Marandahir
Crown-Forester (he/him)
WotC are calling it the Revised 5th Edition, per the MtG Secret Lair X D&D 50th Anniversary crossover release.
D&D (2024) Reworked…revised…redone….but
- Thread starter TerraDave
- Start date
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
Until six months from now, they they decide that "Revised 5th Edition" was just their overall 2024 strategy and everyone was crazy for thinking it referred to the actual books, merely because of WotC writing it down in such a way that made it seem like it does.
Marandahir
Crown-Forester (he/him)
I will forgive you for thinking this will happen! I'd argue that now that the first book is out, anything they publish referring to it would be more official than the series of [name pending] changes made over the last couple years. But for now, I'll be taking this as official word that these are the Revised 5th Edition Core Rules, akin to the Revised 2nd Edition in 1995, six years into that edition.
Lakesidefantasy
Hero
Eureka!
It just clicked with me! I don't usually count 3.0 and 3.5 as separate editions, but I do consider 2 to be a separate edition. (This all happens when I'm counting editions for whatever reason.)
I think this 50th anniversary edition will be like 3.0 and 3.5 for me--5.0 and 5.5 respectively,. Maybe, right now I'm kind of fond of "50th anniversary edition".
I don't know yet. I don't have the book and I won't for a few months. I don't have FOMO and I like to wait and see if anything pops up at Half-Price Books. With each edition change there is usually somebody out there disgusted by the new book.
Marandahir
Crown-Forester (he/him)
Given that they're calling it now "Revised 5th Edition" a la "2nd Edition AD&D -- Revised" from 1995, I think we can safely put it in the same category as the various revisions to Basic D&D (B/X, BECMI, Rules Cyclopedia, Classic D&D), 2e AD&D Revised, v3.5 D&D, and 4e Essentials. If you want to call that a 5.5e fine, but there's no promise there won't be a 60th Anniversary further revision (though for 60 years I wouldn't be surprised if they move onto using the term 6th Edition).
I would note that: Original D&D was pretty much backwards compatible with Chainmail's Fantasy supplement; both Basic D&D and Advanced D&D 1st Edition were pretty much backwards compatible with Original D&D; and 2E AD&D was pretty much backwards compatible with 1E AD&D. By the time of 2nd Edition, however, the Basic and Advanced versions of D&D were mostly incompatible with each other, and 3E was a hard break from 2E, likewise 4E from 3E and 5E from 4E. It may be however that whatever comes in 2034, even if called 6th Edition, will be likewise backwards compatible with the Revised 5th Edition, returning to the iterative model of edition development.
3E ultimately came from WotC buying D&D and Hasbro buying WotC. 4E came from Hasbro pushing for a digital toolset and trying to follow the leader of digital MMOs (and trying to take back the market from being undercut by their own subcontractors like Paizo after the mistakes of the OGL). 5E came from WotC trying to re-unify the broken base via a massive public playtest to figure out what people wanted from the game. Each of these 3 edition revisions came from a major shift in market strategy.
But at this point, WotC have been able to reimplement the OGL and 3rd party development for 5e in a massive way without significantly undercutting their own profitability. And now they're finally able to get the dream of 4E, the digital toolset, online (mostly by buying out a major subcontractor in D&D Beyond, but now also by the new upcoming 3D tabletop software). And they've done this without completely shattering their player base (despite the flourishing of spin-off systems like Morrus' Level Up and the resurgence of other fantasy tabletop games like OSR. And they lack their own subdivision of multiple competing D&D game variations like they had in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. So now they can pretty reliably drop back on iterative development of editions again, regardless of how they brand the game's edition.
I would note that: Original D&D was pretty much backwards compatible with Chainmail's Fantasy supplement; both Basic D&D and Advanced D&D 1st Edition were pretty much backwards compatible with Original D&D; and 2E AD&D was pretty much backwards compatible with 1E AD&D. By the time of 2nd Edition, however, the Basic and Advanced versions of D&D were mostly incompatible with each other, and 3E was a hard break from 2E, likewise 4E from 3E and 5E from 4E. It may be however that whatever comes in 2034, even if called 6th Edition, will be likewise backwards compatible with the Revised 5th Edition, returning to the iterative model of edition development.
3E ultimately came from WotC buying D&D and Hasbro buying WotC. 4E came from Hasbro pushing for a digital toolset and trying to follow the leader of digital MMOs (and trying to take back the market from being undercut by their own subcontractors like Paizo after the mistakes of the OGL). 5E came from WotC trying to re-unify the broken base via a massive public playtest to figure out what people wanted from the game. Each of these 3 edition revisions came from a major shift in market strategy.
But at this point, WotC have been able to reimplement the OGL and 3rd party development for 5e in a massive way without significantly undercutting their own profitability. And now they're finally able to get the dream of 4E, the digital toolset, online (mostly by buying out a major subcontractor in D&D Beyond, but now also by the new upcoming 3D tabletop software). And they've done this without completely shattering their player base (despite the flourishing of spin-off systems like Morrus' Level Up and the resurgence of other fantasy tabletop games like OSR. And they lack their own subdivision of multiple competing D&D game variations like they had in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. So now they can pretty reliably drop back on iterative development of editions again, regardless of how they brand the game's edition.
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
I think you can be guaranteed there will be some sort of core book refresh for the 60th anniversary.
The big question is whether they'll do the same for the 70th anniversary or just hold on and then go nuts for the 75th.
One point I feel hasn't been mentioned much in these discussions over how separate 2024 should be considered, is that for newer/less experienced i.e. younger players, this does create another layer of added confusion esp. when access to physical books are limited (either 2014 or 2024); in that those players rely on a variety of websites that are not D&D Beyond to look up, copy and print information from. There's no assurance that those are 100% accurate, much less which rule set they are.
Even with D&D Beyond, depending on rule set, one now has to direct them to the "Legacy" version of things.
That generally leads to more work for table runners.
Even with D&D Beyond, depending on rule set, one now has to direct them to the "Legacy" version of things.
That generally leads to more work for table runners.
Lakesidefantasy
Hero
I wonder if Wizards of the Coast is counting on the confusion? Counting on it to drive players to seek official, ever-updated, constantly changing content available online that is long past compatible with the old 2014 books as well as the old 2024 books.
Lakesidefantasy
Hero
I think any 60th anniversary books will either be very thin or very expensive, because at that point, most of us will be purchasing content piecemeal online.
DrJawaPhD
Hero
I really don't see how customer confusion helps WotC in any way whatsoever. When people want to buy your product, you want them to know what product to go buy, not be helplessly confused about what they're supposed to buy.
There is nothing strategically malicious at play here, they're just being inept and tripping over themselves like usual.
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