In my experience, D&Dplayers who didn't start as wargamers failed to understand D&D, which is why D&D was repeatedly reinvented to accomodate non-grognards.
And that leads me to a question. Just which iteration of D&D do 4e players not know how to play?
Saying someone doesn't "know how to play" D&D is a pretty bold and elitist statement. I come from the "I'm with D&D - any edition" crowd, not having a favored edition, well maybe 2nd Edition. But this is the type of elitism that has lately turned me off to the OSR "movement." I'm really excited about the playtest materials and my group is having a blast and most of us have been playing since the late 80's.
So I took a look again, and I'm not too sure who he's pleading with - the old farts or the new punks. It sounds like he's singing to the choir while insulting the dudes in the pews by saying that 'they just don't know how to play D&D.'
We come to role play from different points of view, having different needs, and with different expectations.
They don't know how to play *my* D&D. They know how to play their own. Each one is different, and each can be okay.
I would say, roughly, half of the maybe a dozen people I know who are actively playing 4e actually came from 2e or even earlier editions. They largely skipped 3e.
He may be right . . . but I don't think that argument will be effective at winning hearts and minds.
ReplyDeleteNot that it was meant to. :)
- Ark
I see it as a plea rather than an attack.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, D&D players who didn't start as wargamers failed to understand D&D, which is why D&D was repeatedly reinvented to accomodate non-grognards.
ReplyDeleteAnd that leads me to a question. Just which iteration of D&D do 4e players not know how to play?
Saying someone doesn't "know how to play" D&D is a pretty bold and elitist statement. I come from the "I'm with D&D - any edition" crowd, not having a favored edition, well maybe 2nd Edition. But this is the type of elitism that has lately turned me off to the OSR "movement."
ReplyDeleteI'm really excited about the playtest materials and my group is having a blast and most of us have been playing since the late 80's.
So I took a look again, and I'm not too sure who he's pleading with - the old farts or the new punks. It sounds like he's singing to the choir while insulting the dudes in the pews by saying that 'they just don't know how to play D&D.'
ReplyDeleteWe come to role play from different points of view, having different needs, and with different expectations.
They don't know how to play *my* D&D. They know how to play their own. Each one is different, and each can be okay.
- Ark
Kirath, what or who, exactly, is the OSR movement?
ReplyDeleteAre you referring to the people (like yourself) who are dissatisfied with the current (4E) version of DnD?
The videoblogger you are calling an elitist OSR type is into AGE, Savage Worlds and Pathfinder, not old-school DnD.
I would say, roughly, half of the maybe a dozen people I know who are actively playing 4e actually came from 2e or even earlier editions. They largely skipped 3e.
ReplyDeleteJust my observation.