Just so you know, whenever people post line after line of stuff like this...
Hey, old people. And yes, I'm talking to you.
(snip)
So now I'm going to tell you that you need to go step back, and - in essence - go away.
(snip)
Your stories aren't relevant anymore.
(snip)
I've never read his works, and, honestly, I don't care to.
(snip)
It doesn't matter anymore.
(snip)
Etc., etc.
...some might get the idea that they are being unnecessarily hostile, and that they are attacking people personally. People do not usually respond well to such posts, if they read them at all. Perhaps your message would reach the minds and hearts of more people if it were more tactfully-worded.
Maybe this post is coming off as harsh, and I'm sorry for that. But...
Also, immediately following an apology with the word "but" tends to make the apology sound a little insincere. And by "a little insincere," I mean "completely insincere."
Admin here. Hey, [MENTION=162]GnomeWorks[/MENTION]. This bit right here? This is exactly why I had to just close this thread. Being deliberately provocative can make for interesting reading, but it seldom helps encourage discussion that doesn't involve many cranky people. Avoid this, please. -- Piratecat
-----
Anyway. Underneath all of the salt and gravel in your original post, you make an interesting point. Here is my response:
The game is Dungeons & Dragons. It is not, for example, "Harry Potter: The Roleplaying Game," or "Avatar: The Last RPG." Imagination and innovation are fine and good, but the title of the game alone carries with it a certain level of expectation. When someone says "hey, let's play Dungeons & Dragons," you do not expect to be part of a motorcycle-riding vampire gang, for example. But if someone were to say "hey, let's play The Lost Boys RPG," well...
Dungeons & Dragons is a great RPG. But it is not the ONLY one. More to the point, it must not attempt to be the only one. If 5E tries to be all games to all gamers, it will lose more than just the "old guard" of players...it will lose its own identity.
Wizards of the Coast does not want us "old people" to go anywhere. They need us, if for no other reason than to help them remember.