D&D (2024) 6E When?

[LuisCarlos17f]

In 2024? Then it will not 6th Ed. but "50 Anniversary Ed" and that is different. In the coming soon years a lot of things can happen, for example a D&D blockbuster movie or a smash-hit cartoon serie in the streaming platforms.

Maybe they create a Real-Time-Strategy videogame (set in Birthright?) what becomes a popular e-sport.

Or Onyx Path/White Wolf could publish a open-licence d20 system with a different list of abilities scores to be an universal omni-genre system and becomes in the second most used.

Or Hasbro buys a videogame studio....

 

[Zardnaar]

Hasbro won't buy a game studio that matters. Game development is really expensive now.

 

[Hussar]

I don't think its plateaued.

WoTC has used the 27 million figure themselves in the Golden Age they had two D&D's going gangbusters, red box and 1E.

So, if it hasn't plateaued yet, then it's still growing and we're not going to see any movement towards developing a 6e. Why would they? New editions are fantastically expensive and there is no guarantee that a new edition will be successful.

And, even at plateau levels, they still won't be looking too hard into development because, well, even if you're not making more money year on year, so long as you're still making a decent profit, there's no real incentive to spend millions in development.

So, figure the next three or four years as continued growth. Granted, I have no reason to pick that number, so, that's just a complete guess. We plateau for four years after that and then profits start sliding. Two or three years of development after that, and we're looking at somewhere around 2030 before 6e hits the shelves.

Unless there is a real shakeup of the market, it seems that this is a plausible scenario.

 

[dave2008]

Hasbro won't buy a game studio that matters. Game development is really expensive now.

Not saying they will, but Hasbro has a net worth over 4x Bethesda's. That seems like something you could buy/merge with.

 

[3catcircus]

I believe Mearls has said that they'll do a 6th edition when the flaws in 5E have become annoying and obvious enough to the player base to make one necessary (or something to that effect).

So, now...

5e suffers from the same basic flaws as 4e and 3e in how it treats the core damage and healing mechanics and in how it treats advancement of hit points, attack bonus, hit points, etc.

Stop the arms races involving armor class, attack bonus and hit points and 5e can remain evergreen. I would release a hardback 5e UA with alternative core mechanics such as using a dice pool for skills, attacks, saves, etc. and additional bolt-on optional mechanics to ratchet up the deadliness of combat. PF 2e has sort of captured some of this in the way they handle proficiency bonuses.

It doesn't help their cause that the only things they've released with any consistency are giant, expensive hardback adventures. What they ought to be doing is developing 32-page adventures that are generic, setting-wise, but with a sidebar identifying where to locate in Greyhawk, FR, and Mystara. Do one every 4-6 months.

 

[FrogReaver]

It's 5 years old.

Just remember 1983 adjusted for inflation D&D was bigger than the the entire RPG market of 2018 and went out of print 7 years later.

People get bored, move on, bubble pops, recession, new CEO etc.

Not in playetbase. Maybe sells of all books

 

[MoonSong]

5e suffers from the same basic flaws as 4e and 3e in how it treats the core damage and healing mechanics and in how it treats advancement of hit points, attack bonus, hit points, etc.

I kind of agree. The scaling of everything, specially hit points, is too much.

I would release a hardback 5e UA with alternative core mechanics such as using a dice pool for skills, attacks, saves, etc.

On the other hand, nop. Dice pool games aren't up my alley. IMO thee solution to too much math isn't even more math.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

If Hasbro has bought Entertainment One then (buying) a videogame studio, maybe a little one, is possible. The don't need to produce AAA videogame, but to start with something for mobiles. I bet the videogame adaptations are the best way to playtesting lots of new ideas.

They also need a basic board game for +7y players, something like the old "Hero Quest" but with other name, for example "Endless Quest".

 

[3catcircus]

I kind of agree. The scaling of everything, specially hit points, is too much.

On the other hand, nop. Dice pool games aren't up my alley. IMO thee solution to too much math isn't even more math.

The dice pool mechanic I'd advocate is roll a number of d20s based upon your skill ranks (and combat would be skill-based too). Roll under compared to your target number (skill value with conditional modifiers). The amount you succeed is a margin of success (and vice versa for failure). Additional successes add to your margin of success.

Armor would be solely damage reduction rather than the insipid "makes you harder to hit" in D&D.

Hit points would be used as injury thresholds, so you don't remain 100% effective down to 0 hp (with the added benefit of the player naturally knowing when it is time to run away rather than stubbornly staying until you have a TPK).

I like this type of mechanic because everything can be precalculated on your character sheet.

 

[Tony Vargas]

You don’t think 5e is an above average edition?

In what sense?
As an intentional "compromise edition," it's aggressively average by design.
In terms of annual sales, it's second only to the fad years.