D&D (2024) The impending mess that will be backwards compatibility

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The issue is that growth is never infinite. Chewing through new players with crud while doing little to retain (or worse, deliberately doing the opposite) a player base means eventually nothing you make is going to sell anymore.

I don't think we can say that's going to happen, just based on the opinions of grognards, though.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Bart vs The Bard. Choose your life coach.

I chose the Bar. Seems to be a happy medium.

I don't speak for "the community," nor does anyone else here. I spoke for myself. If there's folks that care about things that don't actually impact function of the game, I don't see why that's a concern for my own personal response to these things.

Pretty much true for all of us, but we've got to have a discussion somehow.

 

[Cadence]

Please new halfling art.
Please new halfling art.
Please new halfling art.
Please new halfling art.
Please new halfling art.

Bradley Cooper as the model?

 

[Umbran]

I still find it very weird that the contents of the books will be different, but the labeling won't be. It feels...disingenuous.

I don't think anyone should claim it won't be until we see the covers of the books. "50th Anniversary" on the cover would differentiate it without claiming it as a new "edition", for example.

Even WotC statements at this time should be viewed as statements of current intent, rather than promises about what will be, in stone.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I seriously doubt every 2024 book will be labeled 50th anniversary edition. There'll be slipcovers and leatherbound editions for that.

 

[Horwath]

Please new halfling art.
Please new halfling art.
Please new halfling art.
Please new halfling art.
Please new halfling art.

please all new PHB art.

It's bad.

 

[Umbran]

Pretty much true for all of us, but we've got to have a discussion somehow.

Right. So, does "the community" need to be involved?

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I could go on, but I think the history of versions from 3e to now (3.5, 4e, Essentials, 5e...) is well-known, and I have places to be.

someone on here did out that 5e is between 17e and 21e depending on how you count things

 

[GMforPowergamers]

An added effect that some (not all, it sounds like) player characters can have is still less sweeping than the 3.5 weapon changes, IMO, but obviously, we haven't seen the new proposed weapon rules.

but we already have light weapon off hand attacks not taking the bonus action, now weapon properties that from what I have seen leaked is always on but fighters (maybe all melee types) can use better or more or

The difference in spell casters in particular is more of an issue on the player end and even then, I think most players' characters use the same spells on a regular basis and don't really take advantage of the wider list of spells available to them most of the time. YMMV.

I very much agree... wizards might as well have spells known equal to level+int mod for some players... some players have 2 or 3 sets of spells they prep (Travel/lookingfor fight/intown) some (the least amount) truely are swaping daily

 

[nevin]

I suspected that if WOTC didn't drop the backwards compatibility shtick that they were going to end up causing a huge problem, and we learned today they chose to double down on it.

The game already struggles with class disparities, and now they're definitively giving people the ability to assert they be able to use the, likely to be, overpowered versions of the classes that won't be seeing any changes.

So unless OneDND as a whole ends up upscaling the power of everything across the board so that nobody wants to use 2014 (not good either), then its going to be a mess for DMs to deal with.

As a DM if my choice is many twisted options that I can use or WOTC telling me what is and isn't backwards compatible. I Choose CHAOS!