When will D&D 5e be published?

[ggroy]

If I wanted fully digital, I would go for an improved MMO with DM and player capabilities.

Going fully digital means players are less inclined to know the rules. A few clicks and you have a character. Basically like the Dragon Age character builder that they released before the game. A good thing perhaps? But how do they market it? Marketing it in online is suicidal as it competes head to head with video games and rpgs who are still book based will emerge as a flagship.

WotC stuck between a rock and hard place:

- 4E D&D splatbook book sales being eaten up by the DDI character builder?
- Abandoning printed books and going all digital, may put them up directly against MMORPGs?
- Pathfinder and other rpg publishers, taking up players who won't play 4E?

 

[Jan van Leyden]

I clicked 2015, but that's just an uneducated guess.

The real timing will not be due to the success or failing of 4e, but due to availability of the supporting software.

Character and monster builder are done, the next application is still under wraps.

At least a VTT, some visualization, and a sleuth of management applications are still missing. When these - and maybe some more - applications are ready to go, WotC will either finalize development or announce the next edition.

I guess they have learned from the e-tools and DDI fiascos and won't rely on software announcements anymore.

 

[Grimstaff]

There's no option to vote for "never"?

'Cause I don't think there will be a 5E. Whether its because they just keeping tweaking and revising 4E ad infinitum, or because WotC gets closed down.

 

[ggroy]

The real timing will not be due to the success or failing of 4e, but due to availability of the supporting software.

Character and monster builder are done, the next application is still under wraps.

At least a VTT, some visualization, and a sleuth of management applications are still missing. When these - and maybe some more - applications are ready to go, WotC will either finalize development or announce the next edition.

I guess they have learned from the e-tools and DDI fiascos and won't rely on software announcements anymore.

As to whether the VTT and other management applications will be done, is hard to say at this point. If the D&D revenue is not as high as they wanted, there may be less inclination for the management decision makers to green light such further big projects. (ie. They don't want to throw more money into something which they may not have as much confidence in).

 

[Festivus]

reported above post

Thanks, Festivus - we removed the spam post that was above yours. -Eridanis

 

[possum]

I threw out the guess of 2015, why not.

Maybe release it on May 5th to play off of the "5" thing (5th Edition! Coming 05/05/2015!)

I'm a D&D fan, they have my money pretty much regardless of what they do or when they do it, so it doesn't matter too much to me, hehe.

BUT whenever(if) they do announce it, my joke site will actually become accurate

Heh, I looked and that's actually on a Tuesday. It may very well be then.

I say 2016, since I think new editions have--on average--come out every eight years. Could be wrong, though.

 

[Hussar]

I said 2015, although that's just a guess. My honest answer would be, "Whenever they announce it, 4e critics will crow that it's shorter than (insert edition here) thus proving the failure that was 4e" regardless of any other factors.

 

[The Ghost]

My d10 roll came up an 8, so I voted 2018.

 

[drothgery]

I picked 2015, though that's the tail end of the range I expect (2013-2015). I think WotC knows two things for sure.

1) 3.5 was too soon (with 20/20 hindsight, WotC would have waited another 2 years, fixed more, and called the revised d20 game 4e... which would have delayed a change as big as the present 4e to 5e and 2010-2012)
2) 3e was way too late (it's pretty clear in hindsight TSR should have launched 3e around 1995).

They also know the AD&D line has alternated between major revisions (1e, 3e, 4e) and minor ones (2e, 3.5e), that although lots of good 2e products came out it's generally the least popular edition of D&D, and that although 3.5 was eventually quite successful, it was somewhat slow in supplanting 3.0. So I'm not sure if WotC will want to continue this. My current thinking is no, which pushes a new edition farther out. If 4e->5e is similar to 1e->2e or 3e->3.5, then I'd bet on 2013. For a more significant change, I'd bet on 2015.

 

[bagger245]

My d10 roll came up an 8, so I voted 2018.

Imagine you rolled a 1