sunshadow21
Explorer
I know for me at least, the reason I haven't done anything with 5E is pretty simple. If I were a new player just getting into the hobby, it would be a strong competitor for what I started with; it's a good solid game that is easy to learn and build from. But for myself, and I suspect most people already in the hobby, it doesn't have anything particularly special or unique to really make it stand out. There are a few bits that are interesting to players of other systems, but most of them are easily ported into, or are already part of the systems being played currently.
In the end, I have to say that if the goal was to simply put a system out there that would keep the D&D name active and present with basically no followup support, they succeeded; 5E definitely stopped the bleeding and the damage caused during the 4E era. It also does a very good job of being a solid second or third choice for most groups for those times that the first choice can't be used or those groups that commonly rotate between systems. It also appeals to enough of the DM centric groups to have a solid base of support from there, giving the edition reasonably solid ground to potentially build from.
If the goal was anything more than that, they didn't succeed. It's not an edition that's going to win back the majority of the lost 3E or 4E crowd, as that crowd is generally looking for something a bit more crunchy and a bit less DM centered. Also, the parts that make DMing easier are centered on individual encounters, not campaign long concerns, where DMs have just as much work in 5E as they would in any other edition; thus, a lot of the aspects that seem to make DMing the system easier still get muted over time, especially for new DMs that have never run a campaign before, just like every other version of D&D out there. While it will get the attention of the pre-3rd crowd, it's not likely to automatically replace the sheer number of options already available to them. Far more likely with the latter crowd is that 5E material will get incorporated into the existing house rules, and most won't be all that concerned about playing 5E solely. And in the end, while I don't think anybody wanted the flood of new material seen in earlier editions, the lack of new material will end up being just as much of a problem in this edition. 2 APs and a few other random products here and there does not particularly scream industry leader, and to a certain extent, the hype is going eventually die down to match the supporting material.
In the end, for me, it's not the system is bad, but rather that it's also not particularly great or new. It does well what it was designed to do well, and, for better and for worse, that's pretty much it. Given all the other options out there, that's simply not going to be enough to really get the attention of those already in the hobby that want something else from their gaming time. Unless the video games and/or movies and/or whatever else they try to make to bolster the brand outside the rpg system really, really comes through, which isn't very likely given the lackluster reviews of the new video game that I have been reading and the really, really lackluster success of past movies, I don't see a lot of growth happening, and eventually D&D will be replaced by other systems that are more actively supported in the top position. It's role as a good general system will always keep it near the top, but other systems are already surpassing it as far as confirmed long term player support is concerned.
In the end, I have to say that if the goal was to simply put a system out there that would keep the D&D name active and present with basically no followup support, they succeeded; 5E definitely stopped the bleeding and the damage caused during the 4E era. It also does a very good job of being a solid second or third choice for most groups for those times that the first choice can't be used or those groups that commonly rotate between systems. It also appeals to enough of the DM centric groups to have a solid base of support from there, giving the edition reasonably solid ground to potentially build from.
If the goal was anything more than that, they didn't succeed. It's not an edition that's going to win back the majority of the lost 3E or 4E crowd, as that crowd is generally looking for something a bit more crunchy and a bit less DM centered. Also, the parts that make DMing easier are centered on individual encounters, not campaign long concerns, where DMs have just as much work in 5E as they would in any other edition; thus, a lot of the aspects that seem to make DMing the system easier still get muted over time, especially for new DMs that have never run a campaign before, just like every other version of D&D out there. While it will get the attention of the pre-3rd crowd, it's not likely to automatically replace the sheer number of options already available to them. Far more likely with the latter crowd is that 5E material will get incorporated into the existing house rules, and most won't be all that concerned about playing 5E solely. And in the end, while I don't think anybody wanted the flood of new material seen in earlier editions, the lack of new material will end up being just as much of a problem in this edition. 2 APs and a few other random products here and there does not particularly scream industry leader, and to a certain extent, the hype is going eventually die down to match the supporting material.
In the end, for me, it's not the system is bad, but rather that it's also not particularly great or new. It does well what it was designed to do well, and, for better and for worse, that's pretty much it. Given all the other options out there, that's simply not going to be enough to really get the attention of those already in the hobby that want something else from their gaming time. Unless the video games and/or movies and/or whatever else they try to make to bolster the brand outside the rpg system really, really comes through, which isn't very likely given the lackluster reviews of the new video game that I have been reading and the really, really lackluster success of past movies, I don't see a lot of growth happening, and eventually D&D will be replaced by other systems that are more actively supported in the top position. It's role as a good general system will always keep it near the top, but other systems are already surpassing it as far as confirmed long term player support is concerned.