GnomeWorks
Adventurer
There are lots of folks - myself included - who don't like 4e.
When it comes down to it, though, that doesn't matter. Regardless of whether we like 4e or not, the vast majority of folks around here are gamers, and it is unlikely that a single edition of a single game could be so horrid that it would repulse a person to the extent of forsaking the hobby forever.
So the folks who don't like 4e are still part of the gamer population, is essentially what I'm saying. It's a loss for 4e, sure, but it's not a loss for the hobby in general.
But what about the other side: bringing in new players? Putting aside my personal reservations about the game, is it working to bring new folks into the hobby? And I'm not talking like kids of gamers (who were probably going to get introduced to gaming regardless of edition or even game), or people who didn't play D&D prior to 4e but otherwise gamed (in a tabletop RPG sense); I mean people who have never sat down at a table before and played an RPG.
Is 4e bringing new players to the game? Is it specifically because of 4e design goals, or is it just bringing in the people who would've gotten into D&D anyway, regardless of edition? Is it managing to bring in people who have no previous contact with tabletop RPGs, or is it mostly folks who are being invited into existing groups? Even if a new player doesn't stick around long, is it at least generating enough non-gamer interest so that those who will stick around get the chance to do so?
When it comes down to it, though, that doesn't matter. Regardless of whether we like 4e or not, the vast majority of folks around here are gamers, and it is unlikely that a single edition of a single game could be so horrid that it would repulse a person to the extent of forsaking the hobby forever.
So the folks who don't like 4e are still part of the gamer population, is essentially what I'm saying. It's a loss for 4e, sure, but it's not a loss for the hobby in general.
But what about the other side: bringing in new players? Putting aside my personal reservations about the game, is it working to bring new folks into the hobby? And I'm not talking like kids of gamers (who were probably going to get introduced to gaming regardless of edition or even game), or people who didn't play D&D prior to 4e but otherwise gamed (in a tabletop RPG sense); I mean people who have never sat down at a table before and played an RPG.
Is 4e bringing new players to the game? Is it specifically because of 4e design goals, or is it just bringing in the people who would've gotten into D&D anyway, regardless of edition? Is it managing to bring in people who have no previous contact with tabletop RPGs, or is it mostly folks who are being invited into existing groups? Even if a new player doesn't stick around long, is it at least generating enough non-gamer interest so that those who will stick around get the chance to do so?