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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Guest&nbsp; 85555" data-source="post: 6849073">I am not so sure about this statement. I don't think the existence of 'nostalgia mechanics' is what is preventing the hobby from growing. We can certainly debate what is causing it not to grow. It is a topic people have debated for years. But it isn't like I saw a huge flow of new people into the hobby with 4E, for all its appeal to innovative Indie Design. The last time i remember seeing a big surge was when 3E came out (and that actually introduced a number of big changes to the system). I think with a game like D&D (and RPGs in general) the things that prevent it from getting huge are really varied. I don't know if the hobby has shrunk or grown with 5E (I'd be interested in seeing the numbers though if people have them). But my suspicion is that the thing holding back new gamers isn't whether we use bennies or if the game has Moves. I think it is more that folks have long had this impression that it is an odd pastime for nerf and quirky people. When I was growing up the thing that made it hard to recruit new players was the stigma associated with the game. It may also be that behavior at gamestores isn't helping (again I don't know because I don't play at gamesters) but I don't think that is as much a matter of mechanics as it is a matter of store owners needing to eject people who are making the experience unpleasant for others.</blockquote>