D&D General 50th Anniversary- Are You Not Entertained?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I think it's very premature to declare now, on February 9, that the entire 50th Anniversary year was botched.

I do think it's fair to say that we've started off the year with whatever the opposite of a bang is.

I believe the technical term is a "gnab."

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I think of some of the other major anniversaries I've been privy to recently, and I find it similar. The X-Men just turned 60 last year and there were no major anniversary projects: X-Men 97 was delayed and Deadpool 3 always in the cards for this year. Likewise, Doctor Who gave us three specials with the Doctor/Companion from over a decade ago (though not being in the UK, I probably missed more of the celebration).

As far as anniversaries go, this is par for course.

I'd say Doctor Who is running rings around D&D at the moment. A new series, a series of anniversary specials, the return of multiple companions and arguably the most popular Doctor of all time, as well as unifying all Who in one streaming platform in the UK and putting the new stuff on Disney+ in the US. They've also got a bunch of anniversary stuff announced for audio dramas, comics, novels, etc. And all of it is explicitly tied into the anniversary.

Doctor Who can certainly shoot itself in the foot (see the Chibnall run), but they're clearly attempting to do their best right now.

 

[Demetrios1453]

I'd say Doctor Who is running rings around D&D at the moment. A new series, a series of anniversary specials, the return of multiple companions and arguably the most popular Doctor of all time, as well as unifying all Who in one streaming platform in the UK and putting the new stuff on Disney+ in the US. They've also got a bunch of anniversary stuff announced for audio dramas, comics, novels, etc. And all of it is explicitly tied into the anniversary.

Doctor Who can certainly shoot itself in the foot (see the Chibnall run), but they're clearly attempting to do their best right now.

Also, the BBC 100th anniversary Doctor Who Special in 2022 kind of partially served as a special as much as the Doctor Who 60th anniversary special a year later. Appearances by multiple Doctors, old companions, regenerations, etc...

 

[pukunui]

Well, here’s something ... a special message from the team that was posted on FB two hours ago:

 

[beta-ray]

I don't know. I guess for me, although 50 is a big year, I'm fine without a lot of hoopla. I would like some I guess, but not a lot. Generally, I'd be fine with a date to have stuff, I don't need stuff coming at me everyday. I'm interested enough in the upcoming retooled core. Some of the other stuff sounds cool. We are 2 months into the year, I am kind of depleted from the holidays still. Hopefully by mid-year there will be more excitement.

That's just my personal feeling.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Remember that for the 40th anniversary, they also started reprinting older editions in the years prior that ended up feeling like the build up to an important anniversary culminating in a new edition. That was and felt like a milestone. It was festive. Right now, we are more on the cusp of the fanbase splintering among feel-bad news like the New-OGL fiasco, the AI art stuff, and the Christmas layoffs.

I personally feel like grieving, because 5e is good, but most of its value was on it being an edition everybody could easily agree on. And we are about to lose that with not-5.5, which is at the same time more of the same while missing a lot of stuff for no reason. Without anything to make it a must-play, I see no point to it, and I see little point to remain in 5e either. I kind of want to, but if it isn't the compromise edition anymore, it gives me little than I couldn't get by going back to 3.x or 2e with sorcerer.

Current year doesn't feel very milestoney to me.

Oh yeah, they did re-release the 1e core books in 2012 (how could I forget, they're on a shelf right behind me!). But if we're counting stuff in the years prior, then building up to the 50th anniversary, we have the return of Dragonlance, Planescape, and Spelljammer, not to mention Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I don't know. I guess for me, although 50 is a big year, I'm fine without a lot of hoopla. I would like some I guess, but not a lot. Generally, I'd be fine with a date to have stuff, I don't need stuff coming at me everyday. I'm interested enough in the upcoming retooled core. Some of the other stuff sounds cool. We are 2 months into the year, I am kind of depleted from the holidays still. Hopefully by mid-year there will be more excitement.

That's just my personal feeling.

Dungeons & Dragons would be happy with just a birthday card and a phone call from the kids this year.

 

[Hex08]

It's the 50th anniversary? Even though I don't play D&D any more in favor of other games I would have expected to notice something.....

 

[clearstream]

Yes, I decided to invoke Betteridge's Law ... because, to date, I am decidedly underwhelmed by the 50th Anniversary of D&D.

Let me start by saying that I am most certainly not a hater of a D&D, 5e, or the planned revisions to D&D. I can certainly understand that there is a lot on their plate right now, from the upcoming major revisions to 5e to the D&D Beyond / VTT, and I am sure that this is consuming time and resources. And yet, as someone who previously speculated breathlessly about what we might see this year ... I am beginning to think that the ambitious plans for revamping 5e and the VTT this year have come at the expense of a once-in-a-lifetime* opportunity to celebrate the game.

*Speaking for you. As someone who still intends to live forever, I can't wait to see what they have planned for the 500th Anniversary!

Let's start with the ... if not great, then the not-bad. The announced books for this year (as of PAX Unplugged) include:
1. A new PHB. This will most assuredly drop this year, with the publication of the other core three being in the more ... nebulous categories.
2. Descent Into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. The classic 1982 module updated, and will include a tournament-style scoring system!
3. Vecna: Eye of Ruin. You see, most APs, you know, will be playing at fifteen...Where can you go from there? Where? Twenty. This one goes to Twenty. That's five more.
4. Quests from the Infinite Staircase. A collection (eight?) of older adventures updated to 5e.
5. The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons: 1970-1976. I mean, it's not like we don't have plenty of other great historical account already. Ahem.

None of these are bad, per se. Obviously, I am concerned that the history book will have to be "sanded down" and "corporatized" to make sure everyone is happy, and won't have the truly interesting (and controversial) information that you can get from other books like Game Wizards. I suspect it will be nice, pleasant, and redundant for those who are familiar with the history.

Two of the entries (Tosjcanth and Infinite Staircase) can basically be boiled down to, "Updating Nine Older Adventures." While I think that including tournament-style scoring in Tsojcanth is a great idea, I have a feeling that it will be a one-and-done; if they don't make further competition modules, what's the point?

So other than their plans to continue conquering the world (new 5e, VTT), we are left with Vecna. It's good to see Vecna, of course, but that's it for published materials for the 50th that aren't just rehashes of their old modules. Sure, I bet that there will be 50th merchandise or special covers, but ... that's not what I was hoping for.

Where is the setting? A reboot of Greyhawk? Or a real FR setting? Either with an actual map? Or something as simple as special, 50th Anniversary hardcover (or boxed) reprints of their classic rulebooks (such as 1e and B/X, or even all of them?). Heck, put those aside ... how about something that thrills and excites? I love Vecna as much as (if not more than) the next person, but Vecna is a well that they've gone to a lot. For the 50th, it's nine reprints, and Vecna. Yay?

Again, not trying to be a nattering nabob of negativism, but I've been decidedly unthrilled so far this year. Between the ad experience here (ahem) and the lack of exciting things, there just hasn't been much to capture the imagination and drive me to celebrate D&D. Maybe this will change when I see the products. Maybe I'm discounting the revision to 5e. Maybe I wanted too much for the 50th.

But overall, as I reflect on my level of interest ... I am, most decidedly, not entertained. What about the rest of you ... is the 50th Anniversary living up to your expectations?

Yes but... they're removing bards from the game. Did you miss that? They figured that'd be enough.

 

[MoonSong]

Yes but... they're removing bards from the game. Did you miss that? They figured that'd be enough.

What? Sorry, what did I miss?