Iteration.

[Evenglare]

So going over to wizard's site they always use the word iteration instead of addition. At first I didnt think anything of it but now it's starting to get irritating. What is the reason for calling it an iteration instead of edition? It just seems so odd to specifically avoid the term "5th edition".

Is it for fear of consumers not buying the last of the 4th edition product or something?

 

[delericho]

Well, in mathematics you'll quite often use an iterative process to get an ever-closer approximation to a desired result. Thus, they could be trying to suggest they're getting ever closer to some sort of 'golden' model of D&D.

But I'm inclined to agree - it's most likely just a linguistic dodge to avoid using the words 'edition' or 'version'. Just like this "D&D Next" business instead of "5th Edition".

But there's a really good reason for not using "D&D Next". What happens when they do 6e? "D&D Next But One"? Just number your editions. It's clean, it's simple, and everyone knows what you're talking about.

 

[tuxgeo]

Crazy idea: instead of hiring Editors to work on the project, they are going to hire Iterators to work on the project. (Fresh from the Iditerator Sled Dog Race in Alaska.)

 

[Yora]

Assumed reason: They feel emabrased about canceling 4th Edition after just 3 years and try to avoid admiting that they are working on the 5th Edition now.

 

[Hassassin]

Total guess: They will update 5e iteratively, so they can justify a new version of the core set every X years.

 

[the Jester]

But there's a really good reason for not using "D&D Next". What happens when they do 6e? "D&D Next But One"? Just number your editions. It's clean, it's simple, and everyone knows what you're talking about.

In all fairness, there has been some chatter about "getting off the edition treadmill" with a version of D&D that won't go obsolete in a few years.

Assumed reason: They feel emabrased about canceling 4th Edition after just 3 years and try to avoid admiting that they are working on the 5th Edition now.

June 2008 to (at soonest) mid to late 2013 is not 3 years.

 

[grimslade]

Iterative edition ver. 8.4.13

I think the change from edition to iteration is a marketing ploy. Edition has become an albatross around the neck of D&D since 3.5e.
Now if it is not just marketing, iteration could lend itself to a gentler curve of change to the game. A modular approach to splats and new rules means as long as the core is sound you can be releasing new 'iterations' of the game every quarter in perpetuity. It also lends itself to a subscription model very easily.
The other thing with iterations as opposed to editions is you do not need as much R&D staff once the core is out. You need editors and project leads and, conceivably, many freelancers.

 

[Yora]

June 2008 to (at soonest) mid to late 2013 is not 3 years.

However, the signs were all clearly visible in Summer 2011 and while 5th Edition is not there yet, the has been pretty much done for since the official announcement in early January.

Yes, 4th Edition will have a longer lifetime than 3 years, but they started developing 5th Edition just 3 years after the release of 4th.

 

[Infiniti2000]

So going over to wizard's site they always use the word iteration instead of addition. At first I didnt think anything of it but now it's starting to get irritating.

I really hope they don't use the word "addition." D&D 5th Addition? That would make no sense whatsoever.

 

[Mark CMG]

Yup, possibly a marketing gimmick, to get the reader to fill in the "5E" or whatever the reader wants to call it, to take a certain level of mental connectedness to the product, to feel anticipation for it. It's like when a car salesman asks if you think the car you are test driving will fit in your garage. The prosepctive buyer then takes a certain level of mental ownership, picturing putting their car in their own garage.


Alternately, they may have a name in mind for it that would sound too grandiose before more of it is rolled out, like D&Delicious! Or, more likely, something along the lines of Ultimate D&D, D&D Forever, or D&Definitive.


It might also mean they haven't come up with a name and wish to see where the design is going before fully branding it. In any event, it's 5E to me both because it makes sense and because it's faster to type than Iteration.