Falling off the 4ed bandwagon


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Edit: ^ "Whoops!..." etc. is just another homage to how pathetic the WotC forums truly are.

Interestingly, that thread has a complaint about 4e in the very second post.
And the fifth. And the ninth. And yet they're reasoned complaints born out of actual play. It's definitely a positive "share the love" thread, but if that's a bandwagon, then the definition fits everything from Order of the Stick discussion to discussions of retro gaming.
 

Interestingly, that thread has a complaint about 4e in the very second post.
And the fifth. And the ninth. And yet they're reasoned complaints born out of actual play. It's definitely a positive "share the love" thread, but if that's a bandwagon, then the definition fits everything from Order of the Stick discussion to discussions of retro gaming.
A thread dedicated to declaring "unconditional support" for anything is unarguably fan support for the subject. I don't see people making threads for unconditional support of gurps. Or call of cthulu.
That level of excitement/loyalty is unreasonable. If that doesn't qualify as a bandwagon, then nothing does.
 

A thread dedicated to declaring "unconditional support" for anything is unarguably fan support for the subject. I don't see people making threads for unconditional support of gurps. Or call of cthulu.
That level of excitement/loyalty is unreasonable. If that doesn't qualify as a bandwagon, then nothing does.

Yet the thread doesn't really demonstrate the "unconditional support" that the original poster declares. Right there on the first page is someone saying he'll play 4e, but not run it — which is about as textbook a definition of conditional as I've ever seen. Perhaps the original poster would have liked the thread to be nothing but unconditional love... but it's not.

Honestly, the whole question of whether people are "on the bandwagon" unconditionally, or because there are no reasons other than popularity, is something that I've been arguing is best left alone. I argue that because I think it's just plain more polite to assume that people have reasons for liking things over and above a desire to follow along. By accepting this, we avoid fewer projection of wrongheadedness on the people who like The Other Game, and can simply talk about what we like.

May I ask why it's important that I correct my position on this?
 

I played 1e a few months back with my high school gaming group, running through Expedition to the Barrier Peaks until I got randomly killed by a no-saving-throw death trap. It was really fun, but I missed some of the tactical richness from later editions. Due to the module, I really missed the lack of any NPCs to roleplay with. And I DEFINITELY didn't miss insta-kill death traps!

Stupid death trap.

I don't think nostalgia plays a huge role in my gaming, other than always trying to catch that sense of "this is so frikkin' cool!" that comes with a new game. I like some of modern RPG advancements too much to give them up on a long-term basis.

I played 1e the other day with a friend of mine and some guys in a new group and I had a blast. We didn't use minis (not that I don't like using minis) and the DM just kinda rolled with things.

Mike
 

Interestingly, that thread has a complaint about 4e in the very second post.
And the fifth. And the ninth. And yet they're reasoned complaints born out of actual play. It's definitely a positive "share the love" thread, but if that's a bandwagon, then the definition fits everything from Order of the Stick discussion to discussions of retro gaming.

I would say there are OotS and retro gaming bandwagons. If there weren't, there would not be retro gaming, there would just be "Joe's Game" or what have you. And OotS regularly inspires contests to see who can post the latest update first. :)
 


May I ask why it's important that I correct my position on this?
Because it's not consistent with reality? Some people like things because they are popular. There doesn't have to be another reason. Bandwagon is not a pejorative word unless you make it out to be one. Case in point, this thread- "bandwagon" did not become an issue until someone made it one.
 
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A thread dedicated to declaring "unconditional support" for anything is unarguably fan support for the subject. I don't see people making threads for unconditional support of gurps. Or call of cthulu.
That level of excitement/loyalty is unreasonable. If that doesn't qualify as a bandwagon, then nothing does.
I don't agree that a fanatical core group is the same thing at all as a bandwagon. To the contrary, I see a "bandwagon" as meaning there is a significant portion of the fan base that is going along more because it is the thing other people are doing rather than any overly strong attraction to the game. I don't think this is at all incompatible with a highly devoted base. But they are different.

Again, I don't claim this is any different for the current edition than any prior.
 

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