More dramas for Wizards Of The Coast?

[SJB]

WoTC’s view of its player base (as reported by ENWorld yesterday).

60% of D&D players are male, 39% are female, and 1% identify otherwise

60% are “hybrid” players, who switch between playing the game physically or online

58% play D&D on a weekly basis

48% identify as millennials, 19% from Generation X and 33% from Generation Z

The majority of current D&D players started with 5th Edition.

 

[Giganotosaurus]

ISn't it about time that we had a movie which started with CoC as the lead in . D&D was in ET and ST.

I mean it would probably end up like Mazes and Monsters.

New England and Tentacles?

 

[AsenRG]

New England and Tentacles?

I'd play/watch that!

 

[TJS]

48% identify as millennials, 19% from Generation X and 33% from Generation Z

Something that doesn't seem quite right about this.

 

[JAMUMU]

Something that doesn't seem quite right about this.

I think it might be because it's self-reported, and older users may not have engaged with the polling as enthusiastically. However, those of us GenX and above do have to face the fact that as far as the D and the D are concerned, we're the minority age group.

 

[TJS]

I think it might be because it's self-reported, and older users may not have engaged with the polling as enthusiastically. However, those of us GenX and above do have to face the fact that as far as the D and the D are concerned, we're the minority age group.

I'm sure we are. But less than 1%? I very much doubt that.

 

[JAMUMU]

I'm sure we are. But less than 1%? I very much doubt that.

Playing 5e? I can sort of believe it's trending that low for 'boomers' and older because of the huge influx of total players the new game brought in and the availability of the older editions/retroclones.

 

[TJS]

Not only is Gen X invisible to WotC it also vanished from this thread in a mere two posts!

 

[Mankcam]

Not only is Gen X invisible to WotC it also vanished from this thread in a mere two posts!

Oh, you must mean this:

Playing 5e? I can sort of believe it's trending that low for 'boomers' and older because of the huge influx of total players the new game brought in and the availability of the older editions/retroclones.

'boomers' and older...?
heh heh

Well, I guess Peter Cushing was a wargamer...

 

[JAMUMU]

Oh, you must mean this:

'boomers' and older...?
heh heh

Well, I guess Peter Cushing was a wargamer...

Well I'm sure there are a few folks in the generation before boomers playing at elf games. My folks are both pre-boomers, and they're still very much alive.

 

[Mankcam]

Well I'm sure there are a few folks in the generation before boomers playing at elf games. My folks are both pre-boomers, and they're still very much alive.

Yeah but how many Pre-Boomers (Builders?/Silent Generationers?) are into trpgs?
But I dig your inclusivity, heh heh

(Just joking, we all knew you meant 'Gen X and above')

 

[NinjaWeasel]

Holy Shizendizer! I have Ubiquity Leagues of Adventure and completely forgot about it - I was always going to get that Gothic Horror add-on book for it, so thanks for the reminder

My pleasure! The Gothic and Cthulhu books are definitely worth picking up. I wouldn't make use of everything in them, although there's no big issues like broken mechanics that I recall, but overall they are excellent and they are definitely great additions to the Ubiquity toolkit. It's nice that Triple Ace are still supporting this system.

 

[AsenRG]

I think it might be because it's self-reported, and older users may not have engaged with the polling as enthusiastically. However, those of us GenX and above do have to face the fact that as far as the D and the D are concerned, we're the minority age group.

And those that still play it, are being traitors to their age group?

 

[JAMUMU]

And those that still play it, are being traitors to their age group?

"Though cowards flinch and traitors sneer
We'll play no Fifth Edition here!"

 

[BedrockBrendan]

Not only is Gen X invisible to WotC it also vanished from this thread in a mere two posts!

We got too busy watching reruns of The State man

 

[Dr Jack]

Something that doesn't seem quite right about this.

Hmm... it does make me wonder about their survey methodology.

 

[Baulderstone]

Hmm... it does make me wonder about their survey methodology.

I'm guessing they wanted a survey that showed their game was most popular with young people to show to investors, and they succeeded in conducting a survey that game that answer. I don't see the problem here.

 

[Gringnr]

Looks like CR has dropped a sneak peek of their new system. Word is, it's a variant of Bladesnin the Dark? Which, if true, I think is actually really cool. Has real "gateway" potential, IMO.

 

[Ladybird]

Looks like CR has dropped a sneak peek of their new system. Word is, it's a variant of Bladesnin the Dark? Which, if true, I think is actually really cool. Has real "gateway" potential, IMO.

iirc they're doing two systems, a short campaign one and a long campaign one.

 

[Silverlion]

WoTC’s view of its player base (as reported by ENWorld yesterday).

60% of D&D players are male, 39% are female, and 1% identify otherwise

60% are “hybrid” players, who switch between playing the game physically or online

58% play D&D on a weekly basis

48% identify as millennials, 19% from Generation X and 33% from Generation Z

The majority of current D&D players started with 5th Edition.

