Adventure trends

[squeen]

EDIT: Case in point.

"These are not the nerds you are looking for."

 

[Malrex]

It's too bad that WOTC didn't hone in on what makes D&D different---dice, notebooks, figures, sitting around a table with real people..etc. I understand the new generations may not like that and enjoy all the bells and whistles of playing D&D on a computer (and it definitely has its place when friends live far away, etc), but now D&D will be competing with video games and everything else you can do on a computer. Part of the reason I like D&D is sitting around a table with people to see their facial expressions and everything else that happens at a table in-person. I think it's a mistake to not cater to both markets.

 

[The1True]

I once joined in on a paid session as a player to check out all the hulabaloo.

I mean, if anything is ever going to lead 100% to that shitty feeling of player entitlement. If I paid $25 and my character gets fucked by some kind of DM fiat, real or perceived, I'm probably going to flip the table.

 

[squeen]

I mean, if anything is ever going to lead 100% to that shitty feeling of player entitlement. If I paid $25 and my character gets fucked by some kind of DM fiat, real or perceived, I'm probably going to flip the table.

GREAT point @The1True!

 

[Beoric]

I also think, given the current trend of DM worship, that a lot of "professional" DMs would end up being insufferable divas whose "art" would be more important than actual player experiences.

I also think making it a spectacle really changes the game. Chris Perkins has done a bunch of recorded celebrity DM stuff with over-the-top players, which can be entertaining as far as they go, but because of the performances of the participants, not because of the quality of the game. But I've also seen a video of Perkins DMing a bunch of UK gaming industry people, and it was a much better game. The players didn't act like celebrities, they were just really skilled players taking the game seriously, and it was interesting watching Perkins adapt to that in real time as he realized it wasn't going to be like a US celebrity game.

 

[DangerousPuhson]

I also think, given the current trend of DM worship, that a lot of "professional" DMs would end up being insufferable divas whose "art" would be more important than actual player experiences.

I don't think we have enough proof that this is likely, only that it might be possible. In the paid DM market, I'd wager insufferable DMs would quickly find themselves out of work (I suspect most professional DMs rely on word-of-mouth referrals and continual/repeat business, and the ones that don't probably still use a booking website that has a review system).

I also think making it a spectacle really changes the game. Chris Perkins has done a bunch of recorded celebrity DM stuff with over-the-top players, which can be entertaining as far as they go, but because of the performances of the participants, not because of the quality of the game. But I've also seen a video of Perkins DMing a bunch of UK gaming industry people, and it was a much better game. The players didn't act like celebrities, they were just really skilled players taking the game seriously, and it was interesting watching Perkins adapt to that in real time as he realized it wasn't going to be like a US celebrity game.

Yup. There's game as public performance, and then there's private games, but it's pretty obvious how and why they differ. Regardless, I've never really been a fan of watching other people play D&D, performative or genuine.

Sidenote: I think Chris Perkins is seriously overrated, and do not care for him at all.