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<blockquote data-quote="Thomas Shey" data-source="post: 8445309" data-attributes="member: 7026617">The problem is that there's an assumption buried in this: that the vast majority of people playing D&amp;D actually have a thought-through preference for the sort of mechanical things it does.&nbsp; Given the number of D&amp;D players I've hit over the years that only even have the vaguest sense other RPGs exist, and in many cases have no opportunity to experience them (other than in a third party sort of way, until recently almost certainly by reading, which for many people is a seriously inadequate way to do so), and given the other factors that produce a lack of interest in straying outside the D&amp;D sphere, its not clear there's so much a general preference as a lot of people who don't even have a sense there's a meaningful choice.Its about like contrasting McDonalds consumption with consumption of burgers from various much smaller chains; examining the latter could, indeed potentially tell you something, but what its just as likely to tell you is that McDonalds is all over the place and is much better known and most people gravitate to what they're familiar with unless they have a strong reason not to.&nbsp; And that isn't even getting into the extremely strong networking benefits being in the D&amp;D sphere has.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Thomas Shey, post: 8445309, member: 7026617"] The problem is that there's an assumption buried in this: that the vast majority of people playing D&D actually have a thought-through preference for the sort of mechanical things it does. Given the number of D&D players I've hit over the years that only even have the vaguest sense other RPGs exist, and in many cases have no opportunity to experience them (other than in a third party sort of way, until recently almost certainly by reading, which for many people is a seriously inadequate way to do so), and given the other factors that produce a lack of interest in straying outside the D&D sphere, its not clear there's so much a general preference as a lot of people who don't even have a sense there's a meaningful choice. Its about like contrasting McDonalds consumption with consumption of burgers from various much smaller chains; examining the latter could, indeed potentially tell you something, but what its just as likely to tell you is that McDonalds is all over the place and is much better known and most people gravitate to what they're familiar with unless they have a strong reason not to. And that isn't even getting into the extremely strong networking benefits being in the D&D sphere has. [/QUOTE]

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