Youth!

Now that I’ve got a few post under my belt and started interacting with the community, I seem to find a common theme developing:  Old School gaming versus New School gaming.  Now a few of the other bloggers have begin posting the truth of how the two styles should be handled or even if there is a difference in styles, but that’s not what this post is actually about.  This post is about getting to the youth with our games, our products, so that we can keep the hobby alive.

I’m not one for picking a side of the argument at this time because I’m actually on the fence of what I want out of my game, but I can say that WotC has picked a great marketing scheme for their newest edition, flood the internet with Ads, and a lot of the LFGS based methods of finding a group are beginning to die.  Sites like Gleemax and Meetup.com have come into power, relying less on flyers and LFGS and more on Ads and Amazon or other Major Book chains to sell their material.  So in return, those players that used to stop in at the LFGS when they are first starting up, are not getting the diversity of titles out there.

This is where we are failing, while the game is moving into the internet age, we are still trying to use the table as our method of play.

Now I’m sure this is shocking to think.  I mean the game is meant to be played at a table.  But the table has moved out of our homes and onto the web.

Now Play by Post, email, or chat room games have been around for some time, but these are becoming the more popular methods of play.  This is due to time, money, etc.  But WotC with DDI and Maptools, these forms are evolving.

DDI I’ve experienced first hand and it’s not ready yet, but I can’t wait to see the finished product.  It’s only drawback is that it’s only there for 4e.  What it does do though is give you the minis, maps, and dice so you can play a game in a 3d environment, with Voice Over Ip or chat based functions for communication.

Maptools is much like DDI.  It’s not as pretty as DDI and it’s not 3d, but it’s free to use, fully customizable, and gives you the option to play what you want.

But if you are looking for a place to play online that will keep all your materials there for you to use, I’d suggest the Play by Post method offered over at mydndgame.com It has a form fill sheet that you can use for your characters and it allows you to customize your private or public game forum.

So in conclusion, look to the web and embrace it to find your new group of players and the future of the hobby.  WotC is starting to realize it and has made the mass move to this market.  The only other way I could see the market seeing your material is getting a TV commercial, but I don’t see any of us gamers with the capital to do such a thing. ;)