The fifth edition has been quite popular and well-received, but there is the possibility that, like those before it, it will be scrapped and a new edition will be made for the $. When do you think 5E will be discontinued and what do you think will motivate the change? (ex. Lack of ideas, low budget, etc.)?
Based on various presentations and Q&A sessions form Wizards employees at conventions and such, 5th Ed likely has another 4-5 years worth of low hanging fruit to pluck for content before they start looking towards moving on.
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"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
Hopefully they don’t move on anytime soon. I just started playing for the first time and it’s 5e content. I’ve looked at other versions and they did not have the appeal as 5e does for me.
I think they are making good money off of 5e, which is the best selling DnD edition, at least based on the sale of PHBs. With a new edition you run the risk of turning people off, and turning them away. My bet is that 5e will be around for a while longer as they continue to squeeze everything out of it they can. And I don't blame them.
Mearls has specifically talked about this. He has a few ideas in his head for 6E, but they won't even begin to start planning it until they see demand from players and DMs. He's also been very clear that, at the moment, there's effectively no appetite for a new edition. 5E will be around for a long, long time.
Also - comments from (I think Mearls, possibly others - I'll try to find a source) seem to say that when that day inevitably comes, they are going to work to ensure backwards compatibility so that 5E isn't rendered obsolete when a new edition hits.
EDIT: It was in Mearls' AMA on reddit awhile back. Here's the relevant comment.
I think we can reasonably hope for at least another 4 years out of it. 4th edition was received much more poorly, and was around for 2 years longer, so expect at least another 3, unless they Really just can't resist the 2020 puns.
I hope that this edition stays around for a good while. I'm of the opinion that a lot of people would probably be disappointed if they tried to make a new one already; especially with the amount of new people playing for the first time! 5E has a lot of flexibility which will let it remain prosperous and viable for a long, long time.
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It's more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules
There will be another edition eventually but I think its at the very least 5 years away. We are going to be with 5e for quite a while, they have been talking about other settings outside of the FR so I think we have a few years of Eberron, Planescape, and so on coming our way.
I agree it'll be at the minimum four years. Right now 5e books make the best seller lists when they release and a new edition is a risk of being poorly received which make take that away.
It could be longer, then even four years we expect based on previous editions, with all the popularity this specific edition gets from the popular streamers being often very specific to 5e mechanics. If you want a campaign like critical role critical role uses 5e, and professional actors. The stage has very different pieces to predict.
Nothing is set in stone in the world though. Maybe pathfinder 2 will set the stage for a new world of RPGs and people will mass incinerate their old D&D books to worship their pathy overlords and all streamers will convert to the new religion. Then they'll quickly make a new game to compete. Ok, probably not.
Unless Critical Role switches to Pathfinder 2 (which I seriously doubt) 5e isn't going to lose the momentum. I just see Pathfinder 2 being popular with fans but not taking from 5e.
I think we can reasonably hope for at least another 4 years out of it. 4th edition was received much more poorly, and was around for 2 years longer, so expect at least another 3, unless they Really just can't resist the 2020 puns.
I think there will have to be a turn away from just adventures and player sourcebooks. I envision a branching out to other worlds besides Forgotten Realms, but in a more limited fashion than 2nd Edition (too many worlds brought the system down) or 3rd Edition. In this case, 4th Edition might be a guide. WotC had the Nentir Vale/Basic setting, Forgotten Realms, Eberron, and Darksun. They also had Planescape in the form of various planar guides. That seemed like a good amount world support to eventually envision for 5th Edition.
My hope is that they shift gears to Eberron and will make airships and other steampunk aspects a part of the 5E rules set.
The new book does take place on Greyhawk, so I guess they are branching out slightly. They will, in my opinion, have to change the one supplement two adventure per year thing they are doing. I think that Xanathar sold better than Storm King and probably even Tomb of Annihilation. If things start to go downhill the ratio may change. I personally am more interested in the supplements than the adventures.
Unless Critical Role switches to Pathfinder 2 (which I seriously doubt) 5e isn't going to lose the momentum. I just see Pathfinder 2 being popular with fans but not taking from 5e.
I think they would be insane to, unless Piazo offer them some really really good deal. For all the fanfare Pathfinder had, it still has all of the inherent flaws of 3.X. Unless PF2 is going to radically change that, it will still have the flaws.
I haven't spent anytime looking at how PF2 has changed from PF so I'm hoping they do a redesign from the ground up and remove 3.x basics completely. As for Critical Role switching to PF2, Piazo would have to pony up some dough considering that DnDB is the campaign partner. I'm not sure that Piazo has the ability to compete with the combined efforts of Curse (and by extension Twitch) and WotC.
