No matter what you currently think about Wizards of the Coast or Dungeons and Dragons 4, we owe them our bread and butter. They are the powerhouse leading the way, and truthfully they always have been. Don't get me wrong, lots of good stuff has come up in the wake of the greatest game known to man; but nothing matches the power and scope of the entity that is D&D.
And truthfully the guys at WoTC are doing a great job keeping the torch burning bright. The question for us is how do we contribute? What's our part in the scheme of things. It was once pointed out that there are two types of people: the type who build up and the type who tear down. I'm tired of tearing down.
Though tearing down has it's uses, especially when the edifice in question needs it. But before we go tearing things down, we should take a long hard look at what it is we are attempting to obliterate and why. Some might argue that tearing down is exactly what TSR and then WoTC did when they replaced the game you loved. But those games live on in the hands of many who preserve the heritage as it were. And they weren't so much torn down as renovated.
I've been through all these arguments with myself, with others, and in prayer with the Big Guy upstairs. Yes, this is that important to me. And I've come to the conclusion that I just love to game. I don't "hate" any element of the new to tear down the hobby in trying to do away with it. Especially since the old is in so many good hands. As I've done before, just look at the more common variants out there today:
- OD&D
- Swords and Wizardry
- Microlite 74
- AD&D
- OSRIC
- Labyrinth Lord Advanced
- Basic / Expert D&D
- Basic Fantasy Role Playing Game
- Dark Dungeons
- Labyrinth Lord
- AD&D Second Edition
- Dungeons & Dragon 3.5
- Pathfinder
- Dungeons & Dragons 4e
Just to name the more prominent ones. And more coming on the market all the time. And what can all of it be called? The Legacy. The legacy of Dungeons and Dragons through time. And I say we revel in it all. I will continue to support D&D in all it's forms and variations. And the current king deserves no less tribute simply because he wears the crown and no longer Arthur. For he is the rightful heir and he moves the kingdom forward.
So, yes: The king is dead ... LONG LIVE THE KING!!!!
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS!!!!
I hated the idea of playing 4e at first, but the guys in my local gaming group wanted to try it out, so we did. The irony of it all was that they ended up hating it and I realized I only hated the idea of it. With a good DM any game mechanic(s) that someone doesn't like can be modified. We're playing Pathfinder right now and it's great, but I'm the one now who is looking for a 4e group to join.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm kind of there myself. I'm so focused on the idea of gaming community right now, that 4e has a strong draw for me. I think I am going to try and start running Wednesday D&D Encounters. Encounters is for D&D 4e what Friday Night Magic is to MTG.
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