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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Herschel" data-source="post: 5980673" data-attributes="member: 78357">He's right, to a point. 1. Back in OD&D and AD&D days it was much more of a "big tent" because the games were so similar. Moving from 1E to 2E was a breeze, for example.  2. Anyone looking from the outside saw the "Dungeons & Dragons" logo, with or without the "Advanced" prefix and similar looking books even (at least through early 2E). WotC owns teh right to the easily and most recognizable brand in the industry.  3. There also wasn't the internet forum issue and every schmuck with a keyboard blogging like the wind. Back then, you moreso had to sit down and check out the game to see if you'd like it. There are edition warriors on this site who deride 4E, for example, who admit they've never played it nor even really read it, just read some blog posts yet claim to be experts on why it's a bad game. When you sit down and experience things first hand you're more likely to accept things or look at things without the outlet of anaymous internet rancor, which turns people off in-general. People on the outside of the fanbase have Google too.  "Shrinking" is kind of a loaded term, but 'the number of companies being created' is no measure, especially today. You can now self-publish and go all pdf with a laptop. That's a huge change in teh industry and a lot of these new "companies" are just that, one guy with a laptop. This is flat-out false. WotC's marketing may leave a lot to be desired but D&D is still the name people from the outside know. More licensed products would be a boon though and WotC lagging means the industry lags.  Which is one-and-the-same. Every other RPG (and WotC themselves, with purchasing the IP) have leached from D&D because it was the first, the biggest and the most recognized.   This really means nothing outside of to those already in the hobby.  The OGL was a major mistake from a business standpoint, period. Fanboys love it but at the end of the day it was a horrible decision.  Protecting your IP is serious business and a lot of people have done things they shouldn't have with it. Just because it's "only a game" does not change the fact its production is peoples' livelihood.  The hobby is a very minute portion of their overall business, and they are a business. They know plenty about the hobby, they allocate the resources they deem profitable to placate a bunch of irrational fanboys  So wrong it's painful. Try talking to WoD fans and see how wrong you are, or Shadowrun, or.....  That's everyone everywhere. Look at any comment section on any internet story. Yes it is, but then the entire industry relies on the D&D name to bring it recognition.  True, but with the size of the hobby, how many resources will a business want to commit to such a niche market? they want to make profitable moves.  Part of this is we've gotten to be a lazy, disassociated culture. The electronic age brings easy access to words from around the world, but they're more impersonal. Anonymity and distance are not good for creating true bonds among people. Facebook and WoW "friends" are not real friends, they're electronic aquaintances. People like the convenience of online gaming, but that's not the strength of this hobby.  It's in their interest to draw people to teh hobby and every member of the hobby knows (or should know) that. Coke & Pepsi do fly the flag for carbonated drinks, their marketing brings industry recognition.  Agreed. Very much agreed.</blockquote>

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