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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ariosto" data-source="post: 4803576" data-attributes="member: 80487">Raw interest is really something the individual brings or not; absent a desire to enter, the barriers are irrelevant!I wonder about the time commitment. Even if we're talking four hours at a sitting, how does that compare with TV watching? Internet? Of course, those activities don't require face-to-face interaction, and the challenges associated with arranging social gatherings.If people can find time, but only for short sessions, then I think something like 4E is quite poorly suited. In (1970s-80s) grade school, we often played D&D or The Fantasy Trip on lunch breaks. Traveller and Superworld were also played that way, although character generation might take more than one such period. Greater frequency of sessions can make up for shorter ones in terms of moving a "story" along -- and may also benefit from players being "fresh" (as opposed to the fatigue that can set in over several hours).Lightening the game-mechanical load is just the first of the ways to cut down preparation time. The availability of prepared scenarios that are quickly digested is always an asset. Aids to improvisation are a big help, one reason for the many tables in the 1st edition AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide. Reusable encounter/scene "templates" (such as those in Prince Valiant) can combine both features.A preconceived "plot line" is to my mind the antithesis of a proper D&D campaign -- but that does not mean a dramatically structured game is a bad thing in itself. Far from it! That so many people enjoy playing D&D that way attests to its appeal. It's easy to convey the analogy of choosing among paths through a story to one of several possible endings.So long as everyone is on the same page, a scenario that can be outlined in a compact yet interestingly branching flowchart can be quite satisfying. It can also be quite easy to manage. Individual "chapters" of the story can be designed to provide in themselves a good bit of action in a short period.A "character advancement" scheme is something many "gamers" would sorely miss, but the pleasures may not always be worth the pains. It sets up all the troubles to do with "level appropriateness".Comic books provide another model. It's key that Superman or Spider-man should remain immediately recognizable as a character, in terms of powers, weaknesses and personality (and, in the comics, appearance as well). What remains perennially interesting (for fans, anyway) is how those factors are displayed in the story at hand.In an RPG, characters might age and life experience might leave its mark on psyches. The supporting cast might change more often; one social role might be traded for another. But cutting out the concept that capabilities and challenges must be in a continual "arms race" can greatly facilitate more casual play -- as well keeping the focus on the unfolding tale rather than on "stats".</blockquote>

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