GURPS Market share

[Rasputin]

Originally Posted by flyingwombat

An incomplete list of reasons why D&D has the biggest market are:

1. It is first RPG. Most RPGers first started with D&D
2. Large amount of shelf space at game, book, and toy stores.
3. Lots and Lots of products are produced
4. Lot of gamers don't want to to switch for a given reason.

• The name.

Seriously, Gygax may have had a nasty divorce, but he owed his wife for the name, big time. Could you imagine talking how for the last 36 years the most popular RPG is The Fantasy Game?

[Rasputin]

Originally Posted by Bruno

It's a lot easier to defend your hobby to your parents if you can say "Oh, we're not like THOSE guys. We hang out at <GAME STORE> and there are strict rules against weapons and touching. Totally safe, the game store doesn't want the insurance liability problem."

That's the image most folks have of us nowadays. Not mysterious psychos, just dorks. Which is accurate, albeit much less fun.

[quixon]

I guess I am a "gronard" lol. I started playing DnD back when the 1st edition Players Handbook came out(1980 or so)....But They lost me on the 3.5/4th editions. I have the original 'Gurps Man to Man' books (all counters still lol), didn't like GURPS that much then, now? 4th edition? hell yeah love it. No clue what market share is at this point (obvisouly DnD still number 1) but I can't see ever going back lol

[Lupo]

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

Not just that, but if you're running or hosting a "Boffer LARP" you need a higher insurance coverage and injury waivers signed by all the participants, failing to obtain both of those leads to some serious liability issues, both for the venue and for the event organizers.

This is largely a myth. All groups I know use a very basic insurance coverage (if they have one at all). The kind of "you must be joking" insurance coverage that will pay you 8 € in compensation for each day you are hospitalized, or 10.000 € if you permanently lose an arm :)
(of course the situation is very different, I am referring to insurances that pay you in addition to medical expenses, since in Europe 99% of medical expenses will be covered by the national healthcare system).

All it takes is one injury and that venue will likely stop renting/permitting games to be run on the premises.

This is true. Unluckily, you risk this will happen no matter how many insurances / injury waivers you have. If some poor fellow falls down and die while playing a LARP, it is very likely the venue won't host LARPs anymore, regardless of insurances and waivers. It is also likely you'll have to contact a lawyer :)

On the other hand, injuries are very rare and in most cases they're self-inflicted and not serious at all (e.g., players slips on the wet floor and bruises his knee, or something like that). As an organizer I've had my share of "injured" players and that never caused legal problems (also because not everywhere people are 'compulsive suers' as in the US ^^)

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by Lupo

On the other hand, injuries are very rare and in most cases they're self-inflicted and not serious at all (e.g., players slips on the wet floor and bruises his knee, or something like that). As an organizer I've had my share of "injured" players and that never caused legal problems (also because not everywhere people are 'compulsive suers' as in the US ^^)

A player slips on the wet floor and bruises his knee and you as the organizer along with the venue are now fully liable for his medical expenses, his lost wages, and his permanent impairment.

Depending on who the person is and what they do for a living, your liability can easily reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

[Joseph Paul]

This may not be true in other countries with different laws and liability caps. Just saying.

[Lupo]

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

A player slips on the wet floor and bruises his knee and you as the organizer along with the venue are now fully liable for his medical expenses, his lost wages, and his permanent impairment.

Depending on who the person is and what they do for a living, your liability can easily reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

I know. This is the theory.*
Real life, luckily, works in a total different way.
If it did work as you say, everybody would spend his whole day locked up in his own home, for fear of causing damages to somebody else... all human activities have risks and liabilities, but luckily people continue to do them.

* Btw, even the theory is flawed. Details depend on the country / legal system, but if somebody slips on the wet floor, the organizer/venues are liable only if they failed to take appropriate precautions to prevent the accident. E.g. restaurants put the "caution - wet floor" signs for a reason... "Liability" does not mean "everything is your fault". The injured person will need to prove that the accident is the organizers' fault (and not his own recklessness, or just bad luck, or somebody else's fault.)

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by Lupo

I know. This is the theory.*
Real life, luckily, works in a total different way.
If it did work as you say, everybody would spend his whole day locked up in his own home, for fear of causing damages to somebody else... all human activities have risks and liabilities, but luckily people continue to do them.

* Btw, even the theory is flawed. Details depend on the country / legal system, but if somebody slips on the wet floor, the organizer/venues are liable only if they failed to take appropriate precautions to prevent the accident. E.g. restaurants put the "caution - wet floor" signs for a reason... "Liability" does not mean "everything is your fault". The injured person will need to prove that the accident is the organizers' fault (and not his own recklessness, or just bad luck, or somebody else's fault.)

True it depends on the country/legal system, but putting up the wet floor sign only reduces liability, but it does not eliminate it entirely.

The real problem, is that even if the venue/organizers win and have to pay a negligible, or no amount in damages, they've still had to go through the costly trial process, which puts a major damper on wanting to risk that type of liability again.

[Mettius]

This is an old thread, but I found it as I was looking for an answer.

According to ICv2, GURPS doesn't make the top 5 (in sales). (But how could it, when new releases are years apart). ;)

http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/21403.html

[the adventurer]

World of Darkness not making the top five is also a huge blow. I haven't been following White Wolf's recent history, but they sold their assets and pretty much bowed out of new releases in the last few years, right?

The RPG landscape sure is different then it was a few years ago. GURPS, and their focus on digital sales seems positively strong with the level of support SJG still continues to provide. Even if they've pulled out of physical book sales in a big way (GURPS Horror was the last planed HC for the foreseeable future right?)

Its pretty clear that Digital is the face of near future pnpRPGing, SJG at least looks like they're one of the best on top of that trend.