And people would advance their playstyle preferences more effectively by going out into the world and doing things like run open games at conventions/writing guides and materials/supporting creators that do the thing they want/buying things that align with their wants to show there's a market and demand for it/teaching others how to play in their style/making youtube videos.
I do those things whenever possible.
Much like the differences between B/X and AD&D. Somehow that always gets a pass.
Technically, they did have different names (D&D and AD&D), but I would be fine with them being more different.
I've found that our individual ability to suspend disbelief is highly variable. I was watching an episode of Dr. Who where the plot revolved around some aliens replacing the leaders of Britain and contriving a situation where the United Nations would be willing to give the United Kingdon the codes to their own nuclear arsenal. I can suspend my disbelief that aliens can invade and replace key figures in the government, but the idea that the United Kingdom would not have the codes to their own nuclear arsenal was beyond my limits of acceptability. It actually hampered my enjoyment of the episode greatly.
My hatred for steampunk made me understand why medievalist have a problem with fantasy. My area of concentration in my history courses was the United States from 1877-1939, so I have a hard time taking steampunk seriously. I imagine medievalist have the same feeling when they look at fantasy armor or swords.
It's worse. People quote D&D thinking it's accurate. There is no such thing as ring mail, or plate mail, or splinted armor, or studded armor, or any of a thousand other terms that Meyerick and other Victorians devised and were discarded over half a century ago.
Ah, "technically", the worst kind of correct. Because it's usually not correct at all, We live in a world of meaning, not technicality.
Plated mail existed, and while not quite what plate mail tends to mean in D&D it's pretty close. Doesn't really belong in this list.
dnd plate mail is a suit of plate. real life plated mail is a suit of mail with plates attached. it is not "pretty close".
