D&D 5E When will 5e be published?

mhensley · Aug 8, 2013

Alright, place your bets. When will 5e come out? What's your gut feeling?

Morrus · Aug 9, 2013

Gen Con 2014 is my bet. Complete WAG, though.

Olgar Shiverstone · Aug 9, 2013

Gen Con, 2014.

Publishing lead times are like what, three months? That gives them nine months to complete the core rules and design and write the books. It's tight -- I suspect some things like artwork are already contracted out -- but doable, since the latest playtest release looks like they are beginning to dial in.

I wouldn't be hurt by a 2015 release, though, if it meant they spent that much more time working out the details.

JeffB · Aug 9, 2013

Yup. I am going with sometime before or after Gencon 2014..

YRUSirius · Aug 9, 2013

I bet they will publish the basic product at GenCon. The Standard rules will come later, maybe at christmas (the big three with the full classes and all the subclasses). So the new "Red Box" from level 1 to level 20 with the 4 basic classes (so warrior and no gladiator or knight) and 4 basic races. Just the classic red box basic stuff with classic monsters. Everything for the beginner to have an iconic and classic D&D experience through 20 levels in one box. This will be the evergreen starter product that will make the most money selling through Wallmart and so on to RPG beginners. Kinda like Monopoly.

-YRUSirus

mhensley · Aug 9, 2013

YRUSirius said:
I bet they will publish the basic product at GenCon. The Standard rules will come later, maybe at christmas (the big three with the full classes and all the subclasses). So the new "Red Box" from level 1 to level 20 with the 4 basic classes (so warrior and no gladiator or knight) and 4 basic races. Just the classic red box basic stuff with classic monsters. Everything for the beginner to have an iconic and classic D&D experience through 20 levels in one box. This will be the evergreen starter product that will make the most money selling through Wallmart and so on to RPG beginners. Kinda like Monopoly.

-YRUSirus

A basic set at gencon and the full books out before Christmas would probably be a pretty good strategy.

delericho · Aug 9, 2013

About a month before GenCon next year.

Or, just possibly, never. (Though my fear that that might be the case has dropped off pretty dramatically - a year ago, I thought it was a risk; now, not so much.)

Iosue · Aug 9, 2013

delericho said:
About a month before GenCon next year.

Or, just possibly, never. (Though my fear that that might be the case has dropped off pretty dramatically - a year ago, I thought it was a risk; now, not so much.)

It does seem as though one's satisfaction with the game influences whether it can be done or not. Here, where people are largely satisfied with the rules as a whole, even if they have sharp criticisms of particular aspects, GenCon 2014 is the lead vote getter. Over on rpg.net, where common reactions to the game are that it's a broken mess, many people feel like there's no way it can be ready by GenCon 2014.

Edit: I should note, though, that the rpg.net version of the poll is running almost exactly the same results as here, although the comments are much more pessimistic.

Warbringer · Aug 9, 2013

mhensley said:
A basic set at gencon and the full books out before Christmas would probably be a pretty good strategy.

I actually think this is the reverse of what will happen; Standard for GenCon because of the nature of the audience, basic for Xmas, so October

Dice4Hire · Aug 9, 2013

I would bet my money on around Gencon 2014

I am very curious what will come out of WOTC this Gencon, as I have heard almost nothing previewed except the Sundering stuff.