D&D (2024) 50th Anniversary: 6E in 2024?

[Laurefindel]

I too think the 50th anniversary will play more on nostalgia than new content. Straight-up conversion of D&D modules, some digital content of everything they ever published, concept art books, collectors editions of things present and past, the obligatory 50th D&D monopoly board game edition etc. But nothing rule-related I’d say.

that said, 6th ed (or 5.5 or whatever) is bound to happen at some point. Ballpark-ish 2024 sounds about right, but I wouldn’t expect it to tie-in with the 50th edition.

there’s too much potential for an edition war of epic proportion. « 5e was rushed to be released in 2024 and that why it’s crap! ». « WotC HATES D&D and it’s fans; look at what they gave us for 50th anniversary ! ». « The fighter is totally gimped! How dare they do that to the oldest original core classes of D&D! »

So, my bet is on various nostalgia stuff...

 

[MNblockhead]

I would like to see them stick to 5e rules but clean up some of the language, maybe make some tweaks and errata corrections, and bring together content from multiple books into a consolidated set of core books. I might buy that, especially if the content is better organized with useful cross-references and tips in the margins.

But don't see myself buying a new edition. I have so much content for 5e that I can run games for years and there are other systems to play.

I jumped from 1e to 5e. Who knows, maybe 10e will get me to buy all new books and retire my 5e stuff, if I'm still alive at that time. Then again, with 5e, I pretty much had to buy all new stuff as I'd sold or given away all my gaming stuff in the early 90s when I stopped playing TTRPGs.

Whenever people talk about 6e, I have to ask what would it take for you to spend hundreds of dollars to buy all new materials for a "same" game?

 

[Xeviat]

Whenever people talk about 6e, I have to ask what would it take for you to spend hundreds of dollars to buy all new materials for a "same" game?

I've been playing since 3E, bought most of the 3E books, most of the 3.5E books, a lot of the 4E books, and a lot of the 5E books, except for adventures (I tend to run my own). I like new stuff, and I'm a completionist. 3E books were a lot cheaper ($20 each usually), and now 5E books are 1 or 2 a year.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I would like to see them stick to 5e rules but clean up some of the language, maybe make some tweaks and errata corrections, and bring together content from multiple books into a consolidated set of core books. I might buy that, especially if the content is better organized with useful cross-references and tips in the margins.

But don't see myself buying a new edition. I have so much content for 5e that I can run games for years and there are other systems to play.

I jumped from 1e to 5e. Who knows, maybe 10e will get me to buy all new books and retire my 5e stuff, if I'm still alive at that time. Then again, with 5e, I pretty much had to buy all new stuff as I'd sold or given away all my gaming stuff in the early 90s when I stopped playing TTRPGs.

Whenever people talk about 6e, I have to ask what would it take for you to spend hundreds of dollars to buy all new materials for a "same" game?

I expect 6e to be backwards compatible. That would make me buy it.

 

[DnD Warlord]

I think Tasha's is as close as we're likely to get to a 5.5e for quite awhile. Still, we've only worked our way through a quarter of the Circle of Eight, so there's a lot of room left.

6e will come out for the same reason every other edition came out: When WotC/Hasbro decides it makes business sense to invest the time in redeveloping content to sell to the same customers all over again. Developing the base game is much more time consuming and much more risky than supplemental content, so they'll likely do it after the brand has grown as much as 5e allows it to.

I wouldn't be too eager, either. 6e will likely choose to appeal to what has made 5e easy to grow faster: Streaming and online play. It may move the same direction as 4e tried to, with even more walled gardens than D&D Beyond offers. By then the FLGS might be a distant memory, killed by Amazon and COVID. They might decide against printed sales entirely.

A 4e like game with video game tie ins and built on the 5e new frame work post Tasha... yes please

 

[Zsong]

Just because they create a new edition does not mean they have to create a whole new game like 3E and later did. The differences between editions can be minor like form 1E to 2E or 3.0 to 3.5. I can easily see a 6E that is very similar to 5E. It’s only in the last 20 years that they started throwing out the baby with bath water between editions.

 

[teitan]

At most it will be a slightly updated refresh of 5e. At most. I think wholesale redesigns for D&D are over... thank god.

 

[tetrasodium]

Tasha's cauldron seems to have a lot of phb2 style alternative class features going by the ToC for it. I suspect seeing that will give us more of an idea what directions that a 5.5 or 6e will likely take. Seeing A5e & how that does might have some influence as well

 

[Argyle King]

Hypothetically, if a 6E (or whatever it is to be called) is slated for 2024, I think it is reasonable to suspect that early ideas are already being contemplated and tested.

 

[MNblockhead]

I've been playing since 3E, bought most of the 3E books, most of the 3.5E books, a lot of the 4E books, and a lot of the 5E books, except for adventures (I tend to run my own). I like new stuff, and I'm a completionist. 3E books were a lot cheaper ($20 each usually), and now 5E books are 1 or 2 a year.

I can understand if you are a collector, but for purposes of playing games, I just can't see myself doing that. I've moved off of one system to play a completely different system. Or I'll buy a new system and all its books for a second campaign when it is a completely different theme/experience.

But if it was a cleaned up or expanded 5e, the kept the core of 5e so that I can use my existing adventures and settings with it, then maybe I would rebuy the core rules, especially since I'm using D&D Beyond more than physical books.