NeoGrognard

As a long-term RPGA guy, the first thing I did upon moving to Seattle all those years ago was to find the local group. I was both surprised and delighted to find the Seattle Mob hosted by some folks at Wizards of the Coast. The main host was a capital fellow name Jeff Quick. He was the editor of Polyhedron and a bastion of RPGA sanity. Jeff was firmly Chaotic Good (also known as the no-car alignment) and every so often I’d drive him up to the University District for our monthly game days at the WotC Game Center in the University District. That place was a lightning bolt, and I sorely miss it.

One particularly rainy day, about a year before the release of 3rd Edition, I remember Jeff asking me a very solemn question:“Stephen, what can be done to make D&D mainstream?”

Though 3e was announced, nerd rage was quiet and distant. It was diffused by the state of the internet in the 90s (ah, groups) the fact that only a few of us were still playing 2nd Edition AD&D. And many who did were playing a heavily house ruled version of it. Third edition was exciting, because D&D was about to be resurrected.

You would have thought I’d be anxious about answering that question.

I love the fact that D&D is unlike any other game on the planet (though it launched many copycats and reactions). I’m not talking about not needing a board (I’m a minis guy, I’ve used minis and a battle grid since 1e), it having freaky dice (a cluttering of polyhedrons) or its nutzoid jargon. But those are cool. What makes it unique is its elasticity. It only has the boundaries we give it. More mainstream games not only have strictly defined boundaries, they also tend to be very constrained.

But it didn’t make me anxious. Because my answer was simple, to the point, and I don’t think it made Jeff happy.

“Nothing. I don’t think D&D will ever be mainstream.”  

I know, I wasn’t thinking. D&D is mainstream. It has huge brand recognition, at least its name does. People know that the nerdiest of the nerds nerd around with it. But it’s not accepted by the mainstream as something that “normal” people should spend their time doing. Mainstream culture looks at us with concern and puzzlement. And when you see trailers for The Dungeon Masters, you can understand why.

(And no, I haven’t seen The Dungeon Masters, but it’s on Comcast OnDemand, so I’m sure I’ll be watching it sometime this weekend. I’m also sure that I’ll love parts of it and be horrified by other parts.)

Right now D&D is judged by its outliers. Why? Because that’s all most people see. Most people have an exaggerated view of the D&D fan, because many D&D fans are ashamed of their hobby. The “normal” gamers scatter like rats when the spotlight comes around.

Learn from those outliers. They’re not afraid of their geek. And not just the outliers in RPGs. People paint their entire body when to go to watch football. Dressing up like the people of Mad Men has become vogue in some circles. Some men love their motorcycles more than their wives.  We are all geeky about something. In modern culture where we spend the majority of our time in the fluorescent flicker of gray cube walls, our geek passions give us color. And this world needs more color.  

Sitting here, more than 10 years after that conversation with Jeff, I here to tell you I realize now I was dead wrong. While I don’t think D&D will ever be as mainstream as Snooki, Baseball, or Glenn Beck, I don’t know if that’s a bad thing. I do think it can be as “mainstream” as the Arcade Fire, roller derby, and The Soup. Our mass culture has become so massive that it is splitting into sub-masscultures, and I know that D&D has a firm and positive place in one or more of those. We just have to reinforce the fun while accepting our outliers. We will not get everyone, but we will make a lot of new friends.

Now do I think you have to go volunteer running D&D Encounters or Pathfinder Society every week? No. Not everyone has that kind of time. But commit to the following:

• Always treat those RPGers who volunteer to run local games with the greatest respect. Especially if they are your current GM.
• When someone you know wants to learn how to play RPGs, either teach them yourself, or recommend a local gaming group that can teach them.
• When someone asks what RPGs are like, focus on the fun and exciting aspects, not on some in-game argument or edition war. Few people like angry hobbies.
• Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself and your hobby. Sometimes we are funny. That’s a good thing.
• Go to public game event as often as you can. At least once a year. You might want to make it Gen Con.

 I remember when I first started working at Wizards of the Coast, Jeff gave me some advice. He said, “Stephen, protect your inner geek.” It was good advice, but I never had to heed it. I found out I had no inner geek to protect. I was fully geek, out and about in the world, and doing whatever the fuck I want. Usually that involves playing some Dungeons & Dragons.

 Join me? Just a little?

I knew that eventually the IT Crowd would tackle RPGs. Not a fair view, but a funny one. I want to play the unicorn man!