What does it take for an RPG to die?

[Thomas Shey]

Are people still playing FUDGE? Were there a significant number of FUDGE fans out there who saw FATE, said "Nah, I'm good," and are keeping the dream alive?

I've heard occasional references to people still using FUDGE well after FATE, but it didn't seem frequent.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I'm a bit broader in my definition, in that a game's dead when

1) No one's heard of it/there isn't a community for it
2) No company is making product for it
3) No one's picked up the ball to produce ongoing content

People can still be playing it if it's "dead", but if noone's making content for it, that's a good indication the community's dead and anyone whose playing it is single group or three.

There's several RPGs I own (and sometimes play) that I'd qualify as "dead" - Alternity, Boot Hill, Gangbusters, Fading Suns, Spycraft, Star Frontiers, TSR Marvel FASERIP, Gamma World, FASA/Last Unicorn/Decipher Star Trek, WEG Star Wars, Rolemaster & Middle Earth Roleplaying (by Iron Crown) - just to name a few.

There are decent sized communities for a number of those so it seems to break your first criterion at least.

 

[Micah Sweet]

There are decent sized communities for a number of those so it seems to break your first criterion at least.

The third as well. Several of those communities at least are making content for their respective games.

 

[Reynard]

Here's a thought re: active communities making material:

Has the rise in popularity of Discord silo'd off some of this discussion and support to make it look like to outsiders that a game is dead, but actually has a smallish but fervent community?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Here's a thought re: active communities making material:

Has the rise in popularity of Discord silo'd off some of this discussion and support to make it look like to outsiders that a game is dead, but actually has a smallish but fervent community?

Not sure. The one I'm most familiar with is a Facebook group.

 

[Gradine]

Well, I can't speak for the WEG D6 Star Wars Discord I found, because it had a "no politics clause", but not like here has a "no politics clause", but like a NuTSR-esque "no politics clause". I thought I'd at least poke my head in but the final line in the "Rules Agreement" said "The only "cis" is the Confederacy of Independent Systems" and I chuckled a little at the joke and noped right on out of there.

 

[Thomas Shey]

The third as well. Several of those communities at least are making content for their respective games.

I'd assumed he'd meant commercial content.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Not sure. The one I'm most familiar with is a Facebook group.

And Alternity.net is its own thing.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I'd assumed he'd meant commercial content.

Ah. To me, good content is good content.

 

[Autumnal]

Are people still playing FUDGE? Were there a significant number of FUDGE fans out there who saw FATE, said "Nah, I'm good," and are keeping the dream alive?

Yeah, there are. Most years there’s a release or two for it, and they do sell and get discussed in ways that suggest they’re getting played.