Getting tired of hearing "Grognard" and "Nostalgia"

[ForeverSlayer]

Something that I have been noticing is there are a few people that seem to be throwing around the words "Grognard" and "Nostalgia" when ever someone mentions they prefer an earlier edition or Pathfinder over 4th edition. A few people are telling others that the only reason they enjoy other editions is just for the sake of taking a trip in the past and they are labeled a Grognard.

I am getting a bit sick of this because it's not true. I'm sure they may be a few people out there who do this, but there are lots and lots of people who play previous editions or Pathfinder because they simply enjoy those systems better. It's funny sometimes because some people can't seem to accept that there are people out there who do not like the 4th edition system and prefer something else.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I'll take "Nascent Edition Wars" for $200, Alex.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Pathfinder is a clone or continuation of 3.5 - it's a currently-supported game, but even a currently-supported game can /apeal/ to nostalgia.

3.x apealed to nostalgia a lot, too, actually. "Back to the Dungeon," remember?

4e didn't, it slaughtered sacred cows, threw a BBQ party, and built a new?/bettter?/more-modern?/tactical-miniatures?/TTMMO? game from the bloodstained ground up. Not much apeal to nostalgia - and virulent backlash.

Essentials is back to apealing to nostalgia - that of 40-something AD&Ders who started with a box set c1983, most blatantly. Can you blame them? They tried apealing to something other than nostalgia, and lost half their customers!


D&D has a history going back to the mid 1970s - nostalgia is going to be a factor.


But there are /certainly/ other factors. 4e favors abstraction and balance - divorcing flavor from mechanics. 3.x/Pathfinder favors simulation and rewards system mastery. There are fans of each aproach.

 

[ForeverSlayer]

Pathfinder is a clone or continuation of 3.5 - it's a currently-supported game, but even a currently-supported game can /apeal/ to nostalgia.

3.x apealed to nostalgia a lot, too, actually. "Back to the Dungeon," remember?

4e didn't, it slaughtered sacred cows, threw a BBQ party, and built a new?/bettter?/more-modern?/tactical-miniatures?/TTMMO? game from the bloodstained ground up. Not so much nostalgia - massive rejection.

Essentials is back to apealing to nostalgia - that of 40-something AD&Ders who started with a box set c1983.


D&D has a history going back to the mid 1970s - nostalgia is going to be a factor.


But there are /certainly/ other factors. 4e favors abstraction and balance - divorcing flavor from mechanics. 3.x/Pathfinder favors simulation and rewards system mastery. There are fans of each aproach.

That's perfectly understandable and I know there are a few people who do like the old systems just for the sake of going down memory lane, but there are also a lot of people who just prefer those old systems and Pathfinder.

Calling someone a "Grognard" and dismissing their like of other systems, instead of 4th edition, for the sake of "Nostalgia" is not always true.

 

[ppaladin123]

Do you have any specific examples of this behavior you are complaining about? There aren't a lot of posters on the 4e board that don't like/prefer 4e (go figure) and I haven't seen anyone lob that sort of dismissal at the few in that category(e.g. Derelicho). If this is something you see on the general discussion board (where edition wars are more likely to break out), you should probably post this there.

Also keep in mind that Grognard isn't always meant as a insult. It often describes a particularly type of gamer who likes a particular style of game. I've seen posters use it to refer to themselves and their style as well.

 

[ForeverSlayer]

Do you have any specific examples of this behavior you are complaining about? There aren't a lot of posters on the 4e board that don't like/prefer 4e (go figure) and I haven't seen anyone lob that sort of dismissal at the few in that category(e.g. Derelicho). If this is something you see on the general discussion board (where edition wars are more likely to break out), you should probably post this there.

Also keep in mind that Grognard isn't always meant as a insult. It often describes a particularly type of gamer who likes a particular style of game. I've seen posters use it to refer to themselves and their style as well.

#8 (permalink) Dannager
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OnlineDM
I see where you're coming from, but I'm not moved by nostalgia.

I'm also a little tired of seeing D&D hobbled by short-sighted nostalgia. I've been playing D&D for most of my life, but I'd much rather focus on what can make the game more exciting in the future than what used to make it exciting in the past.

Here is one person. There are also some others on the Wizards website who do the same thing.

 

[Matt James]

Any other examples? That's the only one I can seem to find. I ran a search on the WotC boards too.

 

[ForeverSlayer]

Any other examples? That's the only one I can seem to find. I ran a search on the WotC boards too.

You don't look very hard.

 

[Matt James]

Not my burden to prove. Though, it is odd that you spend so much time here in the 4e and on the WotC forums. Ya know, for someone that does not like the edition.

 

[Pentius]

Might I humbly suggest that those who do not like the heat stop lighting and then fanning the flames?