Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jester David" data-source="post: 5988728" data-attributes="member: 37579">The theory postulated by Joseph Goodman in the early days of 4e was that D&D had generational highs. 1e was huge but 2e fell flat. 3e was huge and 4e started strong but fell quickly. The idea was, the new editions (1e & 3e) came out when a new generation was just hearing about D&D and coming of age. It hadn't been in the public eye of late so there were kids of many ages coming into the game all at once. So when the new edition is announced and in the news and in stores it gets them excited and the play. There are some other factors at work. 3e also had the nostalgia surge; after an edition of sitting out on the game or only playing 1e, there were many players curious about the new edition and willing to give it a try. 3e was also coming at a boom time for the economy and the gaming industry. Game stores and comic stores were flush from cash from the booming CCG market, with MtG going strong and Pokemon being huge. With the extra cash they could afford to bring in more products and expand their gaming selections, which happened to be d20 with D&D at the forefront. As there were so many d20 products - all of which required the 3e core rulebook - there was a wide variety of playstyles and game types supported. Plus, as there was a boom, there were many more people going into gaming stores and seeing the products. So it was win-win.Now, almost a decade and a half after 3e, it's still a little soon for the generational spike, as 3e came out 20-odd years after 1e. Plus, WotC has cut into the population of new players with 3.5e and 4e coming so close together. So there's unlikely to be the same number of uninitiated players to be introduced to the game. And it lacks the "D&D is back!" vibe 3e had after the decline in the late TSR days.Likewise, the economy hasn't been "boom" in quite a while and, while MtG is doing well, it seems to have a fairly set fanbase with some players rotating in and out every few years and the Pokemon craze has dropped in fervour. Still, 5e is really milking the nostalgia vibe, trying to be the all-in-one retroclone. So hopefully that will make-up some of the numbers from a lower percentage of new players. But, if WotC's marketing department actually steps-up and does their job (for a change) they should be able to draw some curious fans away from video games and into D&D.</blockquote>

Verification