RPGs in Target!

[Amphimir Míriel]

<dreamy voice> Well, in that case we could go and ask Mattel to buy up Paizo so that they can also put out an introductory product in the mass-market...</dreamy voice>

...

No?

Ok, back to reality: WotC is the only rpg publisher in the position to access the major retail chains, due to their corporate parent and also because D&D is THE most powerful brand in the rpg world.

So yeah, if rpg's are going to be in Target, et al., its going to be D&D

And even if 4E/Essentials is not everybody's cup of tea, having rpg products in a major retailers (with a note saying "for ages 12 and up") is a major win for the entire hobby.

Even in the glory days of D&D, there were other games in the market, which benefited from the popularity of D&D, and in these days of social networking on steroids and online stores, getting recommendations to get new games if the one you are playing is not perfect for you is easy as pie.

So yes, this is a good thing, even if you don't like D&D

 

[Scribble]

I wasn't arguing against the game being in a store. I was simply stating that there may be a few unintended side effects. Overall, D&D 4e generally has a specific type of experience in mind and that it is geared toward. Not all rpgs share the same philosophies. I think it's a positive thing that D&D is again accepted into more mainstream stores; however, for the mental health of the hobby as a whole, I'd prefer that D&D not be the only presence.

When I started playing I started with D&D; I had no idea other games existed.
It didn't take very long though to find out there was a whole world of other games out there.


Aside from that it has to start somewhere- It's not like all the companies got together and decided to only put D&D in mainstream stores or something.

 

[jaerdaph]

/dark humor on

don't worry we are working on that
The Blotter | Puyallup man charged in rape murder of 16-year-old girl | Seattle Times Newspaper
if you read the details of the murder rather than just the synopsis I linked you will see hes a D&D Online player so obviously D&D and Video Games are to blame for his behavior, plus hes got long hair and you know how evil hippies are!

/dark humor off

Oh my God that poor girl - what a horrible crime! Forget about D&D, my heart goes out to this girl and her family for their loss.

And in all fairness, it was the suspect who said he went home afterward to play D&D online "to forget" in his statement.

 

[MortonStromgal]

Oh my God that poor girl - what a horrible crime! Forget about D&D, my heart goes out to this girl and her family for their loss.

And in all fairness, it was the suspect who said he went home afterward to play D&D online "to forget" in his statement.

/agree on both, its a tragic case.

but thats not the way it will get spun. It will be that by playing D&D Online he was able to experience the occult though virtual reality and he killed in the game now that behavior spilled into real life. In the game he would sacrifice people to the devil and he was just trying it in real life.

 

[IronWolf]

And even if 4E/Essentials is not everybody's cup of tea, having rpg products in a major retailers (with a note saying "for ages 12 and up") is a major win for the entire hobby.

I totally agree with this. I am not a 4e fan, but still feel this is a good thing for RPGs in general. It helps lower the barrier to entry and the Essentials line does look like a good intro to the world of RPG gaming for the novice. Getting it into major box stores is a good thing.

 

[jaerdaph]

/agree on both, its a tragic case.

but thats not the way it will get spun. It will be that by playing D&D Online he was able to experience the occult though virtual reality and he killed in the game now that behavior spilled into real life. In the game he would sacrifice people to the devil and he was just trying it in real life.

...which hasn't happened yet, so that remains to be seen.

Personally, I have a little more faith in the credibility and ethical standards of the local journalist from your part of the country then I do for those in other parts of the U.S.A. who would have sensationalized the D&D "link" by now.

 

[jaerdaph]

...which hasn't happened yet, so that remains to be seen.

Personally, I have a little more faith in the credibility and ethical standards of the local journalist from your part of the country then I do for those in other parts of the U.S.A. who would have sensationalized the D&D "link" by now.

And my faith in humanity is completely shattered

Detectives: Murder motive may have been video game fantasy | KOMO News | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News - Seattle, Washington | Local & Regional

I guess technically it's the police claiming that D&D Online may have been the cause and the press just reported it...

But still...

 

[MortonStromgal]

And my faith in humanity is completely shattered

It is because that what we teach in criminal behavior classes, regardless of actual science if you take one of these one week classes. D&D = satanism and occult practices and Video Games = violent behavior. The cops are just repeating what they learned in class from the "experts". Now if you talked to actual experts they would tell you hes that messed up from something in his past and he was using the game as therapy so he didnt act out but thats not what they teach in the classes.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

I wasn't arguing against the game being in a store. I was simply stating that there may be a few unintended side effects. Overall, D&D 4e generally has a specific type of experience in mind and that it is geared toward. Not all rpgs share the same philosophies. I think it's a positive thing that D&D is again accepted into more mainstream stores; however, for the mental health of the hobby as a whole, I'd prefer that D&D not be the only presence.

Once other games grow popular enough to matter to Target, certainly.

But they aren't.

So they aren't.

 

[Argyle King]

Once other games grow popular enough to matter to Target, certainly.

But they aren't.

So they aren't.

I totally understand that... just wish the situation was otherwise.