Edition warring is for chumps, but isn't D&D specific

[carmachu]

There is some pretty bad blood between the Shadowrun edition camps. From what I could pierce together it has more to do with CGL as publisher and some shady deals that happened when they took over. But its hard to get unbiased specifics about that.
Also, many of the older players (or the ones already seeing CGL negatively) complain about story retcons and "turning Shadowrun into D&D"

More so with the later then the former. Having to do with embezelling funds, unpaid freelancers and bad blood that stemmed from it. Less to do with rules changes unlike the 3.x vs 4e

5th looks pretty ok from a rules standpoint. Fluff stand point there are vexing retconns and other items from fluff changes and story movements.

 

[biotech66]

On topic first: I absolutely LOVE when edition wars break out and I have players who will NEVER play a game because.....reasons. Its even better because most of those people haven't read or played the game in question. Now if you play and don't like, thats fine and I support you. But if you whine but never play, I have no time for you.


Off topic SR Fun: Two things. 1) Honestly the wireless bonus make riggers and deckers that much more important in the world. The matrix got a lot harder to be the god of, so in SR5, riggers and deckers need something to do while the rest of the group is shooting people. Now they engage in cyberbattle to keep their friends in the fight.
2) I think the wireless bonus is pretty important and the idea it can get hacked is well done. Heck the SR4 was made almost 10 years ago. 10 years is a long time for tech. The game came out close to 1980, so the creators didn't see the pervasiveness of WIFI and the team who made SR4 might not have even seen how important tech would be to us even 10 years one. I'm ok with some strange wireless bonuses.

 

[Henry]

And, dang, I can see why not have matrix-enabled gear. Having seen a decker in action - having the gear vulnerable to local wireless is bad enough. Having it *globally* vulnerable would just be stupid. Nobody would take that risk.

...And yet, here we are in Real Life, rapidly approaching the so-called "internet of things", with wireless-enabled thermostats and security alarms, fridges, autos, and sound systems, and coming into wireless enabled insulin pumps, pacemakers, and prosthetics, and give us 5 years before even our handguns will have wireless enabled options - there are already hunting and sniper rifles with onboard computers to take into account all variables for firing from wind conditions to the trigger pull of a shooter, and wifi to transmit pics to other devices. "Matrix" enabled gear ain't that far-fetched, and combine that with the in-game story excuses of two major world info-crashes that washes away all old tech, and we might find ourselves paying premium price for a "dumb" gun in 20 years.

 

[Bluenose]

I've seen it in other RPGs, but rarely as bad as in D&D...

Traveller: the New Era had the best edition war I can remember. Fun for all spectators, in the sense that Trollball is fun for spectators.

 

[Jhaelen]

And, dang, I can see why not have matrix-enabled gear. Having seen a decker in action - having the gear vulnerable to local wireless is bad enough. Having it *globally* vulnerable would just be stupid. Nobody would take that risk.

Haha! That's just what I used to say after reading Neuromancer and learning about the idea of the 'matrix': "Why would any company be so stupid to connect their machines to the Matrix so that anyone can steal their data?"

 

[Umbran]

...And yet, here we are in Real Life, rapidly approaching the so-called "internet of things"...

Well, let me amend - nobody in the Shadowrun universe who has to worry about being in mortal conflict with that universe's hackers would want their gear matrix enabled. The Shadowrun universe has much better hackers than we do, Henry

Individual wageslaves? Sure. They're nobody. They go to work each day, come home, and jack some simsense entertainment, and that's about it. Their gear is irrelevant, as it isn't being used for anything important. A Shadowrunner, or a security guard, who needs that gear to operate properly in order to survive and/or protect corporate assets, against hackers who can pwn their gear in seconds? Different thing entirely.

 

[Mark Hope]

I've seen it in other RPGs, but rarely as bad as in D&D...

Mage: the Ascension. If you haven't been part of a Mage flamewar, you haven't lived. D&D edition wars are pleasant outings on the river bank with ginger beer and cheese & cucumber sandwiches by comparison .

 

[Umbran]

Mage: the Ascension. If you haven't been part of a Mage flamewar, you haven't lived.

What's to flame over? nWoD Mage just stinks, and everyone knows it

D&D edition wars are pleasant outings on the river bank with ginger beer and cheese & cucumber sandwiches by comparison .

*blink*

Well, there's your trouble right there. Ginger beer is powerful, pungent stuff. Cucumber sandwiches, however, are delicate and subtle, and would simply be overwhelmed by ginger beer. Nobody with any culinary sense would pair them, and such a pairing would doom the occasion to be lackluster, thereby.

 

[Mark Hope]

Well, there's your trouble right there. Ginger beer is powerful, pungent stuff. Cucumber sandwiches, however, are delicate and subtle, and would simply be overwhelmed by ginger beer. Nobody with any culinary sense would pair them, and such a pairing would doom the occasion to be lackluster, thereby.

What would you recommend for a decent D&D flamewar then? I note you said nothing about the cheese, so we can assume that all decent flamewars must contain a certain amount of cheese, correct?

 

[Umbran]

What would you recommend for a decent D&D flamewar then?

Popcorn and a Banhammer*.



*"Banhammer Root Beer - *the* drink of internet moderators, nationwide! Now in Cherry, Vanilla, and ChemicalGreen flavors!"