Makes me wonder how many 'invisible' Gen X players there are out there. Because frankly, I know many Gen X players of D&D, online and off. I mean sure that's anecdotal, but I'm pretty sure that more than "19%" of D&D's total player base are Gen X (since that's only 19% of responders to the survey.)

 

[CRKrueger]

I'm guessing they wanted a survey that showed their game was most popular with young people to show to investors, and they succeeded in conducting a survey that game that answer. I don't see the problem here.

They had to come up with some reason why it’s no big deal that Gen-Xers are shifting from WotC due to the idiocy. “Look, they were never a big part anyway”.

 

[BedrockBrendan]

They had to come up with some reason why it’s no big deal that Gen-Xers are shifting from WotC due to the idiocy. “Look, they were never a big part anyway”.

It wouldn't surprise me if Gen X was the most turned off by things like the OGL

 

[Gringnr]

One of my friends, a member of my Friday DCC group, has played - and liked - every iteration of D&D. He even suggested using 5e for whatever other game/genre we wanted to play. Dude isn't plugged in, though. Would never post on an RPG forum, doesn't interact with the community as a whole. He had never heard the term OSR. He streams on Twitch, he's not a luddite or anything. Dude has a doctorate in mathematics. Just not plugged into any online RPG stuff, or communities. Doubt he even saw or heard of this survey. He's probably not an anomaly.

 

[Gringnr]

It wouldn't surprise me if Gen X was the most turned off by things like the OGL

I'd expect the opposite, tbh. Look at it this way: Millennials have always had the OGL. That hadda be like threatening their oxygen supply.

 

[BedrockBrendan]

I'd expect the opposite, tbh. Look at it this way: Millennials have always had the OGL. That hadda be like threatening their oxygen supply.

I am basing it more on culture and mindset. Gen X was very anti-corporate. We also know how significant the OGL was because half our gaming life there wasn't one and half there was. I could be wrong though

 

[BedrockBrendan]

One of my friends, a member of my Friday DCC group, has played - and liked - every iteration of D&D. He even suggested using 5e for whatever other game/genre we wanted to play. Dude isn't plugged in, though. Would never post on an RPG forum, doesn't interact with the community as a whole. He had never heard the term OSR. He streams on Twitch, he's not a luddite or anything. Dude has a doctorate in mathematics. Just not plugged into any online RPG stuff, or communities. Doubt he even saw or heard of this survey. He's probably not an anomaly.

Most people I game with in my experience are not plugged into any of this online stuff

 

[Mankcam]

Most people I game with in my experience are not plugged into any of this online stuff

In my immediate group I am the font of all things trpg, so that's a concern, heh heh

 

[T. Foster]

I’m a Gen X gamer and I wasn’t included in this survey. I suspect a strong selection bias towards people who are actively engaged with the WotC fan community by hanging out on DNDBeyond and following their social media accounts and such. I can believe that my generation only makes up 20% of that group. And it’s okay for WotC to focus on them because that’s where their current and future money lies. Younger games will buy stuff like subscriptions and dumb tchotchkes, while Gen Xers who’ve been playing for ~30-45 years know they they already have everything they’ll ever need to keep playing forever except pencils and paper and maybe an occasional new set of dice (that we can actually use - not fancy platinum sets that cost $500 or some dumb bullshit).

Yeah, it would be flattering if WotC recognized me and made an effort to win me back as a customer, but I also can’t blame them for choosing to spend their resources hunting easier targets.

 

[Mankcam]

I’m a Gen X gamer and I wasn’t included in this survey. I suspect a strong selection bias towards people who are actively engaged with the WotC fan community by hanging out on DNDBeyond and following their social media accounts and such. I can believe that my generation only makes up 20% of that group. And it’s okay for WotC to focus on them because that’s where their current and future money lies. Younger games will buy stuff like subscriptions and dumb tchotchkes, while Gen Xers who’ve been playing for ~30-45 years know they they already have everything they’ll ever need to keep playing forever except pencils and paper and maybe an occasional new set of dice (that we can actually use - not fancy platinum sets that cost $500 or some dumb bullshit).

Yeah, it would be flattering if WotC recognized me and made an effort to win me back as a customer, but I also can’t blame them for choosing to spend their resources hunting easier targets.

Totally agree, I doubt more than 20% of Gen X rpgers are regularly using D&D Beyond enough to care about surveys etc.

There would be certainly at least double or triple that number of Gen Xers using D&D5E (either as a main rpg or an alt rpg), but at least half of those wouldn't worry about linking in with D&D Beyond, let alone giving a rat's arse about a WotC survery which they likely just consider spam, heh heh.

