D&D 5E (2024) Predict WotC's 2026 D&D releases

[tetrasodium]

Sure, I've already seen 6e, and it's called Daggerheart.

I think it's more like draw steel or crows but dagger Heart has a solid place among them for its niche

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I think it's more like draw steel or crows but dagger Heart has a solid place among them for its niche

Daggerheart is very much the direction of the mass market, and therefore the direction WotC have to follow. If WotC had put it out instead of a smaller company it’s what everyone would be playing now. Simple loose rules, with the emphasis on story and role play is what the mass market wants. Fantasy small unit tactics remains as niche (and male) as it was in the 1970s. There is a direct correlation between the simplicity of your rules and the number of people willing to play.

 

[tetrasodium]

Daggerheart is very much the direction of the mass market, and therefore the direction WotC have to follow. If WotC had put it out instead of a smaller company it’s what everyone would be playing now. Simple loose rules, with the emphasis on story and role play is what the mass market wants. Fantasy small unit tactics remains as niche (and male) as it was in the 1970s. There is a direct correlation between the simplicity of your rules and the number of people willing to play.

I've run both dh and ds in public/open games at a flgs. "Story and roleplay" is great sure, especially in a made for profit live play with a cast of professional voice actors but the average mass market player doesn't give a fig about roleplay beyond their own nose and just wants the ttrpg equipment of isekai anime author/viewer self insert power fantasy a couple hours a week. What you cute as a "mass market" of roleplayers is more than a little an over hyped echo chamber fueled by the ROLEplay vrs ROLEplay crowd.

Dh has a place yes, but that place is not the next d&d

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I've run both dh and ds in public/open games at a flgs.

People who turn up to such events are very self-selecting to be hardcore serious tabletop gamers. The mass market is made up of people who wouldn't be seen dead at a FLGs (even if they had one, most people don't).

 

[tetrasodium]

People who turn up to such events are very self-selecting to be hardcore serious tabletop gamers. The mass market is made up of people who wouldn't be seen dead at a FLGs (even if they had one, most people don't).

Funny I've never heard anyone say that about similarly posted and run AL games. Quite the opposite in fact, the draw of AL tends to get held up as a big deal thing for d&d. Both games were run on multiple days with totally different groups of varied trrpg experience.

Are you really claiming that a game posted to a flgs's AL facebook group and mentioned across multiple of those AL tables by their respective GM's is somehow going to be limited to "hardcore serious gamers"? It's ok for a system to be certain about it's niche and devote itself to heavily focusing on servicing that niche, but not every niche applies to every need.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Funny I've never heard anyone say that about similarly posted and run AL games. Quite the opposite in fact, the draw of AL tends to get held up as a big deal thing for d&d. Both games were run on multiple days with totally different groups of varied trrpg experience.

Are you really claiming that a game posted to a flgs's AL facebook group and mentioned across multiple of those AL tables by their respective GM's is somehow going to be limited to "hardcore serious gamers"? It's ok for a system to be certain about it's niche and devote itself to heavily focusing on servicing that niche, but not every niche applies to every need.

I don’t know of anyone who would touch AL with a bargepole. It’s sen as too hardcore by people who don’t want to be told off for not knowing all the rules. I do know that many FLGs have an (unfair) unsavoury reputation. There has been an increase in games cafes since the pandemic, which smuggle in the D&D hidden between the Scrabble and Dominoes in a much more acceptably middle class environment.

There are certainly bubbles involved, but yours is the tiny one.

 

[tetrasodium]

I don’t know of anyone who would touch AL with a bargepole. It’s sen as too hardcore by people who don’t want to be told off for not knowing all the rules. I do know that many FLGs have an (unfair) unsavoury reputation. There has been an increase in games cafes since the pandemic, which smuggle in the D&D hidden between the Scrabble and Dominoes in a much more acceptably middle class environment.

There are certainly bubbles involved, but yours is the tiny one.

Psst... You forgot what was being discussed. We were talking about how "mass market" & "hardcore serious tabletop gamers" are very different groups. Most of the AL players I see are just there because they can play d&d with all the time investment one could expect from a few rounds of pubg or whatever & Don't even know that there is a difference between the two . We weren't talking about your circle of roleplayers

 

[Paul Farquhar]

We weren't talking about your circle of roleplayers

I’m not talking about my circle. As a school teacher (and someone with other hobbies) I come into contact with quite a lot of people who play D&D who are not part of my own group. You may not believe me, but your bubble of D&D players who play AL is a tiny hardcore. There are lots of normal people playing casually these days, with the emphasis being on the social side.

 

[GarrettKP]

I don’t know of anyone who would touch AL with a bargepole. It’s sen as too hardcore by people who don’t want to be told off for not knowing all the rules. I do know that many FLGs have an (unfair) unsavoury reputation. There has been an increase in games cafes since the pandemic, which smuggle in the D&D hidden between the Scrabble and Dominoes in a much more acceptably middle class environment.

There are certainly bubbles involved, but yours is the tiny one.

I’m not sure FLGs have an unfair reputation. I’ve been to many throughout my home state, and I’d say about 80% conform to the stereotypes people typically assign to those types of stores. And I’ve had much better success at speakeasies and coffee shops that hold game nights.

Not saying all FLGs are like this, but there’s a reason they got that reputation and I wouldn’t call it unfair.

 

[Remathilis]

Sure, I've already seen 6e, and it's called Daggerheart.

Oh please no...

I tried to like DH. It's too loosey goosey for my tastes. I'd much prefer 5.75 over DH if that's the direction they go in...