(Note, the following is half-formed thought and may not represent my final opinion on the matter -- hence why I am posting here on the forum rather than in my blog, which I usually use for "essays" and other more polished musings. Also, I am an avid science reader but don't even qualify as an armchair biologist, so if I abuse or misuse terms below, feel free to correct me.)
I think that Evolution is an apt metaphor for the state of D&D today. More specifically, I think we are in the midst of an evolutionary explosion wherein a great number of species of D&D have been spawned over the last decade or so, each fitting its own niche, each struggling to survive but few if any directly competing. it's as if D&D existed on an island which broke apart into smaller isles of varying sizes, each with its own ecosystem representing a particular preferred playstyle and/or segment of the fanbase.
This is of course not the first time the D&D lineage has split off. OD&D spawned both AD&D and B/X D&D -- each of which in turn spawned their own offspring (2E and BECMI, respectively). And while all of these prior species of D&D were eventually marginalized, none has gone completely extinct.
But the real explosion came with 3E, d20 and the OGL, a perfect combination of robust physiology, bright plumage and environmental adaptability. Many subspecies were spawned, and most disappeared just as quickly. Nonetheless, a number of D&D species are currently living side by side, only occasionally competing for resources (players) while continuing to master their respective niches.
Of the species of D&D that (so far) seem viable, I count several games that can all be called D&D, whether they bear the logo or not:
As retro clones, Labrynth Lord, Swords and Wizardry and OSRIC are all inarguably D&D, and all seem to have garnered enough fans to survive (if on 3 small, closely linked isles).
Castles and Crusades is similar, though it has undergone more mutation than the others. Nonetheless, it is as much "D&D" as any game that TSR or WotC has put out. It's island is a little larger, and as a species it has room to grow and perhaps even spread.
Another nu-retro D&D is Hackmaster. Its less spawn of 3E than it is 1E isolated on a particularly harsh and weird island, but it is D&D. It probably should have died out as quickly as most of the d20 "fantasy heartbreaker" species of the early 2000s, but it endured and now begins to itself evolve (with 5E). Whether it remains D&D after this or not remains to be seen, but as of this writing Hackmaster is a closely linked cousin.
Despite the continuing evolution of new lines, the keystone species of 3.x remains quite viable, both in its unchanged state and in its new offspring Pathfinder.
And finally, there's 4E, a more radical evolution than most of the others, to be sure, but still recognizably D&D. In fact, it's differences may be mostly cosmetic and close examination may yet reveal its underlying physiology is nearly unchanged. It remains to be seen.
The point? Simply that D&D remains, in many forms, and has perhaps moved from Species to Genus.
I think that Evolution is an apt metaphor for the state of D&D today. More specifically, I think we are in the midst of an evolutionary explosion wherein a great number of species of D&D have been spawned over the last decade or so, each fitting its own niche, each struggling to survive but few if any directly competing. it's as if D&D existed on an island which broke apart into smaller isles of varying sizes, each with its own ecosystem representing a particular preferred playstyle and/or segment of the fanbase.
This is of course not the first time the D&D lineage has split off. OD&D spawned both AD&D and B/X D&D -- each of which in turn spawned their own offspring (2E and BECMI, respectively). And while all of these prior species of D&D were eventually marginalized, none has gone completely extinct.
But the real explosion came with 3E, d20 and the OGL, a perfect combination of robust physiology, bright plumage and environmental adaptability. Many subspecies were spawned, and most disappeared just as quickly. Nonetheless, a number of D&D species are currently living side by side, only occasionally competing for resources (players) while continuing to master their respective niches.
Of the species of D&D that (so far) seem viable, I count several games that can all be called D&D, whether they bear the logo or not:
As retro clones, Labrynth Lord, Swords and Wizardry and OSRIC are all inarguably D&D, and all seem to have garnered enough fans to survive (if on 3 small, closely linked isles).
Castles and Crusades is similar, though it has undergone more mutation than the others. Nonetheless, it is as much "D&D" as any game that TSR or WotC has put out. It's island is a little larger, and as a species it has room to grow and perhaps even spread.
Another nu-retro D&D is Hackmaster. Its less spawn of 3E than it is 1E isolated on a particularly harsh and weird island, but it is D&D. It probably should have died out as quickly as most of the d20 "fantasy heartbreaker" species of the early 2000s, but it endured and now begins to itself evolve (with 5E). Whether it remains D&D after this or not remains to be seen, but as of this writing Hackmaster is a closely linked cousin.
Despite the continuing evolution of new lines, the keystone species of 3.x remains quite viable, both in its unchanged state and in its new offspring Pathfinder.
And finally, there's 4E, a more radical evolution than most of the others, to be sure, but still recognizably D&D. In fact, it's differences may be mostly cosmetic and close examination may yet reveal its underlying physiology is nearly unchanged. It remains to be seen.
The point? Simply that D&D remains, in many forms, and has perhaps moved from Species to Genus.
