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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mercurius" data-source="post: 5322372" data-attributes="member: 59082">I share this perspective as well. Of course some folks will get upset with the implication that one (newer) edition includes innovations that another (older) edition does not. This is why talking about the change of the game over time as "evolutionary" or as some kind of qualitative progression is highly problematic because it implies newer is better. I don't think this is always the case, and there are things about older editions that I miss or wish WotC hadn't left by the wayside or changed, but overall I enjoy an evolving, living game. I also recognize that my personal proclivities cannot be paramount for WotC (although it would be nice!).First of all, let's not go there. In my experience many, even most, "Edition Wars" are not started by one person bashing another's edition of choice, but by one person accusing another of starting an Edition War. So please refrain - it is not my intention to insult or attack anyone, or even say that any particular edition sucks.My point being, this isn't an edition war and don't make it one by saying it is.As for the rest, I hear and accept what people are saying, I just don't agree with it, or rather I think it is a case of "misplaced ire." No one has to like the new six-wheeled car or buy it, because it doesn't mean you have to take the car in your garage to the junk yard. Keep on driving it, there are plenty of parts still available to keep it running for as long as you want to. So while I can understand being disappointed that the company did not go in a direction that one would have wanted, and I can relate with criticizing that company and discussing what one likes and doesn't like about that direction (believe me, I have plenty of dislikes), let's just not say that it ruins the car we already have, or that it means we wasted our money or cannot find ways to enjoy both four and six wheeled cars or, yes, use parts interchangeably with a bit of creativity.I apologize if my original post was misleading. It wasn't meant to corner a specific question but to open an inquiry with many possible areas of conversation. I was not arguing a specific point, but offering some perspectives and questions.And I must admit that you are, at least to some degree, right that I am complaining about fans being upset about innovations, but again, it is not that they are upset or disappointed, it is the degree to which they are upset and even offended, and the (mistaken, imo) conclusion of "invalidation" or "incompatibility." Which leads me to...But that's not the point. No one has to think the new car is wonderful, or even buy the new car. The point, or my point, is that the new car does not make the old car undriveable. Look at Pathfinder, for instance. That it is a great example of fans of 3.5E banding together and bringing out a new edition of their favorite game. They were pro-active and made the game they wanted.I can understand how one would be disappointed when WotC no longer produces new material for their favorite (version of their) game. I can see how what new material comes out is not easily compatible. But nor is it totally uncompatible or could not be made useful with a bit of tweaking, time, and creativity. Furthermore, there is enough 3.5/OGL material to last a lifetime, and then some. That is one of the reasons that 4E came out--the 3.5/OGL market was saturated, it was drenched. As I have argued, 4E was inevitable; it might have been a bit too soon, but if it hadn't been 2008 it would have been by 2010 or 2011, and the danger is slipping into another dark age.Just to be clear, I am not arguing that everyone should just suck it up and play 4E - that would be ridonkulous, especially considering that 3.5 and Pathfinder are excellent games that better suit certain proclivities. Nothing wrong with that! I think that is part of what 3.5ists react to in the "edition war," that they feel they are supposed to conform to something they don't want to conform to. Again, ridonkulous. I personally love the fact that there are numerous, somewhat distinct version of the great game of Dungeons & Dragons. I like the different flavors, some more than others. And I find that nothing has been lost, all of my old material still has utility, still has value and worth, and yes, is still "compatible" if we use the term loosely and are willing to play with things a bit. To be honest, while I like 4E I can't wait for 5E, if only out of sheer curiosity. To me it is like going to a car museum and looking at different versions over time, seeing how they all have their beauty, but also seeing how each form fits and expresses the time it was manufactured in. Time moves on and we shouldn't resist that. We can still have a particular fondness for an older model and drive it around town, especially in this age where all information--and plenty of old parts--is readily available. But that shouldn't make us angry when the car company wants to try something new and come out with a newer model.</blockquote>

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