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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 5691726" data-attributes="member: 22779">But, again, that's still not true.  Reverse it.  I show up with just my core PHB and he's playing Gestalt characters with fifteen different splats.  Again, there's going to be problems.  The original point was, that because everyone is working from the same playbook, everybody will be able to sit down at any table, just like it was Monopoly, and start playing.That's ridiculous.  Never minding the binder full of house rules many people had for AD&D, or the bajillion supplements, the idea that you can sit down at any gaming table and know the rules is just wrong.  Try sitting down at a new table with an existing group and tell me that you can start playing with no hiccups.I guess my issue is that there are so many perfectly legitimate criticisms of 4e (or any other edition for that matter) that I just don't understand why we need to continually harp on this.  Yes, 4e is different than 3e.  No one is going to argue that it's not.  But, EVERY edition has some pretty significant differences from the edition before it.  Even 2e, which mechanically is pretty darn close to 1e, was the red-headed stepchild of gaming for years because it was considered so different from 1e.  Basic/Expert D&D and 3e D&D share almost nothing, yet we don't have monthly claims about how 3e is "dividing the fanbase" and whatnot.Really?  Planescape and Spelljammer.  Faiths and Avatars and Complete Priest - those two aren't even in the same ballpark as far as flavour or mechanics and both vary wildly from core.  I have to admit, I had a very different experience than you.  I found the 3e (at least WOTC 3e) books to be pretty solidly incorporated into a unifying concept.  2e was all over the place.  Then again, considering just how much 2e supplementary material there is out there (probably more than all other editions combined, discounting OGL 3PP), it's not too difficult to have some VERY different opinions on this.Look at what you just said there.  You played those games 25 years ago.  And, you're playing them again now.  Sure.  What about that 25 year gap?  How much did you play any of these games during that period?Would you really want D&D to go that same route?Move away from Monopoly and back to Football for a second though.  Hang out on sports forums and see how divisive something like the Instant Replay rule is.  This year, they changed the kick off line to the 35 yard line.  Again, see how much chatter that generates.See, your presumption here is that it's a zero sum game.  That if the fanbase is divided, there are only half as many people playing each game.  I think that presumption is false.  WOTC has very much tried to go after a new fanbase.  I don't know if they've succeeded or not, but, it does look like that's what they're trying to do.  Paizo is catering to an existing fanbase.  And that's great for the hobby.  Those that want 3e still have it, in print no less.  Those that want something new have that as well.Or, think of it this way, if you took the active D&D gaming population in 2006, do you think it was increasing or declining?Now, do you think the active D&D (4e+Pathfinder) population is increasing or declining in 2011?Me, I think it's increasing.  Everywhere I look I see larger numbers - forum sizes, DDI subs, Gen Con (although that may have had a lot to do with PAX), etc.  And that's freaking fantastic.So, let the gaming population be divided.  I'll happily play either game.  I'm currently playing 4e, but, that's just because I want to and it's scratching my particular itch.  But, choice is good.  Choice means competition and that can only be good for gamers.  I want Paizo and WOTC to be scratching tooth and nail for every gamer out there.  I'm old enough to remember the drivel that came out of TSR because they didn't have to compete with anyone.  I bought into the OGL movement and bought buckets of OGL stuff, and, competition there meant that the books got continuously better.  So, fight on Paizo and WOTC.  Keep it up.  I hope nobody wins the top spot.  Because, so long as the two of them are trading the top spot between them, then we win.</blockquote>

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