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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RFisher" data-source="post: 3700890" data-attributes="member: 3608">You know what game my seven-year-old is most interested in right now? Marbles. Actual "draw a circle on the ground & flick glass balls around" marbles. Sure, he enjoys his Star Wars: Battlefront, Lego Star Wars, &c.; but he'll drop those in a second to play marbles.So the idea that video games will ever make anything obsolete is laughable to me.Not that these aren't important topics, just that that puts it all in perspective for me.The truth is that nigh everyone realizes they are some form of geek. Poker geek. Garden geek. Music geek. Movie geek. Whatever.Sometimes we give lip-service to geek stereotypes for fun, but it's just talk. We don't really mean it.The very few people who really believe "geek" is a negative are the real geeks & not even worth wasting another word on.Or they're still in middle-school. Just smile knowingly until they graduate. (^_^)If you don't believe me, start telling people you're a gamer. Ask about their hobbies, & notice that you don't deride them for that. Tell them about your hobby, & notice that--not only do they seldom have a negative reaction--a good number of them will actually be interested to know more about it.The traditional model isn't. The way most theatres are evolving isn't either.Companies like the Alamo Drafthouse here in Austin (& beyond now) are reinventing movie theatres in ways that can survive, however. Instead of keeping the same snacks & raising the prices, they actually serve food & drink that is worth the price. Instead of treating you as merely eyes they can sell to advertisers, they create events that celebrate film & provide entertainment beyond what's on the screen.They aren't the only one, & you're going to see more & more of this.The striking thing to me is how obvious Alamo's moves seem. Especially when compared to what the others are doing. But I guess that's often the hallmark of genius: It leaves you wondering why you didn't think of it yourself.That is a problem.The other problem is that the introductory sets don't seem to introduce the game I want to introduce people to. It's something vaguely similar, but--for me--it misses the mark. My old Basic Set & Prince Valiant have been my choices for this task. Even Dungeon Squad looks like it would do it better to me. (In fact, it was created when the author's attempt to introduce people to the hobby via 3e failed.)<shrug> I'd rather not have to waste time weeding out a bunch of (for me) useless rules. (Because there's an awful lot I want to handle with quick ad hoc rulings rather than using a rule, whether made up in advance by someone else or made up by me on the spot.)Pohtaytoh, pahtahtoh.Which is still too much for many people. Which wouldn't bother me so much if D&D weren't the flagship of the industry.No it's not. It just takes the players realizing that the DM is human & that--while that has its advantages--they have to give him some slack due to its disadvantages. They have to extend him the benefit of the doubt that taking on a tough job for their sakes deserves. It just takes the DM being willing to listen to the players & fairly consider their input. It's that easy.Right. Ideally the flagship RPG would be a decent gateway into the hobby for as wide a group of potential gamers as possible.But, it can't be a "designed by committee" "try to be all things to all people" kind of thing either. It has to have enough focus to remain compelling. A gateway that the widest number of potential gamers can most easily pass through, but once through they'll find other games that expand the experience in the way that fits them.That, I think, is a tall order.I don't think that's true. I think "bad DM" isn't really as common as it is made out to be. I think the "bad DM" fairly quickly drops out or learns to be an "adequate DM".I kind of had the impression that the 3e designers had actually done that. Then they just rebuilt most of the spells from those templates. Maybe not entirely formally, but effectively.That's probably another one of those "I'd like 3e more if it weren't trying so hard to be D&D" things. I liked the spells in earlier editions that didn't fit to templates. I don't like that 3e regularized things so much, but didn't just give me the templates.</blockquote>

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