D&D (2024) Jeremy Crawford: “We are releasing new editions of the books”

[mamba]

However, how is WotC not competing with themselves nowadays? 3.0 to 3.5 wasn’t a huge shift (though I do believe that it was more significant than most credit it for), but then they released 4th, followed by Essentials (which was a restatement and rearrangement of 4th), with Next (not a product most saw due to only being playtest), followed by 5th, and now 5E 2024.

they are, D&D’s main competition has pretty much always been older editions. You cannot really avoid that however, short of stopping to revise the rules.

At least they are not publishing different editions simultaneously like Basic and Advanced D&D did, and the number of players playing any of the older versions pales in comparison to the 5e players, so at least right now they did not lose a lot of players that way.

1D&D might change that, hence the focus on it being compatible rather than the clean breaks we had in the past

 

[HammerMan]

Ship of Theseus - Wikipedia Is D&D, a Ship of Thesus?

At some point we have to admit that if they upgrade with each board replaced to be an iron aircraft carrier that by the end it is no longer the same.

 

[Corinnguard]

At some point we have to admit that if they upgrade with each board replaced to be an iron aircraft carrier that by the end it is no longer the same.

Agreed. Every edition comes with new rules that weren't in a previous edition. Every edition also contains a number of fixes for errors that were found in a previous edition and initially posted as errata. Only the brand name doesn't change.

 

[HammerMan]

I would bet you any money that you are wrong. They've already said, repeatedly, that going forward the official books will just be called Dungeons and Dragons, or D&D.

That would make it worse. You need to have a way to explain what book goes with what book. As you can see if you visit my post asking about warlock cantrips we already have people saying the spells in the playtest can’t be used on the list of spells for the class they are labeled for.

 

[delericho]

Ship of Theseus - Wikipedia Is D&D, a Ship of Thesus?

I've tended to think of 4e as the Edition of Theseus - each round of errata being a board here and there being replaced, with no single obvious break point, and yet comparing the rules at the very start of the edition with those at the very end...

By contrast, and despite WotC's statements to the contrary, I'm inclined to think 3.5e should have been considered a new edition, and the 2024 books (from what I've seen so far) likewise. Of course, my view of the 2024 books may well change once I have them in my hand - nothing is final until then.

 

[HammerMan]

Remember, lots of Microsoft folks there now, and Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Xbox One X, then Xbox Series X/S. I actually went with Xbox this gen last year, and, though I’m a gamer, I still had to triple check to verify that I was getting the most recent gen.

I don’t do console gaming anymore but when I buy things for friends and family I need a flow chart

 

[HammerMan]

Do I believe 5e and 2024/One/6 will be compatible? Doesn’t matter, because everyone else in her high school next year will be on the latest and think the older stuff is no good. Learning “old 5e“ at this point seems a complete waste of time.

Someone when this started called it as “no matter what they call it we need a way to say what books we use at cons and on boards”. I didn’t think about HS (I graduated during 2e) but yeah. In the lunch room when the new kid comes in he or she will have to explain what type of d&d they play and use if they want to pitch a campaign.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

That would make it worse. You need to have a way to explain what book goes with what book. As you can see if you visit my post asking about warlock cantrips we already have people saying the spells in the playtest can’t be used on the list of spells for the class they are labeled for.

Yeah. Totally confusing. D&D used to be identified by the colour of the box it came with.

White box.
Red box.

Why is it too difficult to just call it 2024 version. Or identify it by the cover again?

And regarding the catrips you get with your pact... a bit confusing, but it is a playtest. Call them pact cantrips or make most of them class features and its good. Not set in stone.
Trying to use a 2014 class and play dumb, sorry confused to exploit something is not a new trick.

 

[HammerMan]

Why is it too difficult to just call it 2024 version. Or identify it by the cover again?

I mean it MIGHT be super easy to telll by cover but that is a guess either way until we get art previews

And regarding the catrips you get with your pact... a bit confusing, but it is a playtest. Call them pact cantrips or make most of them class features and its good.

Yup I called both options out in my survey.

Not set in stone.
Trying to use a 2014 class and play dumb, sorry confused to exploit something is not a new trick.

It wasn’t asked to “play dumb” it was asked cause we didn’t have a good answer so wanted to leave it up to the DM but the dm looked like a dear in head lights and said he had no idea

Here is post.
Thread 'Warlock cantrips'
https://www.enworld.org/threads/warlock-cantrips.697489/

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

Someone when this started called it as “no matter what they call it we need a way to say what books we use at cons and on boards”. I didn’t think about HS (I graduated during 2e) but yeah. In the lunch room when the new kid comes in he or she will have to explain what type of d&d they play and use if they want to pitch a campaign.

The 2024 books will have the Dungeons & Dragons logo and be named what they are always named. According to a recent interview, when for sale online, Wizards will be using the (parenthetical year) to differentiate them. So it would be the "Players Handbook (2024)" as opposed to the "Players Handbook (2014)."

That will work just fine.

If a retailer does not follow that rule, and sells 2014 books as 2024 books, they will piss off their customers. I think that will be rare.