Edition wars...a GOOD thing? or if not, an APPROPRIATE thing?

[Raven Crowking]

Exactly.

(And remember, my horse in this race is going to come in dead last no matter what happens; I am not a fan of 3e, 4e, or Pathfinder. I don't like 1e or 2e enough to go back to it. Conversely, I like parts of all of these editions enough to want a game that can steal adventures and concepts from any of them. My "side" is a fantasy heartbreaker with no chance of even placing.)

 

[thecasualoblivion]

Which brings up the next point: Why shouldn't I be able to talk about where I find 4E has improved upon 3E? I have to say there is something wrong with the community where stating my preference for the new edition and the reasons for it makes certain people feel the need fight back.

The way I see it is this: A person who prefers 3E means nothing to me, because I have 4E. WotC is producing game materials for me to buy, and the 4E community, both in online discussions and in real life play has been sufficient for my gaming needs. People who prefer 3E generally never were on board with 4E, so I lose nothing. I have books to buy every month, I have Character Builder, I have vibrant 4E communities here, RPGnet and WotC, I have 2 1/2 weekly gaming sessions, the future looks bright, and life is great.

A 3E fan on the other hand can be troubled by somebody who prefers 4E. WotC is only supporting 4E, and people purchasing 4E in sufficient numbers puts the nails in the coffin of WotC going back and supporting 3E again. The 3E community is smaller than it was before the release of 4E, and the vast majority of current 4E players were taken from the 3E community.

 

[Raven Crowking]

Which brings up the next point: Why shouldn't I be able to talk about where I find 4E has improved upon 3E?

You should be able to. If "certain people feel the need fight back", that is their own fault.

It cuts both ways.


RC

 

[thecasualoblivion]

You should be able to. If "certain people feel the need fight back", that is their own fault.

It cuts both ways.


RC

So where is the cut then? I would say it lies with insults. In the other Edition War Meta thread, the phrase "what were the designers smoking" was used in combination of an opinion critical of 4E. I see a lot of people who need to add some sort of insult with their criticism. At the same time, I can say that I like that 4E has balanced the game, a statement critical of 3E but one that I find no insult in, and some people will take that as an insult, and respond with snark.


In addition to the insults, one of the things I have seen in this "edition war" from the very beginning is people agreeing with the trolls. Both sides are equally guilty of this. This happens when somebody says something inflammatory like the "what were the designers smoking" comment, and people who agree with the underlying opinion pat the aggressive poster on the back for his opinion while ignoring and condoning the snark.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

What I've noticed is that one side in the Edition Wars is composed of sniveling whiners, while the other side is composed of stoic super-heroic poetic folks.

 

[DanFor]

A 3E fan on the other hand can be troubled by somebody who prefers 4E. WotC is only supporting 4E, and people purchasing 4E in sufficient numbers puts the nails in the coffin of WotC going back and supporting 3E again. The 3E community is smaller than it was before the release of 4E, and the vast majority of current 4E players were taken from the 3E community.

Exactly. But, it's not just the diminished community that troubles the 3e fans. There is also the perception that the D&D brand is being reinterpreted, disrespected, or otherwise mismanaged. This perception further alienates the 3E community from the 4E community.

 

[DanFor]

What I've noticed is that one side in the Edition Wars is composed of sniveling whiners, while the other side is composed of stoic super-heroic poetic folks.

Thank you!

 

[thecasualoblivion]

Exactly. But, it's not just the diminished community that troubles the 3e fans. There is also the perception that the D&D brand is being reinterpreted, disrespected, or otherwise mismanaged. This perception further alienates the 3E community from the 4E community.

I forgot about that, and it belongs in my previous statement.


Still, I have to say that if you believe that the D&D brand is being reinterpreted/disrespected/mismanaged, make your own D&D. If you are as right as you think you are, you will succeed. Just because you aren't getting your way doesn't give you the right to rain on somebody else's parade.

 

[rounser]

Still, I have to say that if you believe that the D&D brand is being reinterpreted/disrespected/mismanaged, make your own D&D. If you are as right as you think you are, you will succeed. Just because you aren't getting your way doesn't give you the right to rain on somebody else's parade.

I think you're engaging in sophistry here. Without the D&D brand behind it, odds are excellent that WOTC's fantasy heartbreaker would have sunk with little trace, becoming another also-ran RPG. The railing against 4E is part due that some of us think they're being poor caretakers of D&D and what it's supposed to be. Currently, people with a history involving D&D care about what game has D&D on the cover, but IMO there's been such damage done to the D&D brand under 4E that that may be slowly changing.

We all know the cards are stacked against fantasy heartbreakers that lack the advantage of having D&D on the cover, so your test would prove nothing. The fact that other games like Pathfinder are gaining ground as D&D replacements while 4E is in print speaks volumes, given the uphill battle they face against the brand.

 

[DanFor]

I forgot about that, and it belongs in my previous statement.


Still, I have to say that if you believe that the D&D brand is being reinterpreted/disrespected/mismanaged, make your own D&D. If you are as right as you think you are, you will succeed. Just because you aren't getting your way doesn't give you the right to rain on somebody else's parade.

How does making my own D&D solve the problems of diminished community and brand mismanagement?

Also, how do my viewpoints "rain on your parade"? You already have "your way", as you put it. How does my opinion affect your enjoyment of 4E? I'm not being facetious or argumentative; I truly would like to know why you would say that I am raining on your parade.