Day 25--Rolled a '2' which gives me the prompt 'Tradition'.
Another potentially 'spicy' prompt if I wanted to go for it. Luckily, we're in the death throes of #RPGaDAY2021 and I'm keeping all the remaining entries short and (fairly) sweet.
No matter where you stand in the geek hobby culture war--at least as it pertains to TTRPGs--I think there is one common ground we can agree on when we talk about tradition. What is viewed as tradition is largely going to be based on what the particular individual grew up playing.
Many of us stalwarts of the hobby are going to defend the traditions of alignment--including inherently 'evil' races, DM/GM caveat, and an overall combat heavy game with several elements the typical SJW player of today likely finds "problematic". However, a lot of us "old timers" aren't the oldest. A person like me--an 80's kid in his late 40's--is not a part of that first generation of TTRPG enthusiasts. We really aren't the so-called "grognards" although we probably have a lot more in common with them than the nu-players who want X-cards and safe spaces . Most of us won't be calling for a return to THAC0 or games that need 'callers' or rule-sets that are extra crunchy. We didn't grow up with it, so it isn't a tradition for us.
I wonder if those 'grognards' felt as bad as I often do about the hobby today back when their old systems were replaced by the newer ones came out in the 80's? I think the biggest difference is that the changes and revisions made to editions in the past--apart from removing demons and devils back in the "Satanic Panic" days--weren't made as a part of a political fringe movement and the goal wasn't to run the old folks out of the hobby.
To be honest--strictly looking at the game system and none of the super-WOKE policies of the companies--DND 5E is a great game engine. I think it was built keeping tradition in mind. It's only in recent years that WotC took the hard turn to the left. Hopefully, the pendulum will swing back again some day.
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