BryonD
Hero
4E hitting goals = No reason to move to 5E.
4E underperforming = No justification for spending the development cash again this soon
5E on the horizon?
- Thread starter Mercurius
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4E hitting goals = No reason to move to 5E.
4E underperforming = No justification for spending the development cash again this soon
It is not just you, I feel the same thing, which is why I think many comments about 5e are premature. Many commentators on these boards seem to think that Wizards revenue model is still selling book.This is a good point and brings up something else: even if WotC intends DDI to be the future, how can thay move to the next step until they finally get DDI done/right/complete.
Is it just me, or does it feel like DDI is still in it's development stages, and hasn't come anywhere close to its promise yet...
It may still be their principle source of revenue but I suspect that they want to make the digital subscription the core revenue with the books being recruitment tools that direct people to the subscription services.
They are probably not there yet and the digital tools are not complete.
I suspect that the majority of players are casual. That is my experience and i suspect it is typical. There are the super casual player who will play but never buy anything except dice and maybe minis.
The casual that may buy the PHB and some power books and the hardcore player that will subscribe to Dragon (in the old days) and DDI and the DMs who buy a lot more books and subscribe to Dragon, DDI etc.
There are also the collectors who buy everything.
Now the typical group will be mostly casual gamers and most of these will never have a DDI subsctiption.
So if the VTT is to be of general use then the DMs need a way to allow their casual players access to their online campaign. Otherwise the VTT will be pretty much useless to the general DM type.
So for practical purposes the current VTT beta is useless to me as a DM for the players I regularly DM for and for some college buddies around the globe.
On the other hand it is pretty useful to WoTC as a beta and a market research tool.
Is it ready for primetime? I do not know I have not had the opportunity to use it recently.
However, I think there are some missing elements to making the digital tools a compelling offering.
House ruled characters in the character builder.
Importing of images into the VTT.
Some kind of campaign manager.
The module mart where the harried DM can buy a module have it load directly in to the VTT with all monsters in place. Add characters and go.
AeroDm
First Post
I would agree with this. Wizards has the name recognition that their books are on the shelves of every bookstore which means they can rely on huge print runs with stores carrying their inventory for them; that is a common and lucrative business strategy. As bookstores have died, that strategy dies with it and I think Wizards realizes that they need to shift to new models. Digital subscriptions are far more lucrative so long as you can rely on a certain level of subscriptions.
Kaodi
Legend
How would any of this evidence support that other persistent rumour: that D&D may be for sale?
Long time employees who have been around since the TSR days might not want to go through another transition such as the one between TSR and WotC. Alternatively, having too many long time, well-paid employees may may the property look less attractive.
Talk about the Core of D&D may not be geared towards necessarily writing 5E for WotC, but rather on the expectation that if someone does buy it, they, like WotC before them, will want to put out a new edition pronto; best to be prepared for that if it is going to happen.
That of course is all very speculative, but I thinking I can be forgiven for making such speculations in a thread such as this.
Long time employees who have been around since the TSR days might not want to go through another transition such as the one between TSR and WotC. Alternatively, having too many long time, well-paid employees may may the property look less attractive.
Talk about the Core of D&D may not be geared towards necessarily writing 5E for WotC, but rather on the expectation that if someone does buy it, they, like WotC before them, will want to put out a new edition pronto; best to be prepared for that if it is going to happen.
That of course is all very speculative, but I thinking I can be forgiven for making such speculations in a thread such as this.
Maybe it means something. That's certainly possible.
But then, we also have to remember that human beings are so good at finding patterns and meaning in things that we regularly do so when, in actuality, there is no underlying meaning or pattern.
Maybe there's something going on, maybe we're chasing ghosts with speculations. Only their hairdressers know for sure.
Gargoyle
Adventurer
I think my prediction is that WotC's support of the D&D brand is heading for a more passive state, not toward a new edition.
Instead of creating a new edition, they will:
- continue to publish board and card games, and alternate settings like Gamma World to test the waters on what works for D&D.
- continue to refine the DDI edition to make it more palatable to players of all editions and Pathfinder
- continue to publish supporting material for the "new" post-Essentials 4E, that I like to call the "DDI edition" in the form of monster vaults, adventures, campaign worlds, novels, and card and board game elements.
