While discussing the pitfalls of Organized Play in this thread, I came up with a question for the forum. I'd like to know what ways people can think of to attract casual players and lapsed players to TTRPGs.

People participating in Organized Play are only a fraction of total gamers out there who have been interested in the hobby or were once a part of the hobby, so how do we attract them back? What methods can we use to recapture their interest or attract new players?

As a grognard who gamed daily for a decade then went on hiatus and is now back at it, the most important part for me was that I was always in a set group in person.  There wasnt any internet back then so gaming meant committing to the schedule and showing up.  Same group for the most part, the odd player checkin out or the new player checkin in.  Always in person.  Never a 'no show'.  I saw the advent of chat gaming, play by post, voice conferencing, video conferencing, and finally online tabletop simulators, but none of that 'got me back into gaming'.

What got me back into gaming was I heard folks in my office talk about a game they were running and I said I'd like to pop in on it.  Not necessarily to play, but just see what kinda stuff they're doin and decide if I might be a good fit.  So what got me back into gaming was folks playing in person, making the commitment, showing up, having a great time, and regaling us about it at work.  Granted scheduling was easier for those guys because half of them worked at the same company and worked the same shifts, so you knew what days and times people had off and those days and times were all the same for everyone.

But a good game takes a big chunk of a day.  You gotta be willing to commit to it.  And share the joys of it in public with people who aren't part of it.  Lots of folks out there just looking for group who dont even know good gaming is happening right underneath their nose.  Gaming online might be easier and more comfortable, but its a poor replacement for gaming in person and the more foiks that take the simple solution the less gaming in person there is out there as a whole.

I like nearbygamers.com conceptually but its poorly programmed, clunky, and doesnt have as active community as it should.  Its exactly HOW I want to look for game groups, but even I haven't updated my profile on it in 4 years... Looking for games in forums usually results in online games instead. The bulletin board at the flgs can work, but the board is usually small, and how often does one actually show up there... Once a week?  A map based phone app could be good.

In person gaming is best, and if you don't have a steady in person group, we shouldnt just settle for online play.  So talk it up out in the world.  Dont be shy. Wouldnt we all rather be talking about cool games we've been playing than yammerin on about politics?  Of course we would.  As Ghandi said 'be the change you want to see in the world'.

Does COTI have a YouTube channel yet?

I've found running an open-table 5e D&D Meetup has been great for bringing in brand new, casual, and lapsed players. I followed a lot of the Alexandrian's advice on 'Opening Your Game table' but of course with fixed regular dates and an RSVP list. I think the biggest factor is no continuing obligation to keep showing up from game to game, and aiming to make each 4 hour session be fun and satisfying in itself.

Obviously it's important that the rules be accessible and popular, and also that players don't need to come in knowing any rules; we always have pregens on hand.

Edit: I was asked before about starting a Meetup and did this post - http://simonyrpgs.blogspot.com/2018/07/starting-rpg-meetup.html

Make them read thick books full of rules! :cool:

But on a serious note, I agree with S'mon. Open tables with pregens are a great way to sell the RPG drug to newbs. It lets them have fun without any commitment.

My set of rules would be

-Don't edition war with them. Too often gamers forget this and let's be brutally honest casual and regular gamers are not interested in hearing your rants and diatribes on the topic.

-Assume that they play the game differently than you do. Shocker I know yet again some forget that. "what you want to play a Paladin that is not Lawful Good???" Try and work with them and if not and the game styles clash then either or both are not a good fit.

-Learn some social skills to deal with your fellow gamer as some here and elsewhere are sorely lacking. To continue with my above comment on the Paladin saying something to the effect of "What's wrong can't hack playing a LG Paladin suck it up Buttercup" means the player willl get up and walk off. Or worse you get a deserved punch in the face. That kind of shit may work at your game table. Not with the casual gamer off the street. Tone it down and be diplomatic or learn to play the solitaire version of D&D. Same thing with players if your getting a bad vibe from the player behavior don't be afraid to say no.

-Find players who are willing to commit to a semi-regular game. At most make it minimum 4-6 hours of gameplay. They days of playing every week for 12 hours one might pull it off currently at ones current table. They are very much the exception not the norm. I'm 45 years old and I simply no longer have the energy for a 12 hour game sessions.

-Assume depending on the age of your players that some may not be able to show due to other commitment. If your playing with single 15-20 year olds one may be able to get them to show more often. Anyone in their 30s-40s usually have family and/or work schedules that may conflict with gaming. Sorry you may have spent the better part of the week working on your adventure except Thomas young 2 year old comes down with a high fever. Thomas does the smart thing and stays home to take care of his child whether one lies it or not. Vic has to work two of the four game sessions for the month. Vic does the equally smart thing and makes money. Gaming is fun it don't pay the bills. Ted has a wedding reception in two weeks he can't show he cannot not go to any soical family events because of gaming. Assume the gaming schedule will be erratic.  Frank wife is pregnant and no he will not hand over his cellphone for whatever reason because he needs to be in contact with her at all times. No exceptions no debate to be had on that issue.