I can see a very minor update happening in the near future, a sort-of 5.25e with corrections for things like the ranger and some other issues with the rules. But other than that, I predict about another ten years. 5e just doesn't suffer the same endemic problems that plagued prior editions and given it's popularity, I just don't think there'll be demand for a new edition any time soon.
Having said that, popularity has its drawbacks, among which is greater interest in RPG's in general which ends up fragmenting the market. I guess we'll see, but I'm pretty confident about the longevity of 5e.
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"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
I personally am not worried about the new pathfinder. It will go well with pathfinder players but the players who are playing 5E probably won't switch, because they most likely prefer 5E and because that means getting new books and rendering their past purchases obsolete. I put 5E to last at least another 5 years, maybe more if it continues to be as popular as it is now.
I'm gonna try to pick up the PF2 playtest book at GenCon just as a cool collectible, but if this site has done one thing for me, it has locked me into a long-term commitment with 5e. Even if Paizo does a "Pathfinder Beyond" kind of thing (which would be hilarious since people love to complain about how they provide PDFs like "the people" want), I'm already too bought in to switch to a different system. If I go anywhere, it will be a drastic setting change into something like Starfinder or back to Shadowrun (although that will probably take a SR 6e before that happens).
But yeah, to echo what everyone else is saying, 5e is huge. To my understanding, the new player base they're bringing in is still growing, so that will at the very least have to plateau before another edition is needed. The only real problems that need patching IMO are the Ranger issues, but typically the only criticism I ever see is that people who don't like it just don't like it. One of my friends doesn't like the Advantage system, of all things.
So I think when PHB sales slow down, they'll start looking into 6e, and it will probably be very similar to what we're seeing now.
I was thinking about this more in the context of Crawford's discussion of "race" in 5E and Mearls's comments about bonus actions and whatnot. It strikes me that a 5.5E (in the timeframe we might otherwise expect a 6E) is not impossible.
D&D is the "It" roleplaying game and the one that people who know very little about the RPG world know about. The streaming gamers want an audience (why else stream it) so I think they'll play the game that draws the crowd or has the most recognition. So I don't see the real popular ones switching.
From what I've seen of the PF2 blogs, they are taking the customization options to the extreme - each weapon will have unique properties, etc. Sorting through 100's of feats was already tough but now you'll need to do the same with weapons. It's certainly some people's cup of tea, but not mine.
I like the release schedule of 5e so far. One major module a year is nice, plus lots of extra smaller mods on DMsGuild. One or two player/DM resources a year. I like it.
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The fifth edition has been quite popular and well-received, but there is the possibility that, like those before it, it will be scrapped and a new edition will be made for the $. When do you think 5E will be discontinued and what do you think will motivate the change? (ex. Lack of ideas, low budget, etc.)?
Based on various presentations and Q&A sessions form Wizards employees at conventions and such, 5th Ed likely has another 4-5 years worth of low hanging fruit to pluck for content before they start looking towards moving on.
Hopefully they don’t move on anytime soon. I just started playing for the first time and it’s 5e content. I’ve looked at other versions and they did not have the appeal as 5e does for me.
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I think they are making good money off of 5e, which is the best selling DnD edition, at least based on the sale of PHBs. With a new edition you run the risk of turning people off, and turning them away. My bet is that 5e will be around for a while longer as they continue to squeeze everything out of it they can. And I don't blame them.
Mearls has specifically talked about this. He has a few ideas in his head for 6E, but they won't even begin to start planning it until they see demand from players and DMs. He's also been very clear that, at the moment, there's effectively no appetite for a new edition. 5E will be around for a long, long time.
Also - comments from (I think Mearls, possibly others - I'll try to find a source) seem to say that when that day inevitably comes, they are going to work to ensure backwards compatibility so that 5E isn't rendered obsolete when a new edition hits.
EDIT: It was in Mearls' AMA on reddit awhile back. Here's the relevant comment.
https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/7kuzsa/ama_mike_mearls_dd_creative_director/drhca7o/
Just for some historical perspective:
The original D&D was around for 3 years ('74-'77)
AD&D was around for 12 ('77-'89)
AD&D 2nd Edition was around for 11 ('89-'00)
3rd Edition was around for 8 ('00-'08)
4th edition was around for 6 ('08-'14)
5th edition has been around for 4 ('14-'18)
I think we can reasonably hope for at least another 4 years out of it. 4th edition was received much more poorly, and was around for 2 years longer, so expect at least another 3, unless they Really just can't resist the 2020 puns.
