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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Clint_L" data-source="post: 8819182" data-attributes="member: 7035894">I think there has to be a democratic element to what is good design, if you are a publisher. In other words, I don't think it's a cop out to say that, objectively, good design is what the most people like. Because as many have pointed out, no design will please everyone. There is no perfect game. But you can get a pretty good sense of whether the design is broadly good or bad based on players reaction. From this perspective, 4e was clearly bad design - it was responsible for Pathfinder (i.e. D&D 3.5 continued) briefly becoming the market leader until 5e was rushed out to course correct.5e was specifically designed and heavily play-tested to go back to the roots of D&D, simplified into the d20 system, and to not overcomplicate things so that the emphasis is more on story than rules. 5e is pretty much what I wanted back when I first started playing AD&D. I think WotC has pretty much solved what makes a great D&D game. And they think so too. That's why they don't want a new edition. They are recognizing that there are tweaks that will happen here and there as culture evolves and ideas from players and from other game systems slowly percolate, but they don't want to throw the baby out with the bath water.And WotC aren't idiots. They know that to the established D&D fan base, the word "edition" means one thing: you're expected to throw out the old books and buy new ones if you want to keep up. They don't want that, precisely because it will create a schism, exactly like what happened with 4e when they harpooned their own brand. They would rather sell you more books over many years than go for the quick money grab of the old editions model that always fed into a boom/bust cycle.So many folks here are basically just being pedantic and arguing about what the word edition means as if that is objectively meaningful. It isn't. Words only have meaning in context, and in the context of the history of D&D the word "editions" has come to mean something that WotC doesn't want to do anymore. They want you to be able to keep using your 2014 PHB and still feel comfortable buying new sourcebooks and adventures. It's as simple as that. Yes, there will be an updated PHB for those who want it, but it is not going to change any of the fundamentals of 5e. You will be able to purchase the new PHB and still run the old "Lost Mines of Phandelver" if that's your thing, or you will be able to buy the upcoming Phandelver adventure book and run it with your 2014 PHB.</blockquote>

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