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Message: <blockquote data-quote="LurkMonkey" data-source="post: 5277844" data-attributes="member: 68949">I think anyone trying to market to a 'new' pen and paper gamer is in for a thankless task. One of the OP's question is how much 'crossover' there would be between MMORPGs and TTRPGs. I would unfortunately hazard, not much. I love our hobby, don't get me wrong, but we are on the wrong side of technology. Kids today don't have the same 'word of mouth' that got D&D and its cousins a lot of attention in the Eighties. There's no 'shiny' factor.  The hype is with the MMORPG crowd. It spans generations even. I am 43 and I have friends who back in the day wouldn't have been caught dead at a D&D game who are religious WoW players now. It's easy to learn, it ties millions of people into a shared space, and it allows those who have the competitive edge to gain rewards and powers that they can show off to those aforementioned millions. Plus, there's really little math involved and lots of visual stimulation.  Now, if you want to market to the folks who would be interested in what TTRPGs have to offer over MMORPGs, I would posit this: 1. How Old? They are teens who are burnt out on the rampant asshattery of MMORPGers. Perhaps a bit more intellegent than the norm, and are tired of the mindless farm/quest/camp scenarios. They are most likely avid readers with fertile imaginations. 2. Location? They live for the most part in suburbia. Not all, but suburban kids have more free time and disposable income as a rule.  3. Income Bracket? Income would be mid-to upper middle class, I would posit. Lower income folks have too much to worry about these days than get involved in a cost-intensive niche hobby and Upper income folks have more expensive hobbies they focus on. 4. Effective Media Angles? Word of mouth isn't as good a medium for TTRPGs as it was. I would suggest targeting book stores, coffee shops or any other venue where young folks a bit off the norm tend to congregate. TTRPG can still riff the 'indy' vibe. There's always a market for hobbies that 'aren't mainstream'. The only downfall to this is the built-in 'nerd factor.' Hipsters tend to shy away from anything that could paste them with the aura of nerdiness. Of course, this has been changing since the advent of 'geek-chic' so I might be offbase on that assumption. Social media and the Internet is also a valuable tool, likely the most valuable. Plenty of kids trapped in suburban houses can't get to the cofffee shop regularly, but they scan Facebook religiously. 5. Crossover? I kinda answered this one out of order <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f631.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":o" title="Eek!    :o"  data-smilie="9"data-shortname=":o" /> 6. Retention? Well, getting them in the door is crucial. Giving them a warm reception once inside is also crucial. Too many times I have seen in a game store or online the 'pwning' of a 'n00b'. Well, we were all n00bs once. The fleeting bit of self-aggrandizement you might feel at mocking a newcomer has a ripple effect down the line. Unfortunately, a marketer has no control on what the already-invested hobbyists do to newcomers. I would try to make sure the 'gatekeeepers' of the hobby were pleasant and used to working with the types of questions a newcomer will need to ask. 7. Mainstream? As I alluded to before, any newcomers are going to be niche. I dearly wish this wasn't true, but it is. Still, it's like horse riding. We don't use horses to haul goods or stagecoaches anymore, but there are plenty of folks who still do it for fun. Just because something isn't 'mainstream' doesn't mean it isn't worthwhile to do. And with the burgeoning of the Internet, there will be a chance to expose more gamers to the option of TTRPGs as an 'indy' alternative to MMORPGs. I just don't think it will ever be the 'mainstream' of roleplaying ever again. I think that answers your questions, at least with my humble opinions. As always, YMMV. I think the 'ideal but not yet a (tabletop) gamer' is the bright 12-21 year-old who has dabbled in MMORPGs and found them wanting. Perhaps they long for their own storyline where they are the hero, instead of grinding out levels as 'Newbsauce 1337' on Roboritron server..</blockquote>

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