Has 4e caused a great rift between gamers?

[billd91]

Of course it caused a rift. As did pretty much every RPG out there after the first. There are scores if not hundreds of rifts in the gaming community. The addition of one more is kind of sad, particularly since it seems to be splitting up a few gaming groups, but what can you do? People have their preferences and their own little foibles. Some will not touch d20 with a 10' pole, some won't touch Champions with a 3" combat focus, and some avoid the vampiric angst of WoD.

 

[Fenes]

Back then when 3.0 had started out we had arguments as bad as those about 4E. I remember a heated thread about whether or not it was still D&D if PCs could not die without the player deciding to risk death by choosing a course of action the DM warned him about. Or the arguments about playing a character of the opposite sex. Or what was powergaming and what was munchkinism.

Players always were quick to condemn other game styles/preferences.

 

[Jack Colby]

I can't help but notice, both on and offline, the controversy that 4e has caused. I don't remember the same thing happening when 3e came out, nor does it compare to the grumbling when 3.5e emerged.

Short memory, or just a bad one?

Edit: Let me clarify that a bit. Last time the rift happened it was happening between people who liked 3E and those who said it wasn't at all like AD&D anymore. Now that it's happening to the 3E/3.5 set, it seems to them that nobody has ever had their favorite game replaced by crazy new rules before! It's all about perspective, you see... The simple fact is: edition change brings hard feelings, no matter the edition.

 

[rounser]

Players always were quick to condemn other game styles/preferences.

I remember big debates over use of both "he" and "she" as pronouns. It seemed petty and indefensible at the time, and still does now...never got involved in those.

Personally, I remember complaining about the contents of the 3E MM, on the basis of flavour issues. (My opinion hasn't changed on that, by the way.)

Right now, I'm complaining about 4E. On the basis of flavour issues like "dragonborn warlords". So you're right, business as usual...

Doesn't mean I'm going to "come around" to their way of thinking, though. 3E MM is still pretty bad IMO, flavourwise, and so is the 4E PHB. Difference is, a bad monster is easier to ignore than bad core classes and races.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

No rift in my two groups but there is obviously some in the wider internet world. That said I would play most thing but not Rifts, I would not DM 3.0/3.5.
There are other games I would not run and some that I would I would ignore all the default flavour.

 

[Dausuul]

My group went to 4E the moment it came out. The decision was unanimous and everyone is very happy with the new rules.

Obviously, there are a lot of very vocal 3.X proponents on the intarwebs. So somebody is feeling the rift. IRL, however, I haven't seen one.

 

[MINI]

I can't help but notice, both on and offline, the controversy that 4e has caused. I don't remember the same thing happening when 3e came out, nor does it compare to the grumbling when 3.5e emerged. For many, it seems, 4e is the last straw. Other have embraced 4e. While others have gone on to Pathfinder or still play rules-lite games like C&C.

Rather than a rift i think the new edition has caused alot of attention to come o gaming in general. True, 3e caters to one market of player since it has few limits and many options where as 4e has a more structured character creation system and development. The two editions cater to different player types but this is a good thing in that overall gaming can attract many more people to the gaming hobby.

Yes, like many, I'm annoyed with WotC for various reasons (like their marketing strategy, 22 pages of errata for the new PHB, etc).I do, however, like 4e so far. It is what I'm looking for in a game that 3/3.5e did not provide. Aside from that, my main concern is that 4e has caused a rift within the gaming community.

I was very angry to had to rebuy a PHB and DMG for 3.0, so 22 pages of free errata is at least tolerable for me.

Is the market of D&D gamers breaking into smaller bits based on what form of D&D they play? Will this mean that gaming companies will find it more difficult to sell their form of D&D to these smaller gaming markets?

I think a few 'mini-markets have been created and each of them will grow and offer sellers a chance to tap into each market group.

I notice that some people are refusing to even try 4e, while others are refusing to even try Pathfinder.

I think this is natural that since both of these systems are a development on 3.5, or an evolution of, that players will usually pick one they like and not both (with rare exceptions). I personally prefer 3.5 over pathfinder and see 4.0 as a totally new option.

Has 4e caused a rift between gamers?

Not in the sense that we can't still get along or talk about different systems. I think it has caused a greater amount of system experimentation and a willingness to to try new systems as well as to revive old systems.

We all game to have fun. The system only matters if you don't like it.

Before 4e came out I started a 2e Gathis campaign (www.gathis.com). This game is still going. My old 3.5 campaign which petered out is now a play by post and I am doing experimental games with 4e. In addition i am running a NWoD game and playing with other RPG systems like Rifts and Dark Heresy.

Also, I know my FLGS was hurting really bad by 4e before it even came out, due to the announcement killing the number of DnD customers in his shop and absolutely murdering his already meager profits( as the DnD players came in to play the game and would end up buying comic books, magic cards, books dice, miniatures and now since they dont come in to play, they dont come in at all.)

Yeah when Amazon sells the core books for about $60 and FGLS sells it for about 120, how can they compete to begin with. Hasbro bears no love for the vendors selling its product.

As players, we don't really lose out. We now have more choices, and a higher chance to find a game that suites our preferences.

This isn't a rift, its a win-win for everyone!