Old School? New School? It's all cool!

I started playing D&D with the Rules Cyclopedia, and loved it.  I moved onto AD&D 2nd Edition when I got to high school in the mid 90s.  When the players option books came out I used them too.  I was working in a comic/game shop when 3rd edition was announced, and I was thrilled.  I hadn't really been playing any D&D since I got to college, both because it was a really small school, and my games had become pretty bloated from all the books that had become "necessary" to play 2nd Edition, so I thought this would be a great way to get back into things.  As soon as the players handbook came out I started a group.  I continued to play until about a year or so after 3.5 came out.  A whole bunch of real life crap happened, I got into Warhammer 40K and Lord of the Rings SBG, and role playing just fell to the side.  Then 4e was announced.  I was apathetic about it.  I wasn't playing, and I had plenty of 3.x books, and my Rules Cyclopedia.  Who needed more?

Sometime between the announcement of 4e and it's release I became more and more excited about it.  Much like when I moved from 2nd to 3rd it felt like 4e would clear the clutter of 3rd, and I eventually caved, bought Keep on the Shadowfell, and pre-ordered the core books.  I read and re-read KotSF until the core books eventually arrived.  In the year since then I've yet to play 4e, and I've discovered the Old School Renaissance, and all the assorted other movements out there.  I've read a whole bunch of the different free games out there, and I only wish I had daily gaming groups in order to play them all.  Of course I'd probably screw up the rules all the time if I did that...

Anyway, as my previous entry showed I don't think there needs to be any sort of division between us gamers.  Be you an old school grognard or a new school gamer there is plenty of room for everyone and for all ideas.

What does this mean for me?  It means I get to read all sorts of cool stuff that people come up with.  It means that I can the best ideas and try to apply them across the board.  Of course I don't have an active gaming group right now, but I'm hoping.  And while I'm hoping, I'm reading and assimilating ideas and getting ready to game.  If someone offered me a chance to play right now, be it OD&D, a retro-clone, M20, T20, D20, or 4e I'd be there!  If it was 2nd edition... Hell, I'd play that too, though I'd need to get the books again for that one.

Whatever you're game of choice, go play!