Would you still play RPG:s if...

[Haltherrion]

Good questions.

The internet communities have no effect on my gaming. In the short term, if the game was no longer published that would have little effect but in the long term (3 years or more) I think it would start having some affect.

I've moved every decade or so (just did another one). My ability to find or create a new gaming group would be affected by the lack of commercial support in my chosen game. I think it will reduce the overall numbers which will of course make it harder to keep gaming in that system. For those with no new gamers in their group, they should be fine. But I wonder how many are in that boat?

So here are two more questions:

• Over the years, how much turn-over have you had in your gaming group? (Completely new group every X years due to move or other, a new player every year or so, etc.)
• What do you think the demographics are of the D&D gaming community? Increasing, decreasing, aging?

 

[pogre]

I would probably play another game if the D&D internet community dried up. I played WFRP for years when it was "dead." There is something very liberating about playing a game that has ceased to have support - you got the books and the rest is up to you. The widespread acceptance of D&D and the open license for the game are reasons I continue to play D&D.

 

[painandgreed]

I've always just played in small groups of friends between one and four people. Right now, I am playing a discontinued game in World of Darkness 1.2 as none of us like the new system they put out (plus I'm determined to use all the books I've bought in play at least once) and I constantly don't put any preparation into running my games. I just wing it and am constantly amazed how well I can keep the plot together while making everything off the top of my head.

 

[Darrin Drader]

I haven't gotten around to it yet, but I would still like to set a 3E game in Mythus's Epic of Aerth. That hasn't been in print for close to 15 years.

 

[tadk]

More Questions

RE: So here are two more questions:

• Over the years, how much turn-over have you had in your gaming group? (Completely new group every X years due to move or other, a new player every year or so, etc.)
• What do you think the demographics are of the D&D gaming community? Increasing, decreasing, aging?

___________

I had a large group in High SChool and past it for a good 10 some years
Then life moved us on
I had a decent sized group in Norfolk, Va mostly Champions and Battletech then
I moved back to Iowa
Of the first group since I live in FL and they live in IA, those 3 are back there and I am here.

The demographics are staying about the same. The overall is a smaller amount of people doing a lot more production. Numbers wise there are more people due to increasing population wider dissemination etc. But in proportion I would say it has decreased slightly, maybe 5% from when I was gaming the most in the mid 80s.

 

[Darrin Drader]

RE: So here are two more questions:

• Over the years, how much turn-over have you had in your gaming group? (Completely new group every X years due to move or other, a new player every year or so, etc.)
• What do you think the demographics are of the D&D gaming community? Increasing, decreasing, aging?

1. I would say that I usually have to gather up a completely new group every 4 years. The only holdover is my wife, because, well its obvious. My group in highschool consisted of two regular guys and then a couple of people who would periodically drop in and out. In college, I retained one of those guys, added my (now) wife, and added a guy. Then I moved across the state, stopped playing for four or five years, got back into it, recruited three new players (two of whom had never gamed before). Then I moved again and have recruited three new experienced gamers. Now this is where things might change because I am not currently planning on moving again and to the best of my knowledge, neither are my players.

2. Difficult to say. I know first-hand a number of highschool age kids who play, I know its popular in colleges, and I know that a large number of the core grognards from back in the '70s and '80s are also still at it. However, I don't think that there are as many new highschoolers playing as there used to be thanks to computer RPGs, so in general, I would have to say that it is slowly aging, but there's no reason to give up hope just yet.

 

[WayneLigon]

... the communities disappeared?

... you couldn't work with the game in your spare time, at all?

... the game of your choice was discontinued?

I like the communities but if they all vanished tomorrow it wouldn't even make a ripple as far as my enjoyment of or ability to play RPG's.

Not being able to work on the game would impact my enjoyment as a GM obviously, but not as much if I was just a player.

The game itself vanishing might, but that would depend on the other people I play with. If I was going to stay with the same group, it wouldn't matter at all since for the vast majority of games I own, I only own the first couple things put out for it. I'd miss new stuff, but I'd adjust. Now, it would impact it very much if I was to switch groups. It would probably be very, very hard to find a group that played the same discontinued game I loved unless I moved to a much larger city.

 

[Kanegrundar]

RE: So here are two more questions:

• Over the years, how much turn-over have you had in your gaming group? (Completely new group every X years due to move or other, a new player every year or so, etc.)
• What do you think the demographics are of the D&D gaming community? Increasing, decreasing, aging?

1. Very little. There are a couple groups in college that I don't play with anymore, but my core group has been the same for 10 years now. There have been a couple players come and go, but the heart (me and two others) have remained the same.

2. I really couldn't say. From my standpoint, it's aging, but I see new faces at my FLGS scouring over the new releases nearly every month. Hard to say with any real accuracy.

Kane

 

[francisca]

... the communities disappeared?

... you couldn't work with the game in your spare time, at all?

... the game of your choice was discontinued?

Feel free to answer these questions, or create a question or two yourself.

No. While internet communities have had a small impact on my game, they have nothing to do with my desire to play RPGs. In the big picture, ENW, etc.., just don't matter.

I really don't the second question has a point. Of course I wouldn't play if I didn't have time to prep.

Um. No. Still playing 1e.

 

[Crothian]

Yes. I have played games under all those conditions.