WotC With 5E now under Community Commons, WotC is now "just" another 5E publisher -- here's how they can still dominate

[Reynard]

The market would move on. Now, between Black Flag and the other 5E-compatible systems coming, there's going to be an alternative available to 1D&D before 1D&D ever hits the streets. Publishers other than WotC can put out material with confidence, without worrying that everything they're making will suddenly be for an obsolete system. People who don't like 1D&D will have off-ramps they can choose before 1D&D ever comes out and will be able to have confidence that Kobold and others will continue to produce content they want to consume.

What percentage of D&D players do you think are even aware Kobold Press exists?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

What percentage of D&D players do you think are even aware Kobold Press exists?

After this past month? More. We'll see how broadly publicized Black Flag is going to be.

 

[overgeeked]

Dear baby Jesus,

Please make WotC bring Gamma World back under a revamped 7e/D&D 4e ruleset. It can pay lip service to 5e/1DD compatibility but I want my at-will/encounter/daily powers and my zany robot cockroaches.

Using the 5E warlock as the base it would be kinda trivial to rebuild something legally distinct but recognizable as the AEDU power set up.

 

[Haplo781]

Using the 5E warlock as the base it would be kinda trivial to rebuild something legally distinct but recognizable as the AEDU power set up.

But clunky as hell.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

One of their stated goals for 1D&D was to not create a breakpoint where their new and larger than ever fanbase might say "hey, if the new version is so different from what we're using right now, why don't we see what else is out there?" That goal remains intact.

were was that stated? Backwards compatibility was desired but I don’t recall any of this being said?

 

[Stormonu]

Just give Hasbro five years (or less). They'll try and pick up their marbles and go home with them again. And they'll find some sort of legal loophole to attempt to do it. Next time, I don't think it'll be stopped.

In the meantime though, I find it utterly flabbergasting how open D&D is (and enjoying it). In just about every other business, beyond some fan content, you'd be expected to license directly with the owners if you planned to make a dime off it. I mean, look at Star Wars, Star Trek, heck even Games Workshop - they've crushed anyone who gets close to putting out something that wasn't licensed through the owners in the same way TSR used to do.

 

[Clint_L]

I wonder how many of the folks that speculate about WotC releasing a drastically new edition rather than 5e with updates (i.e. a 6e) are active users of DnDBeyond. DDB is integral to how many, if not most, people play the game now, and a massive edition change would wreak havoc on it.

I really don't think everyone understands how integral DDB already is to D&D. WotC paid $146 million for it for a good reason. They have stated that they think they already have a version of the game they want to stick with (5e) and a great interface for its digital platform (DDB). The VTT is the final piece of that puzzle.

 

[Kai Lord]

I would love to see WotC adopt what my favorite Kickstarter projects do, and add bound-in ribbon bookmarks, especially in the 2024 anniversary special edition books.

Will these include high end reprints of the 1st Edition AD&D books like they did in 2013?

 

[Stormonu]

If the motive of the 2024 rerelease is to sell new copies of the books, then it is in their interest to make it a new version. When they've done the likes of the PHB/DMG/MM reprints for 2E and the leatherbound 3.5 books (which contained all current errata), they only got a portion of the potential takers.

I'm betting on enough changes that it'll be a 3E to 3.5E level of change. They'll be able to claim compatibility, but the end users will see it as a required upgrade.

 

[Haplo781]

If the motive of the 2024 rerelease is to sell new copies of the books, then it is in their interest to make it a new version. When they've done the likes of the PHB/DMG/MM reprints for 2E and the leatherbound 3.5 books (which contained all current errata), they only got a portion of the potential takers.

I'm betting on enough changes that it'll be a 3E to 3.5E level of change. They'll be able to claim compatibility, but the end users will see it as a required upgrade.

Same base rules with some minor changes/additions, wildly new content.