Thar Be Newbies!

Everyone likes to whine about the death of RPGs. Sales are falling, there's no new blood coming into the hobby, the total number of gamers is dropping with each passing year.

So, just what the hell is anyone doing about this?

The biggest hurdle to doing anything about the problem is that newbies, like some species of birds, are attracted to bright shiny objects. Bright shiny RPGs are the playground of the big boys, or rather what passes for the big boys in the RPG world. GW continues to rake in the profits because their games are particularly nice to look at.

The second biggest hurdle is distribution. You have to make sure that your game can get out there if you want newbies to buy it.

So that leaves the established companies to convert the heathens. Which is a little disturbing, because rule #1 of RPG marketing is:

Preach to the converted

What's always bothered me about RPGs is that you always see ads for them in the same two places: Dragon and comic books.

Most RPGs are made with RPG players in mind, not newbies. Of course, every game has a little song and dance routine about "What is an RPG?" but almost all of them caution newbies to find a group of established players and learn from them.

This is why I think so many gamers hate D&D, the game responsible for most introductions to RPGs: It isn't made for gamers. The rules emphasize teamwork (a new concept to most board game players), build on easily recognizable archetypes (good for people not used to dealing with world creation), and draw on black and white, good v. evil themes (mirroring most video games and mass market entertainment). Experienced gamers want none of that. They've grown out of D&D and want something more. Obviously, then, D&D isn't their cup of tea.

But someone has to initiate the clueless. TSR is one of the few companies that makes an active effort to recruit new players. FASA has the right idea, too. BattleTech and Crimson Skies are both easy to learn, come as complete packages, and effectively exploit ideas and images accessible to the average newbie. BattleTech also crosses the divide into the computer game world, though I always wished that FASA could include a quick-start BattleTech game with their licensed computer games. TSR is doing exactly that with Blizzard's StarCraft and Diablo, packaging both games with an Alternity or D&D mini-game respectively. TSR also recently released a $10 (!) introductory D&D game. How many other companies have released similar products?

So here's the lesson from Uncle Mearls kiddies: thar be newbies in them thar hills!

RPG companies need to make genuine efforts to attract new gamers. Not only will the industry as a whole benefit, but individual companies stand to increase both their market share and their total market base.

Start treating RPGs as games and not just fodder for a subculture. You don't have to like RPGs or miniatures to like Crimson Skies, you just have to like airplanes. Content (vampiric machinations, sword and sorcery, cyberpunk) is more important than media (RPG, board game, miniatures game). Market the content; don't handcuff yourself to the media. I'd love to see someone hawking a horror RPG at Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors in Manhattan. Will that ever happen?