D&D 5E 5E: Ten Years Later

[jgsugden]

I would never bother to plan more than 3 years in advance. The odds are that we'd get pressure to change our plans by Hasbro or we'd be laid off before we got much further than that...

 

[Zardnaar]

Their record was 5 or 8 years.
The rapid turnover of editions in the last decade and a half has NOT been healthy for D&D or the hobby as a whole. The 3.0 to 3.5 transition stucky hobby stores with product they could not give away, the 3e to 4e transition splintered the audience and gave rise to potent competition, and the 4e to 5e transition gave rise to a wealth of smaller games and direct competition.
Changes are hard on the dwindling number of game stores and hard on the already small audience, and they make it awkward to get into the game by increasing the likelyhood of getting into the hobby immediately before an edition change.
And has it made D&D healthier and more successful? No. The D&D team at WotC has shrunk every year, whether by layoffs or not replacing outgoing employees.

Rapid edition changes have not worked in D&D's favour. Continuing short editions would be a mistake.

Preaching to the converted I just doubt they could do a 10 year edition.

 

[Elderbrain]

If I were in charge, the releases would include (but not necessarily be limited to) hardback books for the following settings: Greyhawk, Planescape, Spelljammer, a second Monster Manual, and stats for the iconic ruling Devils, Demon lords and Yugoloths (either in the second MM or in a book of their own). This is my personal preference, but I'd be sure to release other popular campaign settings (i.e. Forgotten Realms and Ebberon, etc.) to keep everyone happy, not just me! Really, I'd like to give every single campaign setting a hardcover book, but if I had to prioritize, the listed ones would be on the top of the "to-do" list...

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

What I think we'll get:

- A big campaign book every year.
- A revised 5.5e edition in 2017.
- A new 6e edition in 2020.

I don't expect to see any splat book or setting book.

 

[Paraxis]

What I think we'll get:

- A big campaign book every year.
- A revised 5.5e edition in 2017.
- A new 6e edition in 2020.

I don't expect to see any splat book or setting book.

-I think there will be atleast one big campaign book a year, along with very limited amount of splat books.
-The revised thing I would hope they learn from 3.5 and 4e essentials and realize that doesn't go over with the fan base well and stay away from it, but they seem incapable from learning from past mistakes so who knows.
-6E in 2020, that is exactly when I ballpark it, might not be on the shelves but it will be in the works and ENworld will give it glorious day by day news coverage and I will be visiting the front news page multiple times a day.

Not that I want a 6E that soon, I am just a realist.

 

[aramis erak]

Let's see... 10 years on?
Several setting hardcovers 5-10.
20 adventure paths.
3 beginner box adventure kits.
20 hardcovers with all the expeditions and epics adventures for a given season.

 

[SirAntoine]

People will be playing 7th or 8th Edition and refer to 5th Edition as when D&D "returned to its roots and reunited the fanbase".

 

[Valetudo]

Im hoping to see a 5.5 or 6th edition that one of the major changes is a starting feat for everyone. Im starting to houserule that now and early levels are going alot better.

 

[Quartz]

Im hoping to see a 5.5 or 6th edition that one of the major changes is a starting feat for everyone. Im starting to houserule that now and early levels are going alot better.

Try dropping all the stat bumps completely. Non-humans get one feat plus racial abilities and humans get two feats.

 

[wedgeski]

Preaching to the converted I just doubt they could do a 10 year edition.

A smaller team could work in their favour here...large teams are sustained by a high volume of releases which quickly saturates the edition and fatigues the player-base. Maybe the plan is, keep it lean, keep 'em keen?

That would certainly be my preference for the next decade of D&D. Just tick-over the 5th Edition of D&D by giving us stuff to do, not stuff that just makes the game more complicated. Modules, campaigns, adventure sites. Maintain the organized play program and make it core to the role-playing brand. Keep the web-site vibrant and *constantly* updated with articles, ideas and inspiration. Improve the production values of the streamed sessions and put them on a regular schedule, with guest players and DM's we can get excited about.