A separate thread had me thinking about the RPGs of the 1970s (Disco Ball Not Included), and what people played back then. So I though I'd start a separate discussion primarily for that purpose, given that it can be a rich topic and I didn't want to continue threadjacking a completely different topic.
The primary contentious issue that started the conversation was what, after "D&D," was the second-most popular TTRPG of the 70s and early 80s? Now, to be honest, I think that the question is fundamentally unanswerable ... but you're welcome to try! The reason I think you can't answer it is because we don't have sales figures from back then that I know of.
If you happen to have a source for real sales figures of RPGs during this time, please post them. That would be wicked cool.
Anyway, it's hard to fully understand just how different the gaming terrain was from 1974 - 1982. To start with, even though everyone complains about how D&D is the 800lb gorilla today ... well, D&D (and TSR) was really the big mover back then.
TSR published "the" RPG, to such an extent that "D&D" was often synonymous with RPGs in general. TSR ran "the" convention- GenCon. TSR published "the" magazine- Dragon (previously The Strategic Review ... get it?). TSR had the distribution channels that others lacked- sure, you could find your D&D products at the local game store alongside Avalon Hill, but you could also find them at your chain booksellers, or even toy stores.
But the 70s and early 80s were also very much a time of ferment, of trying out new rules, of DIY and homebrew. While TSR was pushing out its own games (Boot Hill, Metamorphosis Alpha, Gamma World, Top Secret, etc.) other people were getting into it.
Whether it's Tunnels & Trolls, Bunnies & Burrows, or Starships & Spacemen, the only thing more exciting than ampersands was alliteration. But you also began to see other games that lasted ... Villains and Vigilantes, Traveller, RuneQuest, Chivalry & Sorcery, Champions, and many others.
So I'm throwing it out there for those who are interested in discussing the issue- what games do you remember playing and/or being prominent during those years?
The primary contentious issue that started the conversation was what, after "D&D," was the second-most popular TTRPG of the 70s and early 80s? Now, to be honest, I think that the question is fundamentally unanswerable ... but you're welcome to try! The reason I think you can't answer it is because we don't have sales figures from back then that I know of.
If you happen to have a source for real sales figures of RPGs during this time, please post them. That would be wicked cool.
Anyway, it's hard to fully understand just how different the gaming terrain was from 1974 - 1982. To start with, even though everyone complains about how D&D is the 800lb gorilla today ... well, D&D (and TSR) was really the big mover back then.
TSR published "the" RPG, to such an extent that "D&D" was often synonymous with RPGs in general. TSR ran "the" convention- GenCon. TSR published "the" magazine- Dragon (previously The Strategic Review ... get it?). TSR had the distribution channels that others lacked- sure, you could find your D&D products at the local game store alongside Avalon Hill, but you could also find them at your chain booksellers, or even toy stores.
But the 70s and early 80s were also very much a time of ferment, of trying out new rules, of DIY and homebrew. While TSR was pushing out its own games (Boot Hill, Metamorphosis Alpha, Gamma World, Top Secret, etc.) other people were getting into it.
Whether it's Tunnels & Trolls, Bunnies & Burrows, or Starships & Spacemen, the only thing more exciting than ampersands was alliteration. But you also began to see other games that lasted ... Villains and Vigilantes, Traveller, RuneQuest, Chivalry & Sorcery, Champions, and many others.
So I'm throwing it out there for those who are interested in discussing the issue- what games do you remember playing and/or being prominent during those years?
