D&D on CNN!

[UngainlyTitan]

As for the 20 year lapsed players not returning because it's a new edition, and they won't be comfortable with it...

20 years is a LONG time!

Around 20 years ago I spent 3 weeks in a little bed and breakfast in Germany. Apparently a whole bunch of people staying there played Parcheesi (I think that's how it's spelled) in the common area. They invited a bored little american boy to play the game, and even though I couldn't understand a word anyone was saying it was a ton of fun.

I haven't played Parcheesi since. I can't remember much about it, aside from it involving a board, some little peg things, and like landing on each other or something.

If someone invited me back to play an "updated" version I would probably have no clue which rules were new, which were old, and which were just rules a little american kid couldn't understand in the first place.

Totally agree with this, of what I played 20 years ago, some AD&D I only remember what it had in common with D&D and that not very well.
TFT, remember the campaign, point buy character generation, d6 action resolution could not tell you now if it was high or low was good.
Runequest, I kept breaking my axes and no memory of the mechanics.
Star Trek, lets see, my God but those ships are fragile and the first officer mutinied. Mechanics, well we used dice...