non-4e D&D Players . . .

[bagger245]

Well I do play 4e but not my main game of choice. I do at first wanted to make it so with the advent of Essentials but I realized that the gameplay will be the same. The emphasis on certain playstyle is still the same as 4e.

 

[scourger]

No. We tried 4e. It wasn't for me. When it was first announced, I figured it would be be my ticket off the roller coaster. Essentials won't get me back on that ride.

But, I'm still in the amusement park--I will pick up the new Gamma World.

For now, I'll continue running DDM as an RPG for as long as it lasts.

 

[Jools]

Wow, there's some bitterness in this thread! I'm quite new to D&D so don't really understand where people are coming from but it clearly goes far beyond a mere dislike of 4e's game mechanics!

 

[John Quixote]

Hm. Let's see. I quit playing 3rd edition a good year before 4th edition was even announced, so as you might imagine, I never had an incentive to try it out in the first place.

But I will admit, Essentials is intriguing. I might just buy the Red Box and give it a shot.

Best case scenario, I discover that it's a wonderful miniatures skirmish game, and it sits next to Labyrinth Lord on my shelf of go-to games. That way, I can pull out Labyrinth Lord when I want a game that plays like "Final Fantasy," and Essentials when I want a game that plays like "Fire Emblem."

Worst case scenario, I'll get a nifty red box to store my Moldvay and Mentzer booklets in.

 

[scruffygrognard]

No... unless I read/hear that the changes are significant enough to make 4th edition resemble earlier editions of the game (which is not likely).

 

[GlassJaw]

Considering I knew nothing about Essentials until I saw posts about it on EN World, I think it's safe to say I am no longer WotC's target demographic. And that's ok.

I'll keep crunching away with Trailblazer (and keep working on getting the monster book done! ).

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Nope, but....
Had this been the opening salvo of 4e I might have been better inclined toward the game at a time when I might have been swayed. (Honestly, some of the ways they tried introducing 4e, it was as though they were deliberately trying to lose me as a player. )

Now Pathfinder and Fantasy Craft are available, which fit me better than 4e in any event, but it would have been nice if 4e had at least seemed like a viable option.

The Auld Grump

 

[radmod]

No. If I even suggested it ...

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'm playing 4Ed, but its far from my game of choice- too many changes were made that I profoundly dislike. Don't get me wrong: 4Ed is well designed, and fun to play, but if it had a different name or was made by an entirely different company, I'd like it more.*

3.X is my D&D.

So far, I haven't seen a thing in Essentials that is more palatable than the original formulation of 4Ed.






* Its one aspect of the "New Coke" situation: despite its good points, I don't like it as a replacement in the market for my preferred version of D&D. If it were a sister product or even a market rival, I'd be more accepting of it.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

#1 rule of business - relying on past success as a guarantee of future success is *stupid*. It may easily be that 4e was wildly successful, but WotC knows that it has largely saturated the market with 4e, so that it needs something else to continue revenue flow.

Actually, rule #1 is the strongest predictor of success is being first to market with the product.

But that (along with "Location, location, location!") are definitely in the top 5.

Best recent example is the Chrysler's PT Cruiser. Before the auto industry's collapse, the PT Cruiser was Chrysler's gem- a top seller and nominated for (and winning) several industry awards, it typically ranked just behind the VW Beetle in sales and owner satisfaction. Even post collapse and well into their recovery, the PT Cruiser was a workhorse in their line.

And they axed it this year.

Why?

Because today's PT Cruiser is essentially the same as the ones from the initial release. No other car in Chrysler's line emulated its retro styling...and sales were dropping sharply because it was stagnant.