D&D 5E Revisiting revised core rulebooks

[R_J_K75]

No, there is no published rule that lets you have more than one bonus action per turn. If anyone is doing more than one, then there is a house rule at play, but nothing official.

That's what I thought. 1 bonus action and 1 reaction per turn per character/creature although can drag combat out its manageable. Adding in held/readied actions that's when it gets a little unruly. 1E and 2E were either attack and move, full attack, full move or use a magical item right, at least until the combat and tactics came out?

 

[Mercurius]

Agree about something 50th Anniversary. Absolutely disagree about "5.15" for reasons stated that have not been rebuffed in your comment so still stand.

We will not see a "5.1" or "5.3". Either they will turn the crank or they will keep the cash cow going. That could be a 5.5 with enough changes that it's only sorta kinda backwards compatible like 3.0 to 3.5, but I doubt it. I think 6e is more likely. I guess I would say my guesses about 50th Anniversary would be ranked:

1. New Limited edition collector covers + "Big Hardcover"+tie ins + Class Feature Variant / XGtE 2 book
2. 6e.
3. Just an increased publishing schedule with lots of 50th special editions.
4. 5.5e

Again, you can "keep the cash cow going" with revised core rulebooks. New art, a few new bells and whistles, edits, etc. People will buy them.

In the end, though, it is anyone's guess what they will actually do. They may not even know, and will want to first figure out how to ride out the current various dramas.

 

[R_J_K75]

In the end, though, it is anyone's guess what they will actually do. They may not even know, and will want to first figure out how to ride out the current various dramas.

Probably the most likely scenario, sit and wait and do nothing until things calm down and see how things pan out. No sense in rushing into things.

 

[Mercurius]

A - I don't think revised rulebooks are particularly likely. The stuff they want to change is too messy and would require too fundamental of a rethink to the design.
B - I think significant revision re: secondary books like a Xanathars 2 is extremely likely. They'll keep it optional within 5E.
C - Yes, I think 6E was already closer than we though, internally in WotC, at least as an option, and I strongly suspect that, for WotC, the rest of 5E will be that "let's try out more wild ideas" phase that D&D enters at the end of an edition's lifespan. We won't see the impact for 8-16 months I'd guess, but then I suspect we'll see wilder stuff.

This may be wishful thinking on my part, but I don't think so. Every previous edition, without exception, started doing this in the last few years - once you start making big changes and additions, even if they're purely optional, you want to make more, and generally the public likes it.

If they do bother with a revised, there's no way they'll do it for less than a 5.5 or 5.75 (where Pathfinder is regarded as 3.75E). It'd be backwards compatible, but more in the sense that you could still use all your 5E adventures with it than every piece of 5E material. It's the adventures that people care about with backwards compatibility.

Yeah, I think whatever they do as far as a new edition (or micro-edition) is concerned will be at least mostly backwards compatible, at least no less so tha 3.5/3E or 2/1E. We won't see another big jump ala 3.5 to 4 or 4 to 5.

I like the idea of "more wild ideas." The difference now compared to the last few editions, though, is that 5E is still rising--or at least plateauing--in terms of popularity. Also, they haven't glutted the market with re-capitulating the usual products. So while I like the idea of them producer wilder stuff, I think we'll at least see planes and psionics first.

Though we're now six years into 5E--well past the demise of 4E and a year from the demise of 3.5--we're not nearly as far into the "edition cycle" relative to the last two. Now I think it is clear that they're taking a different route with 5E, so it could be that "wilder stuff" could be coming soon, or maybe they'll take a wilder approach to old stand-bys like psionics and the planes.

 

[R_J_K75]

So while I like the idea of them producer wilder stuff, I think we'll at least see planes and psionics first.

Im guessing that they'll release whatever is on the schedule, in the works already before they think about anything new. Anyone know how far out their plans/schedule is, 1-2 years?

 

[Mercurius]

Im guessing that they'll release whatever is on the schedule, in the works already before they think about anything new. Anyone know how far out their plans/schedule is, 1-2 years?

Don't know--maybe a business/publishing person could chime in--but I think it is about that or even longer, and that they probably have a vague outline for the next 3-5 years. They probably have several books mostly complete in the queue, and then a few others in various stages of progress, and then leave room for new ideas to some up and be expedited.

Purely speculative, but this would mean something like:

2020 Q4 book: Text complete, final edits and layout, almost ready for printers.
2021 Q1-Q2 books: In revision, working on art and layout.
2021 Q3-4 books: In progress.
2022 books: Research and initial writing.
2023-25 books: Bouncing around ideas, initial research.

 

[R_J_K75]

Don't know--maybe a business/publishing person could chime in--but I think it is about that or even longer, and that they probably have a vague outline for the next 3-5 years. They probably have several books mostly complete in the queue, and then a few others in various stages of progress, and then leave room for new ideas to some up and be expedited.

Purely speculative, but this would mean something like:

2020 Q4 book: Text complete, final edits and layout, almost ready for printers.
2021 Q1-Q2 books: In revision, working on art and layout.
2021 Q3-4 books: In progress.
2022 books: Research and initial writing.
2023-25 books: Bouncing around ideas, initial research.

Sometime in 2022 is probably a good assumption for them to start working on anything new. I seem to remember reading something that they work on a 2 year schedule and don't like to plan too far ahead. Who knows with changing personnel, the current social landscape and the pandemic its anyone's guess at this point.

 

[Haldrik]

What if?

The anniversary edition is instead a "Rules Compendium" that puts all of the core rules into a single book.

This would feel like leaving the three core books alone, while also having a new comprehensive core rulebook, that includes all of the updates.

 

[Blue]

Again, you can "keep the cash cow going" with revised core rulebooks. New art, a few new bells and whistles, edits, etc. People will buy them.

In the end, though, it is anyone's guess what they will actually do. They may not even know, and will want to first figure out how to ride out the current various dramas.

By definition, replacing the cash cow is not "keeping it going", it's starting a new one. So no, you can not keep a cash cow going by dropping it and replacing it. At best, you can replace one cash cow with another.

Just changing art and covers has nothing to do with an edition change and will not anger consumers. I've suggested elsewhere in this thread about limited edition with collectable covers as one of the most likely things to happen.

 

[TwoSix]

Shadow of the Demon Lord. But since Schwalb did a lot of work on 4e and 5e, it may very well have originated from there.

It really just means that you are only tracking 2 things instead of 3. And I've found in play it makes a big difference.

I would love a 6E that borrowed liberally from Shadow of the Demon Lord.