It would be a mistake IMHO to read anything more into that than "fighters are the most played class" as you appear to be doing here. This sort of ad populum is definitely not a solid argument to make as there may be a multitude reasons for this that may or may not be relevant to the issues discussed in this thread. We can get hints of this, for example, on D&D Beyond where typically the most popular subclass for a given class is the free or basic version. Is their popularity indicative of their quality or is it simply a result of their accessibility? Can people still play something but still be somewhat dissatisfied with aspects of it? Does it live up to their expectations? We don't know. We only have data that more people play this than any other class. So try not to read too much into so little.
Sure. All information needs to be considered based on the reliability of the source.
It does help to put in context this conversation though. Clearly claims of a theoretical disparity in power (suggested by
@FrozenNorth) or tactical options (
@ph0rk) or a general perceived unhappiness with martial characters in general, clearly aren’t substantial enough to stop people playing these characters. In fact they dominated.
I think one of the reasons the conversation gets such vehement responses is that it’s the equivalent of going into your local Italian restaurant, which is fully booked every night and telling them that they’re making the sauce wrong. Most people in that situation would back the chef up I think, in telling you to do one.
I have no problem with some people wanting more. There’s nothing wrong with someone wanting a martial that has abilities that do the same things as spells. However they should acknowledge that this is down to their own preference and not because there’s anything fundamentally broken with the spaghetti sauce. It’s just not to their taste. If you like your sauce particularly salty, you don’t ask the chef to put more salt in... you add it yourself at the table. All evidence presents that the restaurant is just fine. My advice would be to add some extra at the table, make it how you like it at home. Or find another restaurant that makes it how you want it.
Incidentally, are there successful current alternatives that have martial characters doing similar things to casters?... Not just by dramatically curtailing what casters can do (like say WFRP). Is anyone servicing this supposed demand?
To put it another way. If 4e was the edition that fixed the martial-caster disparity and made martials ‘cool again’ - this issue that is so important it keeps cropping up over and over again - why is there only 0.19% of 4e games being played on Roll20. One quarter of the 3.5e games being played (which has its player base split by pathfinder). Why has 4e been almost completely abandoned. It appears to be literally the least played edition online... which is ironic given its attempt to follow a MMORG. Even AD&D has more players online and we know that those players think VTT technology will lead to the end times!
A lot of the assertions about ‘what is needed’ and what ‘people’ want, really doesn’t survive in the wild.
First time I thought it might be a fluke, second time....no it just sucks.
