Is it time for 5E?

[TarionzCousin]

What would happen if 5E were a beautiful combination of OD&D, 1E, 2E, and 3E--if it were WotC's own Pseudo-Retro Clone?

Could the World contain such beauty?

 

[Dice4Hire]

Good luck finding two people who agree on what a beautiful combination of those four are.

But more seriously, I cannot see WOTC going back too far. But I would like to see 5E be a lot WIDER than 4E, able to do more than combat well.

 

[Keefe the Thief]

What would happen if 5E were a beautiful combination of OD&D, 1E, 2E, and 3E--if it were WotC's own Pseudo-Retro Clone?

Could the World contain such beauty?

You mean the edition to make oD&D, 1E, 2E and 3E fans equally unhappy? I don't think that there would be beauty in that frankenstein monster. "Crap, i didn't factor weapon speed into Golden Wyvern!"

*shudders*

 

[Jhaelen]

At the moment (and probably for quite a while) WotC would have a difficult time selling me anything at all. My dislike for the 'Essentialization' of 4e taints my objectivity when trying to judge the quality of their products right now.

They should definitely wait a couple of years before coming out with a new edition.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

... And 5E will be a golden opportunity to re-unite the fan-base.

"One game to find them,
One game to bind them..."

I do not beliee such a game exists, that it existed at all was a heppenstance of history and circumstance and sundered elements will never again unite in the way they once did. Unless they invent the holodeck.

--making the game modular so that folks can play different versions of the same game/edition and still be "official."

That could be done in 4e as it stands with some effort on Wizards part. If they want to make the effort.

I also wouldn't be surprised if we see a 4E Revised before 5E. In other words, errata-ed, re-formatted, and revised versions of the core three, fully compatible with Essentials. Maybe that's why Sword & Spell is on hold.

I would not either but they could put that out with 5e announced. I think also we will see some more experimental books in the Book of 9 Swords style before 5e will be announced, probably something with classless D&D.

However, I thing 3 years is too soon, I thin 5 years is the minimum and here is why: It will take 3 years to create a fully integratred suite of DDI tools and at least 2 years of observation to see how people use them.
In that 2 years they can develop the new tools to support 5e. When that toolset is nearly ready then they announce 5e for a years time.

I think that they are now capacity constrained in software develoopment and while the can output stuff for the current game and develope a new game in 3 years I am not convinced that they can develope new tools for the existing game and tools for the new game at the same time. Hell, it is not obvious right now that they can complete the development process for the tools in the existing game right now.
A 5e with no eTools having gone as far as they have gone with etools for 4e is pretty much unthinkable, and would have very little credibility.

Especially as they have demonstrated the interest in the marketplace. Failure to deliver would certainly open the door for others to succed where they have failed.

 

[Whisper72]

Sorry for the wandering rant.

I kill it and take it's stuff... making sure to check for gems and magic items in the least obvious of places...

 

[Nagol]

What would happen if 5E were a beautiful combination of OD&D, 1E, 2E, and 3E--if it were WotC's own Pseudo-Retro Clone?

Could the World contain such beauty?

It would fracture the current 4e base in a way that makes the 3.5-->4e fracture look like a papercut.

And it probably attracts only a modest return from the retro-clone adherents as they already have a game they like.

 

[Nagol]

"One game to find them,
One game to bind them..."

I do not beliee such a game exists, that it existed at all was a heppenstance of history and circumstance and sundered elements will never again unite in the way they once did. Unless they invent the holodeck.


That could be done in 4e as it stands with some effort on Wizards part. If they want to make the effort.


I would not either but they could put that out with 5e announced. I think also we will see some more experimental books in the Book of 9 Swords style before 5e will be announced, probably something with classless D&D.

However, I thing 3 years is too soon, I thin 5 years is the minimum and here is why: It will take 3 years to create a fully integratred suite of DDI tools and at least 2 years of observation to see how people use them.
In that 2 years they can develop the new tools to support 5e. When that toolset is nearly ready then they announce 5e for a years time.

I think that they are now capacity constrained in software develoopment and while the can output stuff for the current game and develope a new game in 3 years I am not convinced that they can develope new tools for the existing game and tools for the new game at the same time. Hell, it is not obvious right now that they can complete the development process for the tools in the existing game right now.
A 5e with no eTools having gone as far as they have gone with etools for 4e is pretty much unthinkable, and would have very little credibility.

Especially as they have demonstrated the interest in the marketplace. Failure to deliver would certainly open the door for others to succed where they have failed.

The problem with the belief that the company can design both a game system and software to support it at the same time is it is naive. Too much is in flux about the game design up until the game goes to print.

Sure, you can architect a skeleton knowing the expected role of the application, but the details drive the detailed design. Those fiddly bits take a lot more time to build, test, and verify than the skeleton does. Those details aren't completely available until the game goes gold.

In effect, its the mirror image of why strategy guides for PC games are obsolete before they're on the shelves of the store -- the game changes too much between when the guide was researched, written, and sent to print and it appears on the shelf.

At best, WotC can use 4e's debugged skeleton for the apps. It'll probably require data model change and the whole guts replaced and that'll set the user community back to being beta testers all over again.

 

[Aldern Foxglove]

5E would have to be a truly spectacular product to tempt me away from Paizo. 4E whatever it is, is not for me, and I've been consistently impressed with Paizo since slowly listing over into the Pathfinder camp.

I have a hard time picturing 4E as a success, because everyone I seem to know or game with has dropped it, mind you a great many of them including myself purchased the books initially.

 

[Raven Crowking]

Didn't they tell you? That's going to be a magic item in 5e: hit it with any hammer and it produces Silence 10' radius around it, duration 5 minutes...hit it with The Banhammer and the Silence effect is permanent.



Lan-"it'll negate Bardic effects, too"-efan

But characters with the "Moderator" class are immune......