Changeover Poll

[Edena_of_Neith]

(humor, but true, off topic)

How ECM and ECCM really work:

Federation Captain: Prepare a full spread of photon torpedoes and phasers at 80,000 kilometers, all weapons overloaded.
Federation Helmsman: Yes sir.
Federation Science Officer: Captain, they are jamming us with (6 points) of ECM.
FC: Dump all (4) battery power into ECCM.
FSO: Captain, that will negate our ability to transport our Transporter Bombs.
FC: Just do it.
FSO: Captain, the Hydran has launched some sort of small vessel, of fighter type, which is now lending ECM to the enemy ship.
FC: We can pull that tactic. Drop the MPS.
FH: Shuttle launching.
FSO: Captain, there is still an ECM shift in their favor. They clearly have more battery power than us. Hydran ships are notable for battery power.
FC: We could fire on the vessel aiding their ship.
FSO: Captain, to destroy it at this range would require several phaser hits, or a photon hit. If we use our weapons so, we will not be able to target the enemy ship, which has it's hellbores readied.
FC: We could get in closer than 80,000 kilometers and fire. A better shot at crippling that ship.
FSO: Captain, that may be their intention, to draw us in. Their Phaser Gatlings are devastating at close range, and they have 2 other fighters already out there.
FC: You are saying that if we stay back, our weapons may miss, but closing is mutually assured destruction, and they are baiting us?
FSO: Entirely possible, captain. These are the Hydrans we are discussing.

(next turn, nobody fired last turn, nobody closed to within 90,000 kilometers)

Federation Engineer, from the Engine Room: Sir, we had to jettison the overloaded photons. The ship couldn't hold them.
FC: Did the Hydran jettison the overloaded hellbores?
FSO: Negative, captain. They were not overloaded.
FC: What about the ECM?
FH: They are maintaining it, albeit weakened. They have discharged their battery.
FSO: We also have. Engineer, begin recharging the battery, and recharge the photons.
FH: Sir, the enemy ship is turning and closing.
FC: Move away from their ship. Accelerate.
FSO: Negative, captain. We cannot maintain full (6 point) ECCM, recharge photons and batteries, and accelerate enough to escape them. They have their weapons readied, do not require much power to maintain them.
FC: Drop the ECCM then. What now?
FSO: Captain, we can now maintain range, but still cannot outdistance them recharging photons.
FC: Maintain range.

(But the enemy ship, at 110,000 kilometers, now fires all 4 hellbores at the Federation ship, since it no longer has ECCM up. 2 of these hit, and half the damage afflicts the rear shield (#4), the weakest. It is badly damaged, leaving the Federation ship in a precarious state. The Hydran ship then turns away, for the long duration required to recharge it's heavy weapons.)

FC: Pursue.
FH: They are outdistancing us, sir.
FC: Reserve power.
FSO: Captain, the Hydran is dropping his ECM, and pulling away at maximum acceleration. We cannot overtake them before they recharge.
FC: Nuts.

(The 2 hydran stinger fighters now fire, having closed to 80,000 kilometers. One of their hellbores hits, and most of what remains of the Federation #4 shield disintegrates.)

FC: Fire on those fighters.

(The Federation heavy phaser fire destroys both fighters.)

FSO: Captain, we must now recharge our phasers as well as our photons. The enemy ship is recharging hellbores, at regular strength. They clearly intend to stretch this combat out.
FC: We will give them that extended combat. What about that third fighter?
FH: It is pulling away, sir. It has no long range weapons.
FC: Keep a watch on it. Now, recharge phasers and photons at normal power. Two can play at this game.

(At this point the pursuing Federation Heavy Cruiser runs right into the 4 transporter bombs, dumped out of the Hydran shuttle bay, as the Hydran Dragoon pulled away. All 4 detonate, and the front shield (#1) of the Federation ship disintegrates, and minor damage is scored to the Federation ship.)

(It is definitely going to be a long, drawn out engagement ...)

 

[CleverNickName]

Back at the time of the First Changeover Poll, they were commenting on how their customers were half and half.
Are they still saying that? Or commenting on a change in numbers?

I would imagine that their customers are mostly 4E now, since most stores do not (or cannot) carry the older edition stuff. So you are right, a better question to ask would be, do they have more customers now, or fewer?

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

(more humor)

Aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer the Avenger:

Imperial Officer: Sir, an enemy warship - Hydran Dragoon - coming into our sector.
Imperial Commander: Good. Our first catch of the day.

