5e? No Fragin Way!

[Scribble]

To the OP: Can you prove that 5th edition isn't around the corner?

I hate to break it to you but 4th edition in total hasn't lived up to what the designers thought it would. They set out to bring in hoards of new players along with the old and I'm afraid it backfired on them. No amount of tweaking and changing the current rules is going to bring back the masses.

Well I think the only ones who can prove anything one way o another are the WoTC folks... and they're sure as heck not going to say.

We can look at what's been happening for some ideas though.

They've said in the past they'd like to see the "core" 4e rules as being used similar to the MTG core rules. A small subset that can be expanded on and modified by future expansions without being totally rebuilt each time.

We're seeing this in action with things like Essentials and Gamma World.

Mr Mearls's posts lend more evidence to this idea. IE new entries into the game that change how you get to the table, but don't invalidate one another.

I think we're also seeing that WoTC learned that D&D like it or not is a lot of things to a lot of people, and if they don't market to those people it's seen essentially as WoTC saying that their view of what D&D is is invalid.

Editions seem to promote this. RThey cause strife, and a break in the "community."

If they can mold the urrent game the way they've been doing with Essentials and Gamma World et al, they can start opening the game up to account for a lot of different play styles.

 

[MortonStromgal]

double post

 

[MortonStromgal]

4 : WotC / Hasbro can D&D!

Result : Nuff said, I doubt this will ever happen but in this economy you never know!
​

I would change can to license, Tops is already doing this with Shadowrun and its a good business model for IP that is not part of your core business.

 

[drothgery]

I actually don't think WotC would be wise to go with 5e now. I think they should find some way to get at least two more years out of 4e. But my gut feeling is that WotC aren't going that way. And while I don't think this is the optimal time to release 5e, I don't agree that WotC would be 'stupid' to do it - if they go that way it will be because they've done an analysis and concluded that a new edition makes better sense than sticking with the old.

FWIW, while I wouldn't be too surprised if 5e was announced this year (for release next year), my expectation is that this year they're mostly doing high-level design and internal play testing for 5e and releasing minimal 4e product, and 5e will be announced next year for a 2013 launch. I'd be very, very surprised if we got to 2014 without seeing 5e unless WotC decided to mostly put D&D into 'maintenance mode' (leaving D&Di up with no new content at a reduced subscription cost).

 

[Herschel]

What are the WotC staff doing???

Don't forget writing books with tie-ins to WotC IP.

 

[ForeverSlayer]

FWIW, while I wouldn't be too surprised if 5e was announced this year (for release next year), my expectation is that this year they're mostly doing high-level design and internal play testing for 5e and releasing minimal 4e product, and 5e will be announced next year for a 2013 launch. I'd be very, very surprised if we got to 2014 without seeing 5e unless WotC decided to mostly put D&D into 'maintenance mode' (leaving D&Di up with no new content at a reduced subscription cost).

I agree! I think 5th edition is just around the corner and it will be a god send when it gets here. I hope that they actually make each tier feel different than just a long and boring continuation. I think sales are dropping more and more and with the success of Pathfinder Wizards needs to do something quick.

 

[Umbran]

Folks,

Disucssions of business decisions belong in the Industry forum.

I closed one other thread on this subject today, because it degenerated into rehashing of old pain. I closed another as basically a clone of the first.

This thread predates both of those, and it isn't as problematic... yet.

Anyone who makes this problematic enough that it needs to be closed can expect a vacation from the site for a bit. New business decision discussion are not to degenerate into edition warring. I hope that's clear.

 

[twilsemail]

[MENTION=177]Umbran[/MENTION]

Any chance we can have these 5e threads moved into General? They've about as much to do with 4e as a 3.5 discussion or a C&C discussion. It seems like their place in the 4e discussion forum is flame-bait (intentional or not).

I'm sure that intelligent discussion on the matter is possible, but that seems more likely in General. Skin is thin 'round these parts.

 

[Umbran]

Any chance we can have these 5e threads moved into General?

You're right that they don't belong in the 4e forum. But they don't belong in General, either. This is a discussion not of games, per se, but of the industry and business practices, and those go in the Industry forum, where I've already moved this thread.

 

[twilsemail]

Humblest apologies. I missed the move. I'll stop distracting from the conversation.