D&D Rubbish? Hmmm...

[technoextreme]

I couldn't imagine anyone today picking up the 4e rulebooks and learning how to play from scratch.

Really? I would say that 4E books generally speaking are the ones most aimed at people who have never played before.

 

[Gargoyle]

That raises an interesting question. Where are the twelve year old gamers now? What happened to the avenues which introduced kids that age to the game back then?

My sons are 10 and 13, and they play a slayer and a hunter (essentials classes) and my wife plays a 4e templar. I run an essentials cavalier and DM. D&D is our family night.

That's the market WotC needs to target, not the 13 year old DM and his buddies, cause they are too busy texting and playing PS3 games, and watching their DVR'ed shows. And in my kids' case, that's after they get their homework and chores done, and after their sports activities. I'd run a D&D game every night, but it takes too long to play, so it's a weekend activity for us.

Keep D&D complex for experienced DM's and players but make it easy to play and faster for newcomers and young players. Essentials did this for us to some degree, but I think there is room for improvement in this area.