D&D 5E I believe a slow and light product release can cause more harm in the long run.

[Relax]

Looks like I'm also the sort of consumer WotC is after with this edition. I own every editions set of three core books, which is really all you need/i] to play. For 1e I did buy Unearthed Arcana, Fiend Folio, Monster Manual II and Dieties and Demigods, but that back when I was in my early teens. Once 2e came along I was already moving on to other systems like GURPS and HärnMaster though I did still play D&D from time to time. The only book I bought beyond the core for any edition after 1e was The Book of Vile Evil for 3e, and it never proved to be very useful actually.

Again I've bought the three core books for 5e, and finally there is an edition of D&D that I want to play more than other systems, but other than a new Monster Manual or possibly a Greyhawk campaign setting book I'm in no hurry for more. I may get some of the adventures eventually but I'm not in a hurry.

 

[Harry Dresden]

Why am I seeing a lot of "I don't need this" or "I don't need that"?

If you want to go that route then you are definitely not Wizards' kind of customer because technically you don't "need" to buy a new edition because the previous ones still work just fine.

This isn't about needing anything so I'm not sure it seems to creep into several posters remarks. This is about the many gamers out there who do want more product. Also, could we please stop with the disingenuous comments about bloat and mountains of books? It's like some of you can't differentiate the now release schedule and the one from that last two editions. Nobody here has said they want mountains of books. I certainly haven't and it seems that if you want more than what is currently planned then you suddenly must be in the "wants tons of books" category of people.

 

[fjw70]

Aside from some smaller adventures I am not really looking for more 5e books, but I will probably buy whatever they put out.

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

Why am I seeing a lot of "I don't need this" or "I don't need that"?

If you want to go that route then you are definitely not Wizards' kind of customer because technically you don't "need" to buy a new edition because the previous ones still work just fine.

This isn't about needing anything so I'm not sure it seems to creep into several posters remarks. This is about the many gamers out there who do want more product. Also, could we please stop with the disingenuous comments about bloat and mountains of books? It's like some of you can't differentiate the now release schedule and the one from that last two editions. Nobody here has said they want mountains of books. I certainly haven't and it seems that if you want more than what is currently planned then you suddenly must be in the "wants tons of books" category of people.

That is entirely dependent on what you consider to be a mountain of books. For example, in the realm of splatbooks, I think three may be too many for the entire edition. They could release one every two years and I'd be content.

And it's not enough to say, "You don't have to buy them". I straight up don't want them to exist. By their mere existence they change the community around the game and the expectations for any given campaign.

That's just one example, and one person's opinion. But the point is, we can't all get what we want, and this discussion of release schedule isn't useful. We'd be better off, instead, discussing particular products we'd like to have. That's feedback that WotC can use.

 

[aramis erak]

Except for the term "a lot", I completely agree with this sentence. In fact several of those people are already critical, angry and a bit selfish.

Nevertheless I find the current pace of releases fine.

Those very few angry vocal types won't just shut the hell up and go the hell away. And keep trying to make it look like there are a hell of a lot more of them than there really are.

If you think the release schedule is a problem, go play some game that has a faster one. And then you can complain about the crappy products with no playtesting all you want... because that's the usual tradeoff.

The polls done by WotC during the playtest were pretty damned clear. it's not like it was even close - the overwhelming majority of respondents wanted a slow schedule.

Also, let's look at some other games with long long distribution tails: WFRP, Ars Magica, RuneQuest, The One Ring, Hero System...

1-2 products per quarter does each of these just fine. And the rights holders for WFRP and AM have let things lie fallow for years between editions. And it works. The new edition gets 3-5 strong years.

 

[Harry Dresden]

That is entirely dependent on what you consider to be a mountain of books. For example, in the realm of splatbooks, I think three may be too many for the entire edition. They could release one every two years and I'd be content.

And it's not enough to say, "You don't have to buy them". I straight up don't want them to exist. By their mere existence they change the community around the game and the expectations for any given campaign.

That's just one example, and one person's opinion. But the point is, we can't all get what we want, and this discussion of release schedule isn't useful. We'd be better off, instead, discussing particular products we'd like to have. That's feedback that WotC can use.

Why should you care what goes on outside your home game?

Why can't I have six books for my home game while you only use three?

Why can't we both have what we want instead of just you?

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Why am I seeing a lot of "I don't need this" or "I don't need that"?

If you want to go that route then you are definitely not Wizards' kind of customer because technically you don't "need" to buy a new edition because the previous ones still work just fine.

This isn't about needing anything so I'm not sure it seems to creep into several posters remarks. This is about the many gamers out there who do want more product. Also, could we please stop with the disingenuous comments about bloat and mountains of books? It's like some of you can't differentiate the now release schedule and the one from that last two editions. Nobody here has said they want mountains of books. I certainly haven't and it seems that if you want more than what is currently planned then you suddenly must be in the "wants tons of books" category of people.

Apparently, I am Wizard's kind of customer because they've gotten $350 from me over the past year[1]. I'm a satisfied customer. And yet I'm not agitating for WotC to change their release schedule.

[1] Perhaps a bit more than that if you count the 5-8 old AD&D products which 5E has inspired me to re-purchase on Dndclassics.

