D&D 5E My Crazy Theory about 2015 5e

[Zaran]

I keep asking myself what WotC is working on if they aren't working on adventures and settings.

So this idea just popped into my head.

Last year was the 40th Anniversary. They pretty much had to put out SOMETHING out. So, I think they put out 5e in a late Beta state. Adding in a whole bunch of new content that wasn't playtested and sold it as finished product.

Then they can spend this year putting out surveys and data-mining our discussions about everything and then come out with a revised product that they can sell to us all over again.

It would explain why they are being so secretive about what they are working on this year. They can't really say they are working on "5.5e" or people would just flip out and stop buying any more core books. To tell you the truth if this was the case I wouldn't mind. I would like to see the game perfected without throwing out everything and making a new edition.

 

[doctorhook]

I think your theory is pretty crazy, bro.

I don't think it's realistic to think that all of this has been a secret ploy to distract us from a new edition. That would be a virtually-suicidal marketing ploy. Also, if 5E was supposed to be just a 40th anniversary product, why no mention of that anniversary on the actual product?

I think the truth is exactly what they've been saying it is: they want to take this edition slow, because the market for tabletop games and for dead-tree products has shrunk/is shrinking dramatically.

 

[Eejit]

I doubt it, if that was the case it wouldn't have make much sense for them to lose two of their editorial staff.

 

[delericho]

And announce 6e in 2016?

They've just sold us all $150 worth of core rulebooks for their new edition, that representing an above-inflation rise in the price of the game. That may well be a reasonable price, but it's still a significant chunk of change.

If they now turn around and try to get us to buy another $150 worth of core rulebooks, and especially if they do so by trying to sell us the message that "the books you just bought were really just a beta test", then I can see an awful lot of people telling them to, um, go forth and multiply.

Besides, if they were going to put out a new set of core rulebooks, they'd need those two editors they recently let go.

Sorry, I can't see it.

 

[Zaran]

I doubt it, if that was the case it wouldn't have make much sense for them to lose two of their editorial staff.

They wouldn't need all the editors if they keep the general layout of the book. I think they still have at least one editor on staff.

 

[Remathilis]

Here's my theory.

Shortly after the Monster Manual was released, a group of mind flayers tunneled up out of the earth near Seattle and ate the R&D's brains. These mindflayers realized they must now pose as humans to continue their plans for world domination, so they posed as the R&D team. The DMG was almost done, but they pushed it back to spend a little more time understanding human linguistics. They then released it, but the editors caught wind of the R&D's replacement (something about ithilids having god-like powers in the DMG monster-creation section) and after its release, fled and went into hiding for their lives (the PR team said they were let go). Now, the mind-flayer hive mind is attempting to learn how to create more stuff so they can continue their ruse; a beta-test packet left on someone's computer labeled "Eberron" and some basic DMing tips culled from "Dungeon Mastering for Dummies". Expect them to continue to trickle out stuff as they adapt to human thought (and until the remaining portion of their army arrives to enslave us all).

 

[Ravenheart87]

So, I think they put out 5e in a late Beta state. Adding in a whole bunch of new content that wasn't playtested and sold it as finished product.

It seems pretty complete and fully playable to me...

 

[Sacrosanct]

I'm from the pacific northwest. The idea that mind flayers live in Seattle going about their daily business is more believable than you probably realize

 

[TarionzCousin]

5.5E? That's crazy!

Of course, according to Monte Cook,* WotC knew before they published 3E that they would be making 3.5E.






*No, I don't know where he said this. I may be wrong. Life is complicated.

 

[delericho]

Of course, according to Monte Cook,* WotC knew before they published 3E that they would be making 3.5E.

*No, I don't know where he said this. I may be wrong. Life is complicated.

He did a set of posts about the time 3.5e was published in which this was revealed. But the plan was for 3.0e to last for 5 years before the update.

In theory, it's actually not a bad idea - give the base game time to settle, give people a chance to dig in and find the bugs, and then polish and re-issue. But the timing is key in this: a lot of issues only come to light after very extensive play, such that they were completely missed even after 3 years (3.5e). Doing an update after a single year is way too soon - many issues will simply not yet have been found.

Edit: the review in question appears to have been removed from Monte's website. However, this post quotes the relevant passage.