Good points. I think it's less that they're attractive people and more that they're all actors who can really get into character. Critical Role makes an extremely strong argument that role play in a role playing game is as, if not more, satisfying that just straight fighting. It really had an impression on me and how I play. I'd agree that Kickstarter also came around at the right time to allow normal people to put their games out there. I don't now much about the Euro games scene you're talking about, but I'd love to learn more. I personally have more fun trying to set up a successful bar that the city of Waterdeep gifted us (because it was haunted; the ghost is now our spectral bartender) than I do going out and fighting and dungeoning. One of the games I own am eager to run with some people is called Ryuutama. It's Japanese, and it's more about just traveling around and doing different types of adventures than it is about fighting and big world-size quests. A peaceful type TTRPG. The 80s is definitely strong in the tabletop market now. There are a lot of throwback games coming out like Dungeon Crawl Classics that hearken back to the old AD&D playstyles of the 80s and 90s. It's a fun time. I wish I wasn't so locked up in multiple games per week of 5th Edition D&D because I'd love to try out some different stuff. And, yeah, there are definitely a lot more women out there now. My former lady-friend (who I watch CR with) is the one that suggested we start actually playing, so even after we broke up, we developed this D&D bond, and she's more hardcore about it than I am. It's literally one of those in-roads I'm hoping will assist in an eventual reconciliation (along with me getting my personal **** together, of course.)
I don't really know how any of it works, other than the idea is to tell a story together. Think for me, my interest would be in using our collective intelligence as party to beat other players or groups to an objective. Think I like a competitive aspect somehow through gameplay. As opposed to the journey. That might mean one DM for several different parties, and whoever plays the better game wins. Not sure how that would work. But think it adds an element of risk and reward that is needed rather than the party always wins.
