What's the state of the RPG industry and where is it going?

[amerigoV]

Eventually, we'll get to the third wave, where the customer base are willing to fund selected projects. But to succeed, a project will need one of three things: it will need a 'name' behind it (Monte Cook, Reaper), or the proposers will need a proven track record of success, or the project will be to fund some improvement to an already existing work (e.g. an art budget for an already-existing book).

But for the small-press, no-name designer, Kickstarter is already of limited use.

A well reasoned post!

On Kickstarter, I started at Wave 3 (what I quoted above). I have participated in one so far because I knew the company had their together. It was Pinnacle's Deadland's Noir -- they did the Kickstarter to judge interest in the setting vs. needing the money to produce the book. For everyone else, its "In God we Trust, all others pay cash!" - until I see the product I am not going to waste time thinking about it or commit money to it.

 

[Morrus]

Of interest is the prediction of the new product type: "Bursts", a ruleset and scenario/adventure designed to last a few sessions before you move on. The analogy that RPGs would be more like an HBO miniseries than long-term soap operas was weird, but I get what he's saying.

 

[Bagpuss]

I think that comes from the effect smaller Convention play is having, and some of the heavily themed small press games. There isn't always enough to support prolonged campaign play, but you can get some great intense mini-campaigns or long adventures from them. Also the time people have to plan and run games as they get older is less.

 

[Mark CMG]

Of interest is the prediction of the new product type: "Bursts", a ruleset and scenario/adventure designed to last a few sessions before you move on. The analogy that RPGs would be more like an HBO miniseries than long-term soap operas was weird, but I get what he's saying.

I know folks who pick up a computer or video game, play the heck out of it for a short burst, then move on to another (sometimes picking it back up for replay at a future date). Sounds similar to that model, IMO.

 

[Leviatham]

I know folks who pick up a computer or video game, play the heck out of it for a short burst, then move on to another (sometimes picking it back up for replay at a future date). Sounds similar to that model, IMO.

You're probably right on that one. Daniel Solis makes great games with that formula and it's working very well for him. Also he makes terrific games, it has to be said. And he's not the only one either.

I think similar efforts to combine boargames and RPGs, like Castle Ravenloft and family from WOTC, or Mansions of Madness could also go a long way to cement a different formula of RPG development out there, with dungeon crawling adventures being published as expansions for the game. It's not an RPG, but it's pretty close.

The problem is that neither of those companies is promoting the RPGs to the boardgamers (in the case of FFG because they don't carry Lovecraft based RPGs) and in the case of WOTC because they seem to have forgotten to come out with more expansions and more games after LoD, to concentrate on other boardgames instead.

But I won't rant here (what? me? rant?) and will simply reinforce your point that short-bursts games are also very successful and it's a formula more RPGs should explore.

 

[Neonchameleon]

But I won't rant here (what? me? rant?) and will simply reinforce your point that short-bursts games are also very successful and it's a formula more RPGs should explore.

You mean short burst games like Dread, Fiasco, Tenra Bansho Zero, Montsegur 1244, and many others? (Well, long burst as in 5-6 hours for TBZ) Most story games IME are short burst.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I wish the guy on the right would lean forward to his microphone. I haven't been able to make out a single word he said! He leans back as far away from it as he can!

I love the basic advice: "You have to pretend to be an American company, or you'll go bust."

As an American I was quite interested in the topic. It had never occured to me before that British RPGs were making an effort to appeal to American audiences. The last British game i bought was cubicle 7's Dr. Who. One of the things I liked about it was it wasn't the standard American perspective (Though they did explain what cream tea is for American readers, which I found helpful). The game brings that Dr. Who sensibility (which I think of as very British) to the mechanics. I am curious what British posters have to say on this subject. What qualities do American RPGs tend to have that you feel a British publishers are appealing to? And what British design qualities are they sacrificing as they do so? By the same token, what might American publishers like myself do to appeal more to British gamers?

 

[Morrus]

I am curious what British posters have to say on this subject. What qualities do American RPGs tend to have that you feel a British publishers are appealing to?

Haven't the foggiest. I wasn't even aware they were till I watched that video! I don't have any to hand - do they use British or American spelling? Do they use British or American words?

By the same token, what might American publishers like myself do to appeal more to British gamers?

I'd suggest selling RPG products in English in a market where there's comparatively little British competition. Ah, hang on - already doing that? Carry on, then!

Do people really care whether something's British or American? I don't. I only care about whether it's any good and if I can have it. It's not like D&D was rejected wholesale over here for being foreign!

 

[Bagpuss]

It had never occured to me before that British RPGs were making an effort to appeal to American audiences.

I don't think it was so much make an effort to appeal to an American audience, more setup like an American company. Have your warehouse in the US, etc. As that is where the majority of RPG customers are.

By the same token, what might American publishers like myself do to appeal more to British gamers?

In a modern setting don't assume easy access to guns. You can really play a standard game of Shadowrun, Cyberpunk, Conspiracy X, D20 Modern, All Flesh Must Be Eaten or the like in the UK without it radically effecting the combat resources the game assumes the players will have access to.

Although most UK players I know are use to setting things in the US rather than doing all the additional work to adapt stuff to the UK.

So it probably isn't worth the effort.

I always wonder why shipping costs are so high, seems the $ dollar price is more often than not just changed to a £ sign. Even when the dollar was worth almost half as much... Still at least we aren't Australia.

 

[Bluenose]

I am curious what British posters have to say on this subject. What qualities do American RPGs tend to have that you feel a British publishers are appealing to? And what British design qualities are they sacrificing as they do so? By the same token, what might American publishers like myself do to appeal more to British gamers?

I don't know how useful this observation is, and I know it's not true for all games, but there's one subject that almost always gets much more consideration in American RPGs than it does in British/European ones. Gear. Whether it's the pages and pages of magic items in D&D, the scores of different types of rifle (and ammunition) in Traveller, the books of equipment design sequences for GURPS; American designers love their gear, and I presume it appeals to the players too. I do not notice this in British/European RPGs to any extent. Warhammer warriors use a Hand Weapon - oh, you can go into more detail, but you don't need to - and it's cosmetic whether that's a sword, an axe, or a mace let alone what particular type of sword. And this doesn't seem to bother the British and European people I game with, or the designers.

What that implies for designers is that you need to write more about gear, and have it matter, for a large proportion of the American market. For the British/European one, if anything I'd go the other way and make it less significant what the character has by way of equipment.