Will there ever be new editions of the major systems?

[The Soloist]

I don't think it's just naming conventions that will factor into that. I think WotC got burned so badly by making a major break with 4E that, unless something dramatically changes (like sales drop to zero dramatic), they will want to have more continuity with the current version each time they push out a new iteration.

So we'll see stuff like the 1E/2E or 3E/3.5 transition, but those are editions where people quite easily used material from either side of the line interchangeably, although the market largely moved forward to the newest version over time.

Agreed. When WoTC said 5e would be evergreen in 2014, no one believed them, but they were serious. 5e is now almost 12 years old. Many people started with it. I don't see any major rules shake up either.

 

[HatWearingFool]

As stated above my Morrus, naming conventions have changed.

In 6 to 8 years the next D&D edition will still be 5e, with updates, and we will call it 5e [insert year].

I disagree.

I think a number change will be coming in the next iteration. Some people already complain 2024 is too different from 2014. More changes will just make it worse eventually keeping the same edition number will be confusing not helpful.

That’s my opinion anyways.

 

[Voadam]

All fair points. Do you really see PF2e removal of OGL as equivalent to 5e2014 v 5e2024? (No accusatory, just curious) It seems as though the D&D one was more dramatic of a change?

I am mostly in Pathfinder 2e for the Golarion lore and the big setting books like the Mwangi and Impossible Lands ones I get in bundles. I have not played 2e or read the rules parts in depth so I could not really say a lot on the mechanical end changes but my top level understanding is it took out alignment entirely, changed the dragons from chromatic and metallic to other things, and ditched all the core OGL demons and devils. I think there was some change with paladins as well. I could not say otherwise on the depth of changes for classes, races, feats, monsters, and such which might be changed in little ways or the same.

24 5e seems to tweak classes, backgrounds, feats, surprise, races, monsters, spells, encounter design calculation, and adds bastions.

Both seem about the minor level of change I would say there was going from 0e to 1e, 1e to 2e, B/X to BECMI, 3e to 3.5, 3.5 to Pathfinder 1e, and 4e to 4e Essentials.

 

[mamba]

I don't think it's just naming conventions that will factor into that. I think WotC got burned so badly by making a major break with 4E that, unless something dramatically changes (like sales drop to zero dramatic), they will want to have more continuity with the current version each time they push out a new iteration.

that is basically what they did each time from 1e to 5e as well, so yeah, safe bet

 

[Parmandur]

I disagree.

I think a number change will be coming in the next iteration. Some people already complain 2024 is too different from 2014. More changes will just make it worse eventually keeping the same edition number will be confusing not helpful.

That’s my opinion anyways.

On the contrary, I think the next iteration will be another take on 5E, but they will try to move away from edition numbers and just call it "D&D"

 

[Gradine]

Hard to say. They updated it slightly with Fate Condensed. Fred Hicks also said that Forged in the Dark outsells Fate, which is also why there hasn't been too much Fate from Evil Hat Games as of late. (The only thing that comes to mind is turning Masters of Umdaar into a bigger game.)

I mean I'm on record as a major Fate skeptic (and even more major Fate Accelerated hater) so it really does not surprise me to see their FitD stuff selling much better, but Fate was practically the center of the "but what else?" discussion in TTRPGs for so long, and I know it has it's devoted fans, so it would seem weird to see it fade away entirely.

 

[The Soloist]

On the contrary, I think the next iteration will be another take on 5E, but they will try to moce away from edition numbers and juat call it "D&D"

Yes, I can see that. D&D 2030. Just like Traveller 2022 Core Book Update.

 

[Parmandur]

Yes, I can see that. D&D 2030. Just like Traveller 2022 Core Book Update.

They really seem to be pivoting more towards Beyond as a service to customer for business purposes, rather than a rules treadmill.

 

[billd91]

As said above, Traveller, Runequest and Call of Cthuluh had few changes since inception. Their new editions is to welcome new players into the fold.

Traveller is a REALLY WEIRD example to use here because it sure changed over the years. I mean its main rule engine was the Twilight: 2000 rules for a while, then GURPS. The fact that it (in the form of Mongoose Traveller) appears to have not changed much is because it came back around to it roots.