Paul Farquhar
Legend
No, it's pretty much the same demographic. But some have aged out of it whilst others have grown into it, and with that, the demographic has changed.
D&D 5E D&D and who it's aimed at
- Thread starter Morrus
- Start date
Greg Benage
Legend
Botched editing! Carry on.
A more modern demographic. Some are younger, but I find that most players even of my age and older don't especially care about Swords & Sorcery anymore.
For my personal preferences, I've always liked books with a variety of art styles. It may seem disjointed to have black and white line art, oil paintings, digital art, wood block art, etc., in the same book, but I like how it demonstrates how there are so many worlds full of so many players that so many fantasies are possible.
Scribe
Legend
No it isn't disingenuous. We've all seen the pie chart. We know what's up, I don't know why people continue to protest.
Is the games demographic changing? Without doubt.
Is the prevailing attitude of that demographic shifting away from styles and tones that once would have been common, or indeed central to a whole settings style (Dark Sun)? Without a doubt.
Are concepts seen by some of this shifting demographic as problematic being cleaned up, even to the point of errata on still current publications? Yep.
Does the 'diverse styles' pendulum swing both ways? Nope, no Conan allowed.
I'm not the one being disingenuous at all.
The game is shifting, has been for years now, and styles are being dismissed or ignored, and if you like those styles or dislike the current ones, Wizards isn't marketing or designing for your tastes anymore.
I can accept it, why can't those being catered to see it and accept it?
Paul Farquhar
Legend
It shows that most people start playing aged around 12 or so.
You know what age I started playing? 12. What age did you start playing?
The demographic hasn't changed*, it just has different people in it.
*not quite true. It now includes females.
hawkeyefan
Legend
No, I think they've made specific attempts to broaden their audience. Or perhaps, the audience has broadened, and they've responded to that. Likely it's a bit of both.
Neither of which is a bad thing.
But if D&D hadn't shifted it's target audience in some way, then all of its marketing would be similar to a lot of the sentiments you find among the OSR.
Paul Farquhar
Legend
That is more a case of including people who are not exclusively white, heterosexual and male.
In terms of age, it is the same as ever.
Scribe
Legend
Even if we pretend that we all, and new players, started at 12, the demographic changes wildly based on the era.
Today's player being aimed at is going to be very different from the player 20 years ago.
The demographic absolutely has changed, and no 'everyone' isn't the target.
No Conan allowed.
MGibster
Legend
I think we all need to recognize a fundamental truth; Even back in 1987, nobody was watching Masters of the Universe. While I'm sure we can find some masochist who claims they loved it, the movie failed to connect with audiences and critics alike. The only good thing I can say about it is that Frank Langella really hams it up and Meg Foster's piercing blue eyes made for a distinctive Evil-Lyn.
It's interesting, because I find The Witcher to be closer in tone to Conan than I do to LotR. But I'm not sure if The Witcher has had a significant influence on D&D as of yet.
hawkeyefan
Legend
Right. That's broadening their demographics. There are more demographics than just age.
And as I said, it's a good thing! I think it's something that's overdue.