I hope that this edition stays around for a good while. I'm of the opinion that a lot of people would probably be disappointed if they tried to make a new one already; especially with the amount of new people playing for the first time! 5E has a lot of flexibility which will let it remain prosperous and viable for a long, long time.
It's more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules
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There will be another edition eventually but I think its at the very least 5 years away. We are going to be with 5e for quite a while, they have been talking about other settings outside of the FR so I think we have a few years of Eberron, Planescape, and so on coming our way.
I agree it'll be at the minimum four years. Right now 5e books make the best seller lists when they release and a new edition is a risk of being poorly received which make take that away.
It could be longer, then even four years we expect based on previous editions, with all the popularity this specific edition gets from the popular streamers being often very specific to 5e mechanics. If you want a campaign like critical role critical role uses 5e, and professional actors. The stage has very different pieces to predict.
Nothing is set in stone in the world though. Maybe pathfinder 2 will set the stage for a new world of RPGs and people will mass incinerate their old D&D books to worship their pathy overlords and all streamers will convert to the new religion. Then they'll quickly make a new game to compete. Ok, probably not.
Unless Critical Role switches to Pathfinder 2 (which I seriously doubt) 5e isn't going to lose the momentum. I just see Pathfinder 2 being popular with fans but not taking from 5e.
The new book does take place on Greyhawk, so I guess they are branching out slightly. They will, in my opinion, have to change the one supplement two adventure per year thing they are doing. I think that Xanathar sold better than Storm King and probably even Tomb of Annihilation. If things start to go downhill the ratio may change. I personally am more interested in the supplements than the adventures.
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I haven't spent anytime looking at how PF2 has changed from PF so I'm hoping they do a redesign from the ground up and remove 3.x basics completely. As for Critical Role switching to PF2, Piazo would have to pony up some dough considering that DnDB is the campaign partner. I'm not sure that Piazo has the ability to compete with the combined efforts of Curse (and by extension Twitch) and WotC.
I can see a very minor update happening in the near future, a sort-of 5.25e with corrections for things like the ranger and some other issues with the rules. But other than that, I predict about another ten years. 5e just doesn't suffer the same endemic problems that plagued prior editions and given it's popularity, I just don't think there'll be demand for a new edition any time soon.
Having said that, popularity has its drawbacks, among which is greater interest in RPG's in general which ends up fragmenting the market. I guess we'll see, but I'm pretty confident about the longevity of 5e.
"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
― Oscar Wilde.
I personally am not worried about the new pathfinder. It will go well with pathfinder players but the players who are playing 5E probably won't switch, because they most likely prefer 5E and because that means getting new books and rendering their past purchases obsolete. I put 5E to last at least another 5 years, maybe more if it continues to be as popular as it is now.
I'm gonna try to pick up the PF2 playtest book at GenCon just as a cool collectible, but if this site has done one thing for me, it has locked me into a long-term commitment with 5e. Even if Paizo does a "Pathfinder Beyond" kind of thing (which would be hilarious since people love to complain about how they provide PDFs like "the people" want), I'm already too bought in to switch to a different system. If I go anywhere, it will be a drastic setting change into something like Starfinder or back to Shadowrun (although that will probably take a SR 6e before that happens).
But yeah, to echo what everyone else is saying, 5e is huge. To my understanding, the new player base they're bringing in is still growing, so that will at the very least have to plateau before another edition is needed. The only real problems that need patching IMO are the Ranger issues, but typically the only criticism I ever see is that people who don't like it just don't like it. One of my friends doesn't like the Advantage system, of all things.
So I think when PHB sales slow down, they'll start looking into 6e, and it will probably be very similar to what we're seeing now.
I was thinking about this more in the context of Crawford's discussion of "race" in 5E and Mearls's comments about bonus actions and whatnot. It strikes me that a 5.5E (in the timeframe we might otherwise expect a 6E) is not impossible.
D&D is the "It" roleplaying game and the one that people who know very little about the RPG world know about. The streaming gamers want an audience (why else stream it) so I think they'll play the game that draws the crowd or has the most recognition. So I don't see the real popular ones switching.
From what I've seen of the PF2 blogs, they are taking the customization options to the extreme - each weapon will have unique properties, etc. Sorting through 100's of feats was already tough but now you'll need to do the same with weapons. It's certainly some people's cup of tea, but not mine.
I like the release schedule of 5e so far. One major module a year is nice, plus lots of extra smaller mods on DMsGuild. One or two player/DM resources a year. I like it.