A sort of sequel to my post regarding Theater of the Mind (TotM), I find like another certain derangement syndrome, 4E derangement syndrome has occurred by people who were around at the time of it's publication and been proliferated to kids who were never around during it's publication. Specifically it's been brought to my attention that people discard Minis on a Mat (MoaM) because of 4E being essentially a wargame in RPG's clothing. This is somewhat of a correct assessment, but really it was a MMORPG which is indeed a virtual wargame with some RPG elements specifically around character build resource management but without the computers or sprites or graphics.
That was my argument against it when it came out in 2008 and still my argument now. Wargame it is not, because the system even includes "virtual" QuickTime Events (QTEs) in the form of Skill Challenges. 4E was ahead of its time by being behind its time, as the MMORPG had been out for a decade or so by the time it was produced. But now virtual tabletops are all the rage, which is entirely stupid but still somehow a thing, meaning 4E was in the right direction just a decade too soon. WotC noticed this, sadly.
The derangement of those thinking/talking about 4E is not merely from those who had to suffer it's existence. If anything, it's become a cautionary tale about what could be. Even that being the case WotC has dusted off the 4E playbook and taken it out of the trash can it was rightfully placed in in preparation for 6E, which reportedly won't be coming out on the 50th anniversary year of D&D. They want 4E again. But this time entirely virtualized and full of EA-style microtransactions. So they're essentially wanting to sell a shittier video game and pretend it's a RPG. This is what you get for supporitng TotM over MoaM. One of the key factors of MoaM is people around a table. Usually a dinner table. Not some extravagant $4,000 gamer table with cup holders and a felt-covered inlay. That shit is for idiots and the shills who sell them to idiots in exchange for getting the product for free.
Enough of that though, the leadup for this post has been a bit bad. Really 4E's existence did a disservice by having the visceral reaction become commonplace when it comes to MoaM play. In no uncertain terms the reflexive reaction against MoaM from a post-4E hobby can only be described as a derangement syndrome. MoaM is a core aspect of D&D play. Not all of RPGs, mind you, but absolutely D&D. Those who play D&D solely TotM are not actually playing the game - that is how integral MoaM is to the D&D experience.
