D&D 5E (2024) No 5.5 AP Yet?

[Zardnaar]

So I generally have a low opinion of the 5E APs. Theres two very ood ones imho and a few good ones.

One year+ on though no AP yet.

Obviously it means D&D is doomed and WotC kicked my cat (not my avatar picture thats my nephew cat).

Generally I think theres been a massive uptick in product quality (core books, Faerun, FotA, Starter ser). No duds. Alot more player facing content of you count the Beyond "DLCs" (Netheril was a "dud"?).

 

[Reynard]

I think there is some rethinking of the schedule going on. Otherwise they would have said something about 2026 by now.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Well my own hope would be that it means the days of the WotC "big dumb campaign book" are just over, because they're frankly poor products.

But really what it probably comes down to is that, having had a particularly poor product with Hoard of the Dragon Queen, the 5e campaign book mostly written before all the core books were finished and before its authors had much sense of how the game played, and having a lot more leeway to put off the next big dumb campaign book because the 5e ones are mostly compatible, they decided to not start developing new campaign books in earnest until the core books were done, and the first one is still in the pipeline.

 

[Distracted DM]

On one hand, lots of employment shake-ups recently. On the other hand, it's been stated many times that the schedules and products are laid out years ahead of time- so recent shake-ups shouldn't have a big impact on stuff that should be releasing soon after.

Though as above says, "big campaign dumb books." I think they tend to be better marketing than actual play: the number of players I've had that have come up and said "oh are you going to run BG: DiA/ToA/ID:RotFM? It sounds so cool!" is significant.
But I might just have had worse experiences than others with actually getting a full run-through of 5e's adventure-campaign books. I've finished a couple, and they were good, but I've aborted a lot more than I've finished in favor of earlier editions' adventures or turning smaller-form modules into a campaign.

 

[Charlaquin]

I think the adventure anthologies are usually better received than the big honking adventure paths (other than Curse of Strahd).

 

[Zardnaar]

Well my own hope would be that it means the days of the WotC "big dumb campaign book" are just over, because they're frankly poor products.

But really what it probably comes down to is that, having had a particularly poor product with Hoard of the Dragon Queen, the 5e campaign book mostly written before all the core books were finished and before its authors had much sense of how the game played, and having a lot more leeway to put off the next big dumb campaign book because the 5e ones are mostly compatible, they decided to not start developing new campaign books in earnest until the core books were done, and the first one is still in the pipeline.

HotDQ imho is the worst 5E AP. It kind of gets a pass though due to being very early and changes in playtest material.

Yeah most a poor products as well.

 

[Zardnaar]

I think there is some rethinking of the schedule going on. Otherwise they would have said something about 2026 by now.

You could be right

 

[Zardnaar]

I think the adventure anthologies are usually better received than the big honking adventure paths (other than Curse of Strahd).

Yup. There's useful stuff in all of them. I picked all *6?) of them up.

 

[DragonLancer]

I'm used to 3rd edition and Pathfinder 1st, which had loads of books every year. I miss monster books, adventure paths/campaigns, sourcebooks...etc. I feel 2026 is going to be so quiet.