Changeover Poll

[Samuel Leming]

Anectdotal evidence shows that polls that mark who voted, preventing ballot stuffing by logging out favor 4E, and polls that don't prevent it disfavor 4e. Note the search cloud spamming that goes on too.

Ok.

I've put up a poll asking what people play most. I've marked it public voting, so let's see.

Sam

 

[Jack99]

It would indeed be awesome in that sense. I honestly don't care much who plays what, as long as our hobby continues to grow...as long as they don't want ME to DM 4th.

You never know, someone who is at this moment buying 4Ed D&D or HERO 5th might create the next truly revolutionary game...

I agree mate. Having to play a game or edition you do not want to play sucks bigtime, I imagine. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

 

[Imaro]

What is interesting is despite the fact that 26% say they never tried it, 4e still outsells the previous edition(s) if we go by any of the indicators we have available, instead of relying on random polls. So either polls like this one are not representative, or there is something else happening. Maybe it's the new blood or something.

Heh...I'll fess up to part of this, I bought a core set and an extra PHB, sight unseen for 4e... even though now I am playing 3.5 more than 4e and games other then D&D more than 3.5. I think quite a few of us took the gamble (especially with the cheap initial price of places like Amazon) when 4e first came out and it increased initial sales drastically. The funny thing is that spending the money on the books makes me want to like 4e... but I just don't find myself warming to it.

 

[DaveMage]

The biggest surprise in this poll to me is the number of people who have selected "No Change: Tried 4E, went back to earlier edition play".

People like me, who haven't even tried it (for whatever reason) are one thing, but how dissappointing for 4E must it be that the highest number of votes in this poll is in this category?

I mean, once I played 3.0, I was hooked - no desire whatsoever to play 2E (or any other version) again. (Though I will admit that the recent release of 4E has made me a bit nostalgic for the older editions.) But to have failed to hook in such a large number of D&D hard core fans (as EN World arguably represents) is stunning to me.

 

[Wisdom Penalty]

If we give up on 4e after the campaign we won't return to D&D. Probably play WFRP 2e until 5th edition rolls out.

And this makes me sad.

The poll results are inconsequential. I suspect WotC would be pleased if they could turn 50% or more of the hardcore 3e audience into 4e fans (and by 'hardcore' I mean those folks that visit here regularly and own a library's worth of 3e material). But...

But anecdotes like pogre's are upsetting because he's easily got some cred when it comes to this. We see the same names saying the same stuff in this poll; that's to be expected - Danny, Cirno, Drow "3.5 is the last edition of D&D" bane, etc etc etc. And, of course, there's Jack, me, and a couple other folks. Not throwing stones here from a glass house.

So back to the reason I'm sad: pogre doesn't have the anti- or pro-4e baggage. He's a long-standing member of EN World (check the miniatures forum!) and, I suspect, he and his group have given 4e a college try. And may have found out it isn't for them.

Fine. That happens.

But the killer here - the KILLER - is that they are done with D&D now. That is what worries me, my brethren: how many people that try 4e in the hopes of having something better than 3e are disappointed and then drop D&D all together?

I've made no secrets about it in my groups - there are some players that aren't (yet?) big fans of 4e. But there's not one - not one - guy in either of my two groups that would even consider going back to 3e or one of its sundry derivatives. So if 4e is not "it" then - just like pogre's group - D&D is not "it".

Troubling, mates. Troubling.

WP

 

[DaveMage]

But there's not one - not one - guy in either of my two groups that would even consider going back to 3e or one of its sundry derivatives.

What were your issues, specifically, with 3E?

 

[Wisdom Penalty]

What were your issues, specifically, with 3E?

For me? DMing became difficult at harder levels. I'll allow that is just as possible (if not probable) that it was my problem and not the game's. I also began to dislike the arms race and the preponderance of magic, magic, magic.

For my players? The excessive splat books which - again - could be a problem attributed to me (the DM) as opposed to the game. Otherwise, I think it's fair to state the players really enjoyed 3e (as did I, when I was a player).

You won't hear me (I hope) bad-mouthing 3e. I think it's rude, to be blunt, to heap negativity on another guy's choice of system. 3e brought me back into D&D, as it did with a couple of my friends. I got nearly a decade of awesome gaming out of it. I owe Monte & Co. quite a bit.

To your point (and you of all people know I ramble before I finally get to the point): I don't think we could ever go back to 3e because 4e exposed some of the "flaws" of that game that we, perhaps, didn't even realize were flaws until we played 4e. I know that doesn't make much sense on the surface, but it's true nonetheless.

WP

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I bought a core set and an extra PHB, sight unseen for 4e.<snip>The funny thing is that spending the money on the books makes me want to like 4e... but I just don't find myself warming to it.

But for the extra PHB, that was me.

We see the same names saying the same stuff in this poll; that's to be expected - Danny, Cirno, Drow "3.5 is the last edition of D&D" bane,

Hold up, time out.

As I just pointed out, I bought into 4Ed sight unseen. I expected to like 4Ed and made that investment.

4Ed failed to grab me- that's not anti-4E baggage, that's installed consumer base who dislikes the company's product.

I'm patiently awaiting 5Ed- which I may or may not preorder- but if its more of the same I'll wait until 6Ed.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Someday, WotC (or whomever the IP holder is at that time) may produce a version of the game I'll embrace again, but I hope its before I wind up in some old-folks home. (I'm 41, so tick, tick, tick, tick...)

 

[Wisdom Penalty]

...(bunch of stuff)...I'm 41, so tick, tick, tick, tick...

I never said you had anti-4e baggage, Mr. Al. I just mentioned that there are some people who have opinions that are well known and have been well voiced, repeatedly, on any threads that might allow said opinions to be voiced.

And yes, I am in that boat as well.

Lastly, you are older than me, so nyah!*

Cheers,
The Young WhiPpersnapper


* By a very, very slim margin.

Edit: I probably shouldn't have lumped your name with Cirno and Drowbane. My apologies.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

No apologies necessary...we're on teh Interweb!

Besides, I apparently misunderstood your post just a bit.

No harm, no foul.