up a fun hobby when we were children (and still impressionable), and carry it with us as we grow up. The rest of the world moves on. Children are no longer exposed to RPGs like we were "back in the day". And adults are certainly not receptive to being introduced to RPGs. It seems that there is a cohort of people who continue the hobby. Is this why we get new editions - as there is nobody new to sell books to, instead you have to sell more to the same group of people.

I'm not against new product. I quite like it really. I just wondered what other people think. Or, am I way off?

 

[Orias]

I've been playing for a good deal of my life, but I know many new players, both people who have been introduced through myself & my friends, & people who I have seen at the Local Games & Hobbies Shops asking about what they'll need to play D&D.

 

[Mark]

I think Jeph and Chriskabala are two of the youngset gamers on the EN Boards, both about 14, IIRC, so I doubt they started gaming until 3E was out...but maybe they played with theirs parents while younger...

 

[vortex]

I've been playing for a good deal of my life, but I know many new players, both people who have been introduced through myself & my friends, & people who I have seen at the Local Games & Hobbies Shops asking about what they'll need to play D&D.

I agree that that people introduce players to the game. However, do you think that anyone buys the books, reads them and then starts up a game (without having it demonstrated to them)?

 

[jgbrowning]

I've personally have introduced the game to 7 new players via 3e and through those 7, another 4 or so that I know about....

I should get a kickback from WoTC for all those PHBs, DMGs, and MMs....

now if i could just get one of those dwebs to buy my own book, i'd be happy!

joe b.

 

[roytheodd]

My current gaming group has three (of the five) players who are all newbies. One of them claims that his online MUD playing makes him a hard-boiled role-player of old - whatever. Two of them are brand spanking new to role-playing though. One of them has an elf that he "wants to be like Link" (think Legend of Zelda) and the other players a tough as nails half-orc fighter.

I see where your post is coming from, though, and I must concede that even though these guys are brand new to the hobby, they certainly don't need material aimed at new players. They're old and smart enough to not need talking down to and they're getting all the lessons they need by playing.

All I can say is hopefully Monte Cook isn't lying when he says that Arcana Unearthed is meant for people who've been playing for a while and not for the new gamers. I, like you Vortex, want to see more material aimed at experienced gamers.

 

[Harlock]

I've introduced adults to gaming within the past few years. My wife teaches High School and occasionally she'll tell me about a student that brings a copy of Dragon around or huddles with his gamer friends before class to go over a character sheet. So, kids and teenagers are still picking it up too. I think the polls are more than a bit of a biased sample.

I'd also like to add that I think even more young people would get interested in D&D if there were an entry level "Basic" set again. There was talk around GAMA of such a thing, but WotC pulled it off this year's schedule, so who knows? Anyway, I just think it's harder for an 8 - 15 year old to get into gaming now because of the expense. 90 bucks is a nice chunk of change for someone that old (heck, even for me as an adult, but I am hooked) to have to convince their parents that A) that it won't be like the dog/fish/cat/karate lessons, they were interested but stopped playing with it after a couple of weeks, B) tey'll be able to read and grasp a game that has no playing board and takes place mostly in the mind, and C) that not buying 45 pounds of ground round beef on sale for the $90.00 is a better investment in their child's future. A game for between 10 - 20 dollars is much easier to convince Mom to buy than three big books for 90 dollars.

 

[diaglo]

someone even taught me to play way back when.

but i have met at least 3 gamers new to the hobby in the last 3 years. it was very interesting, although somewhat disheartening.

they thought D&D began and ended with this edition.

 

[AuraSeer]

And adults are certainly not receptive to being introduced to RPGs.

You must be hanging out with the wrong crowd. Of all the people I've gamed with in my adult life, only about two-thirds played RPGs when they were kids. Some of the newbies are geek friends, others are the SOs of other gamers, and a couple were found via the bulletin board in a comic book store.

I'd also take issue with the idea that young people aren't exposed to gaming. At any game convention I've seen, at least half the attendees are teenagers or pre-teens. Sure, the younger ones are more likely to spend their time with HeroClix or Magic or (heavens forfend) Pokemon, but a really significant number do migrate to playing RPGs.

Maybe the little kids don't have a D&D cartoon like we did, but then we never had a really kickass LOTR movie. Hell, they've got Harry Potter too, which when you get right down to it, is an equally valid example of fantasy literature.

 

[AuraSeer]

I agree that that people introduce players to the game. However, do you think that anyone buys the books, reads them and then starts up a game (without having it demonstrated to them)?

Did anyone ever learn this way? All the "old school" players in my group learned it from a friend or an older sibling. (Well, all except the dude who claims to have lived next door to Gygax, but that's a different story entirely.)