D&D 5E Does 5E avoid the overloads of previous editions?

[Jan van Leyden]

There has been some speculation that there might be a revision overload, i.e. a new revision of the rules every year, each re-release tied to a new story arc. "Tyranny of Dragons" in 2014, "Menace of the Undead" in 2015, "Threat of the Goblinoids" in 2016... each time revising and updating all the rules.

This sounds like a cool idea, actually: a two-pronged approach. Let's publish the usual (splat-) books, but not at the rate of one per month. Additionally do story arc products, containing the core rules of the game, some optional rules fitting to the story, and (gasp!) pre-rolled characters. So you could buy, play, and live with the story arcs without option bloat, intransparent product lines and changing, errataed rules.

The more traditionally minded player can go with the old model of buying whatever he thinks adds to his game and may use the story arcs as adventures, adventure springboards, or idea mines.

You wouldn't have to "revise and update all the rules" in this model. Every few years you make a poll for all the stuf (options and errata) which have been collected in the meantime to give the gamers a vote of how adapt the core books for the next printing (or series of printings). This might actually be the way out of the edition thread mill. DDN would be evergreen, undergoing slight changes only, with full support on the adventure front, which would also act as lead-in products for new players.

This story arc model could even facilitate new settings. Introduce a new setting using a story arc with setting info needed for this arc and decide later on whether the interest is big enough to warrant a new campaign world.

I may be a bit sewpt away by the idea, but it does sound good to me.

 

[Bluenose]

Sure, WotC people are saying that they have this new strategy and they're not competing with Pathfinder etc... (or "blah, blah, blah" rather than etc) but none of that matters.

If their financial goals are the reputed $50m per year, then competing with Pathfinder represents a clear failure. Paizo are nowhere near that size. Competing with Games Workshop would do it.

I'd say the best suspects right now are "adventure bloat" (they've got adventures out for the game NOW, and the thing ain't even out yet!) and "campaign option bloat" (given modularity) and possibly general "book bloat" (if they go OGL again).

Magic item bloat and Spell bloat are nearly certain, with the Forgotten Realms (which was a major culprit in that respect as far back as 1e) as the first setting. I won't be at all surprised if a few years down the line we get a multi-volume spell compendium and magic item compendium to collect all the spells published since the core books came out. Though I hope it's not as many volumes as the 2e versions.

 

[pickin_grinnin]

For every RPG I've seen released by WotC, overload seems to be the foundation of their business model. D&D 3rd edition, 4th edtion, Star Wars Saga, and d20 modern are all about cranking out splatbooks with more character options.

Paizo has continued that tradition. Every Pathfinder book introduces a couple of new classes, feats, and/or races. If that's what you are mainly after, you end up having to buy a lot of overly expensive short little books, at least if you want to use any of that in a Pathfinder Society game (since they require you to bring proof of anything that's not in the core book). Of course, all the really interesting character options are in those $20 paper-thin little books.

 

[pickin_grinnin]

Is he serious that posters on the internet have speculated about a negative thing without any evidence to support it? Yes, he is serious, people on the internet have speculated about it.

Let's be fair. Given WotC's track record, the likelihood of them screwing this up is very high. The pessimism is not baseless, by any means.

If they pull it off and D&D 5e is a good game, I'm sure everybody will be happy. History has not given people a lot of reason to be optimistic, though.

 

[pickin_grinnin]

Large numbers of splatbooks aren't what concerns me. Large numbers of overpriced splatbooks that each contain a smidgen of stuff that's actually useful and could be easily compiled into one or two really good books are what hacks me off, particularly when then splatbooks are really just big softcover pamphlets that make most magazines look big but cost three times as much.

 

[Hussar]

Let's be fair. Given WotC's track record, the likelihood of them screwing this up is very high. The pessimism is not baseless, by any means.

If they pull it off and D&D 5e is a good game, I'm sure everybody will be happy. History has not given people a lot of reason to be optimistic, though.

Yeah. That 3e thing they pushed out the door was a total failure. D20 Modern? Not worth the paper. DnD Minis was a complete flop. And don't get me started on that Magic and Pokemon debacle.

 

[fjw70]

This would be wonderful! Unless this ... ... happens, as Paizo's adventure modules always have way too much baked-in backstory for my liking; and it just gets in the way. Just give me the map, location requirements, and room descriptions and let me worry about the backstory, if any.

Lanefan

Agreed, or at least make the backstory brief if it is there. I want adventured I can pick up and play with minimal prep.

 

[ForeverSlayer]

Yeah. That 3e thing they pushed out the door was a total failure. D20 Modern? Not worth the paper. DnD Minis was a complete flop. And don't get me started on that Magic and Pokemon debacle.

Well they did put out 4th edition so I can understand Pickin's arguement.

 

[Hussar]

Well they did put out 4th edition so I can understand Pickin's arguement.

So one edition you don't like and you have lost all faith that they can produce a good product. Really?

 

[I'm A Banana]

Well they did put out 4th edition so I can understand Pickin's arguement.

Edition Wars are against the rules here at ENWorld, including little snipes like this. Cut it out.