What is wrong (and right) in the RPG Industry?

[Mouseferatu]

I never really understood why kids need a simpler game. When I was 10-13 years old I knew it was going to be Advanced Dungeons & Dragons or nothing at all. It is now when I'm a family man in my thirties that I long for a simpler game. So maybe they should keep D&D as it is an reintroduce AD&D for the youngsters...

I never would have gotten into AD&D, though, if I hadn't gotted the Red Box first. And I ignored an enormous percentage of the AD&D rules, partly because I didn't care, but partly because it was simpler.

The fact is, it doesn't matter that some kids have no trouble with the more complex rules set. It feels overwhelming at first glance to a great many people, children and adults both. A lot of it is mathematical, but a lot of is psychological. Joe the Potential Brand New Player is, I firmly believe, far more likely to pick up a complete-game-in-a-box than he is a game that required three number-filled hardbacks.

 

[HinterWelt]

And on a more personal level, I often wonder why RPG companies are so stingy with review copies. Okay, yeah, maybe only a 1000 or so people will read it (that's pretty much my mininum at RPG.net). But then they give out prizes at chats and things where there are only 20-30 people. Or pulp them for almost nothing. Or sell them on ebay for $1 (or close to it). Seems to me, if they had just given out a few more review copies, maybe they wouldn't have to sell so many on ebay for cheap. (Just a pet peeve. I've bought several times from various companies, or heads of companies, on ebay for really low prices. Most of whom I had approached for review copies and been ignored, previously.)

Ah, it is because we fear you!

And on something related to that, I think the hobby really needs a central website. As it is, there's basically RPG.net, but that suffers from quite a few problems. Someplace more like ENworld would be better. (I know ENWorld is going beyond d20, but is still mostly d20 only)

It is not a forum site but James was trying something like this
http://www.rpgindustry.com/

I hope it succeeds.

 

[philreed]

EDITED AWAY.

 

[diaglo]

i'll agree with Ari and Merric.

 

[Umbran]

I don't see as WotC's contribution to the pool, specifically, is a particularly strong influence. The OGC pool already has quite a lot of WotC content. It is a good thing to have the core fo a game there, but it isn't like there's a need for them to put the more recent non-core material there.

More is the question - how much decent OGC quality stuff overall has recently been released and placed where developers can get at it easily?

WotC may be the biggest culprit in not supporting their own products, but then again, I think they're also the ones with the most products. They might not be so bad in a relative sense. From a business perspective, there's a decision to be made on whether to pour more development effort to back a line that isn't doing so well, and I don't fault them for choosing to not provide much further support if the game doesn't pull enough weight.

I agree that there's not enough done to get new gamers into the fold, but I am not sure that "kids" are the appropriate target, depending on how you define the term. I think the usual age of entry into the hobby is early-teens to early-20s. A cartoon aimed at 10-year-olds will probably make the 13-year-old market think the whole idea is dorky, which is probably not the desired result. Good adventure movies based on the property would perhaps be a better idea. If the next Indiana Jones operates in Eberron, how could they possibly resist?

 

[Scribe Ineti]

[*]Lower sell through for publishers have led to less profits. Companies have to squeeze a lot more to make the same amounts. I think we will start to see lower production values in some products.

Start to see? I'd hazard to say we're already there and things may gradually get worse. The more companies start to cut back on budgets for stuff like indexing, editing, and solid artwork, the worse books are going to look and be received.

However, the market will bear what it bears. If tons of gamers buy product that's badly edited, written, laid out, whatever, then that's the message they're sending to the companies--mediocre is OK. I don't want to buy mediocre product, which is mainly why I've bought so few RPG books of late. I read peer reviews before I buy anything any more.

 

[Mark CMG]

All right, I'm going to sing a song you've heard from me before.

The single biggest, most severe, numero uno problem facing RPGs--as an entity and as a market--is the complete lack of any true* effort at capturing a new generation of market base.

* (Yes, there have been some attempts, and some have even bee heartfelt. They're insufficient.)

Running games at local gamedays, volunteering to run monthly WotC kits, and DMing when WotC runs a Worldwide Gameday are three of the ways I try to do my part to proliferate the hobby. I urge everyone interested helping capture a new generation of gamers to do likewise.

 

[BobROE]

Running games at local gamedays, volunteering to run monthly WotC kits, and DMing when WotC runs a Worldwide Gameday are three of the ways I try to do my part to proliferate the hobby. I urge everyone interested helping capture a new generation of gamers to do likewise.

I'm not disagreeing with what you're saying, but why should it be our responsibility to grow the market?

 

[Mark CMG]

I'm not disagreeing with what you're saying, but why should it be our responsibility to grow the market?

It isn't. Unless you (in its general sense) want to see it grow. Having expectations about the future of the hobby brings with it some burden of the responsibility. And, please note, I am not discussing the market. I am discussing the hobby. Someone like diaglo, for instance, might be perfectly happy with a bunch of new gamers who only play original edition D&D, and that just fine, but if he had expectations that there should be more OD&D players in the world he should also expect to help bring about that result. If it is in someone's power to help bring about a result that they personally advocate but they do not take an active part in bringing about that result, I feel they need to chastise themself before they complain about the lack of effort from others, no matter if those others are individuals or organizations. Of course, people should feel free to complain but keep yourself at the top of the list if it is a place you rightfully hold.


As far as the actual market, I think if the hobby grows the market will naturally follow.

 

[painandgreed]

There needs to be an introductory level version of D&D. Not just a doorway basic set, but a simple and easy to play game that people can pick up when they're 8 and keep playing when they're 19. Yes, I know TSR/WotC was worried about competing with themselves by having two versions of the same game, but I believe--in this instance--the rewards are worth the risk.

To put it bluntly, RPGs need to be made back into a kid's fad.

I'd agree with this. I even think it could be done fairly easy. Compile a single softbound book of D&D. Edit out many of the rules, simplify the classes by having predetermined feats, and include a short list of monstes and treasure. I think then you would have a game that would stand on its own whose game could be immediatly increased by buying the hardbacked books because they are essentially the same game.

I don't agree with the toy thing. Toys make more money cartoons and usually it those sales that determine if the others keep getting produced.

I agree (with somebody else) that the biggest thing wrong with the gaming industry today are the whiners.