It's good that we got some newer players in their 20s, but what we really need to snag to keep the hobby alive is the 8-11 year olds. These are the folks being lured away by collectible card and electronic games. We need a new generation of imagination junkies.
The original gamers were readers. They could handle a 300-400 page rulebook because their love for RPGs was fuelled by their love of the fictional genre a particular game was based on. Our potential crop of younger players don't necessarily have that foundation, and there are a lot more competitors for their time and money.
I ran into role-playing late in high school, then kept it up during and after college. Today's card and miniatures games could possibly lead to role-playing, if a kid is willing to read like I was and become the referee for his friends. But the easier and more seductive route is to sign up for Runescape at the local public library's computer bays. My first attempt to introduce my kids to role-playing, using Teenagers From Outer Space, was a failure. My son said he didn't like "imagination games." On the other hand, my kids like more miniatures oriented games such as Monster Island or Hero Clix. A second attempt with toys as props using the Buck Rogers High Adventure Cliffhangers game was more successful.
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