D&D 5E The Overwhelming Dominance of D&D is Bad for Everyone...

[Paul Farquhar]

While I believe this is true it always surprises me.

I've never met a gamer in person that just plays D&D, or a DM that just runs D&D, yet it seems a common thing on the internet. I guess because when I meet gamers outside my own groups (which play all sorts of RPGs), it tends to be at conventions and conventions (at least in the UK) tend not to be D&D focused, they are a multitude of different systems often with people demonstrating the latest releases or indie game they have discovered.

Maybe D&D is more dominant in the US? I'm in the UK too, and most of my players play other RPGs too (WH 40K, Paranoia, Pathfinder, Blades in the Dark get mentioned).

 

[dave2008]

While I believe this is true it always surprises me.

I've never met a gamer in person that just plays D&D, or a DM that just runs D&D, yet it seems a common thing on the internet. I guess because when I meet gamers outside my own groups (which play all sorts of RPGs), it tends to be at conventions and conventions (at least in the UK) tend not to be D&D focused, they are a multitude of different systems often with people demonstrating the latest releases or indie game they have discovered.

Yep. I only play and DM D&D now (tried other games 20 years ago or so), but I never go to conventions.

EDIT: Just wanted to add that I am thinking of switching to PF, but that is still D&D IMO.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I mean a large of the reason why D&D is so dominant is because so many of our game designers knew it was dominant and they deliberately hitched their design wagon to it since that would be the most effective way to get eyeballs and wallets on their products. And they helped grow the D&D bubble just as much as anyone.

But is having D&D be such a huge slice of the pie a bad thing? Well, it certainly hasn't been for 3rd Party companies and designers, as they've made more money this way then they otherwise would have by just designing and publishing generic RPG products. And we know this is true based on everyone's reactions to 1.1-- if D&D wasn't so important to everyone's livelihood we wouldn't have nearly the same amount of reaction for WotC trying to change the landscape.

Everyone took a risk/reward assessment when they decided to follow along in D&D's wake... make a lot more money in D&D adjacent design than they otherwise would have made... but being beholden to the ways and means of Wizards of the Coast.

Is/was it worth it? I imagine every person and company will need to determine that for themselves.

 

[Oofta]

While I believe this is true it always surprises me.

I've never met a gamer in person that just plays D&D, or a DM that just runs D&D, yet it seems a common thing on the internet. I guess because when I meet gamers outside my own groups (which play all sorts of RPGs), it tends to be at conventions and conventions (at least in the UK) tend not to be D&D focused, they are a multitude of different systems often with people demonstrating the latest releases or indie game they have discovered.

While I play other styles of games when it comes to RPGs I only play D&D. Nobody in my current circle of gamers (roughly a dozen people) play anything but D&D when they play an RPG. I'd say that has been pretty typical for decades. A fair number of people I had gamed with in the past jumped to PF during 4E but that doesn't really count.

But it could well be how we meet other gamers. In some cases for me it's through AL or other D&D sponsored venues, in others it was because I specifically asked for people interested in playing D&D. But most people in my experience? People are busy and there's only so much time they can dedicate to playing games so they tend to focus on one.

 

[Umbran]

People are sheep...

Mod note:
You could have made your point without directly insulting a swath of people.
You chose not to.
That's a problem.

We recommend you not make that problem worse with repeat performances.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

For me, or maybe more for @FitzTheRuke, I would just call PF (1 & 2) D&D.

When I visited my flags back in the PF1/4e days they had PF stuff right next to D&D (almost co-mingled). I was there when a father asked the clerk to show him a D&D starter set as he wanted to get it for his son. The clerk took him to the Pathfinder starter set (the shop was not 4e fans) and sold that to him as D&D. The father was non-the-wiser.

So just put PF under the D&D banner and people could flock to it!

Maybe, but I don't like to lie to my customers (even a little "white lie" - is that a racist term now? it sounds like it is...) I'd tell them that PF is a game "like" D&D (and I've certainly insisted to them that the miniature branding does not matter one iota) but I'm not about to insist that it IS D&D. Imagine them taking their PF books to a D&D friend's place and being told "wrong books"? They'd probably be upset with my store, and I'd much rather always grow in reputation than make a one-time sale.

I get your kindly meant point, though!

 

[Xamnam]

While I believe this is true it always surprises me.

I've never met a gamer in person that just plays D&D, or a DM that just runs D&D, yet it seems a common thing on the internet. I guess because when I meet gamers outside my own groups (which play all sorts of RPGs), it tends to be at conventions and conventions (at least in the UK) tend not to be D&D focused, they are a multitude of different systems often with people demonstrating the latest releases or indie game they have discovered.

Just as anecdote, my consistent tables have totaled 19 different people. I tend to make/find tables out of friends, rather than strangers. Of them, 12, to my knowledge, have never played or expressed an interest in another system. Two of the remainder are excited about the Avatar game and helped kickstart it, but that's due to their love of the show, and I don't think they would have branched out otherwise.

 

[Zardnaar]

Is your stance that other RPGs shouldn't exist since DND is so successful?

Nope the market decides. If something displaces D&D so be it.

Nothing really has in almost 50 years so not gonna hold my breath.

 

[CapnZapp]

The Overwhelming Dominance of D&D is Bad for Everyone...​

Luckily for you, WotC recently took the one decision that is sure to break this dominance - burning down the OGL.

 

[Shardstone]

Nope the market decides. If something displaces D&D so be it.

Nothing really has in almost 50 years so not gonna hold my breath.

free market is an illusion lmfao you want me to compete with hasbros advertising pockets???? hey paizo, have you tried having literal hasbro levels of money hahahhaha