FG Usage Statistics Q3 2018

[Mortar]

I started playing D&D with the original basic set (the one with B1 In Search of the Unknown) and AD&D was a pretty new thing. Over the decades I've tried a number of games in a myriad of genres. I've liked some better than others and certainly liked some better than D&D (any edition). My favorites being Rolemaster (RMSS), Shadowrun (2nd, 3rd), Traveller (My own homebrew) and Rifts (I've got a love/hate with the system).

What I have found, however, is that D&D is generally a constant. People might have heard of other games, but most of them know and play some version of D&D. One of the reasons that Pathfinder did so well is that deep down people see it as D&D and they never really tried to change that. It was the closeness to D&D that brought people in and kept them there.

You can get a group together and teach them a new game, but most people will compare it to D&D (unless they are simply learning a new game without having ever played D&D).

Most editions of D&D are pretty simple and quick to learn and Wizard's has done a lot to make sure this is the case.

Finally, at least where Fantasy Grounds is concerned, the 5E ruleset is simply superior in so many ways to the others I've tried, especially in terms of support. I've looked at some of the other rulesets, but my biggest problem with them is I spend a lot of time worrying that it won't be updated (or noticing that it hasn't been updated in years). An example: I bought D20 modern and was sad how behind the times it was, I've been looking at Savage Worlds but why spend money now when I know that it'll be obsolete in a few months and I'll have to buy again, Traveller is still waiting on starship implementation after months, Shadowrun is an edition behind, etc.

In contrast bug fixes come to 5E weekly, modules come out before you can buy on Amazon, and the system is well implemented and fully automated where it counts.

Just some thoughts...

The rulesets are all community developed and updated, CoreRPG and 5E being exceptions. Savage Worlds, Traveller, Castles & Crusades all have 1 developer working on them, in their spare time. No idea about the rest of the rulesets, but some are likely in need of a developer. A good chunk of the DLC available is made by community devs as well.

[esmdev]

The rulesets are all community developed and updated, CoreRPG and 5E being exceptions. Savage Worlds, Traveller, Castles & Crusades all have 1 developer working on them, in their spare time. No idea about the rest of the rulesets, but some are likely in need of a developer. A good chunk of the DLC available is made by community devs as well.

That is basically the point I was making. 5E is well supported and I don't have a problem spending money on it.

After purchasing RMC, Traveller and D20 Modern, I'm more reluctant to spend money on non-5E materials from FG. I bought Traveller the day it came out with the belief that it would be a functional, playable ruleset. It was months before basic fixes to important aspects were implemented and it is probably years from being completed with one of the most important parts of the game (starships) now where in sight.

The important part of commitment to a game system with FG is the knowledge that some update to the FG core systems won't kill the ruleset without a developer to update it. There are plenty of posts in the forums where 'there isn't currently a developer to update the ruleset' is the reply to why it no longer works. I totally understand that this happens in community development but that is my basic reasoning for not committing to a ruleset that isn't 100% backed by Smiteworks or developed myself. I also now know that just because it's for sale by Smiteworks doesn't mean it's actually supported by Smiteworks or will be anywhere near the capabilities and quality of the 5E ruleset.

[Targas]

Although the above on updating is true, it doesn‘t stop me from playing even a ruleset which is not complete. As I have to localize almost everything, and enter modules manually, because I think it is much better done the way I do it, there is not much use of the existing material for me. As such I can live with the core stuff being available.

[shadzar]

True, but I wonder how much of it is because of the perception that DnD *IS* Role-Playing, and Role-Playing is DnD.

a lot and it isnt for lack of trying. you have DNDBeyond showcasing Twitch personage AnnaProsser saying effectively everything is D&D, and due to them having only D&D category for so long you have the 90s being crapped on by streams like Roll4It right now streaming the new VtM in D&D category for that reason you mention rather than its own, and those people want to be D&D famous. little do they know the "Tabletop RPGs" category on Twitch is growing, so they are missing their target audience when people are looking in game specific categories.


those people like Roll4it, Encounter Roleplay and others that just lump every RPG into D&D are problematic in that way.

the excuse used "Well everyone knows D&D"... well teach them something else...

Big Mutha **** Crab Truckers is a looser "ruleset" that would be fast and easy to put into FG.. though it wouldnt be allowed on this website due to its name, but is more geared to other types of play be it beer & pretzels, or actual storytelling play.

Same goes for Mouse Guard, it has a much stronger story focus and design. Though these games would have no use for something like a "combat tracker" since they don't focus on combat, so might not even be a good fit for FG in the first place.

As they say word of mouth is the big thing and int he 90s you had 2 giants: D&D and Vampire/WoD
00's: D&D and Pathfinder
10s: D&D and people are confused about anything else.


Paizo finally got themselves some channels on Twitch to allow people not to be grouped int he wrong game so can play with people who will NOT bash Pathfinder as "inferior" to 5e, but still others mispalce the game in D&D so it is a fight to get people to understand not all games are the same.

Remember the Nancy Grace on Fox News thing where a couple inherited money from a dead relative and neglected their child to play World of Warcraft? Nancy blamed it on D&D while they actually showed the computers with WoW on the screens.

People just can't be bothered to learn and want to over generalize things sadly.

Then others just don't care because they want to be "D&D famous". they need the name D&D for attention to themselves, not as a way to help people find the right game for what they want to do when as the chart shows, SO MANY game exist that do SO MANY things in different ways, and allow for such a broad spectrum of playstyles but everyone shoehorns everything as "its D&D".

