The Washington Post Weighs In On D&D!

Morrus · Apr 19, 2019

GreyLord said:
It's too easy of a way to lose that many customers and rapidly deflate the brand. As long as there is growth I don't see any 6th edition coming. I don't think they should even consider working on it until there are signs of decay or a downward trend. Even at half the numbers it has a customer base far greater than even 3e did at it's height. There's no guarantee a new edition would even be as successful as 3e, so with 5e doing as well as it is, why change things up?

My interpretation of the situation is that there will be no 6th edition for a LOOONG time. You'd have to have a major loss of numbers (players and money) to create a situation to release a new edition presently.

That’s a pretty low bar for predictions. Everybody shares your prediction. Nobody thinks 6E is anywhere close.

lowkey13 · Apr 19, 2019

*Deleted by user*

GreyLord · Apr 19, 2019

Morrus said:
That’s a pretty low bar for predictions. Everybody shares your prediction. Nobody thinks 6E is anywhere close.

I don't think everyone does. I browse to see what thoughts are on Hasbro brands and other things and I find a surprising number of predictions about a 6th edition being created (everything for gambles on when it will be released to how it will look and other things).

Maybe it's just me finding a minority of people who are looking at it that way that have overexposed me to the idea that there are people thinking extensively about it.

Guest 6801328 · Apr 19, 2019

Morrus said:
That’s a pretty low bar for predictions. Everybody shares your prediction. Nobody thinks 6E is anywhere close.

I think 6e is imminent.

Then again, I have my watch set to geologic time.

ad_hoc · Apr 19, 2019

GreyLord said:
The point still holds true though.

I don't know how you got that I think 6th edition is on the horizon.

You made a big post about how there can't be 40 million players because the money isn't there.

I responded and now you're talking about 6th edition?

I'm confused.

As far as that topic goes, sales of the edition itself aren't the only factor here. The brand itself is valuable and creating new editions weakens that brand.

The soonest I have seen people predict an update to the edition is 2024. I could see that, not an edition change but something more substantial than errata.

Whizbang Dustyboots · Apr 19, 2019

Ed Laprade said:
Writes about D&D, shows LARPers. Color me unimpressed.

That's Girls, Guts and Glory. They play D&D.

cmad1977 · Apr 19, 2019

Morrus said:
Was WotC responsible for taking away penalties to Strength for female characters? That’s not my recollection.

I don’t recall there being restriction like that in 2e.

Dausuul · Apr 19, 2019

GreyLord said:
(I have been wrong in predictions before, so they could be making a new edition in stealth. I think it would be suicidal for the department to take that risk and do so, but I have been wrong other times. I just think it is VERY unlikely with the current growth).

My guess would be that they have a file somewhere with "6E Ideas," and when they come up with an idea that requires a significant change to the base rules, they put it in there. While I doubt they are actively developing 6E, I expect they have at least a general sense of what it will look like at such time as they do start developing it.

Morrus · Apr 19, 2019

Dausuul said:
My guess would be that they have a file somewhere with "6E Ideas," and when they come up with an idea that requires a significant change to the base rules, they put it in there. While I doubt they are actively developing 6E, I expect they have at least a general sense of what it will look like at such time as they do start developing it.

Historically, editions have changed with design teams. Whoever makes 6E, it will be the designers coming up after Mearls and Crawford, etc.