Am I afraid of change? Nope, but I found the above nugget when looking for a suitable image for this post, so it stays...and I enjoy poking fun at myself.
Excellent post today by the inimitable Trollsmyth. To quote:
I know 4.0 ain't my cup of tea, either. It's embraced game-isms and balance and neat abilities with only the flimsiest setting-based rationales. And that's fine, too. I know before I've spent a penny that the game won't give me what I want, and I can spend my time and treasure pursuing other games and dreaming up houserules that bring the fun for me and my players.
Emphasis is mine. Preach on Brother!
This really annoys me about D&D these days. There’s no magic, there’s no wonder, and there’s no mystery or allure. There’s just stat and roll bonuses, lists of powers, and dueling spreadsheets beneath the thin veil of your adventure path’s railroad plot.
Let's quit denying the facts. WotC is in indeed using MMOs and WoW in particular as a business model for D&D 4e. More power to them. I hope it's a ringing success and brings more players into the realm of pen and paper.
But do they have to use D&D as the vehicle that takes them to that great cash cow in the sky?
They won't be getting my gold coins, that's for sure. I don't mean to belittle the many, many pen and paper players out there who are eager to dive in and start enjoying 4e right away. I'm sure I could sit in on a 4e game and have a blast. It's just not my type of rules system for making my own campaigns.
I do the MMO thing myself from time to time, but I don't want my mashed potatoes touching my peas. I enjoy the two on their own merits.
~Sham, Quixotic Referee
4 comments:
Aptly chosen lyric, Sham, especially given the part that goes, "And these children that you spit on / As they try to change their worlds / Are immune to your consultations."
Not that there's any spitting going on here of course, but there are old-schooler fora I've stopped visiting because of the general vibe of phlegmatic crankiness. It's enthusiasm that has attracted me back to older games, not disdain for the new!
Excellent observation, Max. Thanks for the comment. I try to hide my soapbox when I'm getting a bit too groggy.
I sometimes have to be reminded to not lose sight of the fact that we are all enjoying this crazy hobby, and to each their own. I just enjoy sharing my preferences with others. AND trying to explain why I have such preferences.
Am I a cranky old geezer afraid of change because I don't like the direction of modern D&D? If that's the case then all fans of modern D&D are unenlightened min/maxing kids. Neither stereotype is accurate. Although my kids might disagree.
I'm glad you've been attracted back to the older games. Sorry if I tend to leak a bit too much disdain here at the Grog 'n Blog. It's not my intent. My disdain is well documented so I can probably turn that old soapbox into a lead miniatures carrying case now.
~Sham
Don't worry, Sham, if I'm accusing you of anything it's your enthusiasm! That's why I'm reading and commenting (er, at work, even).
And as you write, blogs like yours or Jeff's or James' et al. develop whatever disdain they may have into a critique. The forums I avoid are too often fogged up with complainery about the new and amen-brothering re the old. It gets hard to see the point amid the hot air, y'know?
"It gets hard to see the point amid the hot air, y'know?"
Very well put, Max. Thanks for your comments!
~Sham
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