It's like the 'new' World of Darkness was for me.

[Benben]

Well, just to explicate the thing otherwise...

I think the nWoD threw away continuing support for my favorite game in the old line (Mage), and replaced with support for a new game for which I think lost all the things that made the original great.

Umbran I agree with you on this. I really miss oMage and the wacky philosophy it embraced. But have you checked out Promethean or Changeling the Lost. They're both stellar.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

wow,

You are one of the most "glass half-full" people I have ever seen post on these boards... I wish I was half as optimistic as you!

So, would you then be more a half-optimist or a half-pessimist?

 

[Wolfspider]

So is there any information on whether the nWoD is selling as well or better as the oWoD?

 

[Wormwood]

So is there any information on whether the nWoD is selling as well or better as the oWoD?

Tangent: is there any information on whether *any* roleplaying games are selling like they did a decade ago?

 

[BBQ]

I agree with the OP. 4e may be a different D&D, but it's going to be D&D just the same. MY 3e, 2e, and 1e books (and all variants thereof) will still see regular use and conversion by myself and my group, but I am very eager to see what there is in store from 4e.

On that note, I find that a lot of what I've been reading about 4e actually suits my homebrew quite well, like that shirt you find that just fits perfectly. A lot of the ideas and concepts in 4e are similar to the houserules and flavor I've been using for years.

 

[Wolfspider]

Tangent: is there any information on whether *any* roleplaying games are selling like they did a decade ago?

Good question. Stop making me agree with you!!!!

Well, if RPGs are in a slump sales-wise across the board, then how do we measure whether or not the nWoD is as popular as the oWoD?

Hmmm.....

 

[Lord Fyre]

On a side note, as much as I like the nWoD over the old, ancedotal evidence I've seen scattered across the internet has all seemed to point to the conclusion that White Wolf did loose a percentage of it's marketshare and sales in this revamp. I find this interesting because the nWoD seems to correct everything the fans complained about (metaplot, railroads, uber NPC's, better system, toolkit approach) yet it doesn't sell as well as the oWoD.

I can see that as being a real danger for D&D IV. It is very likely to be a better system (despite my cynicism about WoTC in general), but D&D could still end up losing a chunk of its market share.

While people complained about the oWoD system & background in general, everyone has elements that they really liked - elements that are not carried forward.

(And, asking people to abandon a sometimes substantial inventment in gaming books is just risky.)

 

[Wolfspider]

I can see that as being a real danger for D&D IV. It is very likely to be a better system (despite my cynicism about WoTC in general), but D&D could still end up losing a chunk of its market share.

While people complained about the oWoD system & background in general, everyone has elements that they really liked - elements that are not carried forward.

(And, asking people to abandon a sometimes substantial inventment in gaming books is just risky.)

Yes. The new World of Darkness fixed the problems that had cropped up in the old edition. However, the designers didn't stop with merely fixing problems. They decided to revamp some things that perhaps didn't need to be changed.

Sounds strangely familiar to me....

 

[sidonunspa]

So, would you then be more a half-optimist or a half-pessimist?

Ya for the last few months (for personal reasons) I have been a "Glass Half-Empty" kind of guy.

With 4e I see some things I like (defense as saves, maneuvers for fighters, simple encounter building, longer sweet spot) and others I don’t (unified progression, spell schools gone)

I’m planning to pick up 4e, and if I don’t like it, I may just work my own 3.X/4e Hybrid as a personal project, just taking what I like and forgetting the rest.

I'm in "we will see" mode...

 

[Deekin]

It's really really similar:

Massive Mechanical improvements that refocus the game in the way that some people did not like.

A setting chage that most did not like (oMage to NMage --> FR changes

Two other settings that are about balanced ( Werewolf and Vampire --> Dragonlance and Eberron)

Hopefully that means that the First new setting will be awesome, but only a minority will like it (Promeathan)!