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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Khaalis" data-source="post: 5786890" data-attributes="member: 2167">I agree with Grimslade. "Free" isn't going to make D&D popular. Free has never made any RPG popular. In most cases, free meant lower quality. Pathfinder did so well by offering a way for 3E fans to stay with 3E even after its "death". Not because it was free.D&D needs to enter the 21st century if it truly wants to succeed.  That entails 3 major things:* Creating a truly awesome game engine that people will want to play vs. the dozens of other options available.* Entering the digital age with digital support for the game.* AdvertisingThe first major step involves creating a strong game that will draw New and Old players back to the fold. By bringing back Old players, that doesn't just mean older system grognards. This primarily includes people like my game group that moved on from D&D to other systems that gave us what we wanted.  These are the people D&D needs to get back. There are a LOT more RPGs out there other than D&D, and a lot of them bring a lot of good ideas to the table. If D&D wants to really succeed it needs to bring all of the best gaming mechanics form the last 40 years to the table and figure out how to make them into a viable and attractive system. The problem is, there can never be one RPG to rule them all. There are simply too many drastic variations. Without even getting into the separation of systems like d20 vs. Fate vs. Age vs. Shadowrun, etc., you simply have too many differences just among the d20 systems (3E, 4E, True20, Fantasy Craft, Saga, Modern, etc.). This is going to be THE biggest stumbling block to the new edition. I do look forward to seeing what they come up with, but I hold my breath that it will ever get back the popularity that D&D had during its hayday.The second thing they need to do, is to step up and provide digital support. This is a new age and the old "pen & paper" is a dying breed. Books can still be print, but they need to have a decent PDF plan. For instance including a free PDF download with each physical copy, just like movies do. Buy a blu-ray and get a digital copy for the same price. They also need digital tools like character generators, among others. Moving into the App sphere would be tremendously beneficial as well. More and more people have smart phones, tablets/e-readers, and that trend will only increase exponentially over the next few years. Digital also ties in with getting younger blood.Thirdly, as also mentioned previously, is advertise hard to bring in new people and new generations. Most "hard core" TTRPGers have been in the hobby since our teens. We're getting older and life weeds us out of the gaming field.  Younger people simply have more time in most cases to game. They also don't have to bend to societal pressures and stigmas against gaming as much as older players who have to "grow up". Which is another area really good advertising will be needed for. D&D/TTRPG still has a major societal stigma that needs to be overcome. Look at WoW. Only a few years ago, MMORPGs had a pretty bad stigma as well, but now WoW has gone completely mainstream due to some amazing marketing strategies - from good TV ads, to celebrity "players" to even getting their name dropped in many prime-time TV shows. To become "popular" the game needs to be given more validity in the mainstream.JMHO. YMMV.</blockquote>

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