Increasing Traveller's popularity.
- Thread starter Blue Ghost
- Start date
online Gaming
As you might recall I did a poll earlier in the year that showed about 1/2 the people we're not doing online gaming.
http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=29613
I also did an inquiry asking who saw Traveller RPG at conventions. I received no replies. I did not see it at DragonCon but did see S1889. So you might be correct in direction but face-to-face may only be 50% of the gamers.
As you might recall I did a poll earlier in the year that showed about 1/2 the people we're not doing online gaming.
http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=29613
I also did an inquiry asking who saw Traveller RPG at conventions. I received no replies. I did not see it at DragonCon but did see S1889. So you might be correct in direction but face-to-face may only be 50% of the gamers.
Jeff M. Hopper
SOC-14 1K
Savage, I have been working on running Traveller demos at conventions and also at local stores because RPGs are a social hobby at their core. Shonner means well with his G+ suggestion, but since you must be invited to join G+ and get into a group the entry barrier is higher than if you have a game in public that can be watched or joined in.
Not sure what this has to do with anything?
Are you saying that Traveller players don't go to conventions? Just more reason to play it in G+ Hangouts on any day, rather than travel across country in hopes there is a game that one weekend of the year.
I'd argue it's easier to find and play Traveller in a G+ Hangout than it is to find and play Traveller in a store or convention one happens to be at. It's even easier to watch an online game than to be hovering around a session's table.
SpaceBadger
SOC-14 1K
Since this appears to be at least partially a reply to my post (hard to say with no quoting...) I'll answer.
I am already running a campaign here as Play-by-Post - see links in my sig.
I don't have time for another campaign; I was only speaking of one-shot scenarios to introduce new players.
If I am running a new scenario to introduce new players to Traveller, I think face-to-face would be best for that, to be able to answer questions, point out rules entries, etc. Hence the reference to nearby SF conventions.
conventions
Shonner,
All I am suggesting is that no one replied to my convention thread inquiry but COTI poll stats show that only 50% of the market would be interested at this point.
I think you have a good idea with G+ but it won't reach everyone.
Jeff Hopper,
This is very good news. Thanks for the update.
Shonner,
All I am suggesting is that no one replied to my convention thread inquiry but COTI poll stats show that only 50% of the market would be interested at this point.
I think you have a good idea with G+ but it won't reach everyone.
Jeff Hopper,
This is very good news. Thanks for the update.
Your poll is closed for some reason. So it's not really up on current events.
I got three invites today to three different Hangout Traveller games from players that are new to Traveller and I haven't played with. And that's just today. In April, I was getting no invites.
Registering on G+ and joining a Hangout is far easier than registering for a convention and then signing up to play Traveller at a table.
Some forum visitors may only be interested in communicating via forums (or WebRing sites) and not use Hangout. That's fine. But there are more and more future Traveller players every month discovering and playing the game through RPG Hangouts.
They're not mutually exclusive. But I have found that at conventions, at least the multi-day ones, people tend to be more experimental; more open to trying something different. This can make for a better recruiting venue.
Traveller has been around for decades. Conventions have had plenty of time to try their recruitment thing. Where else have you tried recruiting Traveller? Or were you talking about 1-day game shows you tried at before?
COTI Polling
Well, I don't think the market has changed in months. However, I do think that we're seeing a growth in online tabletop gaming activities like Traveller. The sites are improving. Conventions are still a very, viable location for gaming recruitment and making new associations. My point is that I believe they're underutilized.
Perhaps most recruits are coming from Kickstarter and other RPG converts by their Refs. I converted my former gaming group from AD&D, etc.
Well, I don't think the market has changed in months. However, I do think that we're seeing a growth in online tabletop gaming activities like Traveller. The sites are improving. Conventions are still a very, viable location for gaming recruitment and making new associations. My point is that I believe they're underutilized.
Perhaps most recruits are coming from Kickstarter and other RPG converts by their Refs. I converted my former gaming group from AD&D, etc.
None of my new players have heard about any kickstarter. They ask me what version of Traveller we were playing, after the first session, and they go an buy the Mongoose books so they can start refereeing games. None of them visit any Traveller forums. Forums are dying out. These are the 20-year-old crowd, using their phones to watch videos of Traveller reviews.
Where did they find out about the Trav reviews that they are watching on their phones?
Jeff M. Hopper
SOC-14 1K
So does the 40+ year old crowd that I belong to.
However, if there are no games being played for people to watch, then it is hard to expose them.
G+ Hangout is great for internet play, but one of the appeals of a tabletop RPG is that it is a social activity that happens outside of the internet.
One of the things I'd like to stipulate is this; make the game fun and easy to play. Seriously, the vehicle building rules for all iterations of the game, are somewhat daunting, and only get more complex as newer versions of the game are published.
If you keep the vehicle and starship combat simplified, then I think the RPing aspect of Traveller will be that much more enticing. The old Snapshot scenarios like the escaped animals or hijack attempt were a real hoot to run without the Action-Point system.
If you keep your game sessions simple, then more people will come. That way when you run those suggested scenarios, things'll be that much more fun.
If you keep the vehicle and starship combat simplified, then I think the RPing aspect of Traveller will be that much more enticing. The old Snapshot scenarios like the escaped animals or hijack attempt were a real hoot to run without the Action-Point system.
If you keep your game sessions simple, then more people will come. That way when you run those suggested scenarios, things'll be that much more fun.
Just browsing YouTube for sci-fi RPGs. They don't know how crunchy or not Mongoose is compared to what they've already looked at (Shadowrun, Eclipse Phase, Fate, GURPS, Stars Without Numbers, Rogue Trader, Star Wars, Dr. Who, BRP, Savage Worlds, etc.).
I tell them to download the Starter Traveller edition. Then I explain the Mongoose version I use after they've had a chance to look through the classic stuff. That's when they have a comparison of how crunchy/abstract Traveller can be compared to the game they've been playing before ever hearing about Traveller. They come to me because I have 100+ Traveller videos.
youtube
Whoa! I'll have to look for them. Mongoose should pay you. What can you possible have to say?:rofl:
Whoa! I'll have to look for them. Mongoose should pay you. What can you possible have to say?:rofl:
Traveller is just a hobby for me.
I ask general questions about RPGing and mention how Mongoose does things. The videos are not labeled as Traveller only. I go over topics like combat, ship building, damage, skill advancement, generics, character aging, dragons in sci-fi, astronauts in D&D. I use Mongoose as my base when comparing other RPGs.
I ask general questions about RPGing and mention how Mongoose does things. The videos are not labeled as Traveller only. I go over topics like combat, ship building, damage, skill advancement, generics, character aging, dragons in sci-fi, astronauts in D&D. I use Mongoose as my base when comparing other RPGs.
The Community Portal on the wiki has as many links to Traveller sites as I can find and are still active.
