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Message: <blockquote data-quote="TrippyHippy" data-source="post: 6200503" data-attributes="member: 27252">By 'supplement-driven' I mean supported by lot of supplemental releases - additional rules and 'crunch' books. To my mind, it's been the major model of all rpgs since the hobby began, but I'd really consider changing it. Why? I actually think it may actually be detrimental to the hobby, as it conflates the appeal of the hobby with the hobby of collecting. By doing this you are going to limit yourself to a diminishing number of enthusiasts with each new release whilst alienating the broader market. Over the years there has been a continuous concern raised about the diminishing and aging group of hobbyists supporting the hobby. As these hobbyists have got older and their expendable income has increased, the hobby has relied on these individuals to spend more and more - sometimes by buying luxuriously packaged books and sometimes by heavy supplemental releases. There is a sense, in recent years that a number of games may have reached a point of saturation. I'm less concerned about adventure modules and setting books - as these are either expendable items (once you've played them), or are new creative applications (in the case of setting book). It's the 'buy more crunch' that concerne. Certainly, in the case of adventure modules, they can be easily distributed in pdf - possibly even for free - and in my view this is where the creative aspect of the hobby should be anyway. It's the 'buy more crunch' that concerns me. Is there an alternative? Well, in my view RPGs should be seen as a division of tabletop gaming these days, rather than their own hobby (in splendid isolation!). If we look at most tabletop games, the expansions are usually limited unless they a CCGs and miniatures. It's the unit sales of the core rules that count. The question is, how does a game like Monopoly, Settlers of Catan or Dixit keep their profits high in the face of high competition? What can the RPG hobby learn from them? Thoughts? Or am I just spouting gush?</blockquote>

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