I only have the D&D 5E core books on D&D Beyond because the PHB was half price due to a voucher in the Starter Box. It's much more handy than a scanned pdf (hey, they don't exist!), and iPads/tablets are lighter than lugging books around. I like the convienence of reading books on tablets, but at the gaming table nothing beats just checking a physical book for me.

Part of the appeal of some of the OSR/OSR-adjacent games is that many publishers are making digest-sized rules for this very reason. Maybe they are more aimed at Gen Xer's like myself who prefer real books on the fly, yet don't want huge lore tomes at the gaming table.

I guess I'm not the best fit for WotC (which is cool, as D&D was never my main rpg, even when TSR owned it).

The number of Millinienals and Zoomers who are active with D&D Beyond far outweigh the Gen Xers. That's the feedback loop for marketing purposes and hence the shift in artwork style and mindset with WotC products in recent years.

 

[Endless Flight]

It was actually the Gen-Xers who propped up 3rd edition. We were recapturing our youth after the depressing 90s.

 

[Blammo]

My pleasure! The Gothic and Cthulhu books are definitely worth picking up. I wouldn't make use of everything in them, although there's no big issues like broken mechanics that I recall, but overall they are excellent and they are definitely great additions to the Ubiquity toolkit. It's nice that Triple Ace are still supporting this system.

I can confirm that there's nothing that stands out as inherently broken in either Gothic Horror or Cthulhu. I ran a game for well over a year using elements of all three books, and some of the smaller supplements (we had a ghost in the party so Guide to Apparitions came into play often). It does an excellent job of doing what it set out to do. Some people have problems with the combat system, but in play it was fine. I'd definitely run it again.

 

[BedrockBrendan]

Looks like they announced price increases on the books as well

 

[Gringnr]

Looks like they announced price increases on the books as well

I think WotC have actually been emboldened by the OGL controversy, but then I'm a cynical prick.

 

[BedrockBrendan]

I think WotC have actually been emboldened by the OGL controversy, but then I'm a cynical prick.

It is possible. I think they are under the impression (perhaps they are right) that people will buy book from them no matter what they do. Companies have had to raise prices as the cost of everything has gone up (I had to charge ten bucks more than I wanted for my last book for example, and there wasn't much that I could do about it). But I am not sure WOTC needs to do so given the volume they deal in. At the very least, not something to dance in the streets about. My feeling is RPG books have an objective cut off point in terms of price where people will just make their own games in their living room or share systems with one another online if they go past that point (it isn't a necessity like milk or bread).

 

[sharps54]

I agree about the price point but the nice thing about the hobby is that there are a ton of great free and inexpensive games out there.

 

[Bunch]

GenX has been using digital tools and VTTs longer than just about anyone. I tend to agree they didn't see the survey because they already had another digital solution (roll20/fantasy grounds, just discord, Google docs , etc) and/or bought the books and "found" PDFs online. Why go to d&d beyond?

 

[Voros]

GenX has been using digital tools and VTTs longer than just about anyone. I tend to agree they didn't see the survey because they already had another digital solution (roll20/fantasy grounds, just discord, Google docs , etc) and/or bought the books and "found" PDFs online. Why go to d&d beyond?

I still have my (free) D&DBeyond account from the last 5e campaign I played and never saw this survey.

Purely internet surveys are probably flawed statistically from the get-go.

 

[Jetstream]

"EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT !!!"

More rumours of Critical Role potentially ditching D&D
Okay, it's clickbaitey gossip mongering, but hey, it's still of interest, heh heh

View attachment 61177

Okay, it's probably just as problematic for Chaosium, but it's definately gonna be a headache for WotC in another year or so...

“The requested page could not be found?”

Also why would there need to be drama if CR stopped doing DnD? They’ve been playing the same game for a long time. Might just be time for a new thing.

 

[Mankcam]

“The requested page could not be found?”

No idea what is going on with that, it was there when I linked it last week

Also why would there need to be drama if CR stopped doing DnD?

Well, it's obivious why that is a drama, at least a story in any case, given how intertwined Critical Role has been with WotC and D&D 5E

They’ve been playing the same game for a long time. Might just be time for a new thing.

Totally agree.
And if they aren't beholden to any one publisher's game system, the better.
Looks like they are going one step further and making there own.

Not that I care.
I quite like Matt Mercer, but I can't stand the performances and shenigans of the other cast members acting out all the time, so Critical Role doesn't get much bandwidth from me. However others may approach things quite differently, and given the show's popularity then I guess there is a huge audience for it, at least with younger viewers.

It is just a story that showed up in my feeds that I thought others may be interested in here

 

[AsenRG]

It was actually the Gen-Xers who propped up 3rd edition. We were recapturing our youth after the depressing 90s.

...now I know who is to blame!

Looks like they announced price increases on the books as well

As I said on FB, "now I can spend more with each new book WotC publish".