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Chainsaw Hobbit
2012-03-04, 07:24 PM
It seems to me that the RPG fanbase is shrinking. Fewer and fewer young people are getting into the hobby, and its adult fans are slowly gravitating away. This chills me to the bone.

I believe it is our duty, as fans of the RPG hobby, to expand its fanbase as best we can. Each and every one of us should pledge to get tabletop gaming a new recruit.

This week, I plan to get some friends who have never played into D&D. I see this as the least I can do for the slowly stagnating hobby. Please do similar.

Knaight
2012-03-04, 07:39 PM
It seems to me that the RPG fanbase is shrinking. Fewer and fewer young people are getting into the hobby, and its adult fans are slowly gravitating away. This chills me to the bone.

Have you considered the possibility that it is just that you, personally, have highly limited information? Adult fans gravitate away, yes, just like they do for everything else. Speaking as a fairly young person, with several friends younger than me I see plenty of young people getting into the hobby - however, my position restricts my information on what is happening with people older than myself (I certainly have no way of knowing at what rate older people are getting into the hobby). I'd imagine that it is largely the opposite in your case, where your information regarding younger people in the hobby is highly restricted and you have a decent view of older people.

As for new "recruits" - I habitually introduce things I enjoy to my friends. They do the same with me*, and I suspect that this is pretty normal. That includes RPGs, both in specific examples and in the context of the medium as a whole. This isn't some nebulous "duty as a gamer", but merely spending time with people I enjoy spending time with, and I should hope that it is similar for many others. Pledging to gain recruits for "the hobby" seems like a mistake.

*Obviously restricted based on our understanding of the other person's taste in whatever.

Vaarsuvius4181
2012-03-04, 08:07 PM
idk mabe put on television on superbowl sunday and i bet mad people would get into stuff like mass effect and other good role palying games

eggs
2012-03-04, 08:29 PM
It seems to me that the RPG fanbase is shrinking. Fewer and fewer young people are getting into the hobby, and its adult fans are slowly gravitating away.
Why do you say that?

Knaight
2012-03-04, 08:44 PM
idk mabe put on television on superbowl sunday and i bet mad people would get into stuff like mass effect and other good role palying games

Mass Effect is the wrong kind of role playing game. It is a computer RPG, this discusses tabletop RPGs (which can be done over a computer via Skype or similar, but are fundamentally about interactions between people).
Graphically:
Wrong
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-SElkuTll2zI/TtLTMTQ8hBI/AAAAAAAABF8/TboIvtlR3lo/Video%2BGame%2BShelf.JPG

Right
http://www.lategaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_1610-500x373.jpg

NikitaDarkstar
2012-03-05, 02:43 PM
Knaight, I'd suggest changing your wording a little, just flat out stating one type of RPG is wrong and one is right is well, personally, I find it offensive. It's not the type discussed here, but it's not Wrong.

As for the OP, I think you're overreacting to be honest. If the hobby was stagnating and shrinking various developers like Wizards of the Coast, White Wolf and so on wouldn't still be making new games or updating old ones. It's just not a hobby a lot of people talk about but I very much doubt it's as bad as you think it is. And pledging to recruit new players? I get your idea, but you make it sound way to serious, just do what you do and introduce your friends to it, some will like it some won't, some will bring their friends, some won't.

some guy
2012-03-05, 08:00 PM
I'm also not seeing the shrinking amount of players.

3 weeks ago I ran a CoC-game for 7 people, 2 of them had played a rpg once, the rest never. This week I'm running a Tomb of Horrors drinking game where I expect a lot of players who never played a rpg before. I run games for people who've never played rpg's before like 4-6 per year. Many like it.

I do not see it as my duty to introduce people to rpg's, I just ask them "Hey, you enjoy this (game/acting/type of entertainment) a lot, how about giving rpg's a go?".

It's not a duty. It's just doing enjoyable things with enjoyable people.

Knaight
2012-03-05, 10:05 PM
Knaight, I'd suggest changing your wording a little, just flat out stating one type of RPG is wrong and one is right is well, personally, I find it offensive. It's not the type discussed here, but it's not Wrong.

Within the context of the discussion, one of these flat out is the right type, and one flat out is the wrong type. If the discussion were on, say, maximizing the efficiency of codes for random monsters it would be the same, but with each picture in the other position.

erikun
2012-03-05, 11:10 PM
Yeah, I'd have to say that in the context of the discussion, computer-RPGs are "wrong" in the sense that they are not what we are talking about. And if you want to get someone into a cRPG, I'd recommend something like Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. That game is ridiculously fun to play with other people. :smallwink:


As for tabletop RPGs, I don't see them shrinking much. Yes, I've seen less D&D books in Barnes & Noble since 2008, but that has likely been because of the economy as much as anything else. I'd actually like to see more rules-light and rules-simple games promoted, as I've found a number of people who are interested in playing a RPG, but not in filling out 2-3 pages of little boxes with tiny text and needing to cross-reference every time they decide to do something.

I'd really like a game where 80% of what you can expect to do can be printed on a single notecard.

Grinner
2012-03-05, 11:20 PM
I'd really like a game where 80% of what you can expect to do can be printed on a single notecard.

There are a number of rules-light systems out there. It's just that no one bothers to play them over their more complex compatriots.

I blame it on the lack of character options. Everyone loves character options and, by proxy, rules.

bokodasu
2012-03-06, 12:25 PM
I blame it on the lack of character options. Everyone loves character options and, by proxy, rules.

Wait, what? I've played and run a fairly wide selection of RPGs, from GURPS to FUDGE, and I've always found that more rules = fewer options. (Ask my daughter who played the half-mermaid sometimes-spellcasting fairy dragon in FUDGE about how she feels playing a Dragonfire Adept in D&D.)

Back to the original post, I'm pretty sure I reject your premise. I grew up playing D&D in the 70's/80's, and I am constantly shocked by all the whippersnappers who aren't ashamed to say they play tabletop RPGs. There are two relatively new (<5 years old) cons just in my area devoted to tabletop gaming. (Haven't been myself, but friends who've gone have enjoyed them and reported them well-attended.) Yes, lots of older people have dropped out due to severe lack of free time, but I play in a weekly game where I think just one guy is under 30, and I'm getting together with college friends to play this weekend. (Ok, that game is more like yearly, but it STILL TOTALLY COUNTS.)

For non-anecdotal evidence - WotC is coming out with D&D 5. If the number of roleplayers was declining, they wouldn't be. And that's after losing market share - their slice of the pie is relatively smaller, pieces being taken by a number of other successful big-name and indie games - which indicates that the pie has grown to a size where even a small slice is still worth it, maybe with a side of ice cream.

Grinner
2012-03-06, 02:18 PM
Wait, what? I've played and run a fairly wide selection of RPGs, from GURPS to FUDGE, and I've always found that more rules = fewer options. (Ask my daughter who played the half-mermaid sometimes-spellcasting fairy dragon in FUDGE about how she feels playing a Dragonfire Adept in D&D.)

I completely agree with you. I was speaking from the perspective of a D&D player, where the emphasis seems to be on the gaming aspect of RPGs, rather than the roleplaying.

GURPS, from what I've seen of the system, emphasizes roleplaying by telling the player what they *cannot* do, as opposed to D&D, where the rules tend to be oriented towards telling the player what they *can* do. In doing so, GURPS allows for more player creativity, whereas a game of D&D tends to be a stiff affair littered with rules lawyers.