When parsing a new #TTRPG system I check two things first: 1) core mechanic 2) character sheet Character Sheets theoretically list all a player needs while playing the game and summaries for player inputs and outputs. e.g. "Corruptions" on this sheet immediately has my interest
Hmm. I don't actually hate that. Especially based on the recent events of "Hasbro-gate". That's just a post saying you can get similar products here while still boycotting there. Compare it to this headline: www.techradar.com/best/amazon-...
A guide to other retail chains and online shopping portals
But like... other rpgs *do* exist. They pretty much always have and aren't going anywhere. Avatar Legends, a PbtA and very much not-D&D game, generated $9 *million* existence units. D&D makes waves that a lot of folks try to catch. It's an easier, familiar design space.
Oof. Yeah I've seen that. New gamers coming in trying to emulate the performances they saw on a stream. Ultimately though, that stream still brought that new player to the table so I'm still thankful for that piece.
That's not exactly a new phenomenon though. Every new D&D edition sucks up the oxygen for a while until that edition starts to stale and the new folks brought in by all that marketing start to discover other games. Then they increment the E counter again and we do the dance all over.
Yeah *very* different crowds I think. There's a big appetite for entertainment and story has gripped our attention for all of human history. Actually hearing how the game is played, what people do and say at the table, is far more instructional and great for learning a new system.
Preformative Play *replaced* Actual Play? Got popular and advertised harder maybe, but Actual Play is still around.
Is there a specific example? I'm having a hard time picturing a product page that only says "D&D sucks, but my game."
I'd bet that designer either: A) isn't trying to win D&D fans B) doesn't mind losing D&D fans C) is targeting non-D&D folks like me D) all of the above Rejecting the status quo might just be signaling. Like how I know someone with an antifascist or antiracist button is probably my kind of people.
And that's not even mentioning usual fiction categories like genres.