Okay, it would seem to me that about 50% of the gaming community is unhappy with 4th Edition.
This is bad. If 50% of a gaming group doesn't show up to play, the campaign is probably over.
4th Edition has sold well (my friends and I all bought the gift set), however profit margins for the
initial release were obviously following a video game console's business model.
That is to sell the platform for nothing, and make profits off of further releases.
My group purchased 4 boxed sets but will no longer support the game due to poor mechanics.
We just couldn't make it work. Customized soundtracks, liberal handouts, and deep storytelling
did little to overcome the tedious, miniature-based combat system 4th edition was founded on.
Oh, we tried.
My oh my how we tried! House rules worked initially, but slowed the game down
due to the weight of having to convert virtually everything. Some of the changes 4th offered were good,
but overall we were too bogged down.
Set up takes forever when every encounter is dependent on complex tile by tile layout.
We found our suspension of disbelief constantly assaulted by nit picky character resources.
Healing surges and milestones felt too forced when we attempted to create a gritty atmosphere.
Combat in 3rd Edition got unruly at high levels, but 4th Edition is tedious right out of the gate.
Some players actually fell asleep during a fight!
This feeling of disappointment is new to us, in terms of D&D. Most of us started playing
in the early 90's and we freely combined elements of 1st and 2nd Editions. Occasionally,
we would play other systems as well. Nevertheless, we were always up for something new.
When time would permit, my friends and I
NEVER failed to have a heck of a time. None of us were
outcasts, yet we constantly found reasons to bail on social gatherings to make our weekly game.
As we got older, 3rd Edition was released. Though not perfect, the welcome changes revitalized our youth.
Character and customization was taken to the extreme. 3rd parties reveled in a Golden Age,
and we were all the more merry because of it. Times were good. Sure, combat got a little
wonky at high levels and the XP system made no sense, but this could be overlooked.
Eventually we all moved on to MMO's out of convenience. In the backs of our heads, PnP,
would once again find its way into our hearts when the new edition was unveiled.
Much to our horror, this was not the case. Our favorite pastime had been replaced with sloppy,
ill-conceived MMO rules. Well, let me tell ya friends, MMO's have a long way to go in their own right.
I'm sure future generations of this genre will be closer to what Gygax created for the table top,
but at this time it's not even close. We only play em 'cause we can, not because they're good.
PnP was a safe haven from this, so why did the developers burn it down?
A responsibility existed to create something that would endure. Money and Trademarks are powerful tools.
These tools were misused. I'm sorry, but there is no excuse for farting in the faces of those who made your jobs possible.
I know you didn't set out to make a bad game. I know you tried.
But I don't care, because your intentions were foul. $th Edition sprang from a business model,
not the other way around. Don't treat us like idiots. The enforced miniatures, online components,
and unfinished core content are telling signs that can't be argued. However,
through all the poor scheming, you forgot the most important business component of all.
You forgot to make a majority of your players
happy.
I only hope the heads of Wizards learn from their mistakes or get replaced.
I'm compassionate enough to feel sad when people lose their jobs, but too much is at stake here.
Too many hopes and dreams are being shattered each day when people play this unsettling
facsimile of the precious gem that was Dungeons & Dragons.
Video game mechanics work better in video games. I see no reason for a newcomer to replace their digital entertainment
for an analog version.
WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU OFFERING US?
I'm not intentionally being a troll, but I had to speak out. My heart has been broken.
Thanks
WotC 
For those of you who enjoy this hardcore miniature business with lite RP, I hope you're enjoying yourselves.
I predict your ship will sail before you know it...
Linear Mode
And yet another word from our sponsors
