D&D (2024) We’ll be merging the One D&D and D&D forums shortly

[Kurotowa]

It's pretty clear: it is a backwards compatible new typical edition of the same game released in 2014. "D&D" or "current D&D" will work most of the time, and that's what WotC is going to be doing in all their material it seems, but "D&D'24" or some simple variant on that works fine if a differentiation is needed.

I'll say it again. What WotC is doing will be familiar to anyone who's played a live service video game. Which given the demographics of this forum, thanks to a recent thread, may not be a lot of folks here.

This is a bundled package of balance patch, system update, and new content drop. The difference is we have to opt-in by buying new books, because physical books are still the primary source. There's no automatic and mandatory update installed when you turn on Steam one day.

 

[Parmandur]

I'll say it again. What WotC is doing will be familiar to anyone who's played a live service video game. Which given the demographics of this forum, thanks to a recent thread, may not be a lot of folks here.

This is a bundled package of balance patch, system update, and new content drop. The difference is we have to opt-in by buying new books, because physical books are still the primary source. There's no automatic and mandatory update installed when you turn on Steam one day.

Dollars to donuts the SRD on Beyond updates, however.

 

[Audiomancer]

If it flops can we call it 5.dead?

Or 5.flop has an even better ring!

This one’s easy.

If it flops… then it’s 4E.

 

[Mistwell]

How many threads have been started on this very forum, where someone asks a question about D&D without putting a label, which then results in essentially all of the replies being some combination of or variation upon:

• "You'll have to tell us what edition so we can answer your question"
• "I'm guessing it's <edition X> because of a phrase you used"
• "Well, it worked like <foo> in <edition X> and like <bar> in <edition Y>, hope that's helpful"
• "Ask your DM" (and, all too often, getting back "I am the DM, I want help...")

Not too many.

Calling a game just flat "D&D" really does cause confusion, at least in places that often discuss it. Perhaps, if you're talking to folks who genuinely don't know the difference, it won't matter--but since they don't know the difference, they don't need a name for things, do they?

It hasn't been a real issue here at ENWorld. You post in this sub-forum right here, and people default to assuming you mean the latest edition unless you used the tag for an older edition.

In fact, I don't recall the last time it was an issue when I started a thread without specifying. People all got the edition right without it ever even coming up.

 

[CM]

D&D 5ever

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I mean, most of that is just nerds being pedantic, not genuine confusion.

The currents rules don’t need a modifying descriptor, so if someone doesn’t specify, they mean the current rules.

I have seen at least three instances in just the past few months where someone actually meant 3.5e, PF1e, or some other edition, and simply neglected to specify. It's not pedantry if someone is actually asking for details on how something works.

It's great when they make it really easy for you to report on the news about the 2024 version of 5th edition that's not a new edition and really isn't a version either but it's the same game...

But it's also not the same game but it mostly is the same game but it's actually an evolution not a revolution but the preceding-but-not-previous same-not-same-but-same game had a part in it which folks see as more of a revolution even though it really wasn't a revolution at all.

Not too many.

It hasn't been a real issue here at ENWorld. You post in this sub-forum right here, and people default to assuming you mean the latest edition unless you used the tag for an older edition.

In fact, I don't recall the last time it was an issue when I started a thread without specifying. People all got the edition right without it ever even coming up.

It literally came up within the last two or three months, max. Maybe you didn't see the thread; these sorts of things rarely become the 10+ page hundreds-of-replies threads that get traction. I'd have to go digging through posts to find it, since I don't recall the specific subject. But I guarantee you it's come up relatively recently (and was, IIRC, 3.5e not 5e--despite being in this forum.)

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

The whole editions nomenclature seems normal on this forum because we're mostly grognards (and proud of it!), but if you said "5e" to one of my kids in D&D club they would assume you were talking about a math problem or something. For most players, it's already just "D&D."

We'll have to see what labels they end up using now that those kids get to live through an edition change. Will they care about the differences enough to use a different name, or not?

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I think Morrus has solved any problem that we're discussing - It's in the D&D forum with a D&D 2024 tag. Seems like there shouldn't be much confusion.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Not too many.

It hasn't been a real issue here at ENWorld. You post in this sub-forum right here, and people default to assuming you mean the latest edition unless you used the tag for an older edition.

In fact, I don't recall the last time it was an issue when I started a thread without specifying. People all got the edition right without it ever even coming up.

I don't know. I always want to know what edition someone's talking about. It often makes a big difference, as many different editions are functionally different games with similar terminology.

 

[Mistwell]

I don't know. I always want to know what edition someone's talking about. It often makes a big difference, as many different editions are functionally different games with similar terminology.

90% of posts are about the current edition, and we have edition tags for posts. I am really not seeing the issue.