Do you want/are you ready for a D&D 5th edition?

[ComradeGnull]

I voted yes primarily because of curiosity over the direction that WoTC is going to take for D&D. I currently foresee that they could either make me interested in committing to the game again with a new version, or pretty much kill my interest in it altogether and leave me playing Pathfinder exclusively in the 'D&D-esque' space.

I will echo one of the previous posters comments- there is an underlying tension in how games are published when there are big companies behind them that need continuing (and growing) income streams. On the one hand, WoTC seems to have come up with a viable solution to that income stream problem by focusing on player options and building out more and more expansions. On the other hand, as an old guy whose interests in RPGs is no longer the same (in either volume or orientation) as it was when I was 12 or 13, I'm not sure that that is the sort of game that is for me anymore.

 

[delericho]

I voted for "Yes", but the real answer is "sort of".

IMO, it's really too soon for 5e. On the other hand, since 4e has failed to grab me, I would welcome a good 5e whenever it comes. "Good" is, of course, defined by my internal and entirely subjective opinions at the time!

When 5e is released, I will check it out. This is the first edition since I started that I won't buy sight-unseen - they'll need to convince me to buy. And "Legends & Lore" hasn't been filling me with confidence.

Plus, WotC get one chance to win me back as a customer. If I decide to pass on 5e, I'm done - in that case I won't even look at 6e.

 

[S'mon]

I buy new systems on my calendar, not necessarily on their release dates. So if a 5E was released, and it was sufficiently different from what I already have to make it a good addition to my collection, and the buzz was such that it appeared our group might play it--then I'll buy it eventually.

Good point about calendar. I started two 4e campaigns this year, and I would like to take at least one of them all the way to 30th level, which would be several years. To look at a new edition I'd need to be burned out on the current one. I burned out on 3.5e in 2006 and tried C&C, which didn't work out. I don't have the same problems with 4e and can't really see myself burning out on it within the next several years.

 

[humble minion]

I was ready for 4e when it was announced - 3e was showing its age and starting to fray at the edges, and Pathfinder didn't really address the major issue behind that for mine. But when 4e showed up I was distinctly unenthused.

So I suppose put me down as voting for the 'I'm ready for 5e as long as it's a 5e I personally like' option, along with pretty much everyone else...

 

[Anselyn]

The wisest course of action for Wizards is to continually update and revise Fourth Edition through the on-line tools.
With the Character Builder, Monster Builder and the Compendium, any current minor problems can be solved with a bit of programming. Increased customization could be enabled on the Character Builder. This would solve many problems trying to reconcile different tastes.

How does a new player or group of players with a DM start to play this game? By spending ~$100 on three redundant books - given the online updating? Or by deciding to subscribe to an online service for a game they haven't seen and for which they have no physical resources.

Pandering to a diminishing band of enthusiasts surely can't be a wise business model for substantial operation like WoTC.

 

[Jan van Leyden]

How does a new player or group of players with a DM start to play this game? By spending ~$100 on three redundant books - given the online updating? Or by deciding to subscribe to an online service for a game they haven't seen and for which they have no physical resources.

Pandering to a diminishing band of enthusiasts surely can't be a wise business model for substantial operation like WoTC.

Whenever the core books are reprinted they would be a snapshot of the then current rules. Or one could travel the way of the Essentials Rules Compendium. Publish the real rules for a low price as a starting point for newcomers.

Concerning your second paragraph: what if WotC thinks that this "diminishing band of enthusiasts" are the gamers who won't let go of the concept of a static game undergoing substantial changes in form of new editions as opposed to an ever moving, evolving system?

 

[IronWolf]

Concerning your second paragraph: what if WotC thinks that this "diminishing band of enthusiasts" are the gamers who won't let go of the concept of a static game undergoing substantial changes in form of new editions as opposed to an ever moving, evolving system?

This is certainly a factor in the choice they have to make. It does not seem an obvious choice to me as either path is likely going to alienate some gamers. The question is, which alienates the fewest or brings them the most sales? I don't think there is a clear cut answer to that question.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Would I buy it? 99% chance of "no".

Do I want it made? Yes, if only so the hobby as a whole can move forward.

 

[Jhaelen]

Definitely not! I'm quite happy with (Pre-Essentials) 4e.

I also have no idea in which directions they should develop it. It's (almost) perfect already. Most of the changes I'd like to see could just as well be implemented without a new edition.

If 5e turns out to be a 'back to the roots edition' I'll sit it out and wait for 6e.

 

[NewJeffCT]

I'm personally more than ready for 5e.

I'm not really fulfilled with 4e, and I'm not really happy with Pathfinder, and I might be on board with a new game edition.

That depends, of course, on whether the new edition would do what I needed it to. But a hypothetical 5e that was released tomorrow, I (optimistically?) believe, would contain at least as many seeds of good ideas as 4e has.

Sounds about how I feel. I like some stuff in 4E, but it's not fulfilling to me. Pathfinder has a lot of stuff I like, but it's a huge chore to DM, like 3.5E.