 

[Harry Dresden]

The polls done by WotC during the playtest were pretty damned clear. it's not like it was even close - the overwhelming majority of respondents wanted a slow schedule.

You have copies of these polls that prove otherwise? I remember all the polls rather clearly and there never was a detailed question about this. Care to post something different because I could be mistaken?

 

[Mistwell]

Why am I seeing a lot of "I don't need this" or "I don't need that"?

If you want to go that route then you are definitely not Wizards' kind of customer because technically you don't "need" to buy a new edition because the previous ones still work just fine.

This isn't about needing anything so I'm not sure it seems to creep into several posters remarks. This is about the many gamers out there who do want more product. Also, could we please stop with the disingenuous comments about bloat and mountains of books? It's like some of you can't differentiate the now release schedule and the one from that last two editions. Nobody here has said they want mountains of books. I certainly haven't and it seems that if you want more than what is currently planned then you suddenly must be in the "wants tons of books" category of people.

I am pleased with the current rate of publications for 5e, for a variety of reasons:

1) I like to buy just about everything they put out because of a collector instinct, but I can't really afford to buy much more than their current release rate, and I definitely don't have the time to read much more than their current release rate.

2) The more they release, the more variations my players desire from those releases, and that means the more I need to review and check to see how it works with other things and unexpected combinations, how it fits with our campaign, what direction it will send things, etc. and I don't have time for that.

3) The more they release, based on history, the less time they spend playtesting the releases, which results in shoddier quality for those releases.

4) The more they release, based on history, the less evergreen the core books become, as the weight of releases combine to pressure the company to update the rules to make all those new releases more conformed to core. Thus we get things like compendiums, 3.5e, Essentials, etc.. which tends to disrupt campaigns and cause edition wars in the places I like to visit as the rift between the new and the old causes hard feelings, etc.

I am sure I can think of more reasons why I like this current rate of release, but I am sure you get the point.

Sorry you prefer something different. I hope you stick around.

 

[Jester David]

Why am I seeing a lot of "I don't need this" or "I don't need that"?

If you want to go that route then you are definitely not Wizards' kind of customer because technically you don't "need" to buy a new edition because the previous ones still work just fine.

The catch is, WotC can't just give up on a chunk of the audience like that. If they're releasing product that doesn't excite a large percentage then that's money they're losing. They're throwing away sales. When they release an accessory, they want everyone to go "I need that." One of the best ways to do that is to make accessories and new books rarer, and thus more valuable through scarcity. Rather than "ho hum, another book" they want people going "OMFG another book!"
Just like how no one cares when Stephen King or John Grisham releases a new book but everyone loses their s***** when Rowlings or Martin releases a new book.

Plus, releasing lots of books has proven detrimental to the hobby. Which impacts everyone, not just those buying the books. As suddenly the edition cycles over again and it becomes harder to buy the older books or get new people into the hobby.

This isn't about needing anything so I'm not sure it seems to creep into several posters remarks. This is about the many gamers out there who do want more product. Also, could we please stop with the disingenuous comments about bloat and mountains of books? It's like some of you can't differentiate the now release schedule and the one from that last two editions. Nobody here has said they want mountains of books. I certainly haven't and it seems that if you want more than what is currently planned then you suddenly must be in the "wants tons of books" category of people.

How many books do you want then? The game has been out for 10 months at best and there are six hardcover books and a boxed set. That's more than a book every other month. And we're going to get yet another book on month 13 (August) and maybe even two.
Do we *need* monthly books? Two books every three months?
Or do books not count if they're not player accessories? Is it not that WotC isn't releasing books but that they're not releasing player-focused splatbooks with waves of generic and forgettable options?

The catch is we're talking about the "long term". You put that term in the title of the thread. And the long term becomes the now very quickly.

Pathfinder hasn't released many hardcover books. They were averaging three a year for most of the edition's lifecycle.
They've only really been publishing Pathfinder for five years: August 2009 to now. What does a Pathfinder collection look like:

I don't know about you, but that looks like a mountain of books. And it's missing five hardcovers (the most recent two, Rise of the Runelords, and two that I forgot because they were on the wrong shelf).
Even if D&D only releases the two adventures and one accessory or campaign setting book every year, the pile of books with be just as high as that pile after the same length of time. It adds up super fast!


And it's needless. It's so needless. Let's look at the rest of my D&D shelf:

I've circled a few editions. 1st Edition is in red, 2nd Edition is in blue, and 3rd Edition is in green.

Now I'll highlight the books I actually used during my games. The products where more than a single page was used. Books where a single feat or magic item were used don't count.

Most of those books could have been novels or GURPs for all the play they saw at my table.

Now, some tables might have a higher percentage of use, but I guarantee there were some options no one ever used. There were some spells or Prestige Classes or feats that not a single player every took in the fifteen years the edition was on shelves. Because they just weren't good. There were so many bad options created because a quota needed to be filled.
That's bad. We shouldn't have bad options. Nothing should be created that people honestly don't think is a valid and reasonable option for somebody. But the more content is created - even if just a book every six months - the less and less chance an option will be chosen. The less and less valuable the books become. The more it just becomes a wasted purchase.