I think WotC is doing a noble thing. Since they took it over from TSR, they have been walking the tightrope of being the caretaker for the leading game in our hobby, that is, trying to do the best thing for it while trying to succeed as a business. I'm amazed that they have done so well at it both for so long in this economy, and I fear that they will not continue to be able to do so and something will have to give.
So I guess what I'm saying is that there may be a 5th edition someday, but right now I think their plan is to refine what they have in an attempt to both broaden the appeal of the D&D DDI edition and to make some money.
If they are planning to sell D&D, I hope it is to a game designer who does at least as good a job as caretaker of the system, and who has a bit more ability to support it electronically, and who can manage the license well. Preferably, it would go to a smaller company that could make the brand their flagship product, and not small part of a subsidiary of a large corporation.
Instead of creating a new edition, they will:
- continue to publish board and card games, and alternate settings like Gamma World to test the waters on what works for D&D.
- continue to refine the DDI edition to make it more palatable to players of all editions and Pathfinder
- continue to publish supporting material for the "new" post-Essentials 4E, that I like to call the "DDI edition" in the form of monster vaults, adventures, campaign worlds, novels, and card and board game elements.
I think WotC is doing a noble thing. Since they took it over from TSR, they have been walking the tightrope of being the caretaker for the leading game in our hobby, that is, trying to do the best thing for it while trying to succeed as a business. I'm amazed that they have done so well at it both for so long in this economy, and I fear that they will not continue to be able to do so and something will have to give.
So I guess what I'm saying is that there may be a 5th edition someday, but right now I think their plan is to refine what they have in an attempt to both broaden the appeal of the D&D DDI edition and to make some money.
If they are planning to sell D&D, I hope it is to a game designer who does at least as good a job as caretaker of the system, and who has a bit more ability to support it electronically, and who can manage the license well. Preferably, it would go to a smaller company that could make the brand their flagship product, and not small part of a subsidiary of a large corporation.
Mercurius
Legend
Nihilism, Umbran?
I'm going to stop one step before you and stick with agnostic existentialism - there may or may not be an underlying pattern, but the patterns we see and create aren't without merit or intrinsic meaning; in fact, they become meaningful through us creating them.(I just watched The Adjustment Bureau--a great flick--so am in a philosophical mood).
You make a compelling argument, Gargoyle, and I think you may be right, but I'm also wondering how they're going to maintain profitability in that model. I mean, they can probably float for a year or two, especially if they notch up DDI and make it such a great product that more people subscribe, but we're not really seeing evidence of that.
Someone also mentioned that WotC could be in the process of preparing to sell D&D - I have no idea if that is true or not, but it may be that Gargoyle's view is correct for the next 1-2 years and then we'll see a new edition in 2014 with the 40th anniversary and/or a sale to another company.
Are you being facetious or do you really think it is just around the corner?
dm4hire
Explorer
Here's a thought: What if the plan isn't to release 5e, but maybe 40th anniversary editions of previous editions? Given the growing trend of retroclone success, as well as print on demand, it would be pretty savvy of WotC to copy White Wolf's recent anniversary push for Vampire. It would be easy and require less staff to consolidate materials, update it all, and after editing each previous edition this way make it available via POD, saving the quality printing for limited collector editions wrapped in leather and gold/silver trim they print themselves. A move like that regains a lot of wayward fans as they suddenly gain access to stuff long out of print with new art and better editing.
caudor
Adventurer
The way in which Wotc has been flailing about over the last year or so makes the future more cloudy for me. Why is the current release schedule been erratic? Products have been canceled and I know of one cancelled product that has popped back on the schedule.
Why is the current product lineup so sparse? I have trouble envisioning a scenario where this is good news.
Now the head honcho of D&D and others are out.
I don't know if this is related to a new edition; however, I'm finding fewer reasons to be optimistic where this is leading. And I hope my hunches are dead wrong.
Why is the current product lineup so sparse? I have trouble envisioning a scenario where this is good news.
Now the head honcho of D&D and others are out.
I don't know if this is related to a new edition; however, I'm finding fewer reasons to be optimistic where this is leading. And I hope my hunches are dead wrong.
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