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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Toben the Many" data-source="post: 6801545" data-attributes="member: 19273">The idea that RPGs are failing is ludicrous to me. I direct the table top panels are DragonCon, I have seen a lot of metrics that show me that it is now quite the opposite. RPGs are actually flourishing. They are flourishing for a wide number of reasons. For one, MMOs are actually waning in popularity. They are certainly not new, and they require an intense time commitment. Nowadays, people are pulled in numerous directions. Even within the computer game market itself. You want to play that new MMO? Awesome. But that means you're not going to play Fallout 4. Because people are being pulled in so many directions, RPGs actually have an appeal because they are not as intensive. You can play a table top RPG just once a month, scratch that itch and that's it. That's all the commitment you need. Also, we've found that young people are flocking to table top RPGs primarily for its retro appeal. The fact that you only need a piece of paper, a pencil, and some dice...and have fun like that for hours and hours and hours...is remarkable to our newest fans. The barrier of entry into RPGs is now much, much lower. Back in the day, you had to really slowly explain what an RPG was to someone. You had to explain what it was to be a character, to role-play, etc. You had to explain what stats were. Nowadays, you tell the kids, "Well, you know. It's like Skyrim." And they get it. They immediately get it. Funding for table top RPGs is now totally different. You can actually have a small company that does print runs of about 500 books or so at a time, and have that be a viable output for your business because of Kickstarter. Crowdfunding has changed everything. Finally, I have to say that table top RPGs have a special magic. Not only are you engaging in an imaginative activity, but you can ostensibly do anything. When a lot of our young fans start to realize this, they realize a liberation that they haven't experienced before and the magic happens. We see it all of the time. Particularly (for some reason) with the latest version of D&D.</blockquote>

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