Read on Twitter
Quick thread on D&D becoming popular again in more mainstream circles, and those seeking to be gatekeepers.
Note that I used the word "again". That's important.
Note that I used the word "again". That's important.
Preface: I've been playing tabletop roleplaying games since I was about 13. I started with D&D 3.5e, then 4e, then played other systems like Call of Cthulu, Risus and others - but my heart is with D&D, Forgotten Realms in particular. You will take my d20 from my cold, dead hands.
I'm not old enough to remember the first D&D peak, nor BADD and all the other bullshit that came out of it, but I've seen this game through a lot of its Bad Years (I even played fucking D&D Minis and lemme tell ya, that game had POTENTIAL).
My point is - this wasn't a GOOD time for the game. It had less cultural cachet than ever, sales were extremely low and it was very very hard to find supplies - particularly in 4e, whose overreliance on maps and minis meant a DM needed *very* deep pockets.
The first time I ever played was with my friends at school. We got the starter set, we just needed somewhere to play. We were pointed at the Warhammer club. We were scared to play there in case the Warhammer people laughed at us. That's where D&D was culturally.
If this game had been as socially accepted then as it is in 2018, we'd have enjoyed it just the same, without the fear or anxiety of Not Fitting In.
Now - I know what it's like to be a capital-g Geek and wear all it comes with like a badge of honour.
Now - I know what it's like to be a capital-g Geek and wear all it comes with like a badge of honour.
I've had the jokes, the bullying, the bemused expressions from family members. I'm proud of it, in a way. But I - we - shouldn't HAVE to be. We shouldn't try and keep out "the socially adept and conventionally attractive" (I actually saw these phrases used today, uuurgh).
We have absolutely nothing to gain from preventing this wonderful, wonderful game from reaching as many people as possible. D&D 5e is beautifully simple and accessible - both in terms of complexity and financially. You literally can play for free!
The internet means people can play together across the world. They can download campaigns other people have written. They can listen to the ace Actual Play podcasts like Critical Role (or my personal favourite, @austin_walker's Friends At The Table, give it a go).
Most of this didn't exist a decade ago! God, I wish it had. When 4e launched it was 2008 and I got all my D&D news from blogs like @ChattyDM's - without that I'd have been almost entirely on my own with this game and wouldn't have known where to start.
But even ten years ago, this same gatekeeping existed. Many players decried 4e as "trying to bring in the WoW crowd" - which it absolutely was, but that isn't what made that edition of the game bad. What made it bad was its financial inaccessibility.
D&D isn't "becoming mainstream". D&D is coming out of its dark period into the sort of popularity it should never have lost. Yes, we who kept it alive through those years probably won't be recognised for it. Whatever.
But isn't this popularity what we always wanted?
But isn't this popularity what we always wanted?
If I went back and told 13-year-old Joel that he'd be able to play D&D with almost any of his friends, and nobody would find it weird, his acne-riddled face would light up.
This IS what we wanted. Let's appreciate it. Rambly rant over.
This IS what we wanted. Let's appreciate it. Rambly rant over.
<3
