D&D 5E 5e isn't a Golden Age of D&D Lorewise, it's Silver at best.

[MadArkitekt]

That's fine. I personally love lore and hold 2e's lore as what to shoot for. Do a majority want more? Who knows. Nothing says they do. Do a majority want less? Who knows. Nothing says they do. Do a majority like it best the way it is. Who knows. Nothing says they do.

This discussion should be held without people trying to speak for a majority they know nothing about on this topic. Just speak for yourself(general you).

 

[Lycurgon]

I think we are absolutely in the golden age of D&D. It is more popular than ever! It is selling better than ever! It has never been easier to find games and other players to play with! The World at large is far more accepting of the game than it has ever been (no need to keep the game hidden in the basement from the satanic panic). It is even seen as cool to lots of non-gamers now. The company making it is doing well (while the company that made 2e went bankruptcy while producing the girth of Lore so praised in this thread).

All the 3PP are also part of 5e. The 5e OGL makes it possible for Kobold Press to make there 5e products. There are more 5e settings coming out on Kickstarter every month. These are all part of this 5e Golden Age of D&D.

The current golden age isn't just WotC producing their official material. It includes Kobold Press, EN Publishing, Critical Role and all the other producers of 5e content and all the players of the game. That is what clearly makes this the golden age of D&D.

 

[MadArkitekt]

Be passionate, not belligerent. No post I’ve read declares any one group the majority and all power to them. Even if you are on the losing end. Love what you love. Find people who enjoy thay lore like you do. I immensely enjoy lore and don’t see @Oofta as championing one way over another.

 

[TwoSix]

What is lore?

Baby don't hurt me. Don't hurt me, no more.

 

[schneeland]

See... the thing is: All the old lore is still there.
...
PDF or soft-cover. Your choice. Shipped or downloaded however you like it. It's still there.

Just a side note here, but the content is there IF you want it in English. If you grew up with translated versions, it's most probably gone and only available second hand by now (in it's old, non-searchable analog incarnation).

 

[TwoSix]

WotC should be the gold standard for their edition, its not even close in 5e. I see no reason WotC can't do as well as Southlands for its settings.

Yea. I think this is the part I would push back against the most. WotC is just a part of a broad tapestry of material that's being produced for 5e.
It's that broadness, on top of the wider cultural and social media acceptance, that's produced the exact golden age we're talking about.

 

[schneeland]

As to the main point of the OP: I agree if we are talking about the TSR/WotC settings. The death of the novels and WotC's refusal to publish something like a new Forgotten Realms campaign setting book really are a weakness of the current edition if you are into lore (or if simply, you have new players you want to introduce to your favourite "adolescence setting").
To be fair: I wouldn't want the flood of setting books from 2e to come back, but certainly I would want more than we currently have.

And, as mentioned above: there are 3rd party publishers that still write solid setting books. So it's really mostly those of us who would like for some comprehensive material about a classic D&D setting who are hit by WotC's shift away from such material.

 

[MadArkitekt]

WotC should be the gold standard for their edition, its not even close in 5e. I see no reason WotC can't do as well as Southlands for its settings.

They should be and with some settings/modules they are. And regarding others, like Minsc & Boo’s Journal of Villainy, WotC has missed a step.

 

[MadArkitekt]

As to the main point of the OP: I agree if we are talking about the TSR/WotC settings. The death of the novels and WotC's refusal to publish something like a new Forgotten Realms campaign setting book really are a weakness of the current edition if you are into lore (or if simply, you have new players you want to introduce to your favourite "adolescence setting").
To be fair: I wouldn't want the flood of setting books from 2e to come back, but certainly I would want more than we currently have.

And, as mentioned above: there are 3rd party publishers that still write solid setting books. So it's really mostly those of us who would like for some comprehensive material about a classic D&D setting who are hit by WotC's shift away from such material.

Lots of Forgotten Realms material in DMsGuild and beyond.

 

[schneeland]

Lots of Forgotten Realms material in DMsGuild and beyond.

Yes, but no single book to read or point people to - the best source at the moment remains the 3e FRCS. With the significant changes that WotC introduced in the Realms with 4e and then mostly reverted with 5e, this is, IMO, a notable omission (especially given that Ed is still around and even publishing regional setting books for the Realms, so they could just hire him as a consultant and/or contributor for such a book).