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

[Reynard]

They could, if they choose, put out a new printing of the current core books with new art, updated with errata, and no other changes instead of putting out another printing of the current books and probably pay for it on new sales and the (probably larger than you think) group of people who would buy it just for the new art. They don't actually need to make a bunch of changes to get the existing player base to buy new books at this point to keep the game going, and if they decide to go that route I'm afraid it will blow up in their faces.

Many folks forget or are unaware this is exactly what TSR did with AD&D 2nd Edition. The Black Border books were reprints with new art and some errata applied, not 2.5.

 

[TwoSix]

I agree, in play most people won't care. The real question is, who is going to throw another $200 at a set of core books that, according to many on this board, offer very little actual change in the game? I'm not sure i would do that even if I liked the changes.

Personally, I'm hoping that the changes are as much mechanical expansion as revision, and are more extensive. (1-2 new subclasses per class, maybe a new class and/or rejiggered classes, more Feats as feats become standard, some spell revisions, etc.) Lots of new material, but as I said in my previous post, still compatible with all 5.0 material.

If it's just pushing the Tasha's/MotM race revisions into core, and a bunch of lore changes, than I'm definitely not buying it. Not because I object to those changes, that's simply not enough change to pony up money for.

 

[Micah Sweet]

The thing to keep in mind is that people are still buying the core books and D&D is making Wizards a lot of money as it stands right now. Unlike previous edition changes, Wizards doesn't actually need to apply the defibrilators and get the current player base to go out and rebuy all of the books they already own with a new edition. Historically that's when TSR and Wizards have gone to the new edition well - when the edition's sales have started to slump and they need to revitalize the brand.

They could, if they choose, put out a new printing of the current core books with new art, updated with errata, and no other changes instead of putting out another printing of the current books and probably pay for it on new sales and the (probably larger than you think) group of people who would buy it just for the new art. They don't actually need to make a bunch of changes to get the existing player base to buy new books at this point to keep the game going, and if they decide to go that route I'm afraid it will blow up in their faces.

I can't speak to art; it has never been a deciding factor for me in the context of an RPG.

As far as the rest of it is concerned, printing a new set of books, writing new copy (quite a lot of it especially in the MM) and commissioning new art all costs a lot of money. WotC will want and expect people to buy these books, and I think a lot of folks are not going to want to throw $200 away on books that don't give them something significant. And in doing so, they will of necessity draw battle lines.

 

[Jer]

Many folks forget or are unaware this is exactly what TSR did with AD&D 2nd Edition. The Black Border books were reprints with new art and some errata applied, not 2.5.

Yup - they updated the art and layout without changing the rules much. More like a Call of Cthulhu edition change than the D&D ones have been.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Many folks forget or are unaware this is exactly what TSR did with AD&D 2nd Edition. The Black Border books were reprints with new art and some errata applied, not 2.5.

True, but TSR didn't advertise rules and lore changes with those books either. WotC has.

 

[Micah Sweet]

At the end of the day, the 2024 book will be nothing more than a book of alternate and/or additional rules, no different than Xanathar's and Tasha's. And some people will adopt them, others won't.

If there's any semblance of a "split"... it'll just be the same as it always is: a few people who don't like some of the alternate and/or additional rules will come here on the boards saying the rules are terrible, the game has been destroyed, the designers are lazy/stupid for creating what they did, and that they are going to have to leave the game now because D&D has left them behind, whoa is me.

No different than what happens after every single player-facing book gets released.

Always happy to hear from you DEFCON 1.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Always happy to hear from you DEFCON 1.

What can I say? After being on these boards for almost 20 years and hearing the same format of complaints year after year, same song same dance... you become jaded.

 

[overgeeked]

The bigger the changes the more likely we are to see a split; the smaller the changes the less likely.

If they actually keep with their "promise" of backward compatibility, then we're unlikely to see the fanbase split. And if we do, it'll be a minor one. Akin to a few dozen or hundred grognards getting bent out of shape about alignment and floating ASI and rage quitting over something it's trivial to house rule back in.

 

[TwoSix]

The bigger the changes the more likely we are to see a split; the smaller the changes the less likely.

If they actually keep with their "promise" of backward compatibility, then we're unlikely to see the fanbase split. And if we do, it'll be a minor one. Akin to a few dozen or hundred grognards getting bent out of shape about alignment and floating ASI and rage quitting over something it's trivial to house rule back in.

My only concern is WotC publishing a backwards compatible revised PHB, but some DMs requiring the new books despite the old books still being compatible. That attitude would need to be shamed mercilessly.

 

[Micah Sweet]

The bigger the changes the more likely we are to see a split; the smaller the changes the less likely.

If they actually keep with their "promise" of backward compatibility, then we're unlikely to see the fanbase split. And if we do, it'll be a minor one. Akin to a few dozen or hundred grognards getting bent out of shape about alignment and floating ASI and rage quitting over something it's trivial to house rule back in.

I still think the real question is who's going to re-buy their core books.