Will 5e be the last edition to emphasize print products?

[bedir than]

A very large part of the success of 5e is that it is a tangible thing to do with friends around a table. It is succeeding as much as it is because people want things they can touch, dice they can throw and space from digital life. The anachronistic nature of D&D is part of its appeal and that will remain true.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Certainly there's no longer an in print Dragon or Dungeon magazine anymore, but those things were always more "disposable".

When I pick up my wargaming magazines each month I always lament there isn't a print RPG mag to throw my money at. the UK has at least 3 major wargaming mags but no RPG mags out there?

So I always leave the store a sad Flexor. 18/100 STR can't help with that.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

I remember the case where it felt really necessary I had either my phone or a tablet at the gaming table and that was when playing Pathfinder when I had a Summoner character and only owned the Corebook of Pathfinder. In addition to playing a class not in the the Corebook, practically every time my character cast Summon Monster I had to look up the stats of whatever I was summoning (but eventually settled on a printout from a PDF with Summon Monster statblocks at each level).

For D&D, I feel most groups usually everyone owns a PHB and brings it with them, but that may not always be the case. And it's dependent on the group being permissive of the use of other products.

 

[OB1]

I’ll take it one step further.
I think 5e will be the last edition period, with it migrating to primarily a digital product line that will evolve over time. So instead of an official 6e, it will just be D&D, but with updates and changes that will keep it fresh and relevant.
When there is enough drift to the PHB to warrant it, they will likely issue an updated version, but it will be comparable with all old material.
It took 45 years and 5 editions, but they finally have a version the continues to see double digit sales growth 5 years after release. Sort of like baseball or football, which went through a long period of constant change before finally finding a sweet spot and settling into forms that change much more slowly now.

 

[ad_hoc]

Boardgame popularity continues to rise.

In a time when everything is digital people appreciate something they can hold in their hands.

I want my D&D time to be without any digital screens. I think a lot of people share that sentiment and is one reason that D&D is so popular.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I’ll take it one step further.
I think 5e will be the last edition period, with it migrating to primarily a digital product line that will evolve over time. So instead of an official 6e, it will just be D&D, but with updates and changes that will keep it fresh and relevant.
When there is enough drift to the PHB to warrant it, they will likely issue an updated version, but it will be comparable with all old material.
It took 45 years and 5 editions, but they finally have a version the continues to see double digit sales growth 5 years after release. Sort of like baseball or football, which went through a long period of constant change before finally finding a sweet spot and settling into forms that change much more slowly now.

I think this is going to be the case. When sufficient tools are in place D&D will become a living ruleset. We will see a constant evolution on ways to consume D&D. Not just streaming games as entertainment but there has been huge growth on VTTs. I wonder has anyone seen any statistics on the number of player at actual tables vs the number on VTTs?

There are a lot of people using VTTs or other electronic tools for presenting information at the table and I could see Augmented Reality gear and VR adding to that mix in the future and being supported by online services.

 

[ccs]

I’ll take it one step further.
I think 5e will be the last edition period, with it migrating to primarily a digital product line that will evolve over time. So instead of an official 6e, it will just be D&D, but with updates and changes that will keep it fresh and relevant.
When there is enough drift to the PHB to warrant it, they will likely issue an updated version, but it will be comparable with all old material.
It took 45 years and 5 editions, but they finally have a version the continues to see double digit sales growth 5 years after release. Sort of like baseball or football, which went through a long period of constant change before finally finding a sweet spot and settling into forms that change much more slowly now.

I'll bet you a 6e PHB (print copy) that your wrong.

6e will look very similar to 5e & it'll be largely backwards compatible at real world tables (not so much digitally). Like going from 1e to 2e, or mixing 3.0/3.5/PF.
But it'll contain just enough new stuff/changes to make it compelling to buy the new books. Wich will be for sale in your local stores.
It'll probably also arrive a lot sooner than some of you think & be heralded by a bunch of hype & hoopla.

 

[Immortal Sun]

I probably wont buy D&D if it doesn't print books. I like being able to share my copy of the book. I like PDFs for personal reference at home, I like digital tools for easy character/monster building, but when I sit down at the table, I try to be as tech free as possible.

 

[Eltab]

As long as D&D has a significant customer base who played the game before there was an Internet, D&D will print books. Passing time and the effects of old age will eventually change the balance. I do not see any reason for 6e to be introduced soon, 5e products sell well. The longer WotC waits, the less likely that books will be important.

 

[MNblockhead]

I don't think it is a binary decision. Print and digital will continue to exist side by side for a long time to come.

I rarely use the print products at the table anymore, even though I'm almost exclusively playing in-person games. But I still buy all the hard covers, because I enjoy them. I like paging through the books. I find art easier to appreciate on paper, I like the aesthetics of a bookshelf filled with quality and evocative books. I have long ago done away with most of my common, cheap paper backs, and most of my library is on Kindle, but I continue to maintain a smaller library of quality or nostalgic titles.

I'm not alone. I know a number of popular bloggers and podcasters have found a market for curated collections of their writings/talks in print, often emphasizing high quality paper and binding. I have purchased such books. I also have purchased print versions of web comics that I love. Even if I've already read the entire comic online and can still access the entire comic online, if I love it, I want it in a high quality print version.

Print carries a sense of value and permanency. It feels more a part of your life. Good books become part of your environment. As long as we remain physical beings, I think that there will remain print versions of the works we love.