D&D (2024) D&D species article

[Parmandur]

I expect them working on it by 2030, I don’t think they can last another 10 years on the 5e base, but given the second half of your statement you expect them to continue on it into the 2040s… but then I also hope they will make more drastic changes than they allowed themselves to this time

I expect the base rules now are a set Wvergreen standard that WotC cannot afford to change radically. So yeah, I expect it to last past the 40s.

 

[mamba]

I expect the base rules now are a set Wvergreen standard that WotC cannot afford to change radically. So yeah, I expect it to last past the 40s.

They will keep a 5e base as long as it keeps selling, just like with any edition before it, I am just not sure that progressively smaller changes can keep that interest going.

I feel the current changes already erred on the side of being too little. I don’t think they can afford to do even less the next time around, so I am expecting some more drastic changes then, albeit still no fully new version, just a more aggressive attitude towards change

 

[Parmandur]

They will keep a 5e base as long as it keeps selling, just like with any edition before it, I am just not sure that progressively smaller changes can keep that interest going.

I feel the current changes already erred on the side of being too little. I don’t think they can afford to do even less the next time around, so I am expecting some more drastic changes then, albeit still no fully new version, just a more aggressive attitude towards change

I think iewing changes as a selling point when the primary target audience is new players was a fundamental mistake that sank D&D in the past.

An evergreen standard is the way to go, should have been done that way all along.

 

[mamba]

I think iewing changes as a selling point when the primary target audience is new players was a fundamental mistake that sank D&D in the past.

if they can maintain sales then yes, they did not manage to do that with any prior edition however. That is why they released new editions to rekindle interest / sales.

I am not sure they can keep going at the current level or better for the next 10+ years. If they manage then yes, it will be another round of small changes, if not however…

 

[Corinnguard]

Mechanics that increase racial diversity increase complexity.

Hopefully in a good way.

 

[Zuranthium]

D20 for attacks and D10 for skills has a cumulative effect on complexity.

2 dice is double the dice of 1. 3 is triple 1.

That does not increase the complexity of the ENTIRE game. Having D10 for skills and D20 for attacks is incredibly easy to understand and it's beyond ridiculous that you're acting like it's some kind of thing that would push players away because of being difficult to understand.

You can't cry about Halflings being almost as strong as Orc but not create mechanics the make the difference drastic.

I did create the mechanics, and they are simple. You just continue to ignore it so you can live in your fallacies.

 

[Parmandur]

if they can maintain sales then yes, they did not manage to do that with any prior edition however. That is why they released new editions to rekindle interest / sales.

I am not sure they can keep going at the current level or better for the next 10+ years. If they manage then yes, it will be another round of small changes, if not however…

I think they can: people turn 12 every day. A consistent base also means that people can play together across those natural generations.

Making money by digital minis and terrain are providing to be helpful for keeping the rules evergreen.

 

[Chaosmancer]

The 2024 Fighter doesn't have Action Surge, if I remember correctly. So, it would be just as you said. Bummer.

You are incorrect. The 2024 fighter still has Action Surge. It at no point ever lost action surge, so I have no idea why you would even think that.

 

[Chaosmancer]

I expect them working on it by 2030, I don’t think they can last another 10 years on the 5e base, but given the second half of your statement you expect them to continue on it into the 2040s… but then I also hope they will make more drastic changes than they allowed themselves to this time

In all brutal honesty (and using this just as a jumping off point), I don't see it as unlikely that they were correct in their evergreen assessment. 5e, for all that everyone has their own problems with it, works as a fundamental game system. With the massive explosion of Actual Play and the cultural momentum that DnD has gained there is a very real chance to consider DnD as equivalent to a degree to Pokemon. The fundamentals no longer need to change.

If you stop and look at it from a company perspective, 1st edition was unique, 2nd edition was an attempt to improve it... then TSR died. WoTC came in and created 3rd edition, bringing in a lot of changes but for them it was their first version of the game. But it never achieved massive popularity, so they tried 4e and things were misstepped. So they went with 5e.

And it is the biggest version of DnD ever printed, spawning more media and more interest than it ever has before.

To even consider a true rules overhaul and completely new systems, DnD would have to fade back into obscurity and other TTRPGs would have to be more successful than it. I personally think that speculation on "what does the next version of DnD look like" is misplaced, because THIS version is likely to be doing quite well and they are going to keep with it.

 

[Chaosmancer]

I think they can: people turn 12 every day. A consistent base also means that people can play together across those natural generations.

Making money by digital minis and terrain are providing to be helpful for keeping the rules evergreen.

I think Actual Plays are also a huge part of this.

Nothing inspires people to play more than hearing about other people's games. We, as a community, thrive on the "One time...." stories. And with this edition, there are hundreds of options to pursue. From the huge endeavors to the simple tables, there is so much content, so many stories already in place.

And with a consistent rule set, you create a consistent language. You know the joke of someone watching Soccer and when the ball goes in the net, they say "Touchdown"? The joke works because, for the vast majority of people it is told to, they know what a touchdown is. I can tell you the difference between a field goal and a 2-point conversion.

DnD has its own language, always has, but NOW it has a superior way to spread that language, and a group playing DnD now can likely still play it in 5 years, and their audience is going to be able to quickly follow what is going on, even as they use the new rules and keep things slightly fresh. And if someone gets deep into a group, and decides to binge their old material... it still makes sense to them.