D&D (2024) How D&D Beyond Will Handle Access To 2014 Rules

D&D Beyond has announced how the transition to the new 2024 edition will work on the platform, and how legacy access to the 2014 version of D&D will be implemented.

• You will still be able to access the 2014 Basic Rules and core rulebooks.
• You will still be able to make characters using the 2014 Player's Handbook.
• Existing home-brew content will not be impacted.
• These 2014 rules will be accessible and will be marked with a 'legacy' badge: classes, subclasses, species, backgrounds, feats, monsters.
• Tooltips will reflect the 2024 rules.
• Monster stat blocks will be updated to 2024.
• There will be terminology changes (Heroic Inspiration, Species, etc.)

D&D (2024) - Wizards of the Coast Backtracks on D&D Beyond and 2014 Content

Wizards of the Coast posted an overnight update stating that they are not going forward with previously released plans to require those wishing to use some 2014 content on D&D Beyond to use the Homebrew function to manually enter it. Instead, all the content including spells and magic items will...

www.enworld.org

 

[mamba]

You can only fight the 800lbs gorilla with another 80lbs beast. Or a bigger one.

that is where the 1B comes in, but if you lack that, you have to eeke out your living rather than confront the beast, the way all the other TTRPGs currently do

Which is my point. No one currently has the money to replace WOTC in money and thuse marketing.

I am not disagreeing with that, I am only disagreeing with WotC being necessarily irreplaceable / someone always having to be in that position

That time @Micah Sweet was talking about was when WOTC was half butting it during late stage 4e.

I don’t think what happened with 4e was a lack of wanting to be on top. I can see them having given up on the notion that 4e is going to keep them there by then

 

[mamba]

It has nothing to do with the hobby thriving, but the network effect of getting players will drive the hobby to a massively dominant player.

network effects help in establishing big players, it does not need to result in a single one though. Now that we have one (and we had one for a long time) it is next to impossible to unseat that player however

 

[mamba]

Of course it could be with the unprecedented popularity of 5e... they believe they've just about made the best version and now they just need to tweak and refine it.

whether it is close to the best version is debatable, but it definitely is a version with many users, so WotC does not want to rock the boat. They never released a new edition while the old one was still popular

 

[Minigiant]

I am not disagreeing with that, I am only disagreeing with WotC being necessarily irreplaceable / someone always having to be in that position

Never said WOTC is irreplaceable.

WOTC just provides marketing money. There is no monopoly on that.

It's just that replicating that same amount of money would require doing things fans hate WOTC for.

 

[mamba]

I've never gotten over how many people feel that to save the village, we have to destroy the village..

how about to save the country, we have to vanquish the evil overlord?

Not saying I subscribe to it, but I believe that is closer to what those people that do want to break WotC’s dominance think

 

[mamba]

Never said WOTC is irreplaceable.

WOTC just provides marketing money. There is no monopoly on that.

but can they only be replaced by another dominant entity or could we break the hold of one company and turn it into a few large but competing companies / TTRPGs instead?

 

[Minigiant]

but can they only be replaced by another dominant entity or could we break the hold of one company and turn it into a few large but competing companies / TTRPGs instead?

There could be 2-3 large competing companies, sure.
But the gap would have to close a bit. And the other companies would have to invest in outreach and marketing.

That's the core issue. A RPG company would have to sell out or go corporate monster themselves in order to get their money up.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I'm curious... do you feel the same about...
Chaosium
Paizo
Monte Cook Games
Free League
PbtA

And the many other ttrpg publishers who make small incremental changes across editions and/or their other game lines? What about the OSR and their numerous tweaked versions of older D&D... I'm just trying to understand your criteria here.

Edit: Of course it could be with the unprecedented popularity of 5e... they believe they've just about made the best version and now they just need to tweak and refine it.

Small changes are different,. They don't change the game into something else. That's a D&D thing.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Never said WOTC is irreplaceable.

WOTC just provides marketing money. There is no monopoly on that.

It's just that replicating that same amount of money would require doing things fans hate WOTC for.

Which is why I would be happier with a smaller industry.

 

[Imaro]

Small changes are different,. They don't change the game into something else. That's a D&D thing.

Wait huh?? 2014 to 2024 are small changes.