When Will and When Should WotC Release 4th Edition?

[Grazzt]

That's pretty much what I worry about, its affect on d20. I think going to a 4th edition would have a detrimental affect on publishers. I can't help but see d20 dry up after WotC abandons it.

Worst case scenario...WotC (or whoever) could do D&D 4th Edition and NOT release any of it into the SRD/OGL, etc. This effectively "closes" D&D (4e) to all outside companies (much like it was in previous editions).

D20 publishers could keep making d20 products for 3e/3.5 but that would really be about it (because no matter what happens to D&D or WotC, they cannot take back either the 3e or 3.5 SRD at all).

Companies that kept producing for the "old" D&D would have to keep their fan base. A lot of peeps would switch to 4e without a doubt (people are just funny that way ). If 4e was a completely different system, a lot of d20 publishers might throw in the towel as it wouldn't be economically feasible to stay alive. (Hard to pay the bills and produce stuff when nobody plays it anymore. )

 

[Grazzt]

Might I ask where you heard such a thing?

TS

Ex-WotC employee.

Pseudo-Edit: Monte Cook seems to mention, in his review, that 4E will come in 3 years... maybe I'm reading it wrong...

I missed that one I believe.

 

[MerricB]

I heard a nasty rumor (remember, just a RUMOR) that D&D 4e will be released sometime in 2005.

Of course, 2004 or 2005 was the projected date for the original release of 3.5E, according to Monte.

So, it might just be wires getting crossed. I think they'd be mad to do it then, and I don't think they're that insane.

Cheers!

 

[William Ronald]

MerricB wrote:

Of course, 2004 or 2005 was the projected date for the original release of 3.5E, according to Monte.

So, it might just be wires getting crossed. I think they'd be mad to do it then, and I don't think they're that insane.

I have doubts that WotC could do a 4th Edition next year if it wanted to, at least in terms of layout and design, and think it would be a challenge to do such a project in 2005. If they tried, I suspect they would lose the goodwill of many of their customers.

Grazzt, I think the game would survive even under the worst case scenario you laid out earlier. In which case, I suspect that someone would ultimately pick up the D&D license from Hasbro if 4th Edition did not sell. In which case, a 5th edition might be out within a year or two of that occurring.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

Grazzt, I think the game would survive even under the worst case scenario you laid out earlier. In which case, I suspect that someone would ultimately pick up the D&D license from Hasbro if 4th Edition did not sell. In which case, a 5th edition might be out within a year or two of that occurring.

I suspect that this may not be to far off. 3.5 will not sell as well as 3.0 since many have already rejected the idea. Even if only 10% do not upgrade this will likely result in it not reaching Hasbro's unreasonable expectations. The other new material coming out in the next year also doesn't have the must buy feal about it further reducing profits. 4.0 will be pushed up and out in 2-3 years further alienating D&D players resulting in lower profits than desired. This might be enough of an insentive to sell and WW or PA will pick it up and salvage it once again with a good 5.0 in 2007 which I will consider buying and returning to D&D after a few years off like the 2e days.

 

[gordonknox]

Me thinks

It will be released right before GENCON 2005, just like 3.5 was released right before GENCON 2003.

The new WTC UA is the buffer product.

gk

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Other: I don't care as I'm done with new editions. 3.0e does the job well enough. What more changes can they do in a new edition? Get rid of classes? Get rid of all the "sacred cows" that make D&D something different than a generic FRPG? I don't really want to go in that direction, if I did there are several other RPG's now that fill that requirement.

 

[William Ronald]

As I write this post, we have 127 people saying a 4th Edition should be released in 3 or more years, for a total of 60.19 percent of the total 211 votes. The most popular option is for 5 or more years.

Additional thoughts, anyone?

 

[Scarbonac]

I said ''Never''. 3.5 has really soured me on WotC; I have absolutely no faith in them doing it right.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Other: I don't care as I'm done with new editions. 3.0e does the job well enough. What more changes can they do in a new edition? Get rid of classes? Get rid of all the "sacred cows" that make D&D something different than a generic FRPG? I don't really want to go in that direction, if I did there are several other RPG's now that fill that requirement.

That would be a bad mistake. As much as people hark about those things, they are D&D. D&D has a spell system noone else uses - all the others have Mana or Astral Points or Magic Points or everything. Better have the D&D system (while I do like it) than have a Diablo-like system.

They did try to change the system with 3e, but they didn't really change it after all, but their experiments gave us the Sorcerer (they tested it so all classes casted like that - without a "known spells" limitation. Speak about powerful clerics....)