Mad at Paizo?

[Fanaelialae]

Buy them on the cheap and then when they go out of print, sell them at a premium. It will be money gained.

I don't know about this. Maybe if some of those books had a small print run.

Even if there's a high demand in 20 years, you have to take supply into account. Most old D&D books sell at or below the price on their cover IME.

For example, the cheapest copy of The Red Hand of Doom is listed on Amazon at $56 (which is crazy, because you can buy a POD copy from DMs Guild for $20). Compare that to a different adventure from around the same time, The Sunless Citadel, which is under $16 on Amazon. An original 3.0 Player's Handbook can be had for under $4.

The discount helps, but as far as I'm aware, PF1 generally had a large print run, meaning you won't necessarily make much money, if any. And that assumes that in 20 years, POD won't have advanced to such a degree that it's extremely cheap to download the PDF and just print a new copy.

 

[MNblockhead]

Just personal opinion since we have no real data either way. I think Stranger Things might have been the catalyst for those 40 and over that hadn’t played in a while since that demographic might not have been the people surfer YouTube for dnd live streams. Younger players probably got pushed over the edge to start playing by critical role....hard to tell either way but both have helped bring players back or in to the hobby.

In my experience, Stranger Things got pre-teens / early teens like my son and his friends into the game. None of them watch or know of Critical role even though they watch various Twitch streams for Fortenight, Minecraft, etc.

Critical Role seems to be late teens and 20s (Millenials).

I'm not sure about folks who came of age in the 80s like myself. I just had not games for so long that I thought it would be fun. After moving back to my hometown and settling into suburban life, I started picking up various board games and played with some old friends. I thought about role playing but 4e wasn't what I was looking for and Pathfinder seemed to be too much. When 5e came out, I checked it out and was sucked in. It was after buying the PHB that I looked for online examples of people playing the game that I found Chris Perkins's tutorials and from that found Acq. Inc. Only later did I find Critical Role, and while I appreciate and have have enjoyed some CR sessions, it is just too much of a time sink to get into.

Of my 30 and 40 something friends I only know one who regularly watches CR. Most don't watch any streaming games at all. I don't think CR brought many people above 35 into the game. Stranger Things probably did, but I don't know anyone older than 15 that was inspired to play D&D because of Stranger Things. But it certainly normalized it for many parents whether ex-gamers or not.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I guess in non English-speaker countries the effect by Stranger Things is bigger than game-live shows as Critical Role. I imagine future of these shows with a fusion of asymetric games where a player is the DM creating rooms and adding nPCs, monster and traps, and with a special software to the game become a machinima movie.

The future of Paizo and third party publishers are the empty spaces aren't yet occupied by WotC, for example the genres of superheroes, space fantasy + planetary romance, or gothic-punk horror + urban fantasy. The first place will be who create the ultimate universal d20 system to play all the different genres, for example adaptations of famous franchises of cartoons, toys, comics, movie sagas or videogames. The d20 system isn't ready yet for the modern ages because the PCs and enemies with firearms and ammo then a survival horror becomes a duck hunt or maybe the total opposite. Worse if they try a videogame with the rules of d20 Modern and they notice ewoks can face stormtroopers (realism vs gameplay).

 

[Mercador]

Paizo had a "Critical role" mock up isn't it? Or I dreamed that?

On my side, I'm 42 and I don't get the CR popularity, I guess I'm not the target audience. How could I put so many hours in front of youtube is beyond me, I'd rather play videogames or reading a book.

 

[Mercador]

I don't know about this. Maybe if some of those books had a small print run.

Yeah, I don't think they'll gain "value", it's just for a collecting purpose on my side.

By the way, you got the same avatar idea that I used for other forums for a while!

 

[GreyLord]

Paizo had a "Critical role" mock up isn't it? Or I dreamed that?

On my side, I'm 42 and I don't get the CR popularity, I guess I'm not the target audience. How could I put so many hours in front of youtube is beyond me, I'd rather play videogames or reading a book.

It might not just be you.

My experience on this is obviously anecdotal, but I get a lot of new players in my games. None of them thus far have been influenced to start from Critical Roll. In fact, I think only one may even have watched it ever (they have a channel on one of the streaming things, like PlutoTV or something?)

On the otherhand, at least 1/3 of them have at least watched Stranger Things (and despite me not having a Netflix account, I know all about it up to season 3 due to them talking about it).

 

[darjr]

Ha! My investment agent JUST asked if I run those “stranger things” games. His kids run and play in part because of that show.


Also I think it is a perfect storm. I think 5e lends itself to play like how Critical Role plays and is part of their success, their fans try it and it’s much easier to deal with than 3.5 or its clones.


I also think the PAX games were run more like a 5e game even when it was 4e rules based.

 

[robus]

On my side, I'm 42 and I don't get the CR popularity, I guess I'm not the target audience. How could I put so many hours in front of youtube is beyond me, I'd rather play videogames or reading a book.

I've got 10 years on you and I listen to CR pretty regularly, but that's the key. It's a "radio play" with an enjoyable cast and an engaging story. I work on my own so it's nice to have a few hours of company each week. Actually watching the show? That would be difficult to pull off.

(Back to hurricane prep... )

 

[Campbell]

Generally I prefer Matt Colville's stream and Adam Koebel's streams to Critical Role. Matt Mercer is great and I really enjoy the one shots he is part of, but Critical Role does not feel much like a game to me. I have also been watching the Pathfinder 2 stream Knights of the Everflame and been enjoying it quite a bit. The characterization is solid, it is really cinematic, but you get the sense that they are definitely playing a game and things could sideways for the player characters at any minute.

 

[Nebulous]

Of my 30 and 40 something friends I only know one who regularly watches CR. Most don't watch any streaming games at all. I don't think CR brought many people above 35 into the game. Stranger Things probably did, but I don't know anyone older than 15 that was inspired to play D&D because of Stranger Things. But it certainly normalized it for many parents whether ex-gamers or not.

I'm mid 40s and haven't watched CR, although I'm aware of it. My friends in their 40s do not watch it either, BUT, the 28 year old in our group is addicted to CR and talks about it all the time. We don't get it lol