D&D General D&D "influencers" need to actively acknowledge other games.

[UngainlyTitan]

I don't believe you understand how important your second sentence is here. I'd be willing to bet that less than 10% of the D&D playing population spends any time in RPG discussion related areas. Given that, there's almost certainly an enormous number of people in the hobby who have only the vaguest idea--if at all--about other RPGs.

I do not think that it changes much. If they are not interested to watch D&D content on Youtube or whatever, what makes you think that a large amount of them would jump into these games?

 

[overgeeked]

Then why are they not playing them?

Because most people are completely unaware they exist and when they do hear about them at all, it's generally followed by a dozen people yelling about how they suck because they're not D&D. The perennial favorite of "rules light games can't do campaigns" is particularly maddening as it's most often repeated by people who've never actually tried. So, seemingly as always, we're back to Snarf's "it works in practice but doesn't work in theory" line. Some of the best campaigns I've ever played or run were with rules-light systems.

Most of these system are not new, they are easily found out about for anyone that spends some time in rpg discussion related areas.

Which is a vanishingly small fraction of the wider community.

but they are not that popular.

Because they are effectively unknown by the vast majority of gamers. We also have people who torpedo lighter games because their preferences are for heavier games. As we see in this thread, multiple times. Mostly from people who either don't play lighter games or have decided beforehand that they suck so are oh so surprised when they do finally play a lighter game that they had a bad time.

They are still competing with streaming, books, video game and so on.

Exactly. It's a miracle anyone's playing something as complex, time consuming, and crunchy as D&D when streaming and video games exist. If people were exposed more to lighter games, without the constant drum beat of "they suck" from some gamers, they'd likely do quite well.

The benefit of just being able to sit down and play without prior knowledge is wonderful. It's odd that people build up RPGs into this big important thing that must be taken seriously and must be played for decades to mean anything at all. Just because it's quicker and easier doesn't mean it's bad. Playing RPGs is only ever as hard as you make it on yourself.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Because most people are completely unaware they exist and when they do hear about them at all, it's generally followed by a dozen people yelling about how they suck because they're not D&D. The perennial favorite of "rules light games can't do campaigns" is particularly maddening as it's most often repeated by people who've never actually tried. So, seemingly as always, we're back to Snarf's "it works in practice but doesn't work in theory" line. Some of the best campaigns I've ever played or run were with rules light systems.

Which is a vanishingly small fraction of the wider community.

Because they are effectively unknown by the vast majority of gamers. We also have people who torpedo lighter games because their preferences are for heavier games. As we see in this thread, multiple times. Mostly from people who either don't play lighter games or have decided beforehand that they suck so are oh so surprised when they do finally play a lighter game that they had a bad time.

Exactly. It's a miracle anyone's playing something as complex, time consuming, and crunchy as D&D when streaming and video games exist. If people were exposed more to lighter games, without the constant drum beat of "they suck" from some gamers, they'd likely do quite well.

The benefit of just being able to sit down and play without prior knowledge is wonderful. It's odd that people build up RPGs into this big important thing that must be taken seriously and must be played for decades to mean anything at all. Just because it's quicker and easier doesn't mean it's bad. Playing RPGs is only ever as hard as you make it on yourself.

I think we have very different experience here because I rarely hear that those games suck. If anything it is the fans of those games claiming that D&D sucks. Dungeoncraft is pretty pro OSR and Mike Shea is very positive about non-Wizard games on his channel.

 

[Zardnaar]

I think we have very different experience here because I rarely hear that those games suck. If anything it is the fans of those games claiming that D&D sucks. Dungeoncraft is pretty pro OSR and Mike Shea is very positive about non-Wizard games on his channel.

Yup I don't recall very many insults here even at non D&zD games. Occasional mention maybe.

Perhaps that is the insult. We're not talking about those games.

 

[MGibster]

Who gets to decide what is "healthy"? Why do you, and several other posters, care that many people are happy with one game? The vast majority of D&D players in my experience are pretty casual about the the whole thing.

I think it's obvious. I get to decide what's healthy because I'm the only person qualfied to make such a determination. I tried to go out of my way to explain I didn't have a problem with D&D but I guess I wasn't clear enough. It doesn't bother me in the least that so many people are happy just playing D&D. It bothers me that D&D utterly dominates the industry, if we can call it that, because I don't believe it's healthy. And again, I am the sole arbiter of what is healthy so thank you for asking that.

I get tired of what comes off as ... for lack of a better term .. snobbery from people who play multiple games. That somehow people would be .better off, more enlightened, if only we did things like they did. Those poor sheeple never knowing the glory of other games.

I think you're seeing snobbery where none was presented. i.e. As far as my post is concerned, you're jumping at shadows.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I'm getting where they're coming from though I didn't take the comment to literally.

Other RPGs tend to be even worse mechanically, a genre I don't care about, use gimmick dice or a license I don't care about. Even if you get past that finding players usually boils down to getting your D&D group to play something else occasionally. Added bonus its probably dead within 5 years.

For me that's s 1 off and a short campaign in the last 5 years.

That's fine for your experience. The point is, it isn't everyones. Some groups don't even start with D&D, or hit early and don't like it. Obviously, when viewing the hobby as a whole, that's not the majority. But "play my game because D&D is terrible" isn't by any stretch what everyone who plays other games is saying. A lot of them are saying "This game supplies an experience D&D doesn't", and the only people who find that offensive are people who think that D&D is the all-purpose power tool.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I do not think that it changes much. If they are not interested to watch D&D content on Youtube or whatever, what makes you think that a large amount of them would jump into these games?

How much is "large"? If the answer is "1 in 10", what makes you think they wouldn't if it was exposed to them? D&D is not going to serve every purpose, but if someone thinks of it as the only game around, they're never going to even think to look into anything else.

 

[Dire Bare]

What do you think? Should D&D influencers acknowledge other games that solve problems they are talking about on their channels? If not, why not?

No. Not if they are not interested in other games.

YouTubers who put content out there in order to make money, like Ginni D, are really just finding ways to make money on their hobbies, interests, and loves. If they aren't terribly interested in games other than D&D, or don't feel there is enough of an audience for that kind of content . . . no.

Let them make the videos they want to make. You watch the videos you want to watch.

Now, if a RPG YouTuber wants to IMPROVE how they cover tabletop RPGs . . . then, yes, delving into other games as often as is reasonable would be a fine thing to do. And some of them do just that.

 

[overgeeked]

I think we have very different experience here because I rarely hear that those games suck. If anything it is the fans of those games claiming that D&D sucks. Dungeoncraft is pretty pro OSR and Mike Shea is very positive about non-Wizard games on his channel.

We’re talking about different things. I’m talking about rules light, ultra-light, and one-page games. You’re talking about anything that isn’t D&D. There’s overlap, sure. But they are not the same thing.

Also, read this thread. People are talking about how bad rules light games are.

I don’t see anyone trashing D&D. I do see people saying they wish people would get out of the D&D bubble and try more games. I also see people mentioning how playing a game designed to do a specific thing should be played when D&D doesn’t handle that thing well. None of that is an “attack” on D&D.

 

[DarkCrisis]

To get a group to break out of their comfort zone someone has to suggest a new game maybe as a one shot.

Most of my D&D group never played anything beyond 5E. Now they’ve played (and love) Vampire the Masquerade and Star Wars, and even 2E D&D etc.