This is one of several thoughts/suggestions regarding the upcoming fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons (5e). Relevant news items: nytimes and wizards.
Debates over which edition of the game are “better” are going to hound each new version of any game, and it’s going to get worse not better over time. This is because, logically, whenever you change the rules, some people are going to like the old rules better, or just act out their inner instinct to be a stick in the mud. The more systems you have, the more division (and confusion) there is.
Personally, I think complaining about changes in rules is an unconscious drift from role-playing toward roll-playing. If both get the job done, why does it matter what dice you roll or what the modifiers are? But fine. This is an issue. Here’s how you solve it.
Support all versions of the rules.
1e, 2e, 3e, 3.5e, 4e, 5e… all need to be valid. With each new ruleset, you’ve lost customers. Some of them eventually come back, some don’t. Do you want them back, or not?
There are no wrong ways to play. This is role-playing, not roll-playing. So stop emphasizing the switch from old to new. Review the old versions of the game, purely from a balance/fairness angle, and don’t change them but put up a free .pdf for each ruleset with a few suggested alternations to improve play for everyone.
One of the things this accomplishes is justifying your decision to make each new ruleset in the first place. Give us some reasons to believe that it wasn’t just greed, and it wasn’t just someone pulling rank and changing the rules to match his/her style.
Most importantly, make it clear to DMs and players that they can play any version of your game; you appreciate their loyalty regardless of their choice.