I'm just fine with the present pace. Eventually, I'd like to see a printed compilation of the UA articles (which will hopefully include psionics), and maybe a second Monster Manual. Add in one or two adventure paths a year, and that's about all I'll need for the next ten years or so.
D&D 5E MUSING: An Evergreen, static Fifth Edition...
- Thread starter Remathilis
- Start date
I don't believe there is a limited amount of quality books they can release, or at least the limit is so high it might as not exist. At least if you include setting material and adventures - I agree that there's a limited amount of design space in the system for "crunch", but not for adventures and "fluff." Even limiting oneself to Forgotten Realms, you could make (in addition to a general big ol' setting book/box) material on the Western Heartlands/Sword Coast, the Dalelands, Cormyr, Dragon Coast, the Vast, the Moonsea, the North, Sembia - and that's keeping to the Heartlands. If you go beyond that, you have at least as many books more, and of course there's room to delve into greater detail here and there (you could have both a Sword Coast book, and a Baldur's Gate book). Similarly for Eberron - Aundair, Breland, Cyre/The Mournlands, Thrane, Karrnath, Shadow Marches, Demon Wastes, Droaam, Eldeen Reaches, Zilargo, Dhakaan, Valenar, Talenta Plains, Q'Barra, Mror Holds, and the Lhazaar Principalities could all support a book each, or possibly do some logical combinations (e.g. Breland + Zilargo, Cyre/Mournlands + Dhakaan + Valenar, Shadow Marches + Droaam, Thrane + Demon Wastes, Aundair + Eldeen Reaches, Karrnath + Talenta, Mror Holds + Lhazaar Principalities + Q'Barra). And that's only on a geographical basis - you have all sorts of organizations you can make sourcebooks about as well, or other setting concepts (e.g. religion).
All I'm waiting for is for those people who keep threatening to quit 5E if WotC doesn't release more stuff faster to actually do so. That'd be a content release I can really get behind!
Wouldn't that be a malcontent release?
Talmek
Explorer
While I'd like a little bit more in the way of publications from WotC (more campaign settings, less player *stuff* because I'm a GM 99% of the time...and lazy) I would be content with continuing to get the current output from them. I have found 5e really easy to run for my group and they have enjoyed more than we did in the 3.5 and 4e days because it doesn't take a whole lot of rules memorization to get down to playing. Ultimately, after purchasing the core rulebooks I can easily say that 5e will be the edition our group sticks with for a long while, regardless of what else they release.
delericho
Legend
Nitpick: by being unable to stop other people using the OGL.
delericho
Legend
Actually, it's not inevitable, especially with the current adventures-only approach: all they need to do is let the older adventures drop out of print at about the same rate as they publish new ones. If "Tyranny..." ceases to be readily available at the same time as "OotA" appears, the shelf of books in the FLGS will change from having the current 7 hardbacks to having 6.
Bear in mind that the "wall of books" is only an issue for potential new players walking into the FLGS for the first time and who therefore don't know where to start. People shopping online who don't know have Google, which makes every question an easy question (or perhaps the WotC site, though that tends to make even easy questions an exercise in frustration). And it doesn't matter how many books you or I have on our shelves, because in that case it's because we've chosen to put them there.
It is considerably harder to avoid a "wall of books" if you publish non-adventure supplements, of course. 4e did reasonably well with its setting support (only), in that each setting got a very limited amount of support and then stopped, and also only supported a given setting for a limited time. Though they didn't let the older settings become unavailable.
(And the current model of the online supplement for the current storyline is reasonably good for this, too, especially since the next storyline will most likely have its own supplement and, importantly, won't allow the use of the current supplement in AL games.)
Remathilis
Legend
Probably more more "haven't tried since the sales of third party stuff hasn't made a ding in their bottom line yet, but they aren't willing to announce 5e OGL and turn on the spiggot..."
Remathilis
Legend
Aside: Have we gotten any confirmation we will be getting a Rage of Demons Player's Guide? The Elemental Evil press release specifically called out the EEPG, announcing it was going to reprint genasi and the spells from PotA + three bonus races. I haven't seen anything in the RoD announcement that suggests we are getting another one.
Perhaps something in the Twitterverse suggested it, or is it just assumed?
delericho
Legend
I haven't seen anything. And it's possible that the PotA one only came about because of the non-cancellation event.
However, I'll personally be surprised if they don't produce an accompanying guide containing some additional options, because that's exactly the sort of hook that will pull in a few more players for their event. ("You mean I can now play a Duergar? Cool!") But... I expect that any OotA player's supplement will include at least some reprinted material (Deep Gnomes), and the AL season will almost certainly allow the OotA splat but not the PotA one.
