What Does the RPG Hobby Need Now?

[Jd Smith1]

What the RPG hobby needs now is love , sweet love. .

Seriously, it needs a better way to coordinate games and connect people.

That's called the Internet. Gaming online, I have never had an issue finding plenty of motivated, like-minded gamers.

Embrace the 21st Century.

 

[Jd Smith1]

I disagree, but NN has said it better than I could...

If you are embracing NN's philosophy of separating the industry from the hobby, then your own point is invalid: if we don't care about the industry, there's no need to attract new people. There are endless volumes of trained players seeking groups online, a large number of them undeterred by page count.

Without the industry, we would lose the people who collect game material, or buy it just to read, and those gamers who always want the latest thing, but the grognards who game every week using the same or similar systems will be fine.

 

[The Sigil]

You just

You just said that experienced players often enjoy those many pages of rules. Are you suggesting they be removed because you think new players are more important? What's your course of action?

No, I'm not suggesting that we remove experienced players that enjoy many pages of rules.

The particular question (among several asked by the OP) that I was attempting to answer was, "What would make it easier for new players to get into the hobby?" What experienced players want/need is mostly irrelevant to answering that question, because, by definition, they are not "new players."

The problem any group runs into is that there is a natural inflow and outflow of members of the group over time for a multitude of reasons. But any group where the net outflow exceeds the net inflow is destined to (figuratively or literally) die out. If new players aren't coming into the TTRPG hobby, the TTRPG hobby will, over a long enough timespan, eventually die out.

However, it is probably not worthwhile to "remove" experienced players from the hobby because I think in most cases, it is easier for new players to onboard while mentored/guided by the experienced players.

The general problem I have with any members - or potential members - of a group comes when they insist "everything must be designed for me" (which is especially funny to me because generally our tastes change over time... what got my younger self interested in TTRPGs would be kind of embarrassing to my current self and what keeps my current self interested in TTRPGs would have made my younger self never get into them). I think the current parlance is, "yucking someone else's yum?"

Basically, we need some "simple" products if we're going to onboard new RPG'ers. That doesn't mean we ONLY need "simple" products, but it does mean we need existing players to stop being actively hostile towards things like Starter Sets ("I already know how to play the game, stop talking down to me!") and we probably also need existing players to be willing to learn and play (not all the time, but some of the time) some RPGs with simpler mechanics so they can help the next generation find TTRPGs.

It's not a perfect analogy, but if Football Fans insisted that Pop Warner Football for 5-year olds had to run the complex offensive and defensive schemes that NFL teams run, we'd see the death of Football in about 30 years, because 5-year olds aren't interested (or indeed, capable) of running those schemes and so there would be no new football players and eventually the ones already involved in the sport would age out. Players have to start simple and over time build the ability to use more complex schemes. NFL players don't despise Pop Warner offenses because they aren't complex enough, they have enough self-awareness to know that this is the foundation upon which NFL offenses will eventually be built.

But I often see hostility towards the simple in the TTRPG community (and indeed, many other established communities, and not just in the TTRPG space, this isn't just "our" problem). Let's not kick anyone out, but let's embrace the fact that we need some simple games for people to cut their teeth on before they move on to more complex games. I'm not going to live forever. Once it stops onboarding new participants, any hobby will die out within a generation... ask the philatelists.

 

[cranberry]

That's called the Internet. Gaming online, I have never had an issue finding plenty of motivated, like-minded gamers.

Embrace the 21st Century.

Well, that reply was a tad arrogant.

Yes, I know about the internet. The options online that I've found aren't helpful. I struck gold once, but since then I haven't found enough players available on the days or times I have available, or interested in trying anything other than D&D.

 

[GrimCo]

There are plenty of very rules light games out there. Their only problem is - they don't have same brand recognition and popularity of D&D. 5e (not 2024 version) is medium crunch game, but you can teach basics in few minutes. Creating level 1 characer is also pretty fast and simple. You won't be system master, but roll big funny dice, add number from dice and number from character sheet, bigger the number, better it is. It's not that hard.

 

[Jd Smith1]

Well, that reply was a tad arrogant.

Not at all.

Yes, I know about the internet. The options online that I've found aren't helpful. I struck gold once, but since then I haven't found enough players available on the days or times I have available, or interested in trying anything other than D&D.

Have you posted on Redditt, including time zone? Presentation is everything.

Are you using Roll20 or Foundry?

I use systems and settings (often mis-matched) that are not all that common (a couple rather obscure and OOP), and for the last six years I've not only kept six chairs filled, but have a waiting list.

While 5e and Pathfinder are the big draws, I've filled my group playing long-term campaigns in Kenzer products, Digenesis, Zweihander system in Harn, Fading Suns, Tribe 8. I have rarely had to wait more than 36 hours to find suitable players.

 

[Jd Smith1]

There are plenty of very rules light games out there. Their only problem is - they don't have same brand recognition and popularity of D&D. 5e (not 2024 version) is medium crunch game, but you can teach basics in few minutes. Creating level 1 characer is also pretty fast and simple. You won't be system master, but roll big funny dice, add number from dice and number from character sheet, bigger the number, better it is. It's not that hard.

Rules light also doesn't mean newbie-friendly, either.

They assume a certain competence, and a willingness to put more into a PC.

Whereas a crunchy system, 'how do I...' can be answered with '+3 to your whatever.

Pregens are a quick and simple tool for newbies. One session, and they're wanting to learn how to make their own PC.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Rules light also doesn't mean newbie-friendly, either.

They assume a certain competence, and a willingness to put more into a PC.

Whereas a crunchy system, 'how do I...' can be answered with '+3 to your whatever.

Pregens are a quick and simple tool for newbies. One session, and they're wanting to learn how to make their own PC.

This is a good point. Many non-traditional require a higher player buy-in than D&D and it's cousins, not because the rules are complex, but because they often are designed for a specific creative goal that doesn't support casual attention applied to it. The players need to be more aware and "present" during actual play.