D&D (2024) Is the 5E player base going to split?

[Urriak Uruk]

Just discovered this thread. All I'll say is... not really able to know until we see the 5.5 (or whatever you want to call it) update.

 

[Malmuria]

right... so if I buy Curse of strahd and run it on 2e or go buy tales of the spell jammer and run it in 4e, or I buy forge of fire and run it in 5e... there is still a split from 2e 3e 4e and 5e players

but again how little has to change (and again I already said that is what I think they will try for) to make that possible? how many issues would they have to not fix?

as it is now we already have alot of changes causing splits

Well, I would be surprised if the changes were significant enough so that a 5e character couldn’t exist at a 5.5e table, or that a 5.5e module wouldn’t work fine with 5e rules with no conversion. The player base only splits if there is genuine and significant mathematical incompatibility. For example, Call of Cthulhu has seven editions, and I’m not familiar with all of them, but I wouldn’t call the player base split even among those different editions, because they are so compatible. If you want to join a 7e CoC game, and you have the 6e rule books, it’s not a problem at all.

I don’t think anything within 5e is really incompatible with anything else. Some people find Tasha’s OP, others grouse about the new monster stat blocks, but you can bring a base 5e character and a Tasha’s character to the table and it works.

In sum, some people might have a preference for 5e over 5.5 or vice versa, but I would be surprised if there were true mathematical incompatibility

 

[BookTenTiger]

I think there are a few possibilities:

1) if they make enough changes that this seems like 6e, there will be a split, as a significant number of players will stick with 5e.

2) if they make minimal changes, there will be a split, as a significant number of players won't feel like buying new books for small changes.

3) if they make absolutely no changes, there will be a split, as a significant number of players either grow bored with 5e or seek other games that match their needs.


So overall I think there will be a split, but there would be one anyways just based on the fact that 5e is 8 years old and has a wide variety of players with a wide variety of needs and desires. No matter what WotC does, a significant portion of players will want something else, and another significant portion of players will be happy.

 

[Maxperson]

You are missing my point then. We aren’t the audience. We are a minority. The customer base is different now, continued sales success to this different audience indicates that the game is going to continue in this direction whether we like it or not. I like 5e though so it’s neither here nor there but the current customer base likes the game and where it is going. You are a minority. I have my issues with it but can live with it like I have every version of the game.

I'm not missing any point. And yes, we are the audience. Every one on this site, plus every other site, plus everyone who isn't on a site is the audience. They are trying to sell books to everyone who plays D&D. We are just a very small part of the audience.

You also need to stop talking for "the customer base." You don't know what they all want. You are not WotC. You only know what YOU want.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

You are missing my point then. We aren’t the audience. We are a minority. The customer base is different now, continued sales success to this different audience indicates that the game is going to continue in this direction whether we like it or not. I like 5e though so it’s neither here nor there but the current customer base likes the game and where it is going. You are a minority. I have my issues with it but can live with it like I have every version of the game.

I don't see any reason to think that the "new audience" is some monolithic consumer blob that will just keep buying whatever WotC puts out. Like all gamers I'm sure they all have their favorite parts of D&D, but they may not be fully aware of what those parts are if they don't have experience with other editions/games.

if a 5.5e changes elements that someone liked a lot, they're likely to remain in 5e even if they only started playing a short while ago.

 

[teitan]

I don't see any reason to think that the "new audience" is some monolithic consumer blob that will just keep buying whatever WotC puts out. Like all gamers I'm sure they all have their favorite parts of D&D, but they may not be fully aware of what those parts are if they don't have experience with other editions/games.

if a 5.5e changes elements that someone liked a lot, they're likely to remain in 5e even if they only started playing a short while ago.

Historically it has been though. Plus D&D isn’t the 900 lbs Gorilla of the industry. It’s officially Godzilla. It’s several tons of the industry in comparison to its leading competitor in terms of brand and dollars. So yes if it has the D&D brand it will be gobbled up. People are willing to drop 400 bucks on a Tiamat or a red dragon because it says D&D on it.

Plus I already said it will be dependent on compatibility how quick adoption occurs. All I am saying is older players are not their concern. They are no longer the audience. How is that being missed when I said that very explicitly? With extremely plain language? We make up a very small part of the current audience. People will migrate based on compatibility, but they will migrate and eventually move on from the current edition altogether. Grognards, people who stick with older editions are a very small percentage of an audience with the one stand out being 3.5 because Hasbro misread the audience and market. Even then 4e still did numbers that every other publisher would have been salivating over because… 900 lbs gorilla. The stories of PF beating D&D come with caveats and analysis that fans weren’t looking at when they cheered the statistics. It still had a good adoption rate. Meteoric abandon rate of course.

 

[teitan]

I'm not missing any point. And yes, we are the audience. Every one on this site, plus every other site, plus everyone who isn't on a site is the audience. They are trying to sell books to everyone who plays D&D. We are just a very small part of the audience.

You also need to stop talking for "the customer base." You don't know what they all want. You are not WotC. You only know what YOU want.

Yes you are and are getting emotional. Have a good day.

 

[Maxperson]

Yes you are and are getting emotional. Have a good day.

ROFL Not at all emotional dude, but thanks for playing the assumption game. Have a good one.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Yep, the player base certainly is united and in harmony right now. Only 5.5e could sunder such glorious unity.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

All I am saying is older players are not their concern. They are no longer the audience. How is that being missed when I said that very explicitly? With extremely plain language? We make up a very small part of the current audience. People will migrate based on compatibility, but they will migrate and eventually move on from the current edition altogether. Grognards, people who stick with older editions are a very small percentage of an audience with the one stand out being 3.5 because Hasbro misread the audience and market. Even then 4e still did numbers that every other publisher would have been salivating over because… 900 lbs gorilla. The stories of PF beating D&D come with caveats and analysis that fans weren’t looking at when they cheered the statistics. It still had a good adoption rate. Meteoric abandon rate of course.

I think you might be the one in this thread who cares the most about older players.