D&D General The Double-Edged Sword: Is The New D&D Edition a Cash Grab in Disguise?

[Parmandur]

I mean, itsa product released for sale. Buy it or don't buy it, I hardly think a decade is rush to quickly capitalize on customers, and sales aren't even slumped for the 2014 books, so tge reasons for release are not rushing anything, nor desperation.

 

[Stormonu]

It’s a cash grab whe you weren’t asking for things to be changed.

“It’s about damned time*,” when you were.

* StarCraft 2 reference

 

[Quickleaf]

Remember, when grabbing a sword, whether double-edged or single-edged, grab the handle.

Unless you’re using mordhau! In which class hit both the click and the bait!

 

[UngeheuerLich]

No. It isn’t.

On to next question.

I actually think, that they succeeded on some will saves to not update the core once or twice between 2014 and now.

When I look at my math books (as a teacher), they were updated twice in the meantime. Even though the math is still the same, some chapters were reorganized and better structured. Some exercises were exchanged.

And only I as a teacher had to buy new books. The students just bought the newest version.

I think this is exactly how 5tg edition will do from now on. Every 5 to 10 years we get a bew edition of the books, while the core stays the same.

Is it a cash grab. As with school books: in parts it is. But if they don't, other publishers will have more modern books and their old books will just be replaced with them.
At some point, you need to upgrade.

By all means. Who still has the same furniture in all rooms they had 10 years ago. If your couch shows signs of wear, do you replace it with the exact same couch or do you buy something more up to date?

 

[Mercurius]

The release of a new Dungeons & Dragons edition is always a big deal. But what about the impact on players and the TTRPG market as a whole? I explored the network effects, potential for disruption, and the content creation boom that comes with a new edition in my latest blog post.

The Double-Edged Sword: Is The New D&D Edition a Cash Grab in Disguise?

I'm not sure of your age and thus what edition rollouts you're cognizant of, but new editions have been part of D&D's history for 47 years, going back to the released of AD&D in 1977. It is part of the nature of the game - that it is a living thing, not static. Part of this is due to the complex nature of the game, but also the fact that both players and designers (who are also players) like to tinker and try to improve the game.

Is it a "cash grab?" Of course, but I would say "also/both," that is in addition to just being a new iteration of the game that incorporates 10 years of playing, and thus ways to (in theory) improve the play experience. Meaning, it is a way for WotC to make a lot of money because they make a lot more on core rulebooks than supplements, but it is also a way to improve the game--or at least, change (to whatever degree) it, hopefully for the better.

Or to put it another way, here are the years that we've seen new editions/revisions:

AD&D/D&D: 1974, 1977, 1989, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2024
B/X/BECMI: 1974, 1981, 1983, 1991, 2000, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2024

Some of those editions/revisions didn't absolutely necessitate buying the core rulebooks (e.g. 1995) but most were significant enough that most did, and most did so happily. But as you can see, at 10 years it is the longest span in D&D's history.

You're getting a lot of pushback mostly because the term "cash grab" is intrinsically pejorative in implication, as if they're only doing it to make money and exploit people. But this ignores the nature of D&D as a changing game, and the fact that most players are actually excited and happy about shiny new books. And most--or at least many--enjoying learning the new works of the new edition. In other words, you're ignoring the important part: That new versions of D&D are, for most, a feature and not a flaw of the game's tradition.

Is 2024 a new edition or a revision? To be honest, I haven't followed its development closely enough to have a strong opinion, but my sense is that--based upon what I've read--it is much closer to a revision than an edition. Perhaps something more than, say, the 1995 revised AD&D 2E which primarily just re-formatted the rulebooks with some some optional bells and whistles, but less than 3.5E which was a moderate overhaul of at least some portions of the rules, even if it was still basically the same edition (thus aptly called "3.5" and not "4E"). If 1995 was "2.1" and 2003 was "3.5," then 2024 seems like "5.2" or "5.3."

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

The release of a new Dungeons & Dragons edition is always a big deal. But what about the impact on players and the TTRPG market as a whole? I explored the network effects, potential for disruption, and the content creation boom that comes with a new edition in my latest blog post.

The Double-Edged Sword: Is The New D&D Edition a Cash Grab in Disguise?

regarding the title (sorry not clicking over to your blog): no, it is not simply a cash grab. I can go into detail if you want.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

If your couch shows signs of wear, do you replace it with the exact same couch or do you buy something more up to date?

I sigh and wish I could make the cats pay for the new one.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

IDK, the playtest would say otherwise. There are LOTS of changes.

Really? How much did you actually use the playtest materials? Like @Clint_L we have been using playtest classes (even the older more radical ones) and rules alongside 2014 PHB classes and monsters (and frankly our entire game) and they work great. The changes, IME, are greatly overblown. So much so that they threw out some good ideas from earlier in the playtest.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

We can all pretend it's not a new addition, but all classes, races and backgrounds are different. All 12 classes, from Barbarian to Wizard, are undergoing revisions.

However, you don't have to use them if you don't want too. Chris even stated in a recent interview that you can continue using any or all of your 2014 PHB classes with a 2024 game. The revisions are that minor. Heck in the playest we ran playtest PCs in the same games with PHB versions of the same class. It worked with really no effort. I get the feeling you really haven't spent much time exploring this issue deeply.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

But at whose expense? Are they exploiting the community?

No