D&D (2024) Is 5th edition too big for there to be a 6th edition?

[Eric V]

5E is solid enough, and big enough, that a 6E (and there will be a 6E) won't be a major sea change, but a refinement and repackaging.

Do you really see that as a "6E" though? Every time we've gotten a new edition, the changes have been substantive...maybe we're just using the terms differently.

 

[Parmandur]

Do you really see that as a "6E" though? Every time we've gotten a new edition, the changes have been substantive...maybe we're just using the terms differently.

I think they will at some point publish revised core books, marketed as being completely compatible with the older ones, that acknowledge being a sixth edition in the printing page. I do not expect a 6E marketing push ala 3E, 3.5 or 4E.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I was thinking crunchy, but wrote gritty

I could see crunchy being a more applicable adjective for it.

 

[Jer]

I think they will at some point publish revised core books, marketed as being completely compatible with the older ones, that acknowledge being a sixth edition in the printing page. I do not expect a 6E marketing push ala 3E, 3.5 or 4E.

I think unless they decide to try to go back to the old model of making money off of D&D, we're more likely to get a "Fifth Edition Revised" first. Not like a 3.5 edition, but more like when they changed the covers on the 2nd edition books and incorporated errata into them. (And I think going back to the old model is far less likely than Hasbro/Wizards just putting the game into the vault and letting nostalgia build back up again).

 

[Reynard]

I think unless they decide to try to go back to the old model of making money off of D&D, we're more likely to get a "Fifth Edition Revised" first. Not like a 3.5 edition, but more like when they changed the covers on the 2nd edition books and incorporated errata into them. (And I think going back to the old model is far less likely than Hasbro/Wizards just putting the game into the vault and letting nostalgia build back up again).

That model doesn't really make much sense in the current era, does it?

If D&D doesn't go through a pretty substantial contraction as the player base moves on to the Next Big Thing (a turn of events I still expect to be the most likely outcome) I think we'll see something closer to the 4E model take over but with the actual technology and online community to support it this time.

 

[RSIxidor]

I'm kind of hopeful that any change from here is iterative rather than significant. Basic rules stay the same but the structure of character build options might change. I've seen some others saying this would be more like how Advanced Dungeons & Dragons changed the game from the previous edition but I don't have that experience personally.

 

[theapoapostolov]

"Gritty" 5E requires a pretty fundamental change in its treatment of wounds, healing and death.

Agreed and that is what we do in my little supplement.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Do you really see that as a "6E" though? Every time we've gotten a new edition, the changes have been substantive...maybe we're just using the terms differently.

2e was not that different from 1e.

 

[Eric V]

2e was not that different from 1e.

Yeah, that was the closest, but even just the introduction of kits, priestly spheres, main class bards, etc. still made it fairly different.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Indeed, but it was still fairly backwards compatible, and considered a new edition. I imagine a 6e would be the 2e to 5e's 1e.