moxcamel
Explorer
I seem to recall reading that 200k players participated in the play test. That doesn't sound like a dying brand to me.
D&D is down, but not out. I agree that they completely misread both the market and their customers (something D&D seems to be cursed with, TSR had the same problem post-EGG), and the choice to abandon OGL was really one of their facepalmier moments. But the brand is strong, and even if 5e is a disaster (and I seriously doubt that), D&D will be the standard-bearer for fantasy role-playing for the foreseeable future.
The notion that 5e may not even ship is bizarre. Wizards may often be tone deaf at times, but they're not quite that bad. It'll ship, and based on my own play test experiences, it's going to be average at the very worst, and quite possibly it'll be great. (that's not fanboi-speak...I'm one of those who abandoned the ship for Pathfinder.)
FWIW, I didn't think 4e was terrible. It's definitely broken in parts, and I'd love to see Wizards give it the OGL treatment so some company could do for 4e what Paizo did for 3.5. But it clearly wasn't what the market wanted, and that's the most important driver.
D&D is down, but not out. I agree that they completely misread both the market and their customers (something D&D seems to be cursed with, TSR had the same problem post-EGG), and the choice to abandon OGL was really one of their facepalmier moments. But the brand is strong, and even if 5e is a disaster (and I seriously doubt that), D&D will be the standard-bearer for fantasy role-playing for the foreseeable future.
The notion that 5e may not even ship is bizarre. Wizards may often be tone deaf at times, but they're not quite that bad. It'll ship, and based on my own play test experiences, it's going to be average at the very worst, and quite possibly it'll be great. (that's not fanboi-speak...I'm one of those who abandoned the ship for Pathfinder.)
FWIW, I didn't think 4e was terrible. It's definitely broken in parts, and I'd love to see Wizards give it the OGL treatment so some company could do for 4e what Paizo did for 3.5. But it clearly wasn't what the market wanted, and that's the most important driver.