Some short thoughts on D&D 4th edition.

What do I feel about the newest, hottest thing?

My perception of 4th is a shameless, soulless money grab designed to emulate MMORPGs, which really aren't RPGs at all. I'm not even sure MMORPGs could be considered akin to cybersex to RPGing's actual sex. (If nobody minds the comparison. I guess this would make games like Fallout "self love" and console RPGs making out with your pillow.)

D20 was well intentioned, but turned out to be complicated in all new ways compared to older D&D systems, and mostly became adventures in how to make the most munchkin character and tactical wargames where maybe some RP broke out from time to time. It wasn't freewheeling and it seemed to encourage BY THE BOOK ONLY play ala early 80s Gary Gygax in Dragon articles. (The dirty little secret of AD&D is almost nobody actually played it by the book.)

Honestly as a gamer it makes my heart sink that D&D seems to have such a stranglehold on the market and that whatever new edition comes out immediately becomes the big dog, with people praising it to no end. (Though 4th hasn't had as much of it as 3 got. Maybe if 3.5 was never released it wouldn't look like so much of a money ploy?)

I just don't understand new D&D being the king at all. And I don't understand why new editions of games are all the rage. If you already loved the game you were playing, did you really need a new version? Do you have that much money burning a hole in your pocket so you want to rebuy what you had already, maybe in a form that's not as good anyhow?

I guess I will just shuffle off to oldie places like Dragonsfoot or wherever people like a wide variety of games. Too bad they are few and far between, both on the Internet and real life.

No wonder why I barely play RPGs anymore. I'm kind of sick of even feeling like an outsider in niche hobbies. I like RPGs but don't like current D&D. I like comic books but am not a huge Marvel or DC fan. I like electronic RPGs but I don't think Final Fantasy is anything better than ok. I like cartoons and anime but mostly like stuff with giant robots or more adventurous, cerebral fare. I like miniatures wargaming, but loathe painting. I like videogames but cannot stand (or at the least have a mild distaste for most of) EA Sports, Real Time Strategy, MMORPG, First Person Shooter, or that GTA Gangster game nonsense.

Sometimes I wonder if its my own brain sabotaging me.