Top Games Played On FG In 2018: D&D, Pathfinder, Savage Worlds

Fantasy Grounds has sent me over some graphs showing the top games played on its virtual tabletop platform throughout the whole of 2018. Unsurprisingly, the top three are D&D 5th Edition (67%), Pathfinder (12%), and Savage Worlds (5%). These are followed by Starfinder, D&D 3.5, Call of Cthulhu, D&D 4E, Star Wars, then Pathfinder 2. The figures are much the same as we've seen previously, with an increase by Starfinder and the appearance of Pathfinder 2 from July.

Previous stats: 2016 | 2017​

 

[Mistwell]

I must admit that now I am curious about how often you get paid to playtest something and how I too can get on to that lucrative playtesting bandwagon?

Try Cardboard Junkie, Game Designers Clubhouse, The Game Crafter, and Indie Game Alliance. Also, when my wife was more active in writing for Geek Mom / Geek Dad, we used to be sent playtest copies of games and she was paid for the article/video of the playtest.

 

[Leif]

Can anyone tell me what relation this fantasy grounds survey has to actual overall popularity of various games?

 

[Von Ether]

Easy, just use a logarithmic scale or something

Maybe, but then you lose a sense of scale.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

Can anyone tell me what relation this fantasy grounds survey has to actual overall popularity of various games?

It is the actual overall popularity of various games played using Fantasy Grounds. Nothing more. Nothing less.

 

[imagineGod]

Great news for Hasbro, who owns Wizards of the Coast, and thus, the Dungeons and Dragons property. Sadly, almost all other game designers and authors not writing material for D&D5e might as well pack up and find new careers, for they will soon not be able to make a living outside the shadow of WoTC.

 

[Morrus]

Great news for Hasbro, who owns Wizards of the Coast, and thus, the Dungeons and Dragons property. Sadly, almost all other game designers and authors not writing material for D&D5e might as well pack up and find new careers, for they will soon not be able to make a living outside the shadow of WoTC.

That's not even slightly true. Plenty are managing just fine.

 

[dave2008]

Not USERS, those are games played.

Thank you for the correction!

 

[dave2008]

Great news for Hasbro, who owns Wizards of the Coast, and thus, the Dungeons and Dragons property. Sadly, almost all other game designers and authors not writing material for D&D5e might as well pack up and find new careers, for they will soon not be able to make a living outside the shadow of WoTC.

If you look the other games haven't gone down in numbers, it is just that 5e is enjoying most of the growth. So if they were making money before, they could still be making it now.

 

[Leif]

It is the actual overall popularity of various games played using Fantasy Grounds. Nothing more. Nothing less.

I understand that. But what percentage of the total frpg market uses Fantasy Grounds?

That's not even slightly true. Plenty are managing just fine.

That's reassuring. Thanks for that. So success on Fantasy Grounds is not necessary for a frpg to be successful?

 

[dave2008]

Well, 5e has a legitimately well designed and strong ruleset, helped by mostly fun and well written adventures and supplemental products,

Yes, but I think all of that could be said of 4e as well.

and also helped by streams and Critical Role. Sometimes, marketing can only go so far.

Yes, this is mostly what I was think of as marketing. Thought it has also been in the much more mainstream media as well.