Is the RPG Industry on Life Support? (Merged w/"Nothing Dies")

[Henry]

People like books and will continue to use them for some time, until the reader technology improves significantly (among other hurdles.) (Remember what happened to notions of a "paperless office"?)

As I read this, listening in my background to two line-matrix printers staccato-streaming REAMS of greenbar paper reports, I can't help but laugh and laugh and laugh...

 

[MongooseMatt]

I'd love to see five prominent _print_ industry professionals post a message to this thread saying that their business is doing "absolutely great."

Well, I'll be the first to step up to the plate and say that yes, I am very pleased with the way Mongoose is going and that things may well be bordering on 'great'.

However, this does assume that I am in any way prominent. Or professional, for that matter. . .

 

[diaglo]

Well, I'll be the first to step up to the plate and say that yes, I am very pleased with the way Mongoose is going and that things may well be bordering on 'great'.

However, this does assume that I am in any way prominent. Or professional, for that matter. . .

what company do you work for?

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

However, I have run into a problem: there is a young boy (12 - 14 years of age) in my current group of newbies, and I have no idea how to "reach" him. How do I help him perceive that there is more to D&D than just hack'n'slash? I don't run combat oriented sessions all that often, but will the kid still be around when we get to a more socially oriented session? One session is all I get with most of them...

I love telling stories and running interesting sessions. I constantly bring this game to new players. What more can I do?

Try giving the 13 year old what he wants. He doesn't want your touchy feely social game. He doesn't want to explore nuances of character.

He wants to kill things and take their stuff.

Like it or not, this is the essence of D&D.

We could discuss what's at work in the mind of the adoloescent male, but why bother with the psychobabble? It's really very simple.

WOTC gets it. Why can't you?


Wulf

 

[JoeGKushner]

WOTC gets it. Why can't you?
Wulf

1. Might not be the GM's style.

2. GM might be trying to 'widen' the kid's expectations of what the RPG is as opposed to Diablo.

I'm not saying that #2 is a good thing but it's about as obvious as WoTC getting it.

With adults you have to know their styles and see if yours matches and if not, are you willing to bend enough to play. With kids, I personally don't see any harm in trying to expand their range of role playing ability.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

1. Might not be the GM's style.

2. GM might be trying to 'widen' the kid's expectations of what the RPG is as opposed to Diablo.

Well now, don't get me wrong. I'm not making any value judgement on hack-n-slash vs. social play.

But the poster asked what he could do, so I answered as plainly as possible.

If you want to run a social game, don't be surprised that 13 year olds aren't flocking to it.

Wulf

 

[JVisgaitis]

I don't mean to be a dick, but I'm guessing you don't work at an RPG company.

Print sales definitely aren't good right now. We are going to shift focus in the new year to be more of a PDF company, but I don't think the problem is rules complexity. I definitely think we need to try and recruit younger players. The reason a lot of older gamers don't play as much is because of families, kids, and responsibilties. I really think that to keep the industry going, we need to keep getting as much new blood as possible.

 

[alsih2o]

Nothing dies

IF WOTC goes under tomorrow AND all the PDF publishers get a terrible parasite that renders them incapable of forming complete sentences AND all the second tier companies make horrible financial decisions involving investments in belly-button lint farms that lose all their money and cause them to fold...the game will not die.

This, and all other signs and portents mean the death of nothing.

Every time I see a "Death of.." or "Life support.." thread I am reminded of the fellow I chatted briefly with at GenCon 2 years ago who had the entire PHB photocopied and stapled to gether in his backpack. Covers, endpages and all.

Hideous, poorly planned and written games exist on in second hand sales and copies of copies, the books seem to fall apart if you glance at them, small publishers struggle and big publishers make boneheaded decision and none of that means anyhting to the survival of RPG's.

It seems that the mere existence of Diaglo would remind people that no game ever dies.

Sleep well gamers, nothing is going to kill your hobby as long as you play.

 

[DaveMage]

Well now, don't get me wrong. I'm not making any value judgement on hack-n-slash vs. social play.

But the poster asked what he could do, so I answered as plainly as possible.

If you want to run a social game, don't be surprised that 13 year olds aren't flocking to it.

Wulf

Yup.

When I was 13 (gawd, was it really 21 years ago? ), all I wanted to do was kill the monsters and take their stuff...

 

[Henry]

It seems that the mere existence of Diaglo would remind people that no game ever dies.

That's almost quotable.

And true. If 2000 years of barbarism, wars, and lack of printing presses couldn't kill everything from the works of Aristotle to the Bible, RPGs won't be dying off completely.

However, it COULD get VERY unhealthy.

With that said, I feel better about merging this, and trying to keep the number of "Life Support" and counter-"Life Support" threads to a minimum.