"But it's just a miniatures tactics game, in the style of Dungeons & Dragons"

Well, we're fucked.

From: http://kotaku.com/5971084/

Huh. My best non-gamer friend's perception is "I'd be willing to TRY these RPGs you talk about, but I won't play D&D. Only geeks play D&D."

Quote from: Piestrio;611461"But it's just a miniatures tactics game, in the style of Dungeons & Dragons"

Ouch.  I'm sure we'll have someone along in a minute telling us how the boardgame reviewer is obviously a Gygax worshipper, OSR Taliban or something else equally manufactured and irrelevant.

Of course, to be fair, he could have been speaking about the D&D Boardgames of which there are several, and may resemble Zombicide, but I don't know if Zombicide plays more like the boardgames or more like 4e.

That boardgame reviewer is obviously a Gygax worshipper and part of the OSR Taliban!

Quote from: CRKrueger;611468Of course, to be fair, he could have been speaking about the D&D Boardgames

Entirely possible.

Quote from: Spinachcat;611477Entirely possible.

Possible but irrelevant. Any video game or board game player reading that article who is otherwise unfamiliar with D&D will be left with the impression that it's a tactical miniature combat game.

The worst part is that they will not be entirely wrong.

Hence the being fucked comment.

Kotaku?!  Well, shit, pack it in.  Been a good run.

Quote from: This Guy;611482Kotaku?!  Well, shit, pack it in.  Been a good run.

Over 36,000 views on that article in 7 hours... not NYtimes to be sure but enough to leave an impression that D&D is just a minis game, and hence not worth checking out any more that the hundreds of other awesome minis games out there, on a lot of potential gamers.

Quote from: Piestrio;611483Over 36,000 views on that article in 7 hours... not NYtimes to be sure but enough to leave an impression that D&D is just a minis game, and hence not worth checking out any more that the hundreds of other awesome minis games out there, on a lot of potential gamers.

Exactly.  And then they'll tell their friends, and their friends friends, etc.  Fuck, this is it.

The non-gamers (friends and colleagues) who have asked about my hobby have mostly had the idea that it is some sort of psychodrama/improv. acting thing. When explained the idea, they largely found the concept potentially fun. People my age have of course heard of RPGs; in their case, the questions were more along the lines of "so it is about elves and dwarves, like in LotR?" I suppose even younger people would have asked if it was like Dragon Age or what have you - although there is also a range of message board-based, Harry Potter- or paranormal romance-inspired games which may "represent" the idea of gaming to them.

"Uh, is that the cartoon that used to be on in the 80s? Or is it like World of Warcraft?"

Quote from: Piestrio;611461"But it's just a miniatures tactics game, in the style of Dungeons & Dragons"

Well, we're fucked.

From: http://kotaku.com/5971084/

Do you sincerely think that is being fucked?
If so, then you have had it far longer then you think you have.
During a long time, i have bought imported comics from Marvel Comics (i stopped a few years back, but that is irrellevant here), and of all the ads i saw for Dungeouns and Dragons during all of that time, i guess 80% was for any of the boardgame versions.

That D&D some years ago also went on the booster-miniature-pack style was really not "helpful" i guess .... i really liked several of the monster minis, though, so i don't complain.

What amazes me, is that they can differ between miniature games, but that the author of that article call it a "miniatures tactics game" .... is it really?

... Ok, i admit, i'm not fond of D&D as a game ... at all.
I also like miniatures games, and i like the hybrid between rpg and boardgame that D&D boardgames could have been ... but it seems to me that D&D never went there.

As for Melan's experiences:
I live in Sweden, and here, the word for Roleplayinggames and playing in them, is also the same as for Roleplaying (including terapeutic/psychodrama, cooperative storytelling online, free fantisizing, and the erotical version)..... and yes, it may easily become a mess.

Quote from: CRKrueger;611468Ouch.  I'm sure we'll have someone along in a minute telling us how the boardgame reviewer is obviously a Gygax worshipper, OSR Taliban or something else equally manufactured and irrelevant.

That just shows how little you understand the OSR Taliban. They would have said "like WotC's editions of Dungeons & Dragons".

Quote from: Piestrio;611461"But it's just a miniatures tactics game, in the style of Dungeons & Dragons"

Well, we're fucked.

From: http://kotaku.com/5971084/

If you've read Quinns' other work, he plays RPG's, as well as computer and board games (Although it does seem like he prefers board games over everything else). This is a man who knows his games.

Whether that makes this comment a critique of 3e/4e play, a reference to the D&D board games, or something else, you'd have to ask him to find out.

Why should I care about this? Who is this guy again?

RPGPundit

My sister is a non gamer, 47 years old. I did get her to play basic dnd once when were children, and once again in jr high.

She is the type to read Game of Thrones and say "Loved the book until the dragon eggs...too strange."

But she seems to like Tolkien. Very well read person that likes theatre.

Anyway, she still does not seem to grasp that dnd is largely improv theatre.

She also does not understand why I would not, at the last minute, cancel a dnd game I was dming to go to a baseball game.


Many non gamers just don't have any idea what we are doing