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Ok so watched the Paizo future videos and also watched the general commentaries in the comic book industry about the aging fan base and how to get new blood in the industry.
I have a couple of ideas for getting new players.
1) Go to where the players potential players are. I am not talking about Paizo. I am talking about you the person who is reading this. You have to be proactive about this. I mean yes Paizo will do its own research and have its own initiatives. But we also have to do things.
Go play yugioh, Magic the gathering ect. Games that kids like to play. Join the community get to know the kids and then introduce them to RPGs. I know that most of us was at one time or another that kid that just wanted to be taken seriously by adults. Not only will you be adding new players but also you will be giving some kids a sense of value by having adults take them seriously. That is more valuable than gold.
This means yes playing games that you may look down your nose at, but remember that one of the reasons that RPGs exploded was that Wargamers looked down there noses at kids when they were interested in the hobby in the late 70s early 80s.
It is past time for us to go where the kids are that we want to get into the hobby.
Maybe carry a set of rules with you and have the rule books with your stuff when you are playing cards so when some players are waiting to play they can look through the rulebooks.
I would like to recognize those members of the paizo community who introduce people into the hobby in the last 12 months so if you reply to this please put at the bottom of the post a number and the ages of the players. EG. 4(15,17,22,27)
2) Direct people toward Paizo.com. I did a blog post http://www.itsallgeektome.net/elves/ where i directed people toward the website and the pathfinder RPG. If you have a blog use it to talk about RPGs and fly the flag a bit for your hobby and offer people a way to find the games. If you are on facebook mention when you are playing on your status and give people a place to find RPGs.
Lisa if you read this, I know how swamped you guys are but I would love to have a website or portal that was designed just for newbies. A site that I could link to and looked flashy and maybe had a video that a 12 year old kid could log into and was brought up to speed on the hobby and Paizo and why RPGs are cool.
The site is cool, but really it is just a shop with social aspects bolted on. The social aspects work well but still when you go to the home page it is just a store.
We all found RPGs once we knew that they existed and where to find them.
So they are just a couple of ideas that I had.
Oh and 3 (31, 33, 30) Yes they were all over 30 but I am still proud that I introduced more people to the hobby.
I don't really have the inclination to start playing TDGs to recruit roleplayers.
Apparently it's time-consuming - you have to learn the rules, assemble your decks, and then go somewhere and play the game - and I really don't feel like shelling out money for those cards.
If that were a great way to pick up supermodels, I might get into it, but until then, I need to keep doing what I've always been doing: Abduct and brainwash loners.
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I was using CCGs as an example. People are wondering how to get new people into the hobby. CCGs are a great source of players interested in fantasy ect. That is my idea. Hence if you are not looking for new ways to get younger players into the hobby then this post wont be relevant.
On the other hand some people who have the same reaction to you are going to have to overcome it. I mean I go to the FLGS and there are at least 100 kids playing magic ect. And if every person who wants to bring younger players into the hobby went out and got just 3 kids into the hobby (Paizo RPG specifically) we could triple the number of people buying and playing the game. This would have an on flow effect (Paizo would become a stronger healthier company).
The effort is going to be worth it
But then that is my opinion
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I think step one is being proud of your game. There's still a stigma attached to telling people you play dungeons and dragons (or equivalent). Own it. You are in on the secret, that role-playing is the most fun you can have with your pants on. When someone asks you what hobbies you have proudly tell them you're a role-player that you spend your free time writing fantasy adventures and play-acting\improvising. I've found that the thing that stops people from trying is the mistaken belief they won't be "good" at it. Let them try out a game (either by letting them join your regular group or running a game specifically for new players). I guarantee you'll have a fairly high retention rate. If you're a proud gamer then people will respond to that. I've introduced most of my friends to rpgs but in the last 12 months - 6 (22, 19, 19, 22, 22, 18)
Join the community get to know the kids and then introduce them to RPGs.
I like the basic idea, but MAN this sounds... creepy. =/
Not that you aren't correct. I used to work in a comic shop that had a magic day. We'd set up tables and let anyone who wanted come in and play to their heart's content all day. Many was the time that while destroying teenagers with my rat deck (later slivers), I'd have someone ask about the book I was reading between games; or something on the gaming shelf conveniently placed behind the players.
