Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
[Goodman/Dancey on 4E] RPGs in the 21st Century - towards another "generational peak"
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Mercurius" data-source="post: 4836633" data-attributes="member: 59082"><p>UGH. This is the FOURTH and last time I'm re-writing this; for whatever reason, the page keeps refreshing itself, I think when my finger hits a specific button, and then the information is lost. I’m copying and pasting to a Word document from now own. Anyways…</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> Yes, agreed, which is why I said something about not starting a new edition too soon, catching the wave at the right moment. This goes along with the idea that D&D is an evolving continuum that integrates the best of the old with new innovations. Debatable, I know, especially among devotees of specific (older) editions!</p><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> Part of me shudders at this thought, yet another welcomes it as a lesser alternative to tabletop play, sort of a halfway between that and play-by-post. As many here know, it is very difficult getting a half dozen 30-somethings together on a regular basis; my own group ends up meeting about once a month or less, which makes it almost impossible to snowball momentum and develop campaign immersion. With online streaming, we could still play “in the flesh” once a month, but alternate it with shorter streaming sessions, or side sessions with individual characters…but I digress.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>Yes, there are so many factors, few of which are predictable—and most having to do with technological (and economic) change. </p><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> I like your optimistic view more, but don’t think it has to be either/or, which is why I said that 5E should be “modular.” You have a core “Basic” game with tons of “Advanced” options…which is how I think D&D should have been from the get-go, and how I would house-rule 4E if I ever have the time and inclination.</p><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> Good point, but…</p><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> …This is true also. There are outside influences that cannot be predicted or controlled, but also natural publishing cycles, which Dancey pointed to. </p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p> Understood, but in some ways it is what happened already with 3E and 4E edition considering that there was only five years between 3.5E and 4E (2003-2008). You could even say that they did a half cycle in three years, as much of what came out after 2003 was re-working of material published between 2000 and 2003 (e.g. Psionics Handbook).</p><p> </p><p> I wish there was some magic formula that allowed for innovations to be worked into the game, but without making previous material invalid or difficult to work with. One of the problems is that WotC relies upon revenue through splat books, so even though they could probably publish an easy-to-use “Edition Converter,” they don’t want you converted <em>Tome of Magic</em>, they want you buying <em>Arcane Power. </em></p><p> </p><p> To me, there is a certain bankrupting of creativity that goes on in this endless cycle of “new edition, countless splat books glutting the market, lull, new edition, new splat books,” etc etc. It is like the Battlestar Galactica or Star Trek “re-envisionings.” Heck, they’re even re-making <em>Alien, </em>for Chrissake! My question is: Why not come up with a new franchise, a new science fiction universe? Why do we need the Forgotten Realms five years later, then twenty years later, then a hundred years later? What about a new campaign world? What a novel idea…But the truth of the matter is that most companies—most corporations, at least—take the easy way, the safe way, the way most likely to make guaranteed profit. </p><p> </p><p> I do like, however, WotC’s planned approach of coming out with a new campaign setting each year, without the endless splat books that basically involve paraphrasing already written material. Of course what they’re doing so far, and I imagine into 2010, is re-making old standbys…hopefully before 4E is done they’ll have come out with at least one new setting…</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Mercurius, post: 4836633, member: 59082"] UGH. This is the FOURTH and last time I'm re-writing this; for whatever reason, the page keeps refreshing itself, I think when my finger hits a specific button, and then the information is lost. I’m copying and pasting to a Word document from now own. Anyways… Yes, agreed, which is why I said something about not starting a new edition too soon, catching the wave at the right moment. This goes along with the idea that D&D is an evolving continuum that integrates the best of the old with new innovations. Debatable, I know, especially among devotees of specific (older) editions! Part of me shudders at this thought, yet another welcomes it as a lesser alternative to tabletop play, sort of a halfway between that and play-by-post. As many here know, it is very difficult getting a half dozen 30-somethings together on a regular basis; my own group ends up meeting about once a month or less, which makes it almost impossible to snowball momentum and develop campaign immersion. With online streaming, we could still play “in the flesh” once a month, but alternate it with shorter streaming sessions, or side sessions with individual characters…but I digress. Yes, there are so many factors, few of which are predictable—and most having to do with technological (and economic) change. I like your optimistic view more, but don’t think it has to be either/or, which is why I said that 5E should be “modular.” You have a core “Basic” game with tons of “Advanced” options…which is how I think D&D should have been from the get-go, and how I would house-rule 4E if I ever have the time and inclination. Good point, but… …This is true also. There are outside influences that cannot be predicted or controlled, but also natural publishing cycles, which Dancey pointed to. Understood, but in some ways it is what happened already with 3E and 4E edition considering that there was only five years between 3.5E and 4E (2003-2008). You could even say that they did a half cycle in three years, as much of what came out after 2003 was re-working of material published between 2000 and 2003 (e.g. Psionics Handbook). I wish there was some magic formula that allowed for innovations to be worked into the game, but without making previous material invalid or difficult to work with. One of the problems is that WotC relies upon revenue through splat books, so even though they could probably publish an easy-to-use “Edition Converter,” they don’t want you converted [I]Tome of Magic[/I], they want you buying [I]Arcane Power. [/I] To me, there is a certain bankrupting of creativity that goes on in this endless cycle of “new edition, countless splat books glutting the market, lull, new edition, new splat books,” etc etc. It is like the Battlestar Galactica or Star Trek “re-envisionings.” Heck, they’re even re-making [I]Alien, [/I]for Chrissake! My question is: Why not come up with a new franchise, a new science fiction universe? Why do we need the Forgotten Realms five years later, then twenty years later, then a hundred years later? What about a new campaign world? What a novel idea…But the truth of the matter is that most companies—most corporations, at least—take the easy way, the safe way, the way most likely to make guaranteed profit. I do like, however, WotC’s planned approach of coming out with a new campaign setting each year, without the endless splat books that basically involve paraphrasing already written material. Of course what they’re doing so far, and I imagine into 2010, is re-making old standbys…hopefully before 4E is done they’ll have come out with at least one new setting… [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
[Goodman/Dancey on 4E] RPGs in the 21st Century - towards another "generational peak"
Top