I'm getting Edition War fatigue

[Majoru Oakheart]

I'm just wondering if it is so necessary to have so much negativity surrounding 4e. Especially after this long. I took a break from ENWorld for a while due to the amount of new threads created that were all essentially "I hate 4e, let me tell you why".

On just the first page of this board I currently see:

4e Buyers remorse
4e increased my DM prep time...
What does Videogamey mean to you?
What's really at stake in the Edition Wars
The Truth About 4th Edition.
Where is my Freaking Mule?!

All of which were posted either with the premise of "Here's something I don't like about 4e" or "Here is my defense against things said about 4e in the past" or were an unrelated thread that turned into an edition war.

I can't help but feel a little burned about my the constant negativity. Contrast this with some actually helpful threads for both 4e and 3e and I can't help but wonder why we need to argue any longer.

I guess what I'm saying is...can't we all just get along? Or is it actually impossible for people with differing opinions to occupy the same space?

 

[Turtlejay]

I'm with you. . .I've self-banned myself from the blatant edition-war trolling, like the "What's really at stake in the Edition Wars" thread and the "What does Videogamey mean to you?" one. Almost nothing ever really comes of them but a lock at the end, and that is only entertaining like a car crash is. You know someone got hurt, but as long as you stay far enough away, it's faceless.

What gets me is some of the more promising threads getting highjacked into edition wars.

Note, I admit fully to sometimes 'White Knighting' and not always keeping a cool head. Don't think I typed this post with a little hypocrite on my shoulder shouting in my ear.

Jay

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

I completely disagree with you and hate this thread.

Seriously though, first off, the negativity tends to cycle and once a couple of threads get going, a few more pop tend to pop up. Second, i think the time for negativity to fade on 4e will be very long this time around, not because there is something inherently worse about 4e, but rather because the there are now two very active camps. When 3e came out, you could no longer get 2e material. As a result gamers tended to either eventually move to the new edition, or become legacy players who became a distinct minority. With the OGL and things like Pathfinder allowing the 3.5 community to continue to be a live, active group, the rift between camps won't likely close any time soon.

In the end, I agree it would be nice to see everyone getting along, but this is the internet.

 

[SKyOdin]

I find the Edition Warring to be very tiresome myself. My brother, a long time lurker and poster here at EnWorld, got so fed up with the constant negativity that he decided to just delete his bookmark to the site just a few days ago. Recently coming here just left him angry and put him in a bad mood. I only get by because I ignore 90% of the threads on the first page of General RPG Discussion.

I hate to say it, but maybe it is impossible to have a site devoted to both 3rd and 4th editions. I hope that isn't the case though.

 

[Wormwood]

Or is it actually impossible for people with differing opinions to occupy the same space?

The worst of the Crusaders (on both sides) have either emigrated, been exiled, or have beaten their swords to plowshares.

But a few former soldiers have taken to banditry---setting fires in the occasional thread but not disturbing the Kings Peace enough to draw the Mods from behind their walls.

A Writ of Outlawry (otherwise known as 'ignore') may give one a small measure of peace until the land is finally made safe.

 

[jaerdaph]

The More You Know...

I'm going to let everyone in on a little secret. This is what sane, functional, socially adjusted people in the real world with full, meaningful lives would do when faced with something as juvenile and meaningless as Edition Wars (or any other Internet stupidity):

Just ignore it completely and go on with life.

This has been a public service announcement.



[I hope I get there someday myself...]

 

[ST]

Eh, I think if those threads exist and people blow off steam and talk about their frustrations there, it's a better thing than having those discussions interspersed within more productive conversations.

I think it's a fundamental element of the human condition that we want to justify our feelings about things we consider important. It's not productive, certainly. But people do it, always have, always will.

 

[Steel_Wind]

I don't disagree with the expression of dismay, but it must be remembered that the discussion of any aspect of RPG gaming is a discussion that occurs between fans.

People who are fans of one RPG game system tend to be passionate about their choice of hobby and preferences. Their tendency to dis other games systems and play styles is as old as tabletop gaming itself. Whether that discussion takes place at a convention or online.

All by way of saying: this current "Edition War" is not the first such war, nor will it be the last. Cast an eye back to, say 15-20 years ago to USEnet's rec.games.frpg.advocacy. It was the same tenor to the discussion then, too; albeit, with different mechanics and different systems informing and framing the debate-of-the-day.

When a schism presents itself between systems, the trash-talk between the camps is to be expected; it's as predictable as the sun rising and setting.

Moreover, given that 4E, (whatever you may think about it, pro or contra), came at a time when dozens of new 3.5 hardback titles had literally been sold in the preceding 18 months alone...

Well. The expectation that a significant portion of the purchasers of those 3.5 hardback titles would choose not to become purchasers of 4E was guaranteed, no matter what 4E was - or was not.

As the schism was guaranteed as a result of the decision to bring 4E to market so relatively early in the product cycle (from the end user's perspective), the playing out of that schism here on ENWorld, from time to time, was also pretty much guaranteed from the get-go.

From that persepctive, the 3.xx vs. 4E Edition war is as remarkable (and predictable) as dropping something off the table to check if gravity is "still working".

Take it in all in stride - and well salted, too.

 

[ST]

I'm going to let everyone in on a little secret. This is what sane, functional, socially adjusted people in the real world with full, meaningful lives would do when faced with something as juvenile and meaningless as Edition Wars (or any other Internet stupidity):

Just ignore it completely and go on with life.

On the other hand, while that's true, regular people are just as likely to have an equally inane argument about what Suzie in Accounting said or some crap like that.

And hell, they will gladly kill each other edit: for religious differences so it's sort of just a matter of degree. It's a fundamental characteristic of humanity that we have to try not to fight over pointless crap.

 

[Dragonhelm]

Here's my advice. Lead by example.

Start some threads on some interesting topics that are edition-neutral or at least don't go into the territory of edition wars. Give people something fun to talk about.