How much should the 4e fanatics be required to invest in other games before they are entitled to make such demands?
I played 3rd and 3.5 for around 5 years total, with a variety of different approaches before concluding it was utterly terrible and ceasing it to play it any further (Call of Cthulhu and various World of Darkness games replaced it for me). I played 2nd edition for the better part of eight years, actually I still like 2nd edition and I would love to play a few games of it just for amusement (I will never ever play 3.5 again).
Usually I've given anything quite a good shot before decided I did or didn't like it to be honest. With PnP RPGs so much is reliant upon the DM running the game or just the general enthusiasm of the people you have playing with you it can be very hard to judge. Usually I make sure I read the core rulebook first and at least play using whatever "core" rules are available.
When I started playing 4E I suspected it sounded really stupid, but it was worth a shot seeing as I hadn't played DnD in a long time by that point. I originally bought just a players handbook and a DMG - not much of an investment to be honest and got some people together. I figured I would have to DM anyway and so I did, but actually after around a month 4E really grew on me. My players were all having fun and I found the combat system very much to my liking. When I don't want combat I don't play DnD, always had that attitude and hence the multitude of systems I own that are very good at anything to do with not fighting things.
I never liked 4Es skill challenge system off the bat and thought it was utterly worthless. That Wizards have tried to address that is a good thing, but overall I've adapted my own system and so I quite enjoy it. The primary point here is that I made a small investment - even in NZ monies - then played the system for around 2-3 months (meeting every weekend was around 12 sessions).
For most games I give a suitable amount of time if I think I have some interest in them. Motivation to play something else comes from:
1) Wanting to bother playing it
2) Getting a group who wants to play it
3) Playing it.
Where I have not done 1, 2 and 3 together I don't comment on a system. I might make some general comment that I'm not interested in it, but if I'm not interested in something I never make posts about it. Being disinterested in something does not equal disliking it. People who have at least played 4E for more than a few sessions can say whatever they want - albeit so long as that is based on what they said they played. People who haven't even played 4E
or any system for that matter I just write the opinions off of because I just don't care what they think.
If you haven't played something, I really don't care if you "dislike" it and especially if the reasons don't even make sense to anyone who has played the system under discussion (90% of the time or more in my experience). Your opinion is irrelevant no matter what the particular system is under discussion. You can say "I don't have any interest in this" and that is a perfectly fair opinion. When people just start making up random nonsense about a system they "dislike" is truly the issue for me. Such "dislike" is usually is full of logical holes that anyone who has actually
played it can drive trucks through, I have no problems just writing whatever they think off without debate.
So I think it's a simple answer to your question. If you've at least played the game that is more than enough. If such arguments are at least framed in the context of those experiences that is even better. Making up random nonsense to prove arguments based on absolutely zero idea what you are talking about is pure threadcrapping. Just spare everyone the effort and just say "It doesn't sound like its for me" or just don't post in threads you supposedly have no interest in.
I mean, this isn't difficult to do as somehow I resist the temptation in posting in all the threads about 3.5 or so that I dislike because I have no worthwhile commentary to add to the topic. I don't know how I do it though, but somehow - and god willing -
I manage.