Is it completely necessary to completely scrap older systems and start anew? They take great risk in alienating their base, in my opinion, when they repeatedly do things like this. In a day and age where kids are more into MMORPGS than pen and paper games, this seems very risky.
Especially when making the game mostly combat like a MMORPG fails to take any advantage of the human GM. MMORPGs are light on anything but combat because anything but combat is hard to handle with a computer program for a GM. Worse, combat in a MMORPG or a single player CRPG doesn't require lots of record keeping or learning and applying detailed rules as the computer does all that quite well -- much better than most people.
I think WOTC ought to stick with Magic:The Gathering (a game I am a fan of, actually)...
To be honest, I think their success with MtG is part of the problem. How to make MtG a business success seems to have warped their ideas of how to make a RPG a success: lots of rules with more constantly being added, the idea that players need to master all those rules to play, the complex character build process, the randomized mini packs, the detailed tactical combats, etc. D&D/AD&D used to be an easy game for a new player or casual player to get into and play. That has not been true with WOTC versions.
and open the license to D&D permanently. ORICS, Labyrinths and Lords, etc are incredible works that keep the original systems alive and well. Alas, WOTC is a company, and to make revenue, they must keep selling books.
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