It would probably be different if I already had a group of 4e-friendly friends. As it stands I can't find/keep a group. I keep winding up in locations where gamers are spread thin, and any group I've been in the last few years disintegrates after a few sessions.
IMO one of the main reasons it was possible was that 4e was the current thing. Now that the writing is on the wall, it will be even more difficult to convince people to play, or find new groups.
To put it another way, when was the last time you saw someone recruiting for a 3.0 game?
To put it another way, when was the last time you saw someone recruiting for a 3.0 game?
The point is now everything is on the table*. You can start a campaign and know from the start what the game is capable of. Not having to rework things because "Gamechanging Ability X" just came out in the newest $upplement. Being able to ditch the painfully artificial retraining rules that were shoved into 4E to keep the $plat treadmill running is also a plus.I don't see the point in starting a new game with the bomb timer ticking down.
I'm running classic Deadlands. Not the d20, not the Savage Worlds, but the classic. It hasn't had books in physical print for years, and my players are having a blast.
It seems to me that being a going concern, with a long list of new products going forward, really isn't what some make it out to be. Games are perfectly viable to play after they go out of print. Games are generally viable if you only have the core rules!
Play what you like. Don't worry so much about what WotC might do or print in the future.
My main issue is that if I can't find people to play what I want before, how can I find them now?