Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Broken Base Lookback: Editions
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="innerdude" data-source="post: 5725429" data-attributes="member: 85870"><p>I get the gist and sentiment of this argument, but disagree with the premise. </p><p></p><p>A fractured "base" is "bad" for me as a gamer, because even if I could buy every RPG in the world that suited my whim (though seemingly a lot of people on ENWorld attempt to do just that <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />), my RPG playing time is limited by <em>scarcity.</em> </p><p></p><p>Why is it that when we find a good RPG group we hang on to it with a death-grip? Because for many gamers, finding and keeping a good group together is the hardest part of the hobby. </p><p></p><p>If the group I currently played with decided to move to 4e, I would essentially be out of a group, because I have enough fundamental problems with the system to never want to play it. At that point, unless I wanted to "search around" for a new group that was playing something else, my actual RPG playing time would cease. Based on my current "life conditions," finding a new group as a working professional with family responsibilities is going to be difficult (and no, I don't consider play-by-post, or play-by-Web to be in the same category). </p><p></p><p>The value of a "unified" player base/edition is that it gives players <em>more overall opportunities for successful play</em>. </p><p></p><p>That's why a broken player base is bad. </p><p></p><p>That's why Edition Wars happen. Yes, they're often about misplaced emotion and lack of maturity. But in a very real way, Edition Wars happen because those involved are fighting for their opportunities to enjoy the type of game they want to play to not be reduced. </p><p></p><p>All of us as players are invested in the types of games we have enjoyed in the past. When a system that previously accomplished that goal is no longer actively supported by the parent company, in most circumstances it reduces available play options, because players more often than not support the active system, not the defunct one. </p><p></p><p>The broad availability of thousands of RPG systems, mainstream and indie alike, is a good thing--can be a good thing, if it leads to us ultimately finding a system we enjoy, and a group of people that enjoy the same playstyle.</p><p></p><p>On the other hand, forcing gamers to choose between adopting a new system they don't particularly like, or finding a different gaming group that plays the style they do like, is a recipe for a fractured player base, lapsed gamers, and lost revenue for the industry. A new edition change is in some ways, essentially begging the question: "Do we as a playing group move on to the new system, or stay with the status quo?" </p><p></p><p>There are stories all across ENWorld and elsewhere of people "losing" their group because the group switched to a game system the player disliked, and couldn't convince the other players to stick with the current one.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="innerdude, post: 5725429, member: 85870"] I get the gist and sentiment of this argument, but disagree with the premise. A fractured "base" is "bad" for me as a gamer, because even if I could buy every RPG in the world that suited my whim (though seemingly a lot of people on ENWorld attempt to do just that :)), my RPG playing time is limited by [I]scarcity.[/I] Why is it that when we find a good RPG group we hang on to it with a death-grip? Because for many gamers, finding and keeping a good group together is the hardest part of the hobby. If the group I currently played with decided to move to 4e, I would essentially be out of a group, because I have enough fundamental problems with the system to never want to play it. At that point, unless I wanted to "search around" for a new group that was playing something else, my actual RPG playing time would cease. Based on my current "life conditions," finding a new group as a working professional with family responsibilities is going to be difficult (and no, I don't consider play-by-post, or play-by-Web to be in the same category). The value of a "unified" player base/edition is that it gives players [I]more overall opportunities for successful play[/I]. That's why a broken player base is bad. That's why Edition Wars happen. Yes, they're often about misplaced emotion and lack of maturity. But in a very real way, Edition Wars happen because those involved are fighting for their opportunities to enjoy the type of game they want to play to not be reduced. All of us as players are invested in the types of games we have enjoyed in the past. When a system that previously accomplished that goal is no longer actively supported by the parent company, in most circumstances it reduces available play options, because players more often than not support the active system, not the defunct one. The broad availability of thousands of RPG systems, mainstream and indie alike, is a good thing--can be a good thing, if it leads to us ultimately finding a system we enjoy, and a group of people that enjoy the same playstyle. On the other hand, forcing gamers to choose between adopting a new system they don't particularly like, or finding a different gaming group that plays the style they do like, is a recipe for a fractured player base, lapsed gamers, and lost revenue for the industry. A new edition change is in some ways, essentially begging the question: "Do we as a playing group move on to the new system, or stay with the status quo?" There are stories all across ENWorld and elsewhere of people "losing" their group because the group switched to a game system the player disliked, and couldn't convince the other players to stick with the current one. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Broken Base Lookback: Editions
Top