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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Azgulor" data-source="post: 5320383" data-attributes="member: 14291">Mercurius,I think there are two other points to factor into the equation.  1.  The "Current Edition" vs. the "Out-of-Print Edition"Obviously, printed material isn't going to suffer from an expiration date.  No one can force a group to abandon a rules system or campaign setting.  For the high school or college gamer, it's not much of an issue as you can cast a wide net to attract new players.  Once you're out in the real world, however, it's not always so easy to attract new players.  Jobs, families, moving, etc. all can have an impact.  If I want to continue to play RPGs, are my chances going to be better recruiting for a game that's no longer in print or the current version?  Also, for many, if RPGs are your hobby, you probably are ok with spending disposable income on that hobby -- preferrably on a game your going to play.2. The disconnect between "It's Time" vs. "Our Business Plan Tells Us It's Time".  Sometimes, especially when someone has heavily invested in something from a money-perspective, hearing that that product is being replaced can be viewed as a great thing or an attempt to bilk them for more money.  Sometimes the changes don't provide the expected benefit or justify the expense to replace.  Forget RPGs for a minute.  Look at Windows.  Microsoft went through a series of decreasing lifecycles on operating systems or new/modified OSs through the late 90's & early 2000's.  By the time Vista rolled around, Windows users had had enough.  Vista was largely a bomb.  Customers threw up their hands and said "Not this time!".  Some adopted of course, but the majority chose to stay with Windows XP.When I bought my Xbox & PS3, I knew with each of those purchases they'd eventually be replaced by a newer console.  But whether it's Windows-Compatability Mode or the ability to play Xbox or PS2 games on the latest console, backwards compatability can soften the blow.    I didn't come back to D&D until 3.5, so I wasn't "burned" by it but many feel they were (a large # of 3PP's among them).  The OGL-limbo, the GSL debacle, the pulling of Dragon & Dungeon, the vaporware tabletop, the new subscription model for electronic content, the pulling of PDF product -- they've all contributed to the climate WotC now lives in.  WotC, created the environment where many gamers (myself included) no longer take things they say at face value or have faith that it'll improve the game.  Yet every one of those decisions may have been 100% correct moves for WotC to make from a business standpoint.Microsoft had to adjust but they saw (& continue to see) alternatives such as Linux & Apple growing.  Is Microsoft still the 800 lb. gorilla?  You bet.  Yet IT departments around the world emit a collective groan every time they hear that a new Windows OS is coming.Is WotC held to a different standard?  Perhaps.  Being a market leader ain't all wine and roses.  Personally, as I stated upthread, I don't think the Pathfinder campaign setting is a good example of a change on par with what WotC has done with D&D.  Even if it were a comparable example, however, I don't think Paizo or any other RPG publisher could take scorched-earth-and-rebuild approach that WotC has done on occasion.  If WotC is being held to a different standard it could be because they've earned it.  That doesn't mean it's populated by mean, evil, or greedy people.  It just means that not all decisions are popular ones.  What's best for a publisher doesn't always equate to what's best for a customer.  Ultimately, you hope they're going to be cooperative, rather than competing interests in the end.</blockquote>

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