D&D General Are you aware that the New Edition (5.5 whatever) is a part of the 50th Anniversary of D&D?

[CleverNickName]

Heh heh... how long ago was my post you quoted from? I presume I was making a joke saying that 6E was going to come in 5 years from whenever it was I posted it, but couldn't tell you when that was if my life depended on it, LOL.

According to the EN World search bar, you wrote that in January of 2012.

I didn't mean to single you guys out--I searched for the terms "6E" and "five years" (or "5 years"), and it returned several pages of results. I just grabbed a few from the first page.

 

[Oofta]

It was a marketing angle in 2014 when Hasbro execs wanted to shelve the whole thing and the design team had to promise they could get their old player base back from Pathfinder. Their 4e strategy and failed and they needed to draw in all the old players.

Today it's at least a little weird to do that. Gen X is not some deep market. We're not the people watching actual plays as far as I'm aware. We're a small generation compared to millenials. Our kids are mostly still in college (and many of the older ones are still living at home). We're middle age adults so we don't have a particularly large amount of disposable income that we're willing to spend on games. The 35 and younger crowd was 75% of the market last time I recall they published those numbers.

So why are they targeting 45 and up? The D&D cartoon doesn't even hold up! It's a bad 80s commercialized cartoon.

Why not? What are they going to do, show some random NPCs that no one's ever heard of? How would that be better? If you recognize Venger it might get you interested and talking, which could inspire others like the Gen Xer's kids. If you don't, the picture still holds up. Meanwhile there's conversation and buzz about who the heck these characters are, it's kind of an Easter egg nod to the past.

I just don't see a lot to lose here and it makes sense that a 50th anniversary edition would bring back some history here and there.

 

[DarkCrisis]

It was a marketing angle in 2014 when Hasbro execs wanted to shelve the whole thing and the design team had to promise they could get their old player base back from Pathfinder. Their 4e strategy and failed and they needed to draw in all the old players.

Today it's at least a little weird to do that. Gen X is not some deep market. We're not the people watching actual plays as far as I'm aware. We're a small generation compared to millenials. Our kids are mostly still in college (and many of the older ones are still living at home). We're middle age adults so we don't have a particularly large amount of disposable income that we're willing to spend on games. The 35 and younger crowd was 75% of the market last time I recall they published those numbers.

So why are they targeting 45 and up? The D&D cartoon doesn't even hold up! It's a bad 80s commercialized cartoon.

It's not catering to GenX, its CELEBRATING THE ANNIVERSARY.

Well probably some catering. But seriously. its the 50th Anniversary, should they not celebrate their history?

 

[overgeeked]

I have so many questions, Microsoft Designer.

At least it nailed the most important part. All the guys have the same face.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I wasn't trying to be smug, I was trying to be reassuring! 6E isn't a thing. It's just a myth, nothing to worry about.

Don't mind me. Just making a bookmark and saving it to a folder I'm sure I'll never open again...

 

[TiQuinn]

Maybe they should put something like this on the covers? All the D&D named heroes ever made on the PHB, all the named villians on the DMG?

View attachment 365252

The interesting thing about that is WotC has been very on and off over the years about making their named NPCs (at least those not named Drizzt) a central point of their advertising.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Well probably some catering. But seriously. its the 50th Anniversary, should they not celebrate their history?

If the Monster Manual cover doesn't feature Profion controlling dragons with the Rod of Saville, we riot.

 

[Stormonu]

I have so many questions, Microsoft Designer.

I love the new Happy Days cast...

 

[MGibster]

It's part of the helmet. That's why his eyes glow. It's magic.

I'm looking forward to them adapting some old school modules for those old school D&D characters.

1. X2: Retirement Home Amber
2. C1: The Hidden 401(k) of Tamoachan
3. L2: The Millennial's Knot
4. B2: Time Share on the Borderlands
5. S3: Senior's Package Vacation to White Plume Mountain
6. S1: Colonoscopy of Horrors
7. T-1: The Temple of Elemental Evil (It's perfect as it is. No adaptation necessary.)

 

[Remathilis]

I'm pretty sure that while the cover shows the Cartoon/LJN figures, the interior art is gonna be LOADED with heroes and villains. Drizzt, Rastilin, etc.

I think it's pretty telling that D&D has existed for 50 years and never really developed bankable, recognizable characters to use and reuse in art and such. The closest they got was the 3e era Iconics which was used in all manner of art and marketing (even getting a chose your own adventure DVD movie). When you break it down, D&D has the following:

• The 1980's cartoon characters
• The LJN action figure characters
• The Heroes of the Lance (Dragonalance, very world specific)
• Drizzt and the Companions (FR, very world specific)
• Various other novel characters (Artus Cimber, Jandar Sunstar, Alias)
• The Baldur's Gate Trilogy NPCs
• The D&D Movie/HoT characters
• The other D&D movie characters (less said the better)
• The 3e Iconics
• NPCs from various settings (Mordenkainen, Allustriel, Van Richten)
• Villains from various settings (Strahd, Soth, Acerack)
• Planar Villains (Tiamat, Demogorgon, Vecna)