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

[Chaosmancer]

It's misleading. They are taking changes every bit as significant as 3.5 and telling us that it's effectively no change.

20 full years of use. That's why. It's the common usage when talking about D&D editions. And half editions. Hell, I've even seen the skills and powers for 2e referred to as 2.5e many times over the years.

Here's a thought.

Twenty years ago, when they said 3.5 instead of revised third edition? That was when they were lying and being deceitful.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Okay, I think I get more of your frustration, but I would argue Crawford isn't being disengenious or playing a semantics game. He is telling you exactly what you want to know.

The books coming out in 2024 are new "editions" or new versions of the Core Rule Books from 2014. But they are not a new edition of the game of Dungeons and Dragons. I know you currently think that is a distinction without purpose, but to me that is very clear. The 2024 books will still work with Curse of Strahd, with Radiant Citadel, with Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. They even work with Tasha's, though to a lesser extent, because the Artificer isn't being republished yet, but they clearly expect people to keep using it.

Now, take a moment and think of other edition changes of the game itself. The big ones. I have copies of things like The Complete Divine from 3.5 and it is completely and totally unusable in 4e games or 5e games. I can't run the Red Hand of Doom in a 4e game, I might maybe be able to heavily modify it to run in a 5e game, but at best I'm just going to be taking the plot points and adjusting everything else. Same with some of the 4e material. You couldn't run Kingdom of the Ghouls from 4e or Prince of Undeath with MASSIVE edits, because those games expect you to be over level 20. The 4e Martial Power book is also just completely unusable in 3rd edition or 5e games, none of the rules work.

As they get closer to the release, are they going to be hyping the release? Yes, obviously. Just like the newest Samsung Galaxy S23 is getting hyped to phone users and the newest 2024 Ford Ranger is getting hyped to Ford Truck buyers. But that isn't disingenuous or lying to you, that's just selling a new product.

Do you need these revised rulebooks to keep playing DnD and published adventures? No, just like you never needed Xanathar's or Tasha's or Volo's. Do you need these revised rulebooks to have all the newest stuff that the community is going to start adopting as standard? Probably yes, just like with Xanathar's or Tasha's or Volo's.

What if you don't care about published adventures? Plenty of folks don't buy them.

 

[Chaosmancer]

You have no reason to accuse WotC of anything, because you and those on your side are generally getting what they want. People usually don't complain about a result that favors their preferences.

And just because you aren't getting what you want doesn't mean someone is lying to you. I've gone to McDonald's more than once asking for ice cream, and I never once started accusing the the drive-thru employee of lying to me and misleading to me when they say the machine is broken and they don't have ice cream.

 

[Chaosmancer]

What if you don't care about published adventures? Plenty of folks don't buy them.

Then what does it matter? You can still use the other books. Again, One DnD playtests clearly show they are planning to have people playing the artificer. Monster books Multiverse are still 100% compatible. I could go on, but if you don't care about the published adventures then... fine, it isn't like any of the OTHER books are losing the majority of their value.

And that seems to be the entire concern with the "is it a new edition" question that SteveC was getting at. Are their books being made invalid... and they aren't. This is merely a revision of the three core books. It does not need to affect the other books they have published.

If you don't CARE about the other books Wizard's has published... why would you care about these books?

 

[mamba]

What if you don't care about published adventures? Plenty of folks don't buy them.

then you have nothing to consider but whether you like the new classes and subclasses better than 5e, good enough to also allow them, or not enough to buy the book

Same goes for MM and DMG, independently

 

[Micah Sweet]

And just because you aren't getting what you want doesn't mean someone is lying to you. I've gone to McDonald's more than once asking for ice cream, and I never once started accusing the the drive-thru employee of lying to me and misleading to me when they say the machine is broken and they don't have ice cream.

Well to be fair the employee has no motivation to lie, but fair enough.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Then what does it matter? You can still use the other books. Again, One DnD playtests clearly show they are planning to have people playing the artificer. Monster books Multiverse are still 100% compatible. I could go on, but if you don't care about the published adventures then... fine, it isn't like any of the OTHER books are losing the majority of their value.

And that seems to be the entire concern with the "is it a new edition" question that SteveC was getting at. Are their books being made invalid... and they aren't. This is merely a revision of the three core books. It does not need to affect the other books they have published.

If you don't CARE about the other books Wizard's has published... why would you care about these books?

Because these books carry the flag and affect the publishing of 3pp I do like.

 

[SkidAce]

And just because you aren't getting what you want doesn't mean someone is lying to you. I've gone to McDonald's more than once asking for ice cream, and I never once started accusing the the drive-thru employee of lying to me and misleading to me when they say the machine is broken and they don't have ice cream.

/oddly enough tangent

Why Are McDonald's Ice Cream Machines Always Broken?

Off course you could spin the similarities into WoTC wanting a proprietary system ("One"DnD cough) and making money off of charging for incidental repairs....




In case you wonder...I'm kidding...

 

[Maxperson]

/oddly enough tangent

Why Are McDonald's Ice Cream Machines Always Broken?

Off course you could spin the similarities into WoTC wanting a proprietary system ("One"DnD cough) and making money off of charging for incidental repairs....




In case you wonder...I'm kidding...

It got so bad the government stepped in to find out why.

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www.inquisitornashville.com

 

[Azzy]

Revised 5e is not 5e. It's a change akin to 5.5e and really means the exact same thing.

The x.5e convention was a stupid one that's only been used once in D&D's publishing lifetime. 3.5e was a revised 3e. This will be a revised 5e.