Why the love for the Edition Treadmill?

[Azgulor]

So 5e is on the way. WotC is looking to avoid the mistakes of 4e. They've got a good team. They've got the brand. However, they've got a huge target to hit and 4e will have the briefest lifespan in the brand's history amongst a fractured fan base.

And we already see the love for the Edition Treadmill in play...

A week ago, however, for the 4e fans, it was still the best edition of the game ever made.

So for the 4e fans that are now ready to move to 5e, how did the announcement change things? Why?

Did the announcement of 5e suddenly show you that those 4e critics were right all along?

For the Pathfinder fan who's loving the game, why the desire for a rapid rise of a PF 2e?

If Pathfinder was the extension of the d20 engine you wanted & you're happy with the way the game is evolving, why the hell are you pining for a PF 2e?

I don't understand the desire for a new edition for games that haven't been out even 5 years. Hell, 3 years for 4e? 2 years for PF? Perhaps those clamoring for the new edition play a hell of lot more frequently than I get to, but I know it'll be years before I'll have scratched the surface of Pathfinder character concepts that I want to explore.

Honestly, I'm weary of it. I love Pathfinder, but if Paizo threw it over for a 2e tomorrow, I wouldn't be making the switch. I don't want it. I certainly don't need it. One day, of course I'll be ready for a PF 2e. But that day is far, far down the road.

Anyway, just curious.

 

[Rechan]

People like new things. The promise of new things. The waiting for new things.

Not to wave my psych masters around, but the satisfaction (literally the chemical/neurological payoff) that a person gets from anticipating a reward is larger than the satisfaction (chemical/neurological payoff) that they receive from actually getting it.

 

[Incenjucar]

I was fine with 5th edition coming out 8-10 years out from when 4E began. 4E remains my favorite edition. While the L&L articles tell me that I shouldn't preorder 5th edition, I'll still see what it is when it gets here, and I expect I'll be anticipating 6th edition once it does. Sadly, 6th edition won't come out until 2016. I will, however, not be spouting vitriol while I do so, though I may be occasionally snarky.

 

[Greg K]

First, I don't play 4e or Pathfinder.

Anyway, feeling something is the best iteration, does not mean that someone does not see room for improvement or that they were otherwise, completely, satisfied with the game in its entirety. It simply means that taken as a whole it is better than other editions in that individual's mind and that they were willing to make compromises in other areas.

 

[drothgery]

A week ago, however, for the 4e fans, it was still the best edition of the game ever made.

So for the 4e fans that are now ready to move to 5e, how did the announcement change things? Why?

Did the announcement of 5e suddenly show you that those 4e critics were right all along?

[...]

I don't understand the desire for a new edition for games that haven't been out even 5 years.

In my case, there are two big things going on
1) I think every edition so far has improved the baseline mechanics of the game (well, I didn't start playing until well into the 2e era, but what I've seen of 1e certainly suggests that although 1e had its charms, the base mechanics were cleaner or at least more cleanly presented in 2e).
2) While I really like 4e, enough of the people in my tabletop group do not that we're playing 3.5 right now (after bouncing through some retro-clones and non-D&D games). So I'm hoping 5e will keep what I like from 4e, and be acceptable to people who wouldn't switch before.

and AFAIK, Wizards has never had one edition of any tabletop roleplaying game they've published since aquiring TSR last more than 5 years without entirely discontinuing the game (and if, as is currently expected, 5e actually is released at GenCon 2013, 4e will have been around for 5 years too). So if I don't want the game to die, then I want a new edition every five years.

 

[The Shaman]

The grass is always greener in someone else's hydroponic garden.


I do find the whole thing terribly funny, though. With all of the different vesions of D&D out there - OD&D, Holmes D&D, 1e AD&D, Moldvay D&D, Mentzer BECMI D&D, 2e AD&D, 3e D&D, 3.5e D&D, 4e D&D, plus all of the OGL derivatives, from C&C to Pathfinder to the retro-clones - people are still hoping the next edition will be THE ONE.

 

[enrious]

Because I never think the current system is the best or lacks room for improvement.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I am happy with Pathfinder, and am not eagerly looking forward to Pathfinder 2. It'll be okay whenever, but no hurry.

4e is a bit different - I think that the roll out of 4e poisoned the well, that 5e is needed, but may be too late.

I am however happy that a public test is planned, instead of saying 'oh no, 4e isn't in the works, that would be crazy!' up until weeks before the public notice.

I hope that they listen to the playtesters.

The Auld Grump

 

[Rechan]

and AFAIK, Wizards has never had one edition of any tabletop roleplaying game they've published since aquiring TSR last more than 5 years without entirely discontinuing the game (and if, as is currently expected, 5e actually is released at GenCon 2013, 4e will have been around for 5 years too). So if I don't want the game to die, then I want a new edition every five years.

Wow. I find that incredibly depressing.

 

[Glade Riven]

Meh, I'm fine with a 5 year cycle on the "game engine," but campaign settings? Maybe 10 years on that. I hope they give Forgotten Realms some time off and explore new (or previously unused) directions.

EDIT: Found out my first hope was dashed. Thanks, fans of Forgotten Realms. I hope you get "Dragon Lanced" again