LogFAQs > #886152416

And while writing all that, I reminded myself of another related problem:

ParanoidObsessive posted...

or only know older editions and aren't familiar with newer rules

Basically, the more experienced players are all going to go into the game with pre-existing biases towards which system they like best. For every person totally content with using 5e as the default system because it's the current one, there's going to be someone who still has nostalgia for 4e, someone who thinks the game peaked with 3e/3.5, and someone else who's going to bring up and push for Pathfinder instead. And then me (or someone like me) will come along and jokingly suggest BECMI.

But once whoever is DMing (which is another issue that needs to be resolved in advance, because most people want to play but only a few people want to/feel comfortable enough to DM) puts their foot down and declares an official system, there's going to be people who are soured on the game because they don't like that system. And a player who is like "Well, I hate 4e but I'll play anyway because it's the system you're using and I want to play D&D" is going to be less enthusiastic about the game on the whole (and may spend half their time grumbling about how 4e sucks and pushing to switch the game to a different system after the first few sessions).

Ultimately, most of our inability to get a stable D&D group together is sort of rooted in the fact that PotDers in general tend to have wildly disparate personalities and live scattered across half the world. It wouldn't be as huge a problem if we were all in one room and playing together, but online play only tends to exacerbate those sorts of issues.


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"Wall of Text'D!" --- oldskoolplayr76
"POwned again." --- blight family