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D&D Survey Results
Dungeons & Dragons Survey Results
During the months of March and April, we had a survey regarding D&D online. This was posted in as many forums as we could think of, and we encouraged others to forward the link to it, so that it would reach even further.
 
In the end, over 1,400 people responded. If it had run longer, we would have reached more, but we had to cut it at some point.


We purposely did not state who posted the survey. There were a few edits (like adding OD&D) that we would have liked to make, but once the survey was posted, nothing could be added or edited.

 

We've made general comments on many of the results. These are below the final question.

 

If anyone would like more detailed results, please feel free to email us at dndsurveyresults@gmail.com

 

We at Gamers Rule thank everyone who took the time to complete our survey. We hope that this information helps the gaming community in some small way.

 

Oh, and please feel free to wander around our site, and don't forget to visit us at Gen Con (booth #1258).

 

 

Questions and Answers

1. Do you currently play (any version of) Dungeons & Dragons?

93.49%

Yes

6.51%

No

 

2. Do you have a game store near you (NOT a mass-market store like Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart, Target, etc.)?

75.44%

Yes

24.56%

No

 

3. Which version(s) do you play (all that you have been a player in during the last 60 days)?

(Total 156.87%)

5.41%

Basic

9.14%

1st Edition AD&D

8.19%

2nd Edition AD&D

17.91%

3rd Edition/3.5

39.47%

Pathfinder

29.90%

4th

2.05%

Homebrew based on Basic

4.24%

Homebrew based on 1st Edition AD&D

3.73%

Homebrew based on 2nd Edition AD&D

5.34%

Homebrew based on 3rd Edition/3.5

6.36%

Homebrew based on Pathfinder

3.80%

Homebrew based on 4th

7.82%

I haven't played in the past 60 days

13.52%

I have only DMed in the past 60 days

 

4. Which version(s) do you run (check all that you have DMed in the past 60 days)?

(Total 138.45%)

5.70%

Basic

7.60%

1st Edition AD&D

6.58%

2nd Edition AD&D

12.50%

3rd Edition/3.5

33.85%

Pathfinder

25.95%

4th

2.92%

Homebrew based on Basic

4.24%

Homebrew based on 1st Edition AD&D

3.29%

Homebrew based on 2nd Edition AD&D

5.41%

Homebrew based on 3rd Edition/3.5

5.77%

Homebrew based on Pathfinder

3.73%

Homebrew based on 4th

7.24%

I haven't played in the past 60 days

13.67%

I have only been a player in the past 60 days

 

5. Where do you play (check any location you’ve played in during the last year)?

(Total 178.29%)

67.40%

My house

63.74%

Friend's house

19.66%

Local game/comic store

12.79%

Convention

6.87%

Local public location (library, etc)

0.44%

Local book store (Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, etc)

5.92%

Online

0.37%

Outdoors/cabin/camping

0.73%

School

0.37%

None

 

6. How often do you usually play D&D?

16.08%

More than once a week

38.38%

Once a week

23.98%

Twice a month

9.80%

Once a month

3.29%

Once every couple months

3.07%

A couple times a year

0.51%

Once a year

4.97%

Other

 

7. What was the first year you played D&D?

Average Year

1989

Median (Middle Date)

1986

Most Common Year

1980

 

8. What was the first version you played (as a player)?

39.18%

Basic

23.25%

1st Edition AD&D

19.23%

2nd Edition AD&D

12.57%

3rd Edition/3.5

0.37%

Pathfinder

2.34%

4th

0.51%

Homebrew based on Basic

1.17%

Homebrew based on 1st Edition AD&D

0.44%

Homebrew based on 2nd Edition AD&D

0.22%

Homebrew based on 3rd Edition/3.5

0.00%

Homebrew based on Pathfinder

0.00%

Homebrew based on 4th

0.73%

I've always been the DM

 

What was the first version you played (as a player)?