We eventually started a gaming day too, and we'd have two campaigns going in the same store, somewhere between five and twelve players in each. Someone would always bring a friend or sibling and soon we had another player.
While I was the first to point out that this sounds a bit predatory in the wrong terms, "grown adults should never be playing cards with kids" is a big knee-jerk reaction.
The OP wasn't talking about strip poker.
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While I was the first to point out that this sounds a bit predatory in the wrong terms, "grown adults should never be playing cards with kids" is a big knee-jerk reaction.
The OP wasn't talking about strip poker.
Thanks Kuma,
That is my point .
The facts are that the player base is aging. We need younger players because the hobby dies when we do. That is the cold hard facts so anything that we can do to bring younger players into the hobbie is a good thing.
The thing is that this post is in responce to the video. If you watch the video you will get the context. If you don't want to get the context I am not going to spend time adressing a juvinile reaction to an innocent suggestion.
Kumar it does sound a bit dodgy but you know what I think that most people with a brain and good sense understand what i am trying to say.
For me this is about my 4 and 1/2 year old son having a game to play when he is 12. I want my grand kids rolling d20s
I understand that people will complain about the future of the hobby. I wanted to offer a suggestion to help find a solution.
Also when people look at ccgs they talk about the time and money investment, all i am suggesting is invest enough money and time that you can afford. but remember that it is an investment in the future of the hobby so you are not wasting money and you never know you might enjoy yourself.
For me I just play mtg at the local game store. im just another guy with a deck.
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Hm. Well, I just brought an entire family into role-playing. (13F, 11F, 12M, and their father, 38M.)
Of course, it helps when you own your own store and know every product in it.
Saber that is awesome.
I wish that we could add a logo to your profile. The best I can do is bestow a honorary title of "Order of the Gamer" unto you for services to the future of gaming.
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Hm. Well, I just brought an entire family into role-playing. (13F, 11F, 12M, and their father, 38M.)
Of course, it helps when you own your own store and know every product in it.
Saber that is awesome.
I wish that we could add a logo to your profile. The best I can do is bestow a honorary title of "Order of the Gamer" unto you for services to the future of gaming.
Thank you, my friend. I am glad to accept such a title. After all, I always wanted to join an order of knighthood.
I find that the more "normal" people you bring into the game, the easier it is for others to accept role-playing as a legitimate hobby, and not something that social deviants in dark robes do.
A mix of ages is a good thing. It can help to have older, more patient players around to encourage a younger, more impulsive one to start thinking and not just walk blindly into the door, beyond which is a twenty foot spike trap.
Younger players can energize older ones and remind them why they loved the game so much. Can push them in new directions, with new ideas. Suggest ways new technologies can be adapted to the game.
Stereotypes, but true to an extent.
At my table, we benefited from having older players--it helped moderate the table, and the younger helped keep the older excited about the hobby, just by being young and enthusiastic and interested. The older provided experience.
In fact, the younger players started organizing and arranging the sessions. The younger players still play, and organize, to this day, and one of those "younger" players is now me. ;)
Communities have always had mixed ages. I don't know why the artificial separation these days. I don't think it helps. I think we lose alot from it.
Sure, there's the "creep" factor, but these groups aren't the ten year old girls and forty year old men we're talking about. Add in a public sphere like a game store with potential parental oversight, and I think we're doing good with options to eliminate that. Let a parent run it, and I think we eliminate that.
Worst thing we can do to kids is deprive them of older mentors.
To add another suggestion to the mix: when parents come around, explain your experience as a kid, go over some of the basic concepts it teaches...and how your parents always knew where you were. How it was a constructive, friendship-based game.
Let them know, "you'll always know where your kids are on a Saturday night" and see if they don't leap. Going back and asking the parents of friends why they let their kids into Dungeons and Dragons, this was one of the things they always brought up. "I know where my kids are, and that they're doing something healthy, and it's with friends."
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Well, I am supposed to run a game for this family of new players on Tuesday. The girls have rolled up their characters, and the father and young male friend of the girls will roll up theirs before we begin.
I am eager to begin. I always enjoy introducing new people to role-playing and watching their imaginations come to life. The old storyteller in me fells very fulfilled crafting a tale with other people.