This will be my one most likely only opinion about Dungeons and Dragons, and yet another version that has come out.
I don’t want it to seem like I am bashing the game, cuz I am not. I don’t want to have anything to do with it, as I lost interest after 2nd Ed. But I also know there are so many people out there that still truly love the game. I can appreciate that as I truly believe everyone should play the games they love.
No, what this is about is people’s initial reactions to a new version of the game. For the people that don’t play the game, a lot of them just try to ignore all of the new edition talk. It is almost impossible to do, but you do try.
Here is what I find interesting about this. There are types of reactions to this that I find interesting. Oh, there are more than this, but these are the ones that I am talking about today. A lot of people h
The gamers that love it no matter what
It doesn’t matter what changes are made to the game. They just love a new version of it. I never understand this group, since it seems like a blind kind of loyalty. Like that person that loves their favorite band even though they are on their 9th album. There isn’t anything wrong with this, but it comes off at least initially as disingenuous sometimes. But enthusiasm can also be a wonderful thing as well.
The gamers that hate it no matter what
The other end of the spectrum for people that just don’t love change. No matter the change, it is never as good as the previous version. I have a close friend that falls into this and man did they hate 4th Ed soooooo much. These are the ones that are still playing 2nd or 3rd Editions, cuz they like that particular edition and have no need for later ones. I was in this group for a while. But saying that, people should be allowed to not love every new version of something.
The let's wait and see
Yes, there are actually people out there that want to try the new version and see what has happened. An open mind is required for this group, which is why you don’t always see a lot of them. These are the gamers that just want to play a good game and the one’s I respect the most over all, regardless of what game they are playing. They will dissect the hell out of the game, and usually give people a good understanding of the differences between this and previous versions.
The gamers that just don't give a damn
For the most part I am in this group. Now for years I did have a bit of hate for D&D, but eventually realized that it just wasn’t the game or me anymore and that other people could still enjoy it. Now, I am an indie gamer and a new version does not really do much for me either way. Other than seeing my feed get overwhelmed with people’s reactions to it. So, I just sit back and watch and go on playing the games I want to play.
The other interesting part of this is social networking. Now more than ever, you get to see people’s opinions on things. Especially on something like Google+, which I have over 1600 people in my rpg circle. That is A LOT of people, with A LOT of opinions. So, when something huge like a new version of arguably the most popular rpg of all time comes out, people (like me, here) want to say what they think.
The downside is the edition wars. You see people getting really pissed off cuz they added this or left out that from a previous version. Or just those people that will only play 3rd edition (cuz it is their favorite) and anyone playing any other version must be an idiot. Now, this is the downside to social networking as it allows people to troll others without much or any repercussions. This is not just limited to this discussion as people can be assholes on whatever topic they choose.
To be fair, I have seen less of that this time. Oh, it is still there, but less. Most of the people that I have read that are playing 5th Edition, are coming away enjoying it. To me, that is the most important part of this. If you want to make a new version of something, awesome. But I hope you can make something that people enjoy and not just complain about. So, I am glad people seem to be enjoying the new edition and that there has been much less of the version bashing (at least in my threads).
There is enough drama as it is without this nonsense.
You left out my group, somewhere between the last two. I am "vaguely interested" and "likely to mine for ideas". I really don't want to play D&D anymore. But this edition has generated a remarkable amount of positive feedback. So I think I should read it, if nothing else to be able to discuss it intelligently. We're probably a small group, though, so you can be forgiven for overlooking us. :-)
ReplyDeleteAs to the relatively mild edition wars this time around, I think it comes down to a couple rather obvious factors. One, the edition wars over 4th Ed were so vicious and fractious that people are already well ensconced in their respective camps and tired of engaging the other camps. Two, the open playtest let the people who care the most about the game engage in their arguments well before it was released. At this stage of the process, they've already said all they need to, so you have fewer people descending on it to dissect it. Three, WotC has really gone out of their way to spin this as "the game for lovers of all editions" and to subtly (and not so subtly) communicate that edition wars are a Bad Thing (TM).
As such, the people with really strong opinions are mostly just not engaging in the debate. Those who refuse to change editions (whether that be OSR, Pathfinder, or whatever) are mostly just shaking their heads at the foolish fanboys rushing to lavish money on WotC. The people who are loving the new edition are mostly content with just enjoying it, and don't feel obligated to either evangelize or defend it.
It's almost like the internet is starting to grow up.