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<blockquote data-quote="WizarDru" data-source="post: 3888046" data-attributes="member: 151">I'm a little confused, here.&nbsp; In the early 80s D&amp;D was popular because it was a FAD.&nbsp; It was no different than Pokemon, Webkinz, Cabbage Patch Kids, Pong or a hundred other 'get it because everyone else is getting it' events.&nbsp; Many people bought it just to see what it was or to play it for a year or so and then never again.&nbsp; It hit the zeitgeist, and like anything that peaks that high, it eventually faded to a stable level.&nbsp; The non-gamers tried it, didn't get it and moved on.&nbsp; That, combined with it being the only game in town, practically, made it a winner.&nbsp; You couldn't wander into a normal bookstore and find Star Ace, but you could find D&amp;D.&nbsp; That made it much more accessible and helped sales...not unlike today, in that respect.What I'm not seeing is some sudden rise of demon-use or evil being promoted in 4e any more than it ever was in the past.&nbsp; Demons and demon-lords have been in the game almost since it's inception.&nbsp; Evil characters, too....though they were no more encouraged than what I'm hearing now.&nbsp; The character classes of Warlock and Warlord aren't new and not necessarily evil, so unless you're saying that making them core is somehow promoting evil due to the fact that they sound or could be evil, I'm not sure I get it.&nbsp; It's like saying that D&amp;D is promoting evil because they've talked about monsters.&nbsp; As for 'Darth Vader is Cool'?&nbsp; First off, he IS cool.&nbsp; In the late 70s/early 80s he DEFINED 'cool'.&nbsp; This halloween, I had SIX Darth Vaders come to my door....more than any other costume.&nbsp; He's masked.&nbsp; He's mysterious.&nbsp; He has arcane powers and intimidates people.&nbsp; He commands faceless minions.&nbsp; He IS cool.&nbsp;&nbsp; Laudable?&nbsp; No, but that was never really the point.&nbsp; I would also argue that the Darth Vader I grew up with was neither a whiner nor a mass-murderer of children with his bare hands.&nbsp; He was a classic villian and one who eventually was found able to be redeemed.&nbsp; I don't know a single kid, growing up, who professed admiration for Darth Vader's behavior, so much as the allure of his imagery and the fantasy of his power.&nbsp; Hell, people LOVE Boba Fett and he barely even actually DOES anything in the movies.&nbsp; Lucas, to this day, doesn't understand the appeal of the character...even though he shares the same characteristics that Vader does.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="WizarDru, post: 3888046, member: 151"] I'm a little confused, here. In the early 80s D&D was popular because it was a FAD. It was no different than Pokemon, Webkinz, Cabbage Patch Kids, Pong or a hundred other 'get it because everyone else is getting it' events. Many people bought it just to see what it was or to play it for a year or so and then never again. It hit the zeitgeist, and like anything that peaks that high, it eventually faded to a stable level. The non-gamers tried it, didn't get it and moved on. That, combined with it being the only game in town, practically, made it a winner. You couldn't wander into a normal bookstore and find Star Ace, but you could find D&D. That made it much more accessible and helped sales...not unlike today, in that respect. What I'm not seeing is some sudden rise of demon-use or evil being promoted in 4e any more than it ever was in the past. Demons and demon-lords have been in the game almost since it's inception. Evil characters, too....though they were no more encouraged than what I'm hearing now. The character classes of Warlock and Warlord aren't new and not necessarily evil, so unless you're saying that making them core is somehow promoting evil due to the fact that they sound or could be evil, I'm not sure I get it. It's like saying that D&D is promoting evil because they've talked about monsters. As for 'Darth Vader is Cool'? First off, he IS cool. In the late 70s/early 80s he DEFINED 'cool'. This halloween, I had SIX Darth Vaders come to my door....more than any other costume. He's masked. He's mysterious. He has arcane powers and intimidates people. He commands faceless minions. He IS cool. Laudable? No, but that was never really the point. I would also argue that the Darth Vader I grew up with was neither a whiner nor a mass-murderer of children with his bare hands. He was a classic villian and one who eventually was found able to be redeemed. I don't know a single kid, growing up, who professed admiration for Darth Vader's behavior, so much as the allure of his imagery and the fantasy of his power. Hell, people LOVE Boba Fett and he barely even actually DOES anything in the movies. Lucas, to this day, doesn't understand the appeal of the character...even though he shares the same characteristics that Vader does. [/QUOTE]

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