Classic D&D - number of Players - rule books vs. advertisements
- Thread starter Bullgrit
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IronWolf
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I would think the idea that a smaller group shoots better for ads as billd91 suggested is likely a large factor. With lesser people in the ad photo the ad will appear less cluttered and will possibly be able to show off the paper on the table, the dice, a DM screen, etc.
If ads showed ten or more people it would look more like a crowd of people, a little harder to get people's attention.
billd91
Not your screen monkey (he/him) 🇺🇦🇵🇸🏳️⚧️
And it's not just the issue of a smaller group either. How many times do you see a player in any kind of game ad or cover snapshot with a non-joyous or surprised expression on his face? Ever see a GM glowering as he portrays an angry NPC? Or a player with his brow furrowed with a serious expression while he contemplated a tough challenge? The ad people always want to send the viewer away with a positive impression from game ads and that constrains what they will show. It'll look far cleaner, funnier, and perkier than reality.
Bullgrit
Adventurer
And no one ever rolls dice, or writes on their character sheet, (or even looks at a character sheet).billd91 said:
Funny, but most ads for D&D were completely false advertising
I wonder, did anyone get into D&D gaming *because* of an ad or commercial? I've never heard anyone say they looked into the game after seeing an ad/commercial.
Bullgrit
I think that, popular opinion notwithstanding, getting people to run out and buy a thing is not the point of the vast majority of advertising.
Ads don't generally aim to motivate you to act alone - they are intended to influence you when you do act, or have a choice. The point is to get the idea of the product stuck in your head with a positive association.
So, the soda commercial isn't there to make you buy soda this instant, but to make it more likely that you'll buy their soda when you are eventually thirsty. The game ad wasn't supposed to make you run out and buy a book - but when your friend says "Hey, you wanna try this cool game?" you'll be more likely to say yes.
billd91
Not your screen monkey (he/him) 🇺🇦🇵🇸🏳️⚧️
And no one ever rolls dice, or writes on their character sheet, (or even looks at a character sheet).
Funny, but most ads for D&D were completely false advertising
I wonder, did anyone get into D&D gaming *because* of an ad or commercial? I've never heard anyone say they looked into the game after seeing an ad/commercial.
Bullgrit
I'm sure there are quite a few. I have certainly looked into games because of the ads I saw for them. I can't imagine that the same wouldn't be true for some people and D&D just because I wasn't one of them.
Thornir Alekeg
Albatross!
Well, I wouldn't think that showing a group of people shouting, talking over each other and telling Monty python jokes while thumbing through pages of rulebooks and referencing pizza grease and cheetos dust-stained character sheets would make for a positive advertisement.And no one ever rolls dice, or writes on their character sheet, (or even looks at a character sheet).
Funny, but most ads for D&D were completely false advertising
The full text of the 'graph in question is:
On Monday, four players have a dungeon adventure. Six others have an expedition scheduled for Wednesday. Tuesday, Nancy's Wizard assaults the castle of Danny's Lord; allied players also participate. Thursday is an adventure into the Wilderness conducted by three players' characters and their retainers. A company of nine makes a foray against a demon prince on Friday. On Saturday, seven players attend the conference at which a treaty to end the Second War of Drometian Succession is under negotiation.
The key here is the context of a whole campaign. It is not recommending a player-to-referee ratio of 20:1 for every (or any) session!
On Monday, four players have a dungeon adventure. Six others have an expedition scheduled for Wednesday. Tuesday, Nancy's Wizard assaults the castle of Danny's Lord; allied players also participate. Thursday is an adventure into the Wilderness conducted by three players' characters and their retainers. A company of nine makes a foray against a demon prince on Friday. On Saturday, seven players attend the conference at which a treaty to end the Second War of Drometian Succession is under negotiation.
Bullgrit said:
Most of the latter ("adventure modules") were previously the former (tournament rounds).
It's probably easier to organize a hundred participants into 10 groups than to organize 20 DMs. There was no shortage of players at Gen Con, Origins, and so on!
Two to four subjects probably make for more compelling ads.
From what I have read, D&D examples of play are in line with instructional books and articles in other fields when the conceit of presenting dialog is employed. For instance, a teacher might normally have 30 students at a time in the classroom, but name only two to four representatives when writing a book.
The average in home play might (for all I know) be but three or four per session, games at college clubs and the like perhaps doubling that. In my experience, I reckon the most common number has been five or six -- simply because more are typically not available as often as so few are up for a game -- but that could be atypical.
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