Is it time for 5E?

[Stalker0]

I don't think its quite time yet.

During the last years of 3e, the developers tried a number of revolutionary game concepts that they hadn't introduced before (reserve powers, B09S just to name a few).

It was both to sell new books and to try out some 4eish game concepts for later use.

I think 4e has a lot of room to grow as far as new game concepts. Right now we are seeing a new feats, powers, classes, etc....but I haven't seen them really push the design boundary yet.

 

[cmrscorpio]

Based on the 3.x cycle, and the cycle of previous editions:


Are there people at WotC making mental notes (consciously or unconsciously) about what 5e should have? Most definitively.

Has anyone been picked to start working on it as a secret project (like what Orcus was)? somewhat likely

Would said secret project be anything more than a collection of ideas taking up space in a word document? somewhat unlikely



Personally, I'm betting that 5e comes out around 2015. I'm also willing to bet that the announcement of 5e will happen around fall of 2014.

 

[DaveMage]

5E? No way.

Edition fatigue is already an issue. 5E would likely make it worse.

OSR fans aren't likely interested. 3.x fans have Pathfinder, 4E fans have, well, 4E!

I don't think there's very much demand for 5E at this time.

 

[ggroy]

In light of recent events, one wonders what is going to happen to the content of the possibly canceled (or omitted) 4E 2011 titles. In particular, the following titles advertised at Gencon 2010 but which are conspicuously absent from amazon.com or WotC's own online catalog:

(removed or omitted from amazon.com)
- Champions of the Heroic Tier
- Hero Builder's Handbook

(rumored to be removed or absent from WotC's own online catalog)
- Class Compendium: Heroes of Sword and Spell
- Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium

The above titles appear to be crunch heavy rules stuff, both from the DM and players' side.


From a conspiratorial perspective, one could suggest that the content of these shelved/cancelled 2011 4E books, could be rewritten as rules for a 5E D&D.

 

[Ulrick]

No. It's time for 7e. Let's just skip a couple of editions and get to lucky number 7.

 

[Stormonu]

Personally, I thought it was too early for 4E.

Although, the thread about the annual WotC layoffs got me thinking that *possibly* one reason for no December layoffs could be they are bulking up for a 5e some 2-3 years from now.

 

[MrMyth]

I think 4e has a lot of room to grow as far as new game concepts. Right now we are seeing a new feats, powers, classes, etc....but I haven't seen them really push the design boundary yet.

I think the OP is comparing those to Essentials. I do somewhat get his point, but... I really don't see it, myself. Recent content has mostly felt like refinement of the core rules of the system, not experimentation with entirely new concepts. And while we have seen innovations, it has more been with presentation - book formats, boxed sets, tokens, etc. We've seen a lack of the more familiar material, but less because there isn't room for the content, and more because WotC is trying out other avenues of release and has had a focus on new gamers during this period.

In the end, while I see where he is coming from, I pretty much disagree with the original post on every level. I think there is plenty more room for 4E to grow. I don't see any signs that we are in the same 'desperate for content' stage as we had at the end of 3.5. I don't feel any indications that 5E is nigh, or that it is under development by WotC. I don't think the fanbase would be eager or interested in a 5E that shows up in the next year or two, unless it literally lets you ride dragons.

In short, no, it isn't time for 5E.

I expect we'll see development of it starting in a couple years, and it will show up sometime around 2015. As cmrscorpio says, they might already be thinking about what will go into it, but probably as nothing more than basic notes and scraps of ideas, and it will be years before those turn into genuinely active product design.

 

[pawsplay]

I'm playing 5e... it's pronounced "Pathfinder."

 

[dmccoy1693]

Its not even close to time for 5E yet. Wizards is going to run with 4.5 (Essentials) for a total of 3-5 years before announcing 5E.

Mind you, Wizards is smart to split off part of the team to develop board games and such with Wizards IP. That will actually help increase the life of 4E. By having that IP generate money in other ways, they won't have to publish books as fast => slowing down rules bloat => increases the time before it becomes really difficult to keep making material.

And like others have said, Wizards really needs to nail down all of its online tools to be completely working and not merely in development before announcing 5E. For that tablet PCs need to be the popular standard. Android is already dominating the market much more than iPad is, but android still doesn't have that "if you want to make a program you make it for android" feel of it yet. Right now it still has the feel of, "I want an iPhone, but I don't want AT&T, so I guess I'll get Android," feel. Android is going to win, but it doesn't have the "go-to"-ness about it yet, much like Windows didn't have that go-to-ness about it until Win95 came along.

Truth be told, I wouldn't be surprised if 5E didn't have printed books. It makes total sense to go completely online and drop the cost of printing book completely (which is not insignificant). We're not at the point in our culture where ebooks are as readily accepted yet, but we will be. In about 3-5 years.

The sense I am getting from Wizards right now (and frankly, most of the industry) is we're in the later days of the print => electronic transition. Print is shrinking, but it ain't dead yet. The majority of the major company's profits are from print. But if everyone had a TabletPC, that would probably flip overnight. Wizards is probably planning to hold off on 5E until that becomes true. And frankly they should. It would be the perfect time to launch a new edition and if they have their electronic tools ready to go, they can reclaim their place as a major industry juggernaut. All it takes is timing, planning, coordination, and money.

We know Wizards has the money. I don't know enough about Wizards' internal working enough to even guess if they have the timing, planning or coordination thing down. I hope they do. It really would be nice to see Wizards lead the gaming industry charge into the electronic market in ways we have yet to see.

 

[Alaxk Knight of Galt]

You are in denial if you think WotC isn't actively developing 5th Edition as we speak.

3rd
Development: 1997
Released: 2000

3.5
Development: ????*
Released: 2003

4th
Development: 2005
Released: 2008

*Monte Cook has said when 3.5 development started, I just couldn't locate it.

So, it WotC's history is anything to go by, development of a full system takes about 3 years. If a 2013 release data was targeted, development on a new edition would have begun last year.

By the way, didn't we have rumblings about the DnD group being split into two... (sorry, can't provide a link to that, but I'm sure I read it).