D&D 5E Monte Cook working on 5E?

[Halivar]

4th edition came out in 2008.

Dang... has it really been 3 years? I could have sworn it was more recent than that...

Man, time flies.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Dang... has it really been 3 years? I could have sworn it was more recent than that...

Man, time flies.

Yeah, and 2012 is around the corner. Time does fly.

 

[Impeesa]

3rd Edition came out in 2000.
3.5 was a significant change that caused everyone to have to buy new books. This was in 2003.
4th edition came out in 2008.

Even if you consider 3rd edition to be the same as 3.5 (which I don't since I had to buy new core rulebooks), that means the edition lasted 8 year. Assuming it will take 3 years for a new edition to come out, that is 4th edition being out for 6 years. Seems like a decent run without having to buy new core rulebooks.

IIRC 2E had a revised version with tangible changes too, and you could use 3.5E supplements with original 3E books with a bit of effort - the system is still fundamentally the same. Maybe it's more appropriate to refer to them as 'generations' of the game for purposes of discussions like this.

 

[JeffB]

And frankly with the changing market these days- and just changing times in general- I don't see why WOTC has to remain beholden to any previous timelines for updates/new editions. Its not the same market as 1977, 1980, 1989, or Y2K, and it should not be looked at as such.

May not make total sense, but even as a 4E fan, it's pretty obvious to me that it has not been the blockbuster hit they wanted or had previously, there have been some poorly received product & design choices, DDI issues, product confusion with essentials, as well as missteps with the RPG community. Not to mention they have some really stiff competition for the first time since they have owned the property. As much as *I* like the system, they don't seem to be hitting too many home-runs in general terms.

I think they would be stupid NOT to be working on a new edition- whatever stage it is( or may be) at.

 

[SpydersWebbing]

May I dream with a 3.5 + 4E mix?

Saga Edition? That would certainly be fun, but I doubt it. 3.5's a horse that Wizards "sold off".

I hope they keep the powers system, but explain it better and provide better support. It shouldn't take someone reading one page from the DMG to understand that 4e's system is one of the greatest systems for imagination and high fantasy on the market.

I think the system needs to be re-presented and tweaked, not re-written. Hopefully that's what they're up to.

 

[Tanstaafl_au]

I would be amazed if work on 5th ed hadnt started (at least in design thoughts) as 4th ed was being released.

 

[Pentius]

Keep in mind, the rumor is he is starting work on it, that could mean release 5-6 years after 4E.

Personally, I think there is a strong chance the rumor is true. There are lots of indications that 4E hasn't quite been the success that 3E was, and they do seem to be losing lots of people to pathfinder. I can see WOTC putting out a new edition that tries to win over both the current 4E players and the pathfinder crowd (it is bold and risky but it may also be necessary).

I wouldn't mind making a friendly wager over it though. Say we give it 2 years. If 5E isn't out by then I will proudly change my sig to "I was wrong about 5E".

I'll take you up on that. Shall we say 2 years to the mark? October 2nd, 2013? Loser changes sig to "I was wrong about 5e." I'd seal it with a handshake, but, you know, internet.

Really, though, I can see thinking that 4e wasn't the groundbreaking success they thought it would be, but I'm not sure why people think that must mean 5e is the answer. Given that it's true, last time they made a new edition
they fractured the fan base and created major competitor. I don't see them leaping to that as the first solution.

They opened up a lot of design space with the release of essentials, I think they're going to use it for awhile. I suspect that what we're going to see in the next two years is player splats, the occasional setting material, and the return of Unearthed Arcana. It'd be a good place to supply variant rules addressing various complaints with 4e, as well as a fertile testing ground for all these ideas about design Mearls and Cook are thinking up.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I'll take you up on that. Shall we say 2 years to the mark? October 2nd, 2013? Loser changes sig to "I was wrong about 5e." I'd seal it with a handshake, but, you know, internet.

Sounds like a deal.

Really, though, I can see thinking that 4e wasn't the groundbreaking success they thought it would be, but I'm not sure why people think that must mean 5e is the answer. Given that it's true, last time they made a new edition
they fractured the fan base and created major competitor. I don't see them leaping to that as the first solution.

I think there is a big risk with a new edition. The base is fractured, and I think they may be hoping to repair that. My guess is they are trying to put together an edition they know will please 4E fans, but will also attract pathfinder fans. Whether that is possible I don't know. But if anyone can get the 3E crowd to give 5E a chance, it would be monte cook.

They opened up a lot of design space with the release of essentials, I think they're going to use it for awhile. I suspect that what we're going to see in the next two years is player splats, the occasional setting material, and the return of Unearthed Arcana. It'd be a good place to supply variant rules addressing various complaints with 4e, as well as a fertile testing ground for all these ideas about design Mearls and Cook are thinking up.

They may well. But I think the problem is anything with the 4E label is going to turn away many pathfinder and 3E people.

 

[Pentius]

Sounds like a deal.

I think there is a big risk with a new edition. The base is fractured, and I think they may be hoping to repair that. My guess is they are trying to put together an edition they know will please 4E fans, but will also attract pathfinder fans. Whether that is possible I don't know. But if anyone can get the 3E crowd to give 5E a chance, it would be monte cook.

That's true. And Cook could end up working on 5e, I just still think it's too soon. The 3e crowd has Paizo, and Paizo is doing quite well. It'd be a smarter move to make the best of 4e for now and see if the winds change.

They may well. But I think the problem is anything with the 4E label is going to turn away many pathfinder and 3E people.

I think that's true for a certain subset of players. But I also think alot of them are going to be turned away by anything with WotC on it. However, there are a lot of people who play 4e and PF, or 4e and some other game/edition, or who played 4e, but stopped because of one or two hangups they had with it, and this would be the target audience of Unearthed Arcana/Cook inspired splat material.

 

[Sir Robilar]

Keep in mind, the rumor is he is starting work on it, that could mean release 5-6 years after 4E.

No, the quote is:

I've talked to friends of Monte's who are friends of mine and they all say, Yes, he's working on 5e!

If I had to guess, I would pinpoint the decision to make 5E and the beginning of the initial design work back to the time shortly after the release of Essentials. After realizing that Essentials wouldn´t be as successful as they had hoped it would be, WotC could have changed plans for D&D´s future, which would explain why they radically altered their release schedule in that time. Monte Cook may not have been part of the initial work or he could have participated as a freelancer, which would explain him taking a step back from Dungeon-A-Day this last year. But now that the foundation of the new edition is clearer, the R&D could have decided to hire him for the hot phase of design. All this could account for a 5E release much earlier than many seem to think, maybe as early as Christmas 2012. Pure speculation, of course.