Why I think D&D is losing market share...

[Jackelope King]

So, is Gleemax the 21-century replacement to RPGA? Or will they complement each other?

If RPGA and Gleemax collaborate then that would be enticing even for a curmudgeon like me who have absolutely nothing to do with MMORPG. If they offer an annual membership subscription (that includes Dragon and/or Dungeon subscription as well as DDi) that I can pay via snail mail, even better.

If WotC is smart, the RPGA and Gleemax can and should collaborate so that when people stark poking around Gleemax, they find hundreds of tables with open seats and DMs asking if they want to try out the new 4e rules in this adventure or that adventure. They should establish right from the get-go that Gleemax is the place to find a game at the drop of a hat and even collaborate with the RPGA to ensure that there's some kind of "official" designation for RPGA-approved characters.

If I were WotC at this point, that's what I'd be doing. Heck, I might even try to get a pre-release summary of the rules to high-ranked RPGA DMs along with a coupon for a DDI subscription so they could be there on day one to make the Digital Initiative successful right away.

It's a chance to turn D&D from a "once every two weeks my friends and I get together and have a great time" event to an "every night I log on at six to see if I can't get a quick game with some guys on DDI".

 

[Jackelope King]

A final addition on a secondary point: There should be a way that allows these personal campaigns to cross over into other media. It happens already in a piecemeal fashion--Record of Lodoss War, D&D Online, and the old TSR/SSI modules are examples of this. However, there should be a mechanism by which a good campaign can be found, identified, and turned into intellectual property. This will greatly increase the profitability of tabletop as a breeding ground for new stories, games, and worlds that can be shared outside of the original participants. Are there any thoughts on how this should be done?

Digg it, rating system, etc. WotC needs to make sure that the DDI has its own, internal system for comments and ratings of particular DM's adventures or possibly even sessions. They need a part of their community where players can talk about the awesome adventure they just had at so-and-so's table and where the community can call for an encore. User-generated maps in games like StarCraft and WarCraft were immensely popular ways for the community to breathe new life into the game on a regular basis, and WotC should be on the prowl for adventures like this on DDI. Their best bet might be to include a "Community Best Of" each month in Dungeon where individual highlighted DMs publish their highly-rated adventures.

 

[megamania]

I said maybe since this is but one part of what is happening. Costs, need of people being physically there are also a big part.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

I think WotC did a real disservice to the game when it moved away from publishing adventures. If they weren't selling then maybe they should have offered them for free over the net. You need a way to enable DMs and players to get a game up and running in minutes rather than hours.

Maybe even create some adventures that can be played "on the fly" rather than having to review from cover to cover. Sure they'd be simplistic and not as well run as ones that the DM thoroughly familiarized himself with, but they'd get the job done.

Now that WotC has gotten back into adventures I think they've righted the wrong.

D&D will never be able to compete head-to-head with computer games. But you're comparing apples to oranges. A lot of people (myself included) don't like being limited to what the computer game designers developed. I'd rather play a more free form adventure.

 

[Modin Godstalker]

Its not that complicated. Most people just don't get it (the idea of roleplaying), and they don't care to get it. They don't want to deal with the hassle of getting a group of 4 or more people together on a regular basis. They are not willing to put any emotional investment into a character or campaign world.

Plus it is still a dorky thing to do. Put in perspective from an outsider's point of view. Grown adults pretending they are elves and dwarves talking in funny accents, etc. It just looks silly to most people. I'm not saying it is silly. That is just the perception of most people.

Its a niche market and that is all it will ever be.

WOW is a video game, which for one does not have the social stigma attached to it, you can play by yourself and you don't have to invest in any prep time. No one is going to make fun of you for playing a video game.

 

[Banshee16]

Let me throw something else out--in addition to the obvious computer game benefits. Here it is...brace for it...

THE TREND TOWARD LACK OF STORY.

RPGs are only fun because they allow a person to enter worlds, scenarios, and stories that aren't available to them in the real word. The quicker this can be done, and the more emersive the experience, the better. This is why computer games have been kickin' regular RPGs butt lately.

