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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mercurius" data-source="post: 5013611" data-attributes="member: 59082">THE STANDARD DISCLAIMER: This is NOT an attempt to bait a Flame War (although Cold War is okay with me, if it serves the purpose of the thread). I want to discuss the two polls that were started on <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/268658-love-hate-d-d-3rd-edition-style.html" target="_blank">3E</a> and <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/268646-d-d-4th-edition-18-months-later-love-hate-6.html" target="_blank">4E</a> and what it means (if anything) with regards to the state and future of Dungeons & Dragons. Thanks.First, some numbers (as of about 4pm Eastern, 11/30):<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/268646-d-d-4th-edition-18-months-later-love-hate-6.html" target="_blank">4E Approval Rating</a> (voted Love or Like): 45.91% (219 of 477 votes)<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/268658-love-hate-d-d-3rd-edition-style.html" target="_blank">3E Approval Rating</a> (voted Love or Like): 59.86% (164 of 274 votes)4E Disapproval Rating (voted Hate or Dislike): 37.73% (180 of 477)3E Disapproval Rating (voted Hate or Dislike): 17.52% (48 of 274)My Hat of 4E Knows No Bounds Rating (voted Hate): 22.43% (107 of 477)My Hat of 3E Knows No Bounds Rating (voted Hate): 8.76% (24 of 274)I will try to update these as votes keep trickling in. Comments:So far those are some stunning numbers, particularly the percentage of folks that actually "hate" 4E (over 22%), and the huge difference in the approval ratings (almost 60% for 3E vs. 46% for 4E). It is also interesting to note that less than 18% of voters actually dislike 3E, while more than twice that number (38%) dislike 4E.So what does this mean? Again, we all know that EN World is not an accurate cross-section of the total D&D playing populace, but it may be relatively representative of the serious-to-hardcore D&D playing minority, which in turn buys a significant portion of the game books published.* In other words, what I am saying is that I think these polls do matter, that they mean something of value and import to not only Wizards of the Coast but to the future of Dungeons & Dragons. What it means, I don't think anyone really knows. But let's talk about it.*Note: Let me use my gaming group as an example. It consists of eight members, I being the more serious. I own approximately 200 RPG books and buy most 4E hardcovers but no adventures, miniatures, and very little gimmicks (tiles, cards, etc)--so probably about half of the new line. My co-DM buys probably about a quarter to a third of the line, and the rest only own the Player's Handbook. In other words, I alone spend about half the money that the entire group of eight spends, and the two DMs spend more than the other six players. I think this is, while purely anecdotal, representative of the general trend in the RPG community. In other words, about 10-20% of the population are spending 50-70% of the money.</blockquote>

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