D&D 5E Am I no longer WoTC's target audience?

[Beleriphon]

Hmm... that sounds a lot like something... Eberron-related.

Well, I'm sure the cough Setting Contest Winner cough thing will come to me soon.

Something something stupid magic robots? Is that how it goes?

 

[MNblockhead]

Sorry. It's my fault.

Looking at the money I've spent since the release of 5e, I must be the target audience. I would offer to stop giving so much money to WotC to disincentive them from continuing to publish products that don't appeal to you, but I quite like them myself.

Lucky for you, there is a massive amount of material for older versions of D&D, third-party material for 5e, and many other systems you can enjoy.

 

[3catcircus]

5E has been a veritable love letter to the history of D&D and long-time fans.

I6 and Ravenloft
The Temple of Elemental Evil
Acererak and the Tomb of Horrors
White Plume Mountain, Against the Giants
The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, The Isle of Dread
Mordenkainen, Volo, Xanathar
Waterdeep, Underdark, Demon Lords
Undermountain, Halaster Blackcloak, Baldur's Gate
The list goes on and on.

Honestly, if you can't tell you're being catered to, then I don't know what to say. WotC has been chasing after you as desperately as a
teenage boy chases after the girl in an 80's romantic comedy.

I completely understand his viewpoint. Adventure modules with some flavor of older settings feels like a tease - it doesn't feel like WotC taking seriously requests for 5e treatments of older campaign settings. When I question why Wildemount instead of an update of GH or DS or FR, I get various ad hominems in response ranging from "be patient" to "people really want CR stuff" to "why are you saying CR is a flash in the pan, it's been around at least 5 years" to "ok boomer."

Be patient? It's been 5 years and they're publishing a new setting in lieu of updating older settings after they've published stuff set in those older settings.

People want CR stuff? Ok, what about the rest of us who want 5e treatments of existing settings? How long should we continue to be disappointed while waiting for what we are asking for, while watching newer campaign settings be published - it's like a dog waiting after being abandoned on the side of the road?

I would say that WotC is paying lip service to older players. They made FR the default setting for 5e - where's the campaign guide? It's been 5 years and the paper-thin SCAG is a joke. It took 5 years to get Wayfarers Guide to Eberron. They're sitting on IP that they could have published 5e treatments for in the 5 years since 5e had been out. I get they want to not publish to much, but publishing actual 5e versions of full campaign settings for existing settings isn't the same thing as vomiting a bunch of books containing player or DM rules options.

If they don't want to support older campaign settings by publishing complete setting books and have no intention to do so, they should license the IP.

 

[Azzy]

Which is why I'm surprised they haven't done reprints of things like a Book of Artifacts, or a Tome of Magic, or republished things like Planescape.

They won't do straight player or DM books, so I wouldn't expect reprints. They'll all about doing books that appeal to both DM and players, so if they do more spells or more magic items it'll be packaged with other stuff.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

All gamers are hobby gamers, because gaming is a hobby. Maybe a better word for your point (which I don't disagree with, btw).

Cooking is also a hobby, but that doesn't mean that everyone that cooks dinner is a hobby cook!

 

[3catcircus]

Cooking is also a hobby, but that doesn't mean that everyone that cooks dinner is a hobby cook!

Tell every mom or dad that their getting dinner on the table is a hobby...

 

[schneeland]

I completely understand his viewpoint. Adventure modules with some flavor of older settings feels like a tease - it doesn't feel like WotC taking seriously requests for 5e treatments of older campaign settings.
...

In can completely understand the frustration (and I share it to a large extent), but the problem is: I think this is not changing too soon, if at all. It seems to me that, similar to many big players in the video game industry, WotC has changed from a product business model (where a product is developed once and then add-ons/DLCs are sold) to a service game model (where there is an initial version with some feature set, but then there is mostly "events" in the game world that do add some features, but where features are not in the focus). And as long as people keep consuming the "D&D service", I don't think they have a strong incentive to change their model.

 

[hawkeyefan]

It kind of amazes me that it seems like the players and DMs with the most experience are often asking for the most guidance.

I mean, I get it. I’d love nothing more than a book along the lines of “Shemeska’s Guide to Sigil”. It’s pretty much my dream book. I’d love to see it. But, I get why we haven’t.

And until we do, I can manage. There’s any number of past setting books to help me where needed. I’ve used several in my campaign, from multiple settings.

And I’ve been playing and DMing for a long time. To be honest, there really isn’t anything I need WotC to make.

So if WotC isn’t making products that appeal to you....sorry. That’s the way it goes. I’m sure at some point they’ll make something. Until then, long time players and DMs should be able to manage. Especially given the amount of material available from 3rd parties these days.

 

[generic]

Something something stupid magic robots? Is that how it goes?

Coughs

Points at whiteboard

"D&D has always had Sci-fi influences".

 

[Eltab]

"D&D has always had Sci-fi influences".

Gamma World says Hi, and invites everybody to join an Expedition to the Barrier Peaks.