D&D 5E The Mainstreaming of D&D

[Parmandur]

I'm in a weird place where the vibe of the game (more story oriented, more inclusive) has caught up to my old college group while it feels like the mechanics (more ToTM, more rules lite, less math) have left me behind.

The mechanics actually fit what my college group was actually doing with 3.x, but crunchier and more math heavy now in 5E.

 

[DemoMonkey]

Sometimes clouds are WRONG and they need to be yelled at!

 

[Burnside]

Quilting has gotten way too mainstream!

If I see one more cutsie tiefling knitting a confetti scarf...!

 

[AOieiosle]

I mean, honestly, why isn't the answer "play other games"? If someone says I'm disillusioned with XYZ, isn't the answer to try something that's not XYZ?

Soulbound, SPIRE: The City Must Fall, Brindlewood Bay, Everyone is John, Blades in the Dark, ALIEN, Gumshoe, FIASCO, Lady Blackbird, Delta Green, Traveller, etc.

We're in an age of plenty! Change up the menu!

 

[Umbran]

Admittedly, those games are harder to find players for.

Well, that's the thing, now isn't it? If a thing is normalized, it isn't going to seem weird - weird is niche by necessity. If it is niche, you aren't going to find players easily...

You cannot have the cake and eat it too.

 

[Umbran]

If I see one more happy bunny person in a Hogwarts uniform, or another cutesy tiefling making a "oopsie" face...

Then you see one more person enjoying something.

 

[Oofta]

If I see one more cutsie tiefling knitting a confetti scarf...!

 

[Reynard]

I mean, honestly, why isn't the answer "play other games"? If someone says I'm disillusioned with XYZ, isn't the answer to try something that's not XYZ?

Soulbound, SPIRE: The City Must Fall, Brindlewood Bay, Everyone is John, Blades in the Dark, ALIEN, Gumshoe, FIASCO, Lady Blackbird, Delta Green, Traveller, etc.

We're in an age of plenty! Change up the menu!

I think there might be a misunderstanding here: I am not talking about issues in playing D&D. I am talking about the commercial nature of the game as it relates to is current popularity. And as I was very clear in stating in my original post, I am not mad. It isn't that I don't think people should enjoy D&D, or that WotC shouldn't try to broaden its appeal. I just don't like the way it feels in this context. That's all.

 

[Reynard]

Then you see one more person enjoying something.

I mean, you can try and make this about me badwrongfunning other people INSTEAD of me expressing my own personal tastes, but I don't think it would be very successful or particularly rewarding.

 

[Laurefindel]

I don't know...

I can tell people I play D&D and look cooldad rather than lamenerd
I can tell my boss(es) I can't work X night because I have a game, and it's taken as a valid reason
People don't give my parents the "what kind of immoral child did you raise!" kind of look
I can LARP without having to pretend its a "historical reenactment fair"
People don't look at me like I'm about the enter the adult section of the video store when I proceed toward RPG books
My interests in roleplaying games on my résumé gets me social-interaction jobs instead of immediately being shoved in the "maybe for the IT dept" bin
Our wives don't look at us like we're big nerdy geeks when we boys get together to play...

ok fine, the last one still needs to be worked on, but otherwise I call this a win!