D&D 4E 4E/5E Transition issues

[delericho]

*Ahem*

Sorry, but I couldn't resist it.

No, no. That's fair enough.

Just didn't want to pre-judge the announcement; I've been on the other side of that one.

My concern is that, with 4E being very reliant on the online builder, compendium, etc, groups will find it very difficult - if not impossible - to continue with their 4E campaigns if/when WotC suddenly ceases to support them. Players may no longer have access to the characters, or be able to level them up effectively.

My belief is that WotC will leave the 4e tools up on the website for some time - at the very least until the formal release of 5e (which looks to be 18 months away), and probably for some time afterwards. They'll do this as a gesture towards their 'unity' agenda - they will point to it as "not forcing you to switch".

After some time, probably once they reckon 90% of people have switched, they'll announce that the 4e tools are going away for good. If they're really sincere, they may even do a final downloadable wrapper for the online-only tools, so you can be set forevermore. But, in all honesty, I wouldn't expect that to happen - it's probably a bit too much to wish for.

 

[Dice4Hire]

I really do not think people need to worry about losing 4E DDI for the forseeable future. Why would WOTc give yup that revenue stream, especially if they will be releasing few books that would need to be added?

But yes, someday it will disappear. It is only a matter of how many years it will be. I do hope WOTC keeps it up for at least 5E's lifetime, though.

 

[the Jester]

I think we're more likely to see things like the CB expanded to include 5e capabilities than abandoned.

 

[keterys]

WotC has stated they will continue support of the online tools, for reference. (WotC Trevor in a similar thread on the WotC forums)

 

[Quickleaf]

WotC has stated they will continue support of the online tools, for reference. (WotC Trevor in a similar thread on the WotC forums)

Yeah WotC Trevor seems to be pretty reliable and very open with the community.

However. I read thru the DDi terms of use (as of March 15, 2010) and found these salient points:

Unless stated otherwise, Wizards may change the TOU at any time and the changes will become effective upon posting the revised TOU (the "Effective Date"). You are responsible for checking the TOU regularly for changes and your continued use of the Sites and/or Services after the Effective Date indicates your acceptance of any changes to the TOU.

You understand and agree that, for online features, servers are hosted by Wizards (or authorized third parties or designees) at its discretion and may be terminated or otherwise discontinued by Wizards (or authorized third parties or designees) in their sole discretion and that such discontinuation may disable online functionality.

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page (Terms of Use)

That's pretty explicit that anyone who has signed up for DDi has also legally agreed to WotC taking down any or all online services at their leisure.

So really there is no grounds for complaint.

 

[fuzzlewump]

[MENTION=20323]Quickleaf[/MENTION]

That just seems like 'legal boilerplate' to me. I'm not sure if that's the term, but basically liability protection they don't really plan on doing.

I can definitely see them leaving both up, and maybe even offering a really light starter online to 4e subscribers, like 3 levels with basic classes and races of 5e, just to be able to see what it is.

 

[Quickleaf]

[MENTION=63214]fuzzlewump[/MENTION] Sure, internet subscription services often state in their TOU or End User agreements that their service is subject to cancelation at any time. Just because it has been adopted as standard language doesn't mean "boilerplate" clauses aren't used. On th contrary. When things go wrong, the "boilerplate" stuff that wasn't paid attention to up front (the generic language crafted to benefit the provider) can become just as important as the main clauses.

This happens frequently cases involving severability, assignment, and successor provisions. "Don't underestimate the boilerplate" remains sound advice.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

From the Escapist (The Escapist : Speak Your Mind in the Next Version of Dungeons & Dragons) and summmarized in ENWorld's D&D 5E Info page notes:

The announcement of a new D&D doesn't mean that 4th edition is now a lame duck. Wizards recognizes that the game still has a very loyal following, and pledges to continue supporting 4th edition during the testing cycle of the new edition and beyond. "We plan to continue offering people access to tools like the D&D Character Builder and the D&D Monster Builder to support 4th edition," Mearls said. "We're also exploring ideas for conversion tools so that some of the 4th edition characters and content will be playable with the next edition."