At this point it dawned on me that C&C was not Call of Cthulhu.
WotC has never been one to release products slowly and think that is part of the problem is that they release products TO fast. I am hoping that they will start and slow down.However, the product release rate of D&D the RPG will likely be significantly less than the pace of Pathfinder. So, the question will be, how much support do you want for your game? If you want a lot, Pathfinder will be the way to go. If you don't want/need a lot, D&D will be the way to go, or, D&D players will *still* buy Pathfinder stuff to convert so as to scratch that "new product" itch.
Well, none of this really has anything to do with the discussion at hand.
I'm fascinated by the idea of a real "Pathfinder Lite" with simplified rules, much fewer character options, and better caster balance. If Paizo did it right, converting monster stats would be a clear mechanical process, so they could publish 2 versions of each AP without much effort. This would be a recognition that PF isn't for everyone, but without abandoning the hardcore 3e/PF fans (the way Wizards did with the switch to 4e).
It's the only move I can see Paizo making to retain "table share" -- broadening the appeal of PF to reach players who got burnt out on 3.5 but still want APs. Of course Wizard could still drop the ball on 5e, and the lack of a product road map is not encouraging. But if they keep nailing it like they have been, I think it will soon be easier to find 5e DMs than PF GMs.
Having played through AD&D and 2nd Edition, I am aware of some of the problems those systems presented that I remember thinking 3rd Edition would solve (and it did, to a point). Mainly, arguments between players and the DM on rules adjudication. If a player wanted to try to trip or push a giant in AD&D, the DM had to decide how likely that was to happen, and unpopular rulings could lead to grumpy players.
One thing 3rd Edition seemed to do right (at first) was set up more or less clear rules on many aspects of the game that had previously been left a bit vague (and therefore open to wheedling, cajoling, or even subtle intimidation). I can remember this being a pain in the ass when I was running AD&D and 2nd Edition game ("Whaddya MEAN I need a nat 20 to trip the ogre?!? I rolled 16, that should be enough!"), but not so much in my 3rd Edition games -- although it seems to have been replaced with "optimization" and min/maxing (once the players know the mechanics behind the rules they can easily min/max with full knowledge that on at least some level the DM is "bound by the rules"), which in retrospect probably could have been predicted.
5th Edition is appealing to me, but I hope there is some balance that can be struck between having (potentially exploitable) rules for everything and relying on "the DM can decide how this works" (which is open to players essentially wearing the DM down to get what they want, whether they might see it that way or not).
Just pointing out, I think, that the old systems weren't perfect either -- although to be fair, back when I was playing AD&D and 2nd Edition I and my players were at another stage of life. Moving from our teens and 20s to our 40s has no doubt changed us in ways that might affect how we would deal with a rules set that encouraged the DM to call more of the shots.
At this point it dawned on me that C&C was not Call of Cthulhu.
It has already changed. it is no longer the face of RPG's that it is used to be. Just because a show features it once in a while (it is something I appreciate too) does not make D&D number one any longer.
To anyone outside the gaming industry... it absolutely is still Number 1. You ask any person who doesn't play games "Do you know what a roleplaying game is?"... their first and pretty much only response is going to be something like "You mean like Dungeons & Dragons?" They won't mention Vampire: The Masquerade, they won't mention Shadowrun, they won't mention Champions, they won't mention Pathfinder, Numenera, Fate, Savage Worlds, or anything like that. It's 'D&D'. It's always been 'D&D' and for the foreseeable future always will be 'D&D'.