WotC Which releases do you own?

[Fenris-77]

Hey now, I own Ravnica too! Just because I started playing MtG in Alpha doesn't mean I don't appreciate the D&D settings. Besides, the book has cool faction rules.

 

[darjr]

Oh and I forgot to add about third parties.

it’s helped their licensers keep up, especially the tech ones, and push forward on their own fronts.
It’s given breathing room to licensed and unlicensed third parties to make things.
And it’s a huge marketing win when third parties can be on board with the season.

 

[Maxperson]

It’s helping to keep bloat and rushed design at bay.

There's an entire world or four in-between the 3e/4e release rate and the 5e incredibly reduced rate.

 

[darjr]

Sorry man. But there's no way that you know that the edition wouldn't be doing better if it had a somewhat more frequent crunch release schedule. You can ASSUME it, but you not know that it isn't being held back. An edition can be doing very well and still be being held back from its full potential.

I think it’s a good educated guess though. Much more than a shot in the dark.

the fact the WoTC is slowing down after last year shows that they believe it.

 

[Mercurius]

Sorry man. But there's no way that you know that the edition wouldn't be doing better if it had a somewhat more frequent crunch release schedule. You can ASSUME it, but you not know that it isn't being held back. An edition can be doing very well and still be being held back from its full potential.

Of course I don't know, but let's look at the facts on the ground. D&D is thriving in an unprecedented way--they're selling far more books than their best hopes. What would lead you to believe that their strategy is holding back the game?

"Full potential" doesn't mean anything. There are merely different degrees of success, and 5E is a wild success.

So while I'm speculating, it is based on something actual, while your speculation is based on a hypothetical abstraction ("full potential").

 

[darjr]

There's an entire world or four in-between the 3e/4e release rate and the 5e incredibly reduced rate.

I don’t think so. I think it’s a very fine line, an invisible one. And the only defense is to stay well away.

 

[Leatherhead]

All of them, but most of them are digital only for me.

 

[darjr]

I think Paizo has shown the way, again. Their PF1 release schedule WAS the slow way. They were praised for it’s wisdom, I praised it. But at the end PF1 was “bloated” and cumbersome. Somewhere they tripped over that wire and there was no turning back, they even tried.

I think WotC took that idea of slow release and are executing it better.

 

[Mercurius]

the fact the WoTC is slowing down after last year shows that they believe it.

It is hard to say whether they've slowed down or not. Last year there were four books and two starter sets; this year there are two known books, but we don't know the Fall and Winter schedule, which could have two books. Plus, Covid.

The point being, I think 4 books a year is the new threshold and if it changes, it will go up to 5 not back to 3. The starter sets are extras, and you never know when they'll come out with something like that.

 

[darjr]

Well, I can’t say. But so far it has gone down. They’ve even said last year was an aberration.