Is 4e bringing new players to the game?

[Keefe the Thief]

I'm glad I did, it's a lot of fun and way cheaper then large scale miniatures game. I'm also blissfully ignorant of 3rd edition, so I have no idea what you're all fighting about!

Lucky, lucky person

 

[Henry]

Looking at some of these stories makes me feel like I should proselytize more. That's a lot of new gamers, and here I am with my same group going on five years. However, all I have time to game is once a week, so better with the cut-ups I know and enjoy...

 

[WalterKovacs]

I'm not a new gamer by any stretch, I got brought in with 2e, and when that campaign folded due to the rest of the part moving away I eventually was able to get into a 3.5 group. I also got into Mutants and Masterminds, Serenity, World of Darkness, MechWarrior, d20 Modern, the d20 version of WoW, and a few other random rpgs here and there. However, 4e is the only game that I've been able to DM on a regular basis for any real ammount of time. Admitedly, I'm running out of the campaign books, but part of it is simply getting in at the start, before the ammount of classes, powers, feats, etc ... are too big to wrap your head around. Although, admitedly, spells in the 3.5 PHB are already quite a bit list.

 

[filthgrinder]

Seems like this topic has been covered previouslt, as I typed out my story here before.

I was a 2E player back in the day, but I stopped playing around '96 or so. When 3E came out, I played in one session a friend of mine ran. I didn't play again until 4E came out and I bought Keep on the Shadowfell. I've since bought just about all the 4E material, and I run a game with 5 players who are all new to D&D. So I think all six of us have been brought in by 4E. Even though I had experience with D&D previous, 3E got no money from me, and virtually none of my time.

4E's presentation and mechanics allowed me to introduce a new group of players to the game, got them to like it, and got them to keep playing.

It also allowed to to bring 4 other old players back together from all parts of the country for one reunion game session. Lots of fun.

 

[avin]

Would adore playing in either a Cthulhutech game or nWoD game (vampire or mage).

Excellent roleplaying options. Mage is my favorite.

Never gotten to play a deadlands game either.

Rename yourself to SHAMEska!

Deadlands is wonderful for horror, just remove a bit of the Weird (sci fi) Aspect and focus on fear. Don't go d20, get the original game with cards and chips.

 

[Nymrohd]

I don't know how good 4E is in bringing new players but I sure am I helped start 3 groups that now play regularly since 4E came out. I'd say it is largely because of 4E ofc; it is more beginner-friendly with easy character creation and most importantly is a lot more interesting at early levels than 3E was. You have more things to do whatever your class is and you don't get one-shotted, both of which were serious issues with previous iterations of the game (I am not debating later levels ofc, but levels 1-3 in 4E are superior to the point I think it is self-evident). This helps get people hooked up and not frustrated.

 

[Solodan]

It allowed my wife to play, and now she loves it. 4E, with that just one person, to me, has done everything right.

 

[Obryn]

One of my friends from college joined a 4e game after not playing since 2e. I think they're mostly new players.

Also, one of the ladies from my group put on the DM hat for the first time with 4e. IMHO, that's worth something right there.

-O

 

[ProfessorPain]

Vin Diesel is most definitely *cool* still in the 14-18 year old market, at least where I work. As is Stephen Colbert who talked about Dungeons & Dragons as well. However even as popular as he is, Wil Wheaton is still a geek.

But it would be cool to get Jessica Alba to play.

Diesel is cool, but you can still see the nerd lurking beneath the human growth hormone and his box office numbers just aren't there. I think Colbert is cool too, but 1) he "officially" hung up his dice, and 2) he seems to be more popular with the "smart" people

 

[The Ghost]

Locally from what I've seen, 4e spiked and then crashed, with people going back to earlier editions, or more frequently trying other games and systems entirely.

This is the feeling I am getting around these parts. I know a lot of the people who had purchased 4e books and are now either going back to an older edition or going to a different game system entirely. When 4e first came out the two FLGS I visit were very excited about how many new and old players were coming out to purchase the new game. They have not had nearly the follow up as they expected. I wonder how many people are just sticking to playing the "core" three books and are not interested in the splat books? So far that is all I have purchased.

I am going to be stopping by the game store this afternoon and will ask again how sales are. And specifically, how many are from people new to the game.