Why DO Other Games Sell Less?

[Scribble]

So, apparently D&D is a huge force in the RPG market. It's the big seller, and other games just sell less... Why is this? What gives D&D such a huge spot in the market? Is it just because it was first? Because of its history?

D&D is my favorite game, and always has been, but I'm not really sure why...

Anyone else have any idea?

Would the RPG "industry" exist if D&D stopped existing? (I'm not predicting doom, just a question.) Would it have died out altogether if WOTC had not purchased D&D back in 96, and TSR went under?

 

[philreed]

Would it have died out altogether if WOTC had not purchased D&D back in 96, and TSR went under?

I'm of the opinion that the industry, as it once existed, is already dead. We're in a transitional period and it's only a matter of time before all mid-sized RPG companies no longer exist (or, no longer produce RPG products).

 

[JoeGKushner]

So, apparently D&D is a huge force in the RPG market. It's the big seller, and other games just sell less... Why is this? What gives D&D such a huge spot in the market? Is it just because it was first? Because of its history?

In my opinion, yeah. It's first, it's well known, it's official.

Would the RPG "industry" exist if D&D stopped existing? (I'm not predicting doom, just a question.)

Outside of WoTC and perhaps White Wolf, I'm not sure there is an industry to begin with. It would certainly be a lot smaller if there was no D&D brand.

Would it have died out altogether if WOTC had not purchased D&D back in 96, and TSR went under?

No, it'd just be a lot smaller. Pretty much the same question so same answer.

We'd still have D&D branded X-Box, computer games and fiction though. Way too much money there.

 

[RangerWickett]

I'm of the opinion that the industry, as it once existed, is already dead. We're in a transitional period and it's only a matter of time before all mid-sized RPG companies no longer exist (or, no longer produce RPG products).

I want to hear more of this opinion. What do you think we're transitioning to?

 

[Scribble]

Outside of WoTC and perhaps White Wolf, I'm not sure there is an industry to begin with. It would certainly be a lot smaller if there was no D&D brand.

Don't forget Steve Jackson, and did Palladium actually go under? What about wizkids? (are they still doing shadowrun?)

No, it'd just be a lot smaller. Pretty much the same question so same answer.

Eh... I'm not sure I agree... Different market. Were the other "big name" companies doing poorly as well as TSR?

I guess the real question is, would people just switch to other games? Or without D&D would the market for games just die out?

We'd still have D&D branded X-Box, computer games and fiction though. Way too much money there.

Maybe...

 

[Scribble]

I'm of the opinion that the industry, as it once existed, is already dead. We're in a transitional period and it's only a matter of time before all mid-sized RPG companies no longer exist (or, no longer produce RPG products).

So do you think the "RPG Industry" pretty much = D&D?

That's the real question I guess I'm wondering. Why don't other companies sell in the market as well as D&D?

Take the video game industry... There are several different styles of games, and game makers, but is there one like dominant game maker, and the rest just follow along?

IS it just because of all the publicity D&D has had (good or bad) over the years, that makes it recognizable, so people start playing it more often then others? ("Hey, I've heard of that game... lemme check it out...")

that's what I mean with if D&D stopped existing... Would the other companies get enough new players to continue? Or without that "Hey I recognise the name D&D" name recognition would it turn into "WTF is a Role Playing Game... isn't that something dirty?"

 

[Shades of Green]

I think the reasons for D&D selling alot are:
1) It was there first, thus it is a standard-setter AND has the longest time to get media and public exposure.
2) Its base assumption (about how the game-world works) are generic enough to appeal to a very wide variety of fantasy fans, and fantasy is quite a popular genre (Harry Potter, Hercules/Xena, LotR, ALOT of computer/console games). Vampire: The Mascarade, for example, appeals mainly to the fans of the vampire subgenre of fantasy/horror; D&D is built with "hooks" for a wide variety of tastes, both in terms of subgenres (wizards, hack-n'-slash, indiana jones exploration, politics, good-vs-evil, even horror/vampires and steampunk with the right sourcebooks) and in terms of flavour (homourus, serious, heroic, horror and so on).
3) Fantasy is, IMHO, more popular than sci-fi; so D&D gets better sales than, say, Traveller due to this fact.
4) Quality control. The basic books (atleast the 3.0E ones, I don't have 3.5E) have very few typos and a relatively very low level of errata, and were extensively playtested. Compare this to whole editions of Traveller (T4, for example) that died simply because severe errata problems and insufficient playtesting.
5) Marketing. I am no expert in this field but it seems to me that WotC have avoided several of the pitfalls in which many of the competitors have found their death (or, atleast, fall in sales), such as being overzealous with copyright enforcement (it killed TSR), bad quality control (it killed many games), writing yourself into a corner (i.e. focusing only one one niche market) or rule overcomplications. SRD is IMHO a VERY good starategy - it allows and even encourages other companies to publish their own compatible products for this system, which means that a vast wealth of material is available to players (and thus supporting a very wide variety of player tastes). SRD also allows fans to make their own material within a relatively fair legal fraimwork.
6) Playability. While D&D game mechanics aren't the easiest out there to use, they are definitely learnable and playable by most players, even new and/or young ones; rule overcomplexity was a major problem for other systems, as many players got scared or bored by overcomplex rules.

 

[mcrow]

Well, it's pretty simple IMO D&D:

Was the first

Has the most money to spend marketing,writting,editing, graphic design and such

Brand Name, it's like the the Nike of RPGs. Others may make game that are jsut as good but everyone knows D&D.

 

[jmucchiello]

D&D is my favorite game, and always has been, but I'm not really sure why...

Perhaps you should explore this. Have you bought other RPGs? Did you play them? Extensively? Why or why not?

Personally I think it has everything to do with being first to broad appeal. No other RPG has ever had the appeal D&D had in the 80s. And so D&D becomes that Faded Concert T-shirt that's 2 sizes too small for you now but you still wear it because it's your favorite shirt. It reminds you of a simpler time in your life. It is burned into your brain so deeply that even when you get together to play some other RPG, you call it playing D&D.

Also, I'd bet you could find 2 gaming groups where 1 has changed 50% of the rules one way and the other group has changed the other 50% of the rules some opposite way such that there are practically no rules in common between them. And if you asked them both what they were playing, they'd both respond D&D. Moreso, if one of them were to tell the other about their last game session, the other would agree that they were playing D&D.

D&D is more a state of mind than an RPG. And to provide correlary to Phil, I think so called RPG industry has always been perceived as larger than it is because it rides on D&D's coattails. Without D&D, shelf space for other RPGs would dwindle. After all, somehow, some way, somewhere out there, someone purchased the latest release of GURPS Space 4e for their "D&D" game.

RW, if Phil knew what we were transitioning to he wouldn't post it here. He'd invest in it quietly.

 

[Scribble]

Perhaps you should explore this. Have you bought other RPGs? Did you play them? Extensively? Why or why not?

Personally I think it has everything to do with being first to broad appeal. No other RPG has ever had the appeal D&D had in the 80s. And so D&D becomes that Faded Concert T-shirt that's 2 sizes too small for you now but you still wear it because it's your favorite shirt. It reminds you of a simpler time in your life. It is burned into your brain so deeply that even when you get together to play some other RPG, you call it playing D&D.

Yeah, I've been gaming for a pretty long time... Since early 90s... Not as long as some, but I've been around for a bit...

I own most of the "major" game systems... (at least the main rules for them)

I don't dislike other games... And I've played many... It's just D&D has always been my favorite, both to run and play. I like playing other games (and running them) but inveriably I always gravitate back to D&D...