D&D has become the next Jello, and Xerox. so for all the posturing of "protecting the brand" the Pirate Bay thing did for removing access to any D&D PDFs that has since been reversed through the use of ONEBOOKSHELF, it didn't do a thing to "protect the brand" only the income stream. And they [HASBRO/WOTC] are happy with the falsified numbers coming fro Twitch saying "X streams of D&D" when half are other companies games, because it boosted their mental awareness for the game, and its "visibility" while defrauding shareholders, and anyone else they present those numbers to as any sort of valid data. Hey it brings them more money, so why not let everyone say everything id D&D since it draws them firs to it as he "gateway game".

but how do you fix it? how do you get the masses that watch this misnaming of things on Twitch or Youtube or other social media to sue the right name? How does a business compete with those same social media to get their game properly named in articles form blogs, twitters, etc so other games can get the exposure they deserve instead of being lumped into just "Oh its D&D"?

i would like to know, and i bet a few businesses would like to know how to destroy the 500lb gorilla so people will use a better term.

At least video games they use terms like "Its WoW" to describe MMOs (used to be "Its Everquest", but that game is past expired for many people.)

Whatever the largest "brand"/"franchise" is will be the defining name for all things of its type/genre.

[GavinRuneblade]

My daughter is 20yo and when she or any of her friends recruit for players they always ask, "You wanna play D&D?" They find when they ask that but referencing other systems or even "You wanna play an RPG?", people act like they have no idea what they are being asked. As soon as they mention D&D, people are like, oh yeah I know what that is. To alot of them, it's all D&D but called by a different name.

This reminds me of trying to order Pepsi in Mexico and having to tell the waiter "un Coca Pepsi por favor" or "One Coke-Pepsi please" because most of the places I visited called everything "coca" not pop, soft drink, soda, etc.

I can imagine asking, hey wanna play "dnd-Vampire the Masquerade" or "dnd-Teenagers from outer space"? I also think that "RPG" today mostly means a video game, not actual roleplaying.

[LordEntrails]

One thing to keep in mind, is the growth of D&D in the last ~5 years has been tremendous, and I think one of the driving reasons is the accessibility of the system. Not just that it's available online, in-stores, etc, but that the rules are easy to understand. That you don't need to invest much time or money to get a "competitive" or nearly maximized character. With some systems like 2/3.5/PF there are so many books, options and details that to a casual player, it is overwhelming and unnecessary.

Also remember, that in the same time frame, the percentage of non-males in D&D has gone from something like 10% to 40%. I'm pretty sure that other systems have not seen that type of diversification. So, though maybe 5E isn't the ideal system for many of us, it is the system of choice for many.

[esmdev]

One thing to keep in mind, is the growth of D&D in the last ~5 years has been tremendous, and I think one of the driving reasons is the accessibility of the system. Not just that it's available online, in-stores, etc, but that the rules are easy to understand. That you don't need to invest much time or money to get a "competitive" or nearly maximized character. With some systems like 2/3.5/PF there are so many books, options and details that to a casual player, it is overwhelming and unnecessary.

Also with the dmsguild.com now having all the older editions people are coming back to D&D because the edition that they like is back.

I remember when 2nd edition became accessible again I bought it just so I could pull out my old Birthright boxed sets. It works so much better with 2nd edition. Is it weird that I still had my Birthright books but not my 2nd edition books, yeah, it is.

But I can see a lot of people coming back because the D&D they like is now available. Oh, the D&D Cyclopedia … another system that I really dig.

[shadzar]

Also remember, that in the same time frame, the percentage of non-males in D&D has gone from something like 10% to 40%. I'm pretty sure that other systems have not seen that type of diversification.

i am not sure that matters except to those trying to make political distinctions. during the 90s it was a clear fact that more females were playing Vampire as a LARP than any that were playing tabletop games, because it offered more of what they, at the time, were looking for. Which is possibly, tied to a new subset of gamers in the "storytelling" avenues.

D&D is still the same combat ruleset in each edition, just those wanting to use it as storytelling time with little to no combat has grown, rather than the other types of plays have dwindled.

o more people learning they could pay how they wanted wold b the more determining factor in they didn't get forced into a playstyle by some vocal majority and feel free to explore other playstyles, denouncing the ONETRUEWAYISM purists that claim this or that or "D&D cannot be played without a DM" nonsense.

It had been prevalent in other games and system, and just now moving over the D&D and tabletop games in general from other places.

While there is still female tabletop gamers that just want to hack and slash and play things like Blood Bowl, instead of Hello Kitty Princess.

The contributing factors will be hard to pin down in any case other than larger visibility as the internet grows and is used more. Think if you had today's networking capability back int he 70s how the Jack Chik movement would have been different?

it is sort of like the dotCOM bubble is still slowly ever expanding still and the ripples on the edges are affecting more and more things as time goes on and more people are connected or introduced in large swatches to more things. Would be interesting to see a study that doesn't dismiss the internet's influence on changes in modern activities and think past eras prior to the internet had the same potential.

Also maybe the females were always there, just didn't want to be known for it in the past? Only those females can answer if that is the case for themselves.

[damned]

I have a vested interest in several systems other than D&D and still I will play/run D&D at least 65% of the time.
I will also run/play Call of Cthulhu, Trail of Cthulhu, City of Mist, Dungeon World, Pulp Action, Esoterrorists, Star Wars, Savage Worlds and other stuff.
If all of those were equally weighted then each would get under 4% of my time after D&D.

And the point about Pathfinder being D&D is very salient. Its not just pathfinder - its also all the other versions of D&D.
D&D is so big and so dominant - in sales, in games played, in mind share - that it may as well be the market.

Is it an issue? Only if you are a publisher of another system!
As D&D has grown so has the market as a whole.

[Myrdin Potter]

I am a Hasbro shareholder. Go! Go! D&D! :-) (it still is a rounding error for them)