Why 5E may be the last edition of D&D

[Leatherhead]

But let's say they really have accomplished what they hoped to do: Turned D&D into an evergreen game, a perennial classic like Monopoly or Risk - one that abides, with only relatively minor fluctuations. If that is truly the case, a new edition would be disastrous. Why? Because a new edition means re-learning the game and playing a different style of D&D. Now this is something that a lot of diehards like to do. But casual fans generally don't.

I was just at the mall shopping for the holidays, when I looked at the contemporary issues of Clue and Monopoly (the ones that weren't just boxes reskinned with whatever hot media property you can think of), and noticed that they had added new tokens and characters to the games. Which I imagine will the strategy with "Evergreen" games going forward.

I expect that the next true edition of D&D will be a long time coming, but we will revive "Micro-Editions" instead. Not unlike 3.5 or 4e Essentials, but significantly smaller in scale and incorporated into the core book reprints. Nothing bigger than subclasses, and maybe some pruning. Like having a "Wolfbrother" ranger path instead of the Beastmaster. That way the Beastmaster isn't changed, but people finally get their fix.

 

[Zardnaar]

The nice thing is that D&D can tell almost any story. That makes it relatively easy to make a movie about. The only issue is that there's really not a unique and iconic d&d story to draw inspiration on.

The problem with D&D movies in the past has been budget, backdrops and special effects, and story. Personally I think a D&D tv series on Netflix would be a better place to start probing that kind of market. I think there is enough magical and medieval settings in tv and movies now that even lower budget productions can get plenty of ideas on how to make medieval backdrops and magical special effects work. Story is really the big question.

Personally I would rather see something like a Netflix series than a major motion picture. Movies just don't get the opportunity to have all the twists and turns in it that a tv series can have. They also don't get the opportunity to develop unfamiliar settings and characters as well as fantasy tv series can.

Also , I think a D&D cartoon could work out really well too.

That is my main point there is not much to hang an IP on except a name. Even Transformers had a basic storyline. So basically you are making a generic fantasy themed probably kiddie friendly movie where the prime example of a successful fantasy tie in (GOT) is adult themed and has an existing story to adapt. Drizzt is totally a no go for a bigscreen adaption but you could blend genres like an Isle of Dread backdrop perhaps.

 

[Parmandur]

That is my main point there is not much to hang an IP on except a name. Even Transformers had a basic storyline. So basically you are making a generic fantasy themed probably kiddie friendly movie where the prime example of a successful fantasy tie in (GOT) is adult themed and has an existing story to adapt. Drizzt is totally a no go for a bigscreen adaption but you could blend genres like an Isle of Dread backdrop perhaps.

You could easily say much the same about the Lego films (and interestingly the director appears to be the director who did the amazing Lego Batman). Another example, incidentally, if a major studio sinking money into another companies intellectual property.

But, yes, generic fantasy is the brand: the ability to tell nearly endless generic fantasy stories in a family friendly manner. A Hollywood gold mine when finally tapped. The main fantasy franchise isn't GoT, but LotR, which is necessarily limited. A D&D cinematic universe could go on and on and on with no worry about "staying true to the original story."

 

[Azzy]

Most likely, yes. Until D&D profits start to show significant decline, they’ll probably go the Chaossium route of occasionally releasing new editions that are minor updates to what is largely the same system.

This is the approach that all good rpgs should take.

 

[Oofta]

You are really understating just how wildly successful 5E has been - and yes, taking context into account. I believe Mearls when he says that it exceeded his wildest expectations. And yes, I do think it has a lot to do with the game itself - the simplicity of the rules, the oldish school feeling, the presentation. Social media and celebrity gamers have helped, possibly enormously so. There is just a cultural zeitgeist.

I wonder if there's some degree of video game fatigue that is occuring - Millenials and "Gen Zers" wanting something more organic, more imaginative - and more social. I'd love to see whatever market research WotC has done to explain the success story.

Anyhow, at some point the growth will slow and then stop, and then sales will drop. It is inevitable. As I said, the question is whether they plummet or find a still-high plateau. The latter would imply a sustainable, evergreen model that could continue indefinitely, with only minor tweaks and re-skinning. The former would probably lead to a new edition.

But for now we can enjoy this new golden era...

Kidding aside (sorry Z), I think the success of 5E is due to a lot of things. The social aspect and an excuse to get together with friends when so much is electronic/remote is a big draw. The rules are decent and don't have as steep a learning curve as previous editions while still allowing fairly free form play. The mods are decent (maybe not earth-shatteringly good but decent). Podcasts and videos give people a peek into what a campaign can be like, along with showing off that not all players are complete losers.

So a bit of luck, a decent rule set, fantasy being more mainstream than ever let D&D take off. I'm just glad people are enjoying one of my favorite hobbies and that I can always find people to play with. If there's a good movie, I'll go see it. If it's crap I'll still Netflix it. A game would be awesome, but there are already plenty of D&D adjacent titles to chose from.

The future? It's bright enough that I don't think I'll have to worry about it for the foreseeable future.

 

[Azzy]

I'm well aware of that but thoe studios (game/m,ovies) won't be funding a D&D game to the extent they would do their own IPs.


For Example Wicher III was an $80 million dollar game

Bad example... CD Projekt Red doesn't own the Witcher IP—the games are based in books by the author Andrzej Sapkowski. Interestingly enough, a TTRPG Witcher game has since been published by R. Talsorian Games. Speaking of R. Tal and AAA video games licenced from TTRPGs, CD Projekt Red is soon to release Cyberpunk 2077—a game based on their licence of the R. Talsorian Games Cyberpunk TTRPG... Which runs counter to your assertion.

 

[Charlaquin]

This is the approach that all good rpgs should take.

I strongly disagree. Chaossium’s horribly dated system is a great example of the perils of this approach. But, whether I like it or not, that’s probably the way D&D is headed, so...

 

[Parmandur]

I strongly disagree. Chaossium’s horribly dated system is a great example of the perils of this approach. But, whether I like it or not, that’s probably the way D&D is headed, so...

There are a million articles out there that argue CoC is the best RPG ever (only ever played CoC d20 myself, so I am not personally familiar). The game seems to be chugging along just fine after all these years. Just because something is old doesn't mean it is dated, if it's done right.

 

[Retreater]

There are a million articles out there that argue CoC is the best RPG ever (only ever played CoC d20 myself, so I am not personally familiar). The game seems to be chugging along just fine after all these years. Just because something is old doesn't mean it is dated, if it's done right.

I think CoC is a fantastic game for what it sets out to do. I recently wrapped up my first campaign with that system after trying it over a 25 year span. The new edition makes a few slight but welcome improvements.

 

[Retreater]

I will say that I hope 5e sees at least a few modifications. It could be a 6th edition or just an expansion of 5e. I feel my 5e games have some glaring omissions.
I want more tactical options for combat, better encounter creation tools (a better CR system - because I think PF and 4e actually did it better), magic item economy guidelines, and psionics.