-Embrace and allow technology at the table. The younger generation and even some older generation gamers like myself will be using our cellphones, tablets and the internet to look up spells, feats and whatever we need online. As long as the gamer does not have his head buried in online I see no reason not to use it. Herolab for Pathfinder may cost money yet everything I need is on my sheet. No the casual gamer is not going to memorize his entire sheet by heart and depending on the rpg being played impossible. You want to keep them at the table save the rants and diatribes on the subject to a minimum.

-More importantly make sure everyone is having fun at the table. Find out what players want and do not want at the table. Players should also try to work with the DM. Problematic players need to be booted from the table at the earliest opportunity and make sure one of the requirements to join is no politics and bathing is mandatory. No one likes rpging with a stinky member of the group.

1. Make a game that can be played casually.

I've introduced a lot of people to D&D who had fun the first couple sessions, then dropped out when they realized this is the kind of thing that goes on for years with no real "end."

Quote from: Spinachcat;1060137Make them read thick books full of rules! :cool:.

Find a way to have a fun 2 hour session.  4 hours is a hard sell to most people who haven't played before.

I don't know about the best way, but the way I do it has certainly had no trouble attracting people, new and lapsed:

1. Run a game and style you really enjoy.  That's important for a game with a core group of dedicated gamers, but it doesn't stop being true to attract others.

2. However, within what you can change in that game and style, accommodate beginners or casuals.  For example, I don't mind not having a cohesive group, where people drop in and out, and the roster is flexible each session.  We just do a reality shift and poof characters in and out, even if we left it at a cliffhanger.  From a character perspective, it makes no sense, but from a party sense, it is constant enough to give everyone a sense of continuity.  This means I get a lot of players that can 50% to 90% commit, but not fully.  Anywhere north of 75% commit is pretty darn effective--enough that I'll put up with the lesser amounts.  I do ask that people let me know each session with a few days notice, and stick to that.

Larger point being, that's my compromise thing that works.  Find what yours is.

3. Running pre-gens and a simpler game is one slice of a larger thing of accommodate people who don't want to learn the rules fully, or only want to do so over time with experience.  There are many ways to do this.  I handle it by having a core group of more dedicated gamers that sit interspersed with beginners, so that we can keep the game moving without me becoming a bottleneck of rules questions and decisions.  

4. Make pre-gens mechanically bog-standard simple, but give the characters one or two roleplaying oddities.  Not too extreme, as it can lead a new character into some pathological gamer behavior, but rather something to make the character stand-out and be easy to roleplay.  You know, the kind of things the more experienced players do for themselves, but a new/lapsed player might not think to do.

I've been on a Fantasy Trip jag (playing ~twice a week) since SJG released the beta pdf of the new game last month, and I highly recommend it as an 'on ramp' game for lapsed or new players. If one person at the table knows how to play, the game has almost no barriers to just jumping in and playing, and the default way to play involves physical components (maps and markers or figures) that focus attention on the table and give new players something concrete to visualize and manipulate as they make decisions about play.

For me, the issue has always been finding the games or the gamers.  Back in ye olden days it was easy, we were in school with others.  Now I work (I'm a nurse in a non-hospital setting.  Hours and days change rapidly, staff tend to not have same interests), player/group finders are not helpful, and I don't know of any game stores within reasonable range.

I became a lapsed gamer about 5 years ago.  It's easier to play (modded) Skyrim, Fallout, Conan, etc on my xbox than it is to get a group together.  Existing groups tend to not advertise and forums are often too large (geographically) to make it feasible.

Even in California there are many places that are not highly populated, or are too spread out to get a consistent gaming group formed.

So, maybe some form of teleportation and intrusive telepathic game advertising system?

Quote from: fearsomepirate;10601501. Make a game that can be played casually.

I've introduced a lot of people to D&D who had fun the first couple sessions, then dropped out when they realized this is the kind of thing that goes on for years with no real "end."

?

I never see people quit knitting because they never reach the "end of knitting".
I can understand that someone might not be interested in a whole campaign right off the bat. A first adventure should probably have a clear goal and a path to reach it in a session or two.

Quote from: Ratman_tf;1060160?

I never see people quit knitting because they never reach the "end of knitting".
I can understand that someone might not be interested in a whole campaign right off the bat. A first adventure should probably have a clear goal and a path to reach it in a session or two.

Well, they might quit if they realized the first thing they started knitting would take years to complete. Probably best to start knitting something small first.

Quote from: happyhermit;1060164Well, they might quit if they realized the first thing they started knitting would take years to complete. Probably best to start knitting something small first.

One-shots have been a thing for decades now;).

Open table, meaner "we play with whoever shows up" and no more rules crunch than they want to handle, is the way to go. That, and presenting a living world which reacts dynamically to the actions, for good and ill.

Quote from: Ratman_tf;1060160?

I never see people quit knitting because they never reach the "end of knitting".

Knitting is nothing like D&D.

I've had some version of this happen multiple times:

"Wow, that was pretty cool."

Great, glad you enjoyed it!

"Where can I buy a mini?"

Oh, there's a game store right near here.

"How often do you guys meet?"

Every week.

"How long have you been playing this campaign?"

Oh, about a year, year and a half.

~~two hours later~~

From: newb@normalperson.com
To: fearsomepirate@thescurvyseahorse.net

Hey man, I had a lot of fun, but I just don't think D&D is for me. It just seems like a really big commitment.