D&D 5E How Do You Feel About the Rate of New WotC Game Content for 5E DMs?

[S'mon]

None of the options fit my feelings really.

1. Quality has generally not been good enough, I've bought way too much stuff and thought "meh". There was an especially marked decline from around when Mearls left D&D, although I did like the Essentials Kit which I think postdates him.

2. I'm not looking for a ton of options, and I think XGTE filled in the obvious GM side gaps to make the game complete - usable encounter tables, good downtime rules are the obvious ones, the common magic items were nice too.

3. The big problem is adventures. WoTC has mostly published campaign adventures, and they have ranged from bad to ok. There ought to be a lot more decent quality short official 5e adventures by now. Third Party stuff is often much better. Odyssey of the Dragonlords is way better than any of the many WotC campaign adventures I bought. Tales from the Yawning Portal has good old adventures but the maps & conversion were so weak I'd often go to the old 3e or even 1e stuff for reference.

4. I can't really comment on the campaign setting books like Spelljammer Dragonlance & Planescape, but I've not heard much (anything?) good about them.

Compared to the better Third Party publishers, WoTC is lacking in quantity, but it's the poor quality that is really noticeable. The 2014 5e releases were a very solid core set of books, but they seem to have been coasting ever since.

 

[Azzy]

Somewhere between enough and too much. I am happy with the rate, but it got pretty gnarly last year with the breakneck release schedule.

This mirrors my feelings, too.

 

[Older Beholder]

I was happy with the speed throughout 5E’s first 10 years. It was one of the aspects I thought they nailed. It was slow enough to never feel bloated, but at the same time, after 10 years there now feels like enough to cover all my needs.

With the backwards compatibility factor moving into the revised 5E era, I’d be OK with things slowing a little more. Take a bit more time with each release.

 

[Hexmage-EN]

I personally put dissatisfied, but on further reflection I think at least part of my dissatisfaction comes from a lack of planar material beyond whatever is included in adventures. It's kind of wild to me that we got Planescape before a Manual of the Planes, for example, and if I want a good overview of the Feywild beyond one single location I have to look 4E's Heroes of the Feywild, the closest thing we ever got to a setting guide for a plane that is still heavily referenced in 5E's flavor text.

I also wish that there were more books with DM tools included that don't also feature an adventure, setting, or player subclass options. I like the Infernal Contracts rules in Descent into Avernus, the ship rules in Ghosts of Saltmarsh, the Piety rules in Theros, and the NPC rules in Strixhaven; I just wish that information was in one or two books I could easily peruse rather than four. I'd pay for an official book that consolidates these rules in a single tome even if there was no new content, but as of the last couple of years I've taken to making and adding to a Word document where I transcribe these things in a more convenient and usable format for personal use.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

I personally put dissatisfied, but on further reflection I think at least part of my dissatisfaction comes from a lack of planar material beyond whatever is included in adventures. It's kind of wild to me that we got Planescape before a Manual of the Planes, for example, and if I want a good overview of the Feywild beyond one single location I have to look 4E's Heroes of the Feywild, the closest thing we ever got to a setting guide for a plane that is still heavily referenced in 5E's flavor text.

I also wish that there were more books with DM tools included that don't also feature an adventure, setting, or player subclass options. I like the Infernal Contracts rules in Descent into Avernus, the ship rules in Ghosts of Saltmarsh, the Piety rules in Theros, and the NPC rules in Strixhaven; I just wish that information was in one or two books I could easily peruse rather than four. I'd pay for an official book that consolidates these rules in a single tome even if there was no new content, but as of the last couple of years I've taken to making and adding to a Word document where I transcribe these things in a more convenient and usable format for personal use.

Interesting...

A lot of these rules suit certain campaign styles, or even certain DM styles. It's hard to codify these into a single book because the Venn diagram of those purchasers that this type of book would appeal to becomes smaller and smaller as you add more esoteric rules.

What if these content or campaign style specific rules were presented in their online offering? That way, a DM could go check that out and mine for ideas.

 

[jerryrice4949]

I am very upset that they tried to teach new players how to DM rather than reinforcing the playstyle I've honed on my own for two decades to the point that I don't need the same instructions about it and thus wouldn't have bought to product anyway.

But no, seriously guys: Arms and Equipment Guide. Get on it.

This x 10. Fewer adventures and more things like this.

 

[jerryrice4949]

I would like more players option, setting/lore material and supplements like the arms and equipment guide mentioned earlier and even variant rules to spice things up. Fewer adventures. One big AP a year and maybe a couple smaller one shots would be sufficient. I think generally 3PP make better adventures anyways.

 

[Hexmage-EN]

I am glad at least that they're shifting increasingly to adventure anthologies that can feature many different locales and concepts. Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel and Keys from the Golden Vault were especially welcome additions that just felt fresh and new; new worlds, locations, gameplay focuses, etc. More of that, please.

 

[Parmandur]

I am glad at least that they're shifting increasingly to adventure anthologies that can feature many different locales and concepts. Candlekeep Mysteries, Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel, and Keys from the Golden Vault were welcome additions that just felt fresh and new. More of that, please.

I do think those have been some of the strongest content, and those all get namechecked as book recommendations in the new DMG.

Looking forward to the Dragon anthology next year.

 

[Stormonu]

Quality feels like it has been on the downturn. As far as player options, I felt like they were already scraping the bottom of the barrel with Tasha's. Spelljammer was absolutely horrid and Van Richten's guide was more miss than hit. Planescape was passable, with nothing truly horrid, but not exactly inspiring. Rather than give us a new monster manual, Monsters of the Multiverse is a reprint of the prior two books, with a lot of the worldbuilding ripped right out.

I did pick up and am happy with Infinite Staircase, but let's be honest - that's converting 1E material to 5E. Conversely, I feel like they blew it with Phandelver and Below, going astray from a perfectly good module they'd put out at the start of 5E. Shadow of the Dragon Queen is right in the middle, some good, some ruffling of feathers. The Vecna adventure I could care less about as I've learned I don't enjoy high level play.

There's more than enough 5E content from all parties and a backlog of prior edition content that I am overflowing with material and I certainly don't need more, and I'm getting tired of retreads. Even at this slow pace D&D is already cannibalizing itself to stay relevant. I don't need them to try and pump out nostalgia-geared retreads any quicker.