If D&D didn't exist

[Ahnehnois]

I'm strongly going to disagree as I feel that someone would have produced something that with our current knowledge we would call an RPG eventually. The big questions are: would it have been as popular, and might RPGs then be in their infancy even now?

That's what I'm getting at. D&D, while a small-niche game, has a much, much bigger niche than any other PnP rpg (well, except PF, but you get the idea). I don't know that any other rpg would actually have been popular enough to reach very many people. Similarly, I don't know if any of the modern sci-fi environment would exist if Star Trek hadn't gotten on the air. I'm sure other rpgs would exist, though.

Even as it is, rpgs are in their infancy.

 

[TheYeti1775]

This thread wouldn't exist.


Honestly doubt I would be playing anything. When I started it was our rainy day can't go into the woods day thing to do. And it was right at moment when gaming consoles were starting to appear, so it might have pushed me further to gaming consoles than anything else.
I will say it did spark me to read a heck of a lot more.

 

[ggroy]

In all likelihood, I (and most of the D&D population) would never have been introduced to rpgs if not for D&D.

That said, I doubt I would play any other fantasy rpg, I know I wouldn't play anything associated with wargaming, but it's possible I might have gotten into CoC or one of the sci-fi rpgs.

I suspect this would be the case for me too.

When I was a kid and before I ever heard of D&D, I was given a few wargames from a relative who was doing spring cleaning at the time. (This particular relative had no use for these wargames, which somebody else gave to them for a gift). No matter how hard I tried to learn on my own, I had no idea how to play these wargames, due to the game instructions being so dense and complicated. Hence I never got into wargames as a kid.

As to whether I would have ever came across a non-D&D rpg game, I think it would depend on whether it was introduced to me by other kids in the neighborhood.

 

[kitsune9]

Traveller was the first rpg I saw being played and was what I asked my dad about. He knew what they were and bought me D&D for Christmas. However, if there was no D&D, then I probably would have gotten Star Frontiers (the 2nd rpg I got) or Traveller Basic Set (the third rpg I got)

 

[Greg K]

I took "did not exist" to mean D&D died with TSR and never purchased by WOTC- therefore, no 3e, 4e or OGL (Technically, D&D would still exist in existing copies. However, to a good portion of people, lack of support/not in print means dead an non-existing).

 

[DM Howard]

I'd probably be playing a lot more video games or taking up some other hobby instead which probably wouldn't be nearly as fun.

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

I'd probably be playing whatever popular rpg took D&D's place. Or inventing it myself.

 

[Corathon]

I agree with the idea that if d&D never existed, that there might not be any RPGs at all.

Ignoring that and assuming that the rest of the RPGs somehow still exist I'd probably be playing Call of Cthulhu, Champions, and Savage Worlds. Or possibly some fantasy heartbreaker that caught my fancy.

 

[offsprg01]

i'm kind of partial to wod or dresden files, if we're not talking d20 systems. but then again i've always wanted to play warhammer

 

[Jan van Leyden]

Let's rephrase the scebnario a bit:

What would I play if RPGs did exist, but it's first commercial incarnation had been another game thatn D&D or D&D would have died a quick death after showing that something called RPG would be possible.

In this case I'd probably play a game we can't even imagine today. What would have been developed without the indfluence of D&D? I don't know...