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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ariosto" data-source="post: 4690556" data-attributes="member: 80487">That's an interesting question. The only people really new to the hobby I have personally encountered in a 4E context are elementary schoolers without a basis for comparison even with 3E. I have heard of some other youngsters who got turned on by the pictures in the books (especially of the Dragonborn) but did not groove so much on the mechanics -- so their grownup DMs substituted other rules with delightful results.The RPGA events at the local FLGS look pretty successful to me, rivaling turnout for the "Magic" card game tournaments. Again, it's hard for me to separate that scheme from the 4E rules set. I can't see a reason it ought to have been less successful with (say) AD&D or the old Basic, etc., boxed-set line.One thing that seems clear to me is that 4E appeals to a different group of gamers than old D&D. There's some overlap in people who enjoy both, but WotC's new business plan obviously caters only to enthusiasts of the new game.Another factor, at least in the RPGA context, is that one really does not need to buy more than the PHB (if even that) to step in and DM a scenario.  That may be more a negative to sales than a positive to getting people to try the game in the first place.In the latter regard, I was certainly encouraged by the impression that I did not need to be an expert at number-crunching and mini-maxing abstract game-mechanical choices just to start playing. Of course, there was not much of that to fiddle with in the first place pre-3E -- and there's still plenty for the budding systems analyst and too much for those of us with old-fashioned notions of role-playing and fast-paced adventure.Anyway, the "game culture" I've encountered seems friendlier, less uptight than during the 3E era. Is that a reflection of everyone still being a bit out of his element even after a few months of play? Shall it wear off after a few years?On the flip side, I have found more interest among experienced gamers in playing "the old game." The old game I DM still uses the original "little brown books," as it has for more than 30 years.It seems some people are just taking 4E for a spin, holding back on major investment. The Pathfinder project is another thing getting a look, and I get the impression that WotC's sudden and pretty radical change of course has left a significant demographic open to "shopping around" even more widely.So, the end result might just be a "wash," simply trading one segment for another.And of course my personal experience may not representative!</blockquote>

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