D&D 5E What is WotC working on now?

[Parmandur]

Conversion guides would be a really cheap way of suddenly providing hundreds of adventures for your game, instantly turning it into an incredibly well-supported game.



That said, it then removes the benefit of an OGL-style license, as third party support fills that same role.

I'd say it multiplies the advantage, rather than removing.

A decent conversion guide for the past editions would make 5E the most supported game on the market, and having a decent license would mean that would only grow.

Heck, a 3.5 conversion guide (not that difficult) means anything Paizo makes is as good as supporting 5E, let alone 3rd party PF support.

 

[Morrus]

I'd say it multiplies the advantage, rather than removing.

Semantics. Removes the need, or replicates the benefit, I should have said. It certainly doesn't multiply the need!

 

[Zaran]

Really? I missed that! Do you have a link to any more info?

I tried to find it on the Wizards site but it didn't come up. If I remember I'll try to search enworld on the topic. (On my phone) I remember they talked about it on their podcast and said they wanted to time the book release with the movie. Which that didn't work out since the movie was delayed.

 

[pukunui]

Yes. The thread is about "things that WotC is working on".

I thought it was worth clarifying that it's not a third-party product but rather an outsourced WotC product. That being said, WotC may still be working with Sasquatch on the content, as well, so I think the Elemental Evil stuff still qualifies as something that WotC is working on.

 

[S_Dalsgaard]

I hope that one of the first things they will do, is get the Dragon and Dungeon magazines up and running again. It would be a nice quick fix for both new monsters, classes, etc. for those who wants those and maybe some good articles on upgrading the various official campaigns to 5e, as a fix until they presumably release new campaign books for at least some of them.

 

[Sitara]

I have a friend whose 3rd cousin on his mother's side works in the building just a few squares away from WOTC head office. He says they have begun work on D&D 6e. It will be totally digital and has been designed to work best on the occulus rift.

 

[aramis erak]

Did they? I thought WotC essentially had nothing to do with those movies, since Sweetpea had the rights to them.

The issues are that three companies are using the same trademark:
WotC/Hasbro - who owns the trademark, and thought the sweetpea license was expired
Sweetpea, who is licensed to use it, but under an interesting auto-renewal clause
Universal, who is licensed by HasBro.

Sweetpea's autorenewal clause (not uncommon - sony has one for Spiderman, for example) is based upon producing a royalties-for-hasbro generating movie every X years.

Hasbro has contended that Sweetpea didn't hit the mark. (I don't recall what exactly)
Hasbro, having sent notice to Sweetpea, licensed Universal.
Sweetpea blocked universal from going forward until the courts resolve the status of their license.
Universal is an injured party either way. If sweetpea prevails, HasBro owes them. If Hasbro prevails, Sweetpea owes them.

And, it's possible that the judge might just invalidate or uphold both licenses, and/or void the trademark for evidenced non-defense... When judges give those kinds of warnings, its often scorched earth and appeals...

 

[guachi]

I'd say it multiplies the advantage, rather than removing.

It's 5e so the advantage only applies once. Zing!

Thank you. I'll be here all week.

 

[Blue]

I have a friend whose 3rd cousin on his mother's side works in the building just a few squares away from WOTC head office.

Are those five foot squares, or is this more callbacks to earlier editions where inside squares were 10ft on a side and outdoors they were 10 yards on the side?

Back on topic, with the core group so tight compared to previous years, what I hope they AREN'T working on are resumes before the holiday layoffs.

There are a number of things that have been promised but pushed back, such as the mass battle system, that they could be working on.

As for additional products to sell, there was some talk about connected setting+rules+adventure products, so my guess would be working up the new FR, including rules for some FR specifics as well as an adventure path. If not FR, then the same treatment for one of the other core D&D settings, probably something more inclusive like Greyhawk instead of niche like Spelljammer or Ravenloft for their first.

 

[Parmandur]

Semantics. Removes the need, or replicates the benefit, I should have said. It certainly doesn't multiply the need!

For WOTC, it is a benefit very much worth replicating; heck, 3.5 conversion guidelines along with an open license are a huge inventive for third parties to develop for 5E and PF simultaneously.