D&D 5E Wanting more content doesn't always equate to wanting tons of splat options so please stop.

[Jester David]

Just posting some things on Twitter isn't exactly embracing the internet. Dragon+ isn't all it's cracked up to be. There is being on the internet and then there is using the internet to it's full potential. Paizo uses the internet to it's full potential. It has a full online store that allows you to buy more than just books for it's RPG's. It continues to support a forum on it's website and it has a game app. When you go to the Paizo website, you feel like you have stepped into the hub of the company. The only time I ever go to the WoTc site anymore is through a link from here to download something.

WoTc really embraced the internet during the 4th edition era but now it's pulled back to where it just has a presence.

I'd disagree.
Paizo was pretty good with technology but they've fallen behind. The staff has a pretty good presence on their forum, but that's last generation's web media. They've so focused on their own site they've neglected much of the rest of the web. And their website hasn't even really changed its appearance or layout in a decade. It's the best store website layout and forums 2006 had to offer (it's just gotten more crowded and harder to search).

They have a so-so social media presence, they're not regularly live streaming games like WotC, and haven't partnered with any VTT. They have a couple cute apps (critical hits and fumbles) but those are hardly useful. Most of the good Pathfinder RPG apps were done by fans.

But hey, they have cheap PDFs. The best book reading technology 1993 had to offer. RPGNow has been around since 2001, so offering PDFs of RPG books isn't exactly new or innovative.

 

[Jester David]

I would love to see the argument that more books = shorter lifespan of an edition.

I've made it a few times. It's part of a blog I wrote here:
http://www.5mwd.com/archives/2819

 

[Shasarak]

I've made it a few times. It's part of a blog I wrote here:
http://www.5mwd.com/archives/2819

You present some interesting ideas but little supporting evidence.

 

[Chaosmancer]

So, this thread seems to be quickly spiralling downward, so I figure what's the harm.

Ever since the first post about general releases and wanting more classes, I've been wracking my brain for what those classes could be.

Psionics is obvious, and potentially things like the 4e Battlemind or Ardent could be subclasses in this.

Warlord is probably on people's lists

Artificer could work as a wizard, but I could see them getting their own class.


And... that's about all I can think of that couldn't get covered by subclasses.


Now, the list could include rules for prestige classes and Epic destinies (I honestly loved that concept in 4e) but, I can't come up with enough things to fill a full book, let alone multiples. I'm relatively new to DnD, so what are the classes that everyone is pining away for that are going to fill multiple releases?

 

[Jester David]

You present some interesting ideas but little supporting evidence.

You seem to be mistaking my blog for a peer reviewed scientific journal.
If you're looking for "evidence" I don't recommend the internet, let alone fan sites.

Everything we say here is speculation. Speculation and opinion backed up by the barest slivers of data. We're all blind men feeling the elephant.

But I did cite a Columbia university study and the WotC spending habits survey. So there's a lot more evidence than you'll see elsewhere. And my blog post was informed by the writings of various RPG publishers.
If you have counter evidence (or a rebuttal to my arguments other than "prove it") I'd like to read it.

 

[delericho]

There's a reason 5E is the most popular RPG on the planet right now by a significant margin.

The major reason for that is that it has "Dungeons & Dragons" on the cover. That alone is a massive competitive edge over everyone else.

 

[delericho]

On the other hand, just because someone is playing in a homebrew world it doesn't mean they'll have any use for a particular piece of "general" content. Whereas you can be certain that the 35% playing in the Realms can easily fit a FR themed book into their games.

Not really. The FR is a really big place.

If I'm running an all-drow campaign set amongst the warring houses of Menzoberranzan, I'm no more likely to use the "Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide" than someone running a homebrew setting.

On average, someone running an FR campaign is more likely to find use for a given FR book than a homebrewer with a 'general' title. But you really can't be certain it will fit.

 

[Morrus]

The major reason for that is that it has "Dungeons & Dragons" on the cover. That alone is a massive competitive edge over everyone else.

But as we've seen before, that isn't always enough.

 

[delericho]

But as we've seen before, that isn't always enough.

Sure. It's a massive advantage but not an auto-win - in the same way that the massive resources of Man City and Chelsea give them an enormous advantage but aren't an absolute bar to Leicester City winning the Premiership.

(And that's not to mention 5e's other massive advantage - unlike 4e, it's not up against a Pathfinder that's shiny and new, but rather one that's nearing the end of its own edition cycle.)

 

[Maxperson]

On average, someone running an FR campaign is more likely to find use for a given FR book than a homebrewer with a 'general' title. But you really can't be certain it will fit.

And on average, someone running an FR campaign AND someone running a homebrew campaign are both likely to find use with a general content book. Classes, magic items, feats, etc. can all be fit into drow campaigns, sword coast campaigns, Greyhawk campaigns, Dark Sun campaigns, and homebrew campaign #1,#2, #3...all the way to #1,000,000 and more.