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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pawsplay" data-source="post: 5487093" data-attributes="member: 15538">In keeping an open mind, I do not have to have an undiscriminating one. Perhaps I lack imagination, but I just cannot conceive that anyone shopping for B4 is postponing a 4e purchase. Either they play 4e, in which case you can probably sell them both products, or they don't, in which case you will never sell them 4e. Someone who plays 4e and not previous editions would have few reasons to purchase a $4 PDF of B4 instead of some 4e product. What about the WotC research that determined that someone who already owned a lot of gaming products was more, not less, likely to buy another product? I can even speak of a psychological principle that suggests why this would be so. It's called disinhibition. When we "take down the gate" and allow ourselves to gruntle some urge, we reduce our inhibition against others. Hence, after ordering fries, which are not on the diet, we are more likely to go for the apple pie, too. After purchasing a day pass to the amusement park, we are more likely to pay $7 for a hamburger while we are there. If I buy one gaming product and like it, I reinforce my "buying games" behavior. The more of a fan I am, the more likely I am to seek out further experiences that may be gratifying. That's why in-print games with lots of sourcebooks tend to be more popular than OOP with only one book; there is always "more" if you want another fix.If WotC is hoping that, with the unavailability of those PDFs, they will create a collective loss of memory as to what D&D used to look like, I think they are setting themselves up for a negative reaction. They should be showcasing those old things, just as DC regularly puts together anthologies, albums, and retrospectives on their properties. Moving away from the discussion of the opiod rush of purchasing, sociologically, we identify with our activities. Since I started collecting quirky old games, I have not stopped: Fantasy Wargaming, Palladium, The Arcanum all now grace my shelves. Why? just to experience them, and compare them to other games I know. Given enough time, I would probably buy every $4 PDF of every product ever made available. Those old products provide a link between a familiar and happy experience and a new and exciting experience. WotC knows that, that's why the new Red Box exists. But where is the nerve and the will to do more? As long as I feel like WotC is sniffing my wallet, I feel disinclined to give them more money than serves my minimum purposes. If, on the other hand, they provide me with a wealth of imagination-stimulating opportunities, a community, and a sense of continuity with history, I remain within the D&D tent, evangelizing, ultimately, the identity of their product. I don't want 4e to be my nemesis, yet I think I am reasonable in estimating that it has become an impediment to what I want.</blockquote>

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