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posted by martyb on Tuesday April 09 2019, @07:50AM   Printer-friendly
from the would-you-play-differently-online? dept.

NY Times:

Wizards of the Coast, the parent company of Dungeons & Dragons, reported that 8.6 million people played the game in 2017, its biggest year of sales in two decades. That mark was eclipsed in 2018, when D&D sales reportedly grew 30 percent. All of those D&D consumers are snapping up the Fifth Edition, a new rule set released in 2014 that emphasizes a flexible approach to combat and decision-making. New players don’t need to learn as many arcane rules to get started, and sales of D&D starter kits skyrocketed.

Adding to the newfound popularity are thousands of D&D games broadcast on YouTube and the live-stream service Twitch. “Critical Role,” a popular livestream and podcast, features actors playing the game.

[...]What makes D & D[sic] different is that we can never forget about the human beings behind the avatars. When a member of my group makes a bad choice, I can’t look into his face and shout insults the way I would if we were playing online. He’s a person, and my friend, even if he also inexplicably decided to open an obviously booby-trapped trunk, get a faceful of poison and use up my last remaining healing spell.

My 50th-level Magic-User Ferrick the Magnificent scoffs at these neophytes...


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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by RamiK on Tuesday April 09 2019, @11:19AM (4 children)

    by RamiK (1813) on Tuesday April 09 2019, @11:19AM (#826654)

    As always, the cool kids are busy getting laid.

    As for the success of D&D, I'm guessing there's a large population of smartphone-raised kids that can't move into age-appropriate PC or console games so throwing a dice in an RPG is as close as it gets for them... Better than nothing I suppose.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 09 2019, @01:00PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 09 2019, @01:00PM (#826690)

    D&D has gotten someone laid... probably.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 09 2019, @01:20PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 09 2019, @01:20PM (#826697)

      ...6 feet under, out of their job or with another boy most likely...

  • (Score: 2) by mobydisk on Tuesday April 09 2019, @09:38PM

    by mobydisk (5472) on Tuesday April 09 2019, @09:38PM (#827120)

    As always, the cool kids are busy getting laid.

    What happens in Nentir Vale stays in Nentir Vale.