(The Hydran Dragoon and it's fighters all fire Hellbores, while still completely out of range of the (mostly World War II style line of sight) weapons of the Star Destroyer.
Half of the combined power of the Hellbores, closes in on the weakest shield - the bridge shield of the Avenger. That shield disintegrates ... along with the Star Destroyer Bridge. The Imperial Captain need not worry about Vader ... he never knew what hit him.)

(At 10,000 kilometers, enduring fire from the Star Destroyer's big guns, the Hydran and it's fighters open fire with their Phaser-Gatlings, weapons with enough power to generate an atmospheric hurricane if fired once upon a planet. The Imperial Star Destroyer disintegrates.)

Announcer: The first ship, is away! The first ship, is away!

(general cheering)

(The Hydrans, unlike us Earthlings or the Empire, believe in using reliable computer systems and software. Now, if only they had perfected those Phaser-Is, they would have gone all the way ...)

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

I would imagine that their customers are mostly 4E now, since most stores do not (or cannot) carry the older edition stuff. So you are right, a better question to ask would be, do they have more customers now, or fewer?

That would require feedback from them. Not the kind of thing a poll could tell.

Now, if they discussed about how sales of Star Fleet Battles were rising, that would make me very happy indeed. : D

Anyways, I really hope that sales are up, that they are strong, in general.
Heck, be it 4E or 3E or Pathfinder or C&C or whatever, if it's Fantasy Roleplaying, it's definitely Lawful Good. : )

 

[BryonD]

There are 2 theories over at RPGNet.
1) People on ENworld generally own more 3E books and thus are less willing to part with them

Just purely for myself....

When 4E was announced I started boxing up my books. I wanted room for the new collection.
Handing over my cash for my new book fix (or 3 or 7 book fix) each month is something I look forward to.
This is one reason I wish I liked 4E enough to play it. (or rather wish 4E was something I liked enough is probably a better way to put it)

 

[Shemeska]

I would imagine that their customers are mostly 4E now, since most stores do not (or cannot) carry the older edition stuff. So you are right, a better question to ask would be, do they have more customers now, or fewer?

That would seem to presume that when 4e came out, there were no longer any 3.5/OGL books being produced, and that there were no other games and systems out there besides WotC's current iteration of D&D.

At least in my own anecdotal experience, 3.5/OGL sales seem slightly up, 4e sales spiked with the initial core books and have since then slid very steeply, and other systems and games (White Wolf, Shadowrun, etc) have picked up a lot of people taking a break from D&D.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

(Rats. Nobody expounded on my ECM discourse. There are truly nasty things one can do with ECM, far more clever and far worse than anything I've described.)

1037 votes. Alright. We are climbing higher, getting way past the First Changeover Poll.
I see the results are coming in from the RPGnet Changeover Poll, and woah! they are way different from here. A different group of people is voting there, THAT is obvious.

We are still with the same ole, same ole ...

Changeover: 32%
No Changeover: 59%
Partial Changeover: 9%
Option 6: 31%

Like a Rock (or a broken record ...)

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

Maybe it would be best if we acknowledged that there are 2 main D&Ds now, plus many other D&Ds?

Main D&Ds:

4E D&D.
Pathfinder.

Other D&Ds.

3.5.
3.0.
2nd
1st
OD&D
Original Brown Box

C&C
Hackmaster
Others

Computer D&D

(I still think 3.0 was the very best version of all, and wish it had been given more time. But that's just me ... and in any case, I would have added HUGE AMOUNTS of Stuff from 3.5, 4E, 2nd, 1st, and other games into it.)

EDIT:

Call it the Parade of the D&Ds! : )

 

[Aeolius]

I'd say 4e D&D and Pathfinder/OGL/d20 D&D

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Maybe it would be best if we acknowledged that there are 2 main D&Ds now, plus many other D&Ds?

Main D&Ds:

4E D&D.
Pathfinder.

Other D&Ds.

3.5.
3.0.
2nd
1st
OD&D
Original Brown Box

C&C
Hackmaster
Others

Computer D&D

(I still think 3.0 was the very best version of all, and wish it had been given more time. But that's just me ... and in any case, I would have added HUGE AMOUNTS of Stuff from 3.5, 4E, 2nd, 1st, and other games into it.)

EDIT:

Call it the Parade of the D&Ds! : )

I'd reconsider your "order of battle" a bit.

The installed base for 3.5 is probably still bigger than Pathfinder and other variants- and by enough margin to consider it the other "main" form, despite no longer being in active production.

Pathfinder (or some other OPP game like AU/AE or C&C) may yet supplant it, but its not there yet.