29.82%

Basic

20.54%

1st Edition AD&D

17.62%

2nd Edition AD&D

17.98%

3rd Edition/3.5

2.12%

Pathfinder

5.99%

4th

0.29%

Homebrew based on Basic

0.73%

Homebrew based on 1st Edition AD&D

0.73%

Homebrew based on 2nd Edition AD&D

0.51%

Homebrew based on 3rd Edition/3.5

0.07%

Homebrew based on Pathfinder

0.22%

Homebrew based on 4th

3.36%

I've never DMed a game

 

9. What is your favorite version of D&D?

4.31%

Basic

8.48%

1st Edition AD&D

8.19%

2nd Edition AD&D

10.38%

3rd Edition/3.5

30.99%

Pathfinder

20.47%

4th

3.65%

Not Sure

13.52%

REALLY not sure (tough call, 2 or more are close)

 

10. Where did you find out about this survey?

7.24%

Emailed to me

15.94%

ENWorld

1.32%

Facebook

9.43%

Miniatures-related site

44.89%

Roleplaying-related site (including Paizo, as we couldn't add it as a separate option)

4.61%

Twitter

12.94%

WotC Forums

3.95%

Other

 

11. What is your age?

2.49%

Less than 20

20.61%

20-29

43.71%

30-39

29.17%

40-49

3.29%

50-59

0.73%

60+

 

12. What is your gender?

94.15%

Male

5.12%

Female

 

13. Where do you live (state if in the US, country if outside the US)?

5

AL

6

AK

20

AZ

2

AR

94

CA

24

CO

14

CT

2

DE

2

DC

58

FL

21

GA

2

HI

4

ID

37

IL

24

IN

9

IA

9

KS

9

KY

11

LA

3

ME

36

MD

31

MA

37

MI

19

MN

3

MS

20

MO

2

MT

13

NE

6

NV

6

NH

21

NJ

6

NM

47

NY

15

NC

2

ND

40

OH

9

OK

15

OR

40

PA

2

RI

9

SC

4

SD

13

TN

67

TX

17

UT

4

VT

37

VA

46

WA

6

WV

22

WI

4

WY

1

PR

 

 

35

Australia

1

Austria

4

Belgium

4

Brazil

135

Canada

3

Chile

1

Croatia

1

Czech Republic

7

Denmark

1

Egypt

1

Europe

9

Finland

14

France

22

Germany

4

Greece

1

Hong Kong

1

Hungary

1

India

3

Israel

12

Italy

2

Japan

9

Netherlands

6

New Zealand

5

Norway

1

Peru

1

Philippines

2

Poland

2

Russia

2

Serbia

2

Singapore

1

Slovenia

2

South Korea

6

Spain

7

Sweden

4

Switzerland

1

Taiwan

70

United Kingdom

2

Uruguay

 

Our Summary/Thoughts 
  • There are more people who live in areas that don't have gaming stores than we would have thought, and I think a lot of people don't realize it.
  • When people listed the editions that they are currently playing, approximately half play two or more editions.
  • More people who responded to our survey play Pathfinder than 4th Edition, which was somewhat unexpected, as it's certainly not true for the people we know.
  • Over 17% of people who responded weren't sure which edition they preferred. With "edition wars" being discussed, we expected people to be far more passionate for one edition.
  • It really surprised us that less than 20% had played at their local store in the last year (not the last month, but the last year!).
  • Over 88% of people who responded play once a month or more often. Two-thirds play at a friend's house, and two-thirds play at home. (Again, lots of people play at more than one location.)
  • More people who responded started in 1980 than any other year, and half of the respondents started before 1986. Almost no one (less than one-half of one percent) started with Pathfinder, and less than three percent started with 4th Edition. To us, this says that the industry isn't finding a way to reach the younger generation, and hasn't been for quite a while. This also could mean that simple (quick PC creation, few rules to learn) is better.
  • We got responses from 39 different countries, and all 50 states (plus Puerto Rico).