Spelljammer Dark Sun confirmed? Or, the mysterious case of the dissappearing Spelljammer article...

[Cap'n Kobold]

I like to think of arcane magic as requiring a spark, without it you can't learn magic at all. This goes for all the arcane classes: wizard, bard, sorcerer, and any subclasses that are based on them. The exception is warlock, anyone can become a warlock because the entity you make your deal with will graft that arcane spark directly on your soul.

In practice, this doesn't really come up, it's more my headcanon as the editions have evolved.

"PCs are special" is one of the tenets of Eberron, and casters are no exception. Most people can learn to cast a spell eventually, but often only one or two, and as rituals. Actually having spells slots that renew every day and can cast different spells from is very much a PC, and a few others with the "spark", thing.

 

[Mind of tempest]

That's why they are doing things like Magic books and Critical Role licenses, or Rick & Morty box sets. Rules as an end in and of themselves have not had a good track record.

the magic books I have not heard anything about selling well, and tie in getting stale and are unreliable as a business model, not that they are bad but just not sustainable, what is are books of broad content that is both universalizable and have something different from the rest of it, I doubt they will be able to just keep going forever with subclasses that are getting divergent from the core point of the class, thus making a new class would open up new sales options.
I do assume we got at least two more xgte or Tasha's before the has-to point is reached.
late 3.5 was very experimental as was late 2e I would like experimentation back even if I do not get a psion, I want something that makes ideas flash in my head again.

 

[bedir than]

the magic books I have not heard anything about selling well, and tie in getting stale and are unreliable as a business model, not that they are bad but just not sustainable, what is are books of broad content that is both universalizable and have something different from the rest of it, I doubt they will be able to just keep going forever with subclasses that are getting divergent from the core point of the class, thus making a new class would open up new sales options.
I do assume we got at least two more xgte or Tasha's before the has-to point is reached.
late 3.5 was very experimental as was late 2e I would like experimentation back even if I do not get a psion, I want something that makes ideas flash in my head again.

While these statements seem like a solid theory they'd be ignoring the entire history of the current edition, as well as public statement figures and the clearly stated goal of a new edition coming out in 18 months

 

[Parmandur]

the magic books I have not heard anything about selling well, and tie in getting stale and are unreliable as a business model, not that they are bad but just not sustainable, what is are books of broad content that is both universalizable and have something different from the rest of it, I doubt they will be able to just keep going forever with subclasses that are getting divergent from the core point of the class, thus making a new class would open up new sales options.
I do assume we got at least two more xgte or Tasha's before the has-to point is reached.
late 3.5 was very experimental as was late 2e I would like experimentation back even if I do not get a psion, I want something that makes ideas flash in my head again.

Um, the Magic books have sold like hotcakes, as have the Critical Role books (hence multiple books for each). Not sure why you think otherwise? If they ever do a 14th Class, it's more likely to be a Critical Role Blood Hunter or something from Magic.

3.x and 4E proved to WotC (at least this is their takeaway from their data, which is what matters for what they have done and will do) that crunch for crunches sake does not sell, just as fluff for fluffs sake doesn't sell. They need a solid story for people to sink their teeth into, like material for playing in the world of their favorite card game or streaming show. And this has worked for WotC very, very well so don't hold your breath for a change in direction.

The experiment late Edition material pointing at the ne t Edition is already here: Tasha's, Strixhaven, Monstersofthe, Spelljammer, etc. The Subclasses reaching for esoteric concepts are the final step before the next Edition soft reboots the Core (albeit backwards compatible).

 

[Parmandur]

While these statements seem like a solid theory they'd be ignoring the entire history of the current edition, as well as public sakes figures and the clearly stated goal of a new edition coming out in 18 months

I agree, though 24-28 months seems more probable for the next Edition: 2014 Core started releasing in July, after all.

 

[Yaarel]

3.x and 4E proved to WotC (at least this is their takeaway from their data, which is what matters for what they have done and will do) that crunch for crunches sake does not sell, just as fluff for fluffs sake doesn't sell. They need a solid story for people to sink their teeth into, like material for playing in the world of their favorite card game or streaming show. And this has worked for WotC very, very well ...

Pretty well said. Neither mechanics-only nor flavor-only sells ... well.

It has to be a blend of solid mechanics and vivid flavor.

This returns to the difficulty of separating flavor from mechanics. Because the core narratives reinforce the mechanically baked-in flavors. The official flavor itself needs to be open-ended enough for players to utilize it for different concepts to make it their own for their own character concepts.

Relatedly, for a game to sell well, it needs to have solid adventures. Good gaming engine by itself also sells less well than a good gaming engine with lots of adventures to explore.

 

[Parmandur]

Pretty well said. Neither mechanics-only nor flavor-only sells ... well.

It has to be a blend of solid mechanics and vivid flavor.

This returns to the difficulty of separating flavor from mechanics. Because the core narratives reinforce the mechanically baked-in flavors. The official flavor itself needs to be open-ended enough for players to utilize it for different concepts to make it their own for their own character concepts.

Relatedly, for a game to sell well, it needs to have solid adventures. Good gaming engine by itself also sells less well than a good gaming engine with lots of adventures to explore.

I don't think it's an accident that the best selling RPGs ever have solid narrative hooks (D&D/Pathfinder, Call of Cthulu, Vampire, Star Wars, etc.)

 

[overgeeked]

Um, the Magic books have sold like hotcakes, as have the Critical Role books (hence multiple books for each).

Which Magic setting got more than one book?

 

[Parmandur]

Which Magic setting got more than one book?

I meant multiple Magic books. Nate Stewart said on stream in early 2019 that Ravnica was one of the best selling books in the entire history of Dungeons & Dragons after just three months and promised we would see more Magic in d&D because of that. And lo, so it was.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I meant multiple Magic books. Nate Stewart said on stream in early 2019 that Ravnica was one of the best selling books in the entire history of Dungeons & Dragons after just three months and promised we would see more Magic in d&D because of that. And lo, so it was.

I am so, so far away from the general D&D public. It's worse than I thought.