WotC WotC can, and probably should support multiple editions of D&D.

[James Gasik]

You just described what killed TSR. Just swap the word ‘edition’ for ‘setting’.

It’s terrible, terrible advice.

They provide older editions and all the support material in PoD format on DTRPG. There’s enough there to last a lifetime!

Huh, last time I said this exact same thing, I had people arguing with me.

 

[payn]

Huh, last time I said this exact same thing, I had people arguing with me.

They have trouble searching their feelings and knowing it to be true.

 

[Morrus]

Huh, last time I said this exact same thing, I had people arguing with me.

Of course. Because internet.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

WotC's team is too busy working in the update of the "crunch", and players don't want to spend money for the fluff/lore/background when they can search the fandom wiki as source of inspiration.

Players who wanted "crunch" sourcebooks would rather to buy retroclones.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

IDK if I've said it here before but we should have "basic" and "advanced" D&D again, with the "basic" rules being a slightly more stripped down version of 5e that is targeted towards Crit Role and actual play fans and to a lesser extent those who prefer less combat oriented gameplay (which seems to be a non-zero portion of fans who came into 2014 5e in the last decade), and then have PHB 2024 and all its bells and whistles get even more crunchy and have that be "advanced" D&D.

 

[payn]

IDK if I've said it here before but we should have "basic" and "advanced" D&D again, with the "basic" rules being a slightly more stripped down version of 5e that is targeted towards Crit Role and actual play fans and to a lesser extent those who prefer less combat oriented gameplay (which seems to be a non-zero portion of fans who came into 2014 5e in the last decade), and then have PHB 2024 and all its bells and whistles get even more crunchy and have that be "advanced" D&D.

I think the idea was to have modules that would add rules to the base system. 5E proved too popular to bother with it though.

 

[MwaO]

I think the thing that WotC could do, instead of printing new material, which is mostly there on dmsguild etc...is they could provide a D&DBeyond type experience to older rules sets. Particularly 4e where they've already have the database set up already.

This isn't competing with itself, this is simply providing tools to a set of players that exist for each edition, and specifically, aren't likely playing the current product.

 

[mamba]

Huh, last time I said this exact same thing, I had people arguing with me.

have you seen this thread? it is being argued right here as well…

 

[mamba]

they could provide a D&DBeyond type experience to older rules sets. Particularly 4e where they've already have the database set up already.

not sure that database is still around, and it certainly is incompatible with the DDB one, so this would be a proper migration, even if DDB supported all of 4e’s features (it does not even for 5e from what people say…)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

have you seen this thread? it is being argued right here as well…

I'm not sure how seriously anyone is "arguing" this. I'm certainly not.