So, let me see if I understand every thing clearly and please correct me if I miss something here.
Wasbro release D&D 3.0 and piss everybody off but people buy it anyhow.
Then they turn around in short order and release 3.5 and piss everybody off but people buy it anyhow.
Then they abandon everyone in mid-stride, produce a series of marketing strategies that start the biggest edition war in history, because as portrayed in the commercials (which can be viewed at YouTube)everything before 4e is 'broken, stupid and silly', creating a small but rabid fanbase that hate every thing that came before 4e and then hate 4e when they release 4.5 (sorry, not buying the name thing...it's 4.5). Released and bought...again.
Now it's 'can't we all just get along' time because they screwed up so bad (Hint-in business NEVER piss off your long term customer) and here we go again.
They pull the Monte/5e announcement at GenCon (it was already all over the floor that at 9:30 (Saturday?) morning they were going to announce) and the big announcement is pulled because somebody realizes they are about to shoot them self in the foot by having stacks of books they will never sell. So they wait till after Christmas, BS'ing the whole time about the 'bright 4e future' while they are play testing with a group of yes-people (haven't found an old schooler yet invited to the NDA fests) and, because they aren't moving jack squat in the way of product, decide to throw a monkey wrench into the whole affair by announcing a game nearly 2 years early that, if the general gaming public is lucky, will get to pick the color of the new logo for their 'involvement' in the design of the game.
Seriously...I'm reading reactions across the web...PLEASE tell me you not going to fall for this crap...again. PLEASE.
I'm going to ask a favor from the gaming community over the months ahead. Instead of going through this whole thing again buy a system from someone who cares. Buy mine, buy any other system. Hell, buy Pathfinder...the box set is an excellent piece of gaming gear and I haven't said that about a commercial system in a long time. Support the work of those out here who will lose business because they have tossed the pie in the sky again and now everyone is waiting...for whatever they come up with this time to hang the D&D logo on.
There is one thing that must be accepted. This is not a hippy love fest. They created a splinter market that they should have stuck with and worked with the gamers who were buying the game and paying for the online services. But they just weren't moving enough units...not driving enough people into stores to buy their game. There is no way they are going to get the 4e fans and the fans of the older editions to all come back...not even half...which just sounds like more of the same old spiel.
There are a lot of really talented people out here doing excellent work. From those who toil over their pet projects and give them away for free to those who have made it a going concern. Look at the releases over the past year and the quality of the product.Don't be fooled by yet another corporate ploy that is all smoke and mirrors.
Just think about it. That's all I'm saying.
Thanks for taking time to read this. I won't speak of it further here.
20's
