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Tabletop RPGs Are Poised For A Comeback! Thanks, Internet

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By Suzanne Wallace

Even before I was an uncloseted gamer, I've never felt like tabletop games were on the wane. It's true that they're not included in mainstream media, at least not yet (looking at you, new Dungeons & Dragons movie). But despite their current niche designation, tabletop RPGs are always being produced, and there's been a delightful boom of new games being released in the last 10 years.

That said, it's tough publishing tabletop games. Living in Seattle, I get to meet up with some of these designers, and there's nothing better than being a fly on the wall as they vent about the highs and lows of the industry. Game publishers are some of the cleverest commentators on how people think, because they have to design their games around the complexities of the human brain. Even so, lots of them make peanuts from the profits of their work. They keep at it because it's their dream and they're passionate about crafting wonderful, entertaining stories, but it can be very tricky making tabletop game design your day job.

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Slowly but surely, the digital age is changing all that. Thank goodness.

A ton of things have come around to improve the tabletop RPG world. Kickstarter made it feasible to fund new projects, DriveThruRPG created a platform to sell digital versions of games, and Roll20 gave us a virtual tabletop to play those games online.

I realize I'm hardly impartial, but I honestly think that Roll20 is leading a significant development in the structure of the tabletop industry. We've grown from an initial 1,500 to over 1.5 million users, so that alone serves as proof that the industry (or at least its audience) is developing. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that the primary purpose of the platform is to make it as easy as possible to play the games you want to play. The base subscription is free – and it isn't a halfway product. It's the entire basic platform and it includes the tools you need to play (dice, card decks, the grid, etc). You can wake up on a Saturday morning, roll out of bed, head over to your computer, and sip your morning coffee while playing Pathfinder or The Burning Wheel with your friends. And I have done this.

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Even better, you can do it with a few clicks of your mouse – meaning there's no clearing off your dining room table, no setting up the grid and miniatures, no spilling your coffee over everything and apologizing while you run for a towel. I have also done this.

What's more, it has the potential to make it easier for publishers to make money off their work. Roll20 is always working towards this, chatting with publishers about making officially licensed modules to sell on our Marketplace. We already have some of these available, like Monte Cook Games' The Strange and Avery Mcdaldo's The Quiet Year.

Whether you're an experienced tabletop gamer or not, you have way more opportunities to play a game with your friends, wherever they are. And the industry isn't done adjusting to the new age – a change is gonna come, and I'm super ready for it.

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Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
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