Let me explain it another way. If someone attacks me, and I have a sword in my hand, what do I do? SWING. I don't grab my dice, calculate the thickness of my armor, calculate attack penalties and bonuses etc... AGAIN, I just swing.

I played D&D while I was growing up (in the '80), then I didn't play for about ten years. I was totally surprised, and disappointed, the first time I played with a group again. Why? Almost everyone (and it was a large group) was a Rules Nazi. Story and experience seemed to be second to "the rules" and "what the book says" and "3.5 versus 3.0". My attitude? Who cares! What are we? Warriors out on a campaign to save our women, or a bunch of computer nerds who want to spend all our time arguing about some stupid paragraph on pg. 97 of the Player's Handbook?

RPG systems and rules should be focused on only one thing: the enhancement of imaginative experience. Anything that doesn't do this and do it well should be axed. Writers and RPG system creators need to remember this--or maybe learn it for the first time. Right now, computer game creators are kicking butt in the verisimilitude department. Back to the basic I say. The more this happens, the more traditional deck-top RPGs can slow the loss of market share.

STORY OVER STRUCTURE.

Seems kinda obvious to me.

Thank you!

Banshee

 

[Ranger REG]

I don't get this "D&D takes too much time and so MMOs are winning out" thing. Yes, you have to organise for 5-6 people to get together and play the game, which runs into real-life issues of time management and whatnot. You also have to do the same with boardgames. Is there any evidence that boardgames are a shrinking market?

Huh???

Prep time with boardgame is much shorter than prep time with RPG (including the DM prepping himself with an adventure before he present them to the players; even longer if he has to create one himself).

Let's not have no illusion about that.

 

[Holy Bovine]

I think WotC did a real disservice to the game when it moved away from publishing adventures. If they weren't selling then maybe they should have offered them for free over the net.

Ummmm - they did Free WotC Adventures

 

[Mark]

Why I think D&D is losing market share...

(. . .)

So what do you think?

Why do I think D&D is losing market share?

Ever growing market and plateau of sales prior to the new RPG edition?

 

[Sunderstone]

Plus it is still a dorky thing to do. Put in perspective from an outsider's point of view. Grown adults pretending they are elves and dwarves talking in funny accents, etc. It just looks silly to most people. I'm not saying it is silly. That is just the perception of most people.

Its a niche market and that is all it will ever be.

WOW is a video game, which for one does not have the social stigma attached to it, you can play by yourself and you don't have to invest in any prep time. No one is going to make fun of you for playing a video game.

Im going to have to agree with this. Even without accents, just seeing grown ups into a pretend game is usually enough to put off some folks. Even my GF (of 9 years now) thinks its weird although she doesnt have any personal experience with it. Ive never tried to show her the game, and I doubt shed be interested. My ex-wife thought it was weird too btw.


As for the OPs original points....
I dont know if the market share is any lower than it ever was before, but if you want to see the game more accessible....
1) Basic Set type of design - a.k.a. Rules Light
2) Modules for all levels - Plenty of these can only help. Alot of folks just dont have the time to make their own due to RL situations.
3) Less splat - At least in the beginning. Options can add much complexity for the casual player.
4) Splat free modules - If you have to produce splatbooks, fine. Just keep it optional and out of "core modules". Event though modules contain everything needed to run a splat-laced npc or combat option it's something novices and new folks arent familiar with and is often unbalanced compared to the older original rules.

A solution could be two supported lines of D&D products....

1) A new "Basic D&D" - not just a one shot Boxed set, but a thriving line of accessories and modules. Its own Campaign world, etc. A little like C&C I guess.

2) A new "Advanced D&D" - fertile ground for new splat material. New Races and Classes, combat options, etc. Modules that utilize the new splat material etc.

Both can use the same campaign world books, just stat 2 versions of the main NPCs. One for basic players, one for the advanced crowd (possibly in a sidebar etc).


Late Edit** Sometimes I consider returning to 1E/2E :\ . I miss the older modules, less emphasis on miniatures/mapping. Ease of prep and conversions etc.