D&D 5E (2014) D&D Next Release Date Set -- Summer 2014

[exile]

I suspect that it will release before GenCon, probably May or June. I think we will see some games with pre-gen characters at Origins. GenCon will then see the kickoff of a new "Living" campaign.

Chad

 

[GX.Sigma]

This worries me. According to Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle, that book took 4 months between being sent to the printers and being on sale--and that was just a limited Gen Con release. It must take more time for a huge international release, but let's just say 4 months.

GenCon is in August. That means that everything has to be finished by April. That's 4 months between now and the deadline. The playtest (as of 2 months ago) still had big problems, and as shown by today's D&D Q&A, they haven't really figured out how modularity is going to work. How are they going to pull it out within 4 months?

 

[Jan van Leyden]

Anyone else notice the e-mails given on the announcement page (...@360pr.com)? First time I notice WotC using an external PR company.

So we're better be prepared to a tsunami of marketing-speech.

 

[Sadras]

This worries me.

(snip)

The playtest (as of 2 months ago) still had big problems, and as shown by today's D&D Q&A, they haven't really figured out how modularity is going to work. How are they going to pull it out within 4 months?

I have the same worries. I would have liked to have seen an example of a complex module add-on and at least one example of a monster stat block with the flowery detail before the big release. The artwork is also pretty important to get right.

One has to wonder if they planned to make another edition when they came out with 4th for their 40th Anniversary? What was going to be their 40th Anniversary big showcase if 4E continued and it wasn't a new edition? I mean they already came out with Essentials and they new the 40th Anniversary was around the corner. Are they planning a new/revised edition release for the 45th Anniversary or at least wait 10 years for their 50th Anniversary? The latter would seem more fair. What's their long term plan?

 

[RevTurkey]

Well...I know what I want for my birthday next year now

As to the short timeframe between now and printing?

Well, I always thought the fact that the play test rules that the public got were a month or two behind the internal rules being discussed or tested pointed to a little bit of marketing tomfoolery.
I suspect they should be much further along than they have let on. I hope so anyway!

I hope they release a quality product. I hope they use good bindings, paper and printing methods.

I hope the art is of a more realistic than anime cartoon style but full of action rather than posed.

I hope they release the game as either three standard Phb, dmg, mm books or a boxed set.

I hope the Forgotten Realms new edition releases alongside. I hope it is a box with maps.

I hope this game gives me years and years of fun without having to buy new versions again and again just to feel like I am up to date.

 

[Scorpio616]

How are they going to pull it out within 4 months?

I don't think they will be able too. I think they'll either rush the product or they'll be taking pre-orders at gen con.

 

[delericho]

I suspect that it will release before GenCon, probably May or June.

That would be my guess. That way, they can get the hype of many thousands of people playing the new version, and they can hit us with the announcement of the Next Big Thing (DDI 5e? FR?).

 

[Blackbrrd]

My hope for "multiple platforms"

Looking at the "multiple platforms", I really hope they mean that they have a release that's easily read and referenced on a smartphone, tablet, windows, linux and osx PC in addition to the print version. If they did the digital releases like an application instead of just pdf's, they could even get the errata where people actually use it. A html5 app would be my second choice, as it's slower and I can't use it offline. It's typically when I am offline I would like to just browse something like a DnD rulebook.

 

[GMMichael]

Summer, eh? This gives me plenty of time to completely undermine WotC with viral homebrew releases...mwa ha ha ha ha!

 

[Sadras]

Summer, eh? This gives me plenty of time to completely undermine WotC with viral homebrew releases...mwa ha ha ha ha!

Cute.