3E & 4E Love and Hate Polls - What does it mean?

[Hairfoot]

How many people does it take to rig an online poll?

One weak minded individual who cares about the opinions of a bunch of vocal haters means absolutely nothing.

I was wondering that myself. I presume someone's run up a program to do it automatically, but we can't discount the possibility that fans are out there laboriously making the posts manually.

In any case, it makes clear that segments of the fanbase are very insecure about the game's quality. There's no way of knowing whether they represent the majority or not.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

I was wondering that myself. I presume someone's run up a program to do it automatically, but we can't discount the possibility that fans are out there laboriously making the posts manually.

In any case, it makes clear that segments of the fanbase are very insecure about the game's quality. There's no way of knowing whether they represent the majority or not.

Or someone's dicking with you.

Christ, does it really have to be a big conspiracy or damaged mental state? It's a tabletop game. Just because you think it's ultra super serious business doesn't mean others do too.

The poll was meaningless before someone messed with it, now it's...well, hey, still meaningless.

 

[Hairfoot]

Well, overwrought fans freaking out because they're worried their favourite game isn't as popular as they thought hardly counts as a "big conspiracy", and why on earth would I consider poll rigging on a popular forum "ultra serious business"? It's entertaining, informative and notable, but the moon landing it ain't.

The poll results are meaningless, but the dicking with it isn't.

 

[Snoweel]

overwrought fans freaking out because they're worried their favourite game isn't as popular as they thought

Are you describing 3e diehards who are outraged that so many people are happy that 3e has been replaced?

We can play this game all day. Diehard losers are diehard losers no matter what edition they hate.

 

[Hairfoot]

Are you describing 3e diehards who are outraged that so many people are happy that 3e has been replaced?

We can play this game all day. Diehard losers are diehard losers no matter what edition they hate.

They'd count, but I doubt it's them fudging this poll. You could almost understand 3E fans tinkering with polls. Everyone likes to have their taste validated by popular opinion, so declining preference for 3E must sting.

But why would players of the world's premier, best-known RPG feel the need to artificially inflate its popularity? Perhaps some segments of the fanbase doubt whether 4E quite deserves its acclaim. But who knows?

Sure shoots the credibility of these polls to bits, though.

 

[Dice4Hire]

Wonder when posters to this thread will stop their subtle edition war?

 

[Snoweel]

Sure shoots the credibility of these polls to bits, though.

True.

My point is, as a 4e fan who still has fond memories of 3e, it's disingenuous of anybody (in this case it seems to be 3e fans feeling vindicated in acting like douchebags due to polls showing disproportional 4e hate) to say that their edition and fans are demonstrably better than the other.

And yes I understand this may seem ironic or hypocritical. However I believe if the polls had shown more 3e hate then some 4e fans would have likewise engaged in douchebagery.

However I genuinely believe that less 4e fans hate 3e than vice versa, and I understand why and I believe it has little to do with the relative merits of either game. Why should 4e fans hate 3e? They have no reason to.

But I do believe there is definitely some ressentiment at work in the 4e hate around here.

 

[Hairfoot]

I haven't commented on whether a group of fans is better than another, only that some 4E fans are obviously anxious about the game's popularity - anxious enough to go to pains in sabotaging a poll on a website which will be read by a only handful of people and probably influence none. Make of that what you will, but ballot-stuffing seems to be a new phenomenon here, although I don't scrutinise polls enough to be sure.

Personally, I blame the ENworld community for being insufficiently enthusiastic about 4E. The pre-tinker poll might have been accurate, but it just wasn't right, dammit!

 

[Snoweel]

I haven't commented on whether a group of fans is better than another, only that some 4E fans are obviously anxious about the game's popularity - anxious enough to go to pains in sabotaging a poll on a website which will be read by a only handful of people and probably influence none. Make of that what you will, but ballot-stuffing seems to be a new phenomenon here, although I don't scrutinise polls enough to be sure.

Are you suggesting 4e fans are in general worse people than 3e fans?

Or do you think it's more likely that one or more 4e fans are just fed up with continued holier-than-thou condescension from the more vocal 3e fans?

I wasn't surprised at the hate toward 4e but I was rather surprised at the hate toward 3e. And I really think it's more a reaction to incessant 4e hate than anything to do with the 3e ruleset.

I mean, how do you hate a game?

The hate of 4e says more about 4e haters than it does about 4e.

Personally, I blame the ENworld community for being insufficiently enthusiastic about 4E.

You don't think ENWorld are enthusiastic about 4e? People go out of their way to hate it. The worst 3e can usually manage is a collective Meh, as evidenced by the pre-tamper poll.

 

[Umbran]

In any case, it makes clear that segments of the fanbase are very insecure about the game's quality.

Clear? Really? Consider - you just said you don't know who did it, or how many there were, or how it was done, but even without that, you know why it happened?

Doesn't that sound the least bit... presumptuous, to you?

Don't you think someone out there would be oh-so-happy to make you look foolish by driving you to that presumption, so they could sit back and laugh at you being wrong?