Roll20's Latest Usage Report: D&D Steady, Cthulhu Down!

Roll20 has released it's latest quarterly report -- and has a new format which features less numbers but prettier graphics! Everything is percentages now, rather than absolute numbers.

D&D is in the lead as ever at 52.7% (down 1%), followed by Call of Cthulhu at 11.9% (down 4.4%) then Pathfinder at 3.2% (down 0.2%) (Pathfinder users apparently use Foundry these days). That's a big drop for Cthulhu which has been on a steady rise for the last year or two.

D&D and Call of Cthulhu Climb Again in Roll20's Latest Stats

Roll20 has released its latest usage figures. These are for Q2, 2021. And they have a new fancy format! D&D is, of course, still right up there at the top with nearly 54% of the market -- up from 53% in Q1 of this year. Call of Cthulhu continues its inexorable rise, climbing from 11% to 16%...

www.enworld.org

Some systems are called out --

• Tormenta (Brazilian) rose 45%
• Vampire the Masquerade rose 500%(!)
• Powerd by the Apocalypse is up 130%
• World of Darkness overall is up 550%
• WFRP is up 50%
• Modiphius' 2d20 is up 160%

 

[Morrus]

I am surprised because Starfinder has got more players than the famous Star Wars. Paizo's game could become a serious rival in a future.

Pretty sure they're not allowed to make digital versions of the game (thus no PDFs). That would include Roll20 implementation.

 

[DarkCrisis]

In particular, I've always been surprised that Star Trek hasn't had a bigger splash in the RPG market than it has. I remember the first Trek RPG published by FASA in the 80s, because I'm old, Last Unicorn Games, Decipher, and now Modiphius. (I think FASA lost the license in the late 80s or very early 90s.) It's quite possible I'm experiencing some confirmation bias. I was a huge Star Trek fan when I started playing RPGs and all my friends were fans as well. I'm probably projecting that onto other gamers. On the flip side, I think Star Trek is a somewhat difficult thing to emulate when you're used to playing D&D like I was in the 80s and 90s. Killing stuff and taking their things isn't something Roddenberry would approve of.

And Avatar? For a movie that made so much money it doesn't seem to have left a significant cultural imprint.

That’s Avatar the Last Airbender. They just had a kickstarter for a RPG and it made a whole lot of money. Like 1st or 2nd most of any RPG product on kickstarter ever. It was all pretty shocking

 

[Jacob Lewis]

The thing to remember about these usage reports is that they only reflect the usage on that particular platform. Part of the appeal of VTTs is the level of automation and ease that comes with support from publishers and community. So even popular systems, like Star Wars and Pathfinder 2, might not ever do well on platforms with poor support or lacking in content.

In the case of PF2, it's become apparent to a lot of fans that Foundry offers much better content and support without having to buy any subscriptions or materials beyond the base program. And this may be the case in several more different systems. Unfortunately, Foundry cannot provide accurate info because the software can be run on private networks.

 

[Espadadelaaurora]

A bit disappointed of seeing Cyberpunk and Alien in a low position.

 

[Blue Orange]

Near, but I would not say all with such certainty in this day and age.

Astronauts are often sci-fi fans, as you might expect. But I don't know if the ISS gets internet. RPGs might be an effective way to pass long voyages as in space travel though...

 

[Marc Radle]

In particular, I've always been surprised that Star Trek hasn't had a bigger splash in the RPG market than it has. I remember the first Trek RPG published by FASA in the 80s, because I'm old, Last Unicorn Games, Decipher, and now Modiphius. (I think FASA lost the license in the late 80s or very early 90s.) It's quite possible I'm experiencing some confirmation bias. I was a huge Star Trek fan when I started playing RPGs and all my friends were fans as well. I'm probably projecting that onto other gamers. On the flip side, I think Star Trek is a somewhat difficult thing to emulate when you're used to playing D&D like I was in the 80s and 90s. Killing stuff and taking their things isn't something Roddenberry would approve of.

And Avatar? For a movie that made so much money it doesn't seem to have left a significant cultural imprint.

Ah … two things that bring back memories for me …

I was a huge Star Trek fan back then and LOVED the FASA Star Trek game! We played the heck out of it! I even still have my original boxed set

I haven’t heard Last Unicorn Games in a while! I worked with them for a number of years … mainly on the Aria: Canticle of the Monomyth RPG and Heresy card game. In fact, I stopped working with them when they got the Star Trek license, but had to move to California as part of the deal, so they were closer to Paramount.

Good times!!

 

[Umbran]

And Avatar? For a movie that made so much money it doesn't seem to have left a significant cultural imprint.

The movie? Of course, not, because it was drek. The movie made money because folks hoped it would be like the animated series before it, which has certainly had impact - if you need proof of that, see the performance of the game's kickstarter.

 

[Morrus]

The movie? Of course, not, because it was drek. The movie made money because folks hoped it would be like the animated series before it, which has certainly had impact - if you need proof of that, see the performance of the game's kickstarter.

Not that Avatar.

 

[zedturtle]

The movie? Of course, not, because it was drek. The movie made money because folks hoped it would be like the animated series before it, which has certainly had impact - if you need proof of that, see the performance of the game's kickstarter.

I think the "movie" is a reference to the 3D James Cameron one with the blue people. Avatar the Last Airbender might have had a movie but we should not darken the skies with words about it.

 

[Umbran]

Not that Avatar.

I think the "movie" is a reference to the 3D James Cameron one with the blue people.

Well, they were both pretty crummy movies. How was I supposed to tell?!?