What Would Happen If (Almost) Nobody Paid for RPGs?

[Korgoth]

Much of the role playing game stuff I'm into these days is essentially free... though if you want it in print you have to buy it through print on demand.

Swords & Wizardry (free PDF; small charge for print copy)
Labyrinth Lord (free PDF; small charge for print copy)
Encounter Critical (free PDF; minimal charge for print copy)
Carcosa (private press... minimal charge for print or PDF)
Fight On! magazine (minimal charge for print or PDF)

I'll take any of those products five times before I take one of WOTC's, and that was even before WOTC hacked me off with their latest deal.

In my opinion, particular though not unique to me, most of the "professional" role playing products that come out these days stink on ice and would probably put me off of the hobby if I were trying to start up. Whereas there are a ton of free or supercheap products, the fruits of part time hobbyist labor, which are excellent.

In whatever industry, if an acclaimed professional at a multi-million dollar company takes a dump and then they shrinkwrap it and slap a pricetag on it, I'm still not impressed. If some wild-haired dude with a nervous tic produces an excellent and imaginative product in his mother's basement, I'll happily mail him a sawbuck and take my unprofessional-looking book that will actually be fun, rather than the corporate-approved poo. Because I care about the content, not the "lifestyle" I project by buying the latest jejune slickness.

This hobby started in the basement, became great in the basement, and will hopefully return to the basement. That way we can start getting some decent product again.

 

[Hairfoot]

Throw in Swords & Wizardry while you're there.

Oop. Beaten to it.

 

[nnms]

The quality of free works out there is outstanding.

Generally speaking, I prefer artistic creations done on the cottage industry level rather than by large companies/corporations.

I would be totally fine with people paid only enough for RPGs to support the cottage industry/labour of love RPG makers and not the for-profit industry producers.

 

[Elton Robb]

Potentially be quite bad, but involve some positive opportunities.

The positive side, RPG's would wholly belong to the fans (although technically, our hobby already is owned by the fans - even though some companies tend to forget that).

1. Wizards of the Coast
2. Palladium Books
3. Other companies that screw their customers over but I can't remember the names of.

Palladium Books have practically alienated themselves from the fans at the beginning of the decade. WotC have alienated themselves from most of their fans in 2007.

 

[Arawn76]

I'm not alienated.

 

[Mallus]

WotC have alienated themselves from most of their fans in 2007.

Hmmm... I seem to have missed that. I must have been too busy playing D&D .

As for the original question, if the RPG industry were to vanish overnight --in a flash of light and cloud of Cheeto dust-- the number of people playing would obviously shrink, but the hobby would continue on, as a smaller niche, supported by hobbyist/cottage development.

Frankly, the idea that 1) good material wouldn't be developed in the absence of the profit motive is demonstrably false (or there wouldn't be things like communities of devoted Rogue-like players), as is 2) the good material would be too hard to separate from the dross (isn't that what millions of web surfers do every single day?)

 

[MichaelSomething]

Well since we're mentioning great free games, we of course should mention Cave Story! It it considered a masterpeice of gaming, independent or otherwise. It's so good, it's going to the Wii.

The different between free video games and free RPGs is that you can play free video games by yourself. I know Cave Story is a great game because I played it. I don't think I can convince 5 of my friends to try out any of the free RPGs mentioned here. Therefore, I have no idea if they're great or not.

Assuming you can create a great indie RPG, how can you get people to actually play it?

 

[thedungeondelver]

From almost a decade of watching both the indie-rpg scene and the old school D&D scene, I can say that people with little to no prospect of earning a dime from their work still put together extraordinarily high quality stuff and then offer it to the public at prices ranging from free to very cheap.

*waves hands*

Oh it takes me forever but I'd like to think I put out a pretty good thing or two.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Assuming you can create a great indie RPG, how can you get people to actually play it?

Idea #1: Online recruitment. Get folks to try it out via MapTool or something. It's usually easier to find five bored people online who are willing to chat than to get them over to your house. (this is my plan for FFZ; if I only ever get to GM my own FFZ games and that's as far as it ever goes, I'll be happy).

Idea #2: Game store support. You just wrote a game, right? Get it published (even self-published!) put it on your FLGS shelf, even if you need to self-publish and kiss butt to do it. Be a shameless self-promoter. Offer to run games for the staff. Print up posters and T-shirts with your slogans and in-jokes, and get them on shelves. Hit the con circuit and harass publishers. Don't be a jerk, but put yourself out there, get your name in circulation, and bake people cookies for showing up to your game.

I mean, that's how D&D took off to begin with: Gygax and Arneson sold their wargaming buddies, who talked to their wargaming buddies, and pooled some cash for a little print run, and they founded a company on it.

You also can't be a mopey mcgee if you don't get all the moneys or the players. Fact is, this little niche is pretty crowded even at the leanest of times, and we all have more games we want to play than time we can spend playing it.

Ultimately, you might be better served learning programming, and turning it into a little indie videogame (without abandoning any of the Table-Top principles while you're at it). That'd be a neat trick, and I'm pretty sure the first person to seriously put out a customizable game like that would clean up nicely.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Ultimately, you might be better served learning programming, and turning it into a little indie videogame (without abandoning any of the Table-Top principles while you're at it). That'd be a neat trick, and I'm pretty sure the first person to seriously put out a customizable game like that would clean up nicely.

That has already been done.