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For what it’s worth, I almost think SF2E is meant for people like me, PF2E fans, as basically a new setting and splatbook for that system, rather than for existing SF1E fans. Clearly it’s more than that, but that’s why I’m excited for it.

(The current playtest for D&D is officially called “One D&D” and is controversially definitely-not-a-new-edition-but-kinda. That’s all you need to know to get the joke.)

Your work is appreciated! I mostly don’t follow what’s new and upcoming except for what I catch here, usually from you. Thanks for that!

I’m bummed about the price increases but I understand it. Rising costs are gonna be one of best pressures to decarbonize—print less and ship less.

I didn’t order either version, but got both off the shelf from a store that ordered the retail package. The POD one is fine, but like anything POD it looks like it was made on a printer then put into a fancy cover—colours aren’t as bright, the paper is physically lighter and not as glossy, and...

The Great Old Ones are forgetful sometimes, and they just kinda stopped attacking Earth for a while, maybe?

Doubtless! It would still be cool to get a hardback though. In 5E fashion, it would probably be Morte’s Manual of the Planes and be at least 50% new character options, but that’s okay. EDIT: It will probably also be a mashup of Planescape, Spelljammer, and other stuff including settings whose...

I don’t know how common it was to mashup Spelljammer and Planescape during the kitchen table games of the 1990s, but the settings were contemporary so I assume it was common enough. Since 4E (which published neither setting but borrowed from both) WotC’s strategy seems to be to integrate them...

Exactly. There’s enough happening in Sigil and the Outlands to be an entire setting, and the premise is that it connects to all those other planes described in other products. This is where 5E’s weakness shows, because unlike previous editions of D&D, 5E hasn’t actually published very much about...

Yeah “cranks” is a bit of a dated word now, but the vibe is exactly the same

I love these historical reports about our hobby. So quaint!

This isn’t totally clear in the article, but IIRC all of the Worldwide D&D Game Days during 4E coincided with product launches. I remember attending them for Player’s Handbook and Player’s Handbook 2, and I think for one of the Monster Manuals as well. So the dates weren’t completely random...

This isn’t a new edition per se, it’s just a revision to remove any dependencies on the OGL. It’s still fully compatible with PF2E. As for whether you’d like it, I didn’t like PF1 at all, but I love PF2E.

Level Up: Advanced 5E uses ORC (as well as OGL and CC).

Maybe. But it’s a matter of fact that the majority of people who play D&D are casual players who have only ever played D&D and likely can’t name any of D&D’s competitors. They literally don’t know any alternatives. So why so quick to discount the impact of marketing in explaining D&D’s market...

What’s holding the competition back is an extremely crowded marketplace dominated by a single brand. Differentiating their products is the only way to survive.

No doubt, I know they’ve got enviable market research capabilities and a clear strategy: they want to be the most popular game forever. But market research fails often enough that missteps are common even among the biggest companies. And if WotC rides on its brand too much, it could easily end...

Certainly. But there’s a real risk in that marketing strategy: if you aim too broadly, you risk losing your audience due to lack of specificity. I think D&D leans too hard upon brand recognition, which protects it for now but won’t last forever; someday it’s competitors will make real headway...

Yeah I suspect you’re right. I’ve done some of the playtest surveys and given detailed feedback, and I’ve been somewhat impressed with the thoroughness of their questions—but you’re right that maybe they still aren’t asking enough of the right questions. I already think WotC’s version of 5E is...

I’m disappointed by this playtest packet because of the Warlock and Wizard changes. (Haven’t read the other sections yet.) I loved the way the previous Warlock and Wizard changes went, but this playtest seems like it’s going backwards.