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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ydars" data-source="post: 4611547" data-attributes="member: 62992">I am not sure why this poll result (or any of the others) surprises anyone. WoTC set out to ignore their existing customer base ( the "Old guard", mean age 30+ according to WoTC; represented strongly on ENWorld), in order to try to hook younger people into playing D&D (not well represented here yet and probably intimidated by the rancour that sometimes accompanies edition wars on this thread, hence are effectively lurkers). The goal of bringing in new blood was/is obviously a great idea; the execution IMHO disasterously mismanaged and ill concieved. I wonder how many new gamers they actually have invested in D&D? That 4E has fractured the old guard is still disputed, but it seems very clear to me that this fracture is real and significant. I think this is a serious miscalculation on WoTC's part but they clearly expected some loss of the old-timers, though perhaps not to the degree they have got now.  I think with hindsight, this ignoring the old guard will rank as one of the stupidest mistakes WoTC have ever made with respect to D&D; especially when Ryan Dancey once pointed out that the only effective competitor that D&D would ever have to reckon with was a previous edition of the game.  In this light, the handling of the GSL with the resulting Paizo debacle seems incomprehensibly arrogant. WoTC simply don't seem to realise that they/3PPs put out so much material under the aegis of 3.5/OGL that the old guard don't need them anymore. Such old guard already have a lifetime supply of material and so will have to be enticed back to D&D, possibly with a new edition.</blockquote>

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