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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Bodhiwolff" data-source="post: 4687816" data-attributes="member: 71196">I wrote up a couple of my experiences regarding 4E, the differences which drew me back to D&D, and the boardgame-style presentation adaptations we adopted to entice new players to give 4E a try.  I presented my thoughts on Boardgamegeek, and here on Enworld.  I told how my own home-group was made up of mostly non-RPG gamers, some of which actively *hated* traditional RPG's, and D&D in particular.  I explained how we adapted certain presentation ideas, and how 4E coupled with these ideas was a big win in my player's eyes.  (the game is still ongoing, months later, and everybody is having a blast) Those two threads generate weekly responses for me, from new players, asking for my files, my thoughts, my advice, and simple "How-To" style information for running 4E for new, non-RPG gamers.  These e-mails are from *new* players who all explain that they never felt comfortable enough to take the RPG leap before now. I don't think I am stretching the truth to say that, judging from my e-mail traffic and requests for files, at about 4 players per game, that's about 100 new players that came to the game right there. They came to the game for the same reason -- 4E, coupled with a modern boardgame-style presentation (a player mat and tokens instead of a character sheet, coupled with Power Cards, etc.) was the first RPG that was approachable for them.  I am regailed with tales of "I was always curious, but this is the first time I finally bothered to take the plunge". I am also regailed with tales of success, after-action reports and updates months later, telling me how their game is progressing.  They explain how the roleplaying and storytelling aspects are creeping in, and how their game is expanding and adapting to include more traditional RPG elements. So is 4E bringing in new players? Absolutely, yes.  It is also bringing in a new *type* of player, who is then going on to expand their gaming horizons and include the roleplaying and storytelling that old campaigners such as myself find so enjoyable. For this type of gamer, for this type of new player, 4E (much more so than AD&D, 2E, or 3.5) is the RPG that finally made sense, was approachable, and wasn't some enigmatic, difficult-to-grasp, rules-intensive miasma that scared them off.   I'm not a fan of the Harry Potter books.  I think that they are linear, and simple, and not well written from a literary perspective.  But J.K. Rowling did 3 great things in my book.  1.  She got kids to read.  2.  She got kids to read.  3.  She got kids to read. Okay, so maybe 4E isn't the Harry Potter of modern RPGs.  Maybe it isn't *quite* that popular.   But in my book, it is getting new gamers to try RPG's.  And that is an absolute, hands-down *win* in my book. Edition wars be damned, in my book.  4E is getting new gamers to try it, and that is just aces.</blockquote>

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