I think the only thing that matters here is what WotC calls it. We can argue left or right, but in the end their verbiage is going to be the ruling verbiage.
That being said, my main reason for playing these games is to spend time with friends in a shared space. I'm certainly not going to hold my friend accountable for using a term that doesn't toe the corporate line. Call it edition, upgrade, 5E2024 ... I'm still going to love you.
Let's go get some tacos!
I overall agree with you here. I would point out however that Wizards of the Coast were not the first to refer to 5th. Edition as "5E." But players overwhelmingly use that term. It is going to be players and whether or not they discover the differences between the 2014 and 2024 rulesets cause enough grief at their tables that will ultimately decide what the latter is getting called. Don't underestimate the power and influence of players when it comes to these things.
I have a first printing of the 2014 PHB. On the back cover, it has the sentence. “When you’re ready for even more, expand your adventures with the fifth edition Dungeon Master’s Guide and Monster Manual.
But I definitely agree with Tyger Dave. People are getting so hung up on labels. Why? Just play the game. Use whichever version you like, kitbash them together. Play 1e. Whatever you like. Just go and have fun and stop getting bent out of shape about what number to hang on it.
Does anyone remember if 3.5 was promoted as 3.5 when it was first announced? Or was it something like "3e revised"? Searching online brings me conflicting results. I know at least eventually WotC did publish books explicitly labeled as 3.5e but I don't know if those came later.
All I can say with absolute clarity is the book has a big "Core Rulebook 1 v. 3.5" graphic on the cover. I was in Army during 3/3.5 and this is around the era of 9/11. I had other things than D&D to focus on, so I missed most of 3rd Editon gameplay.
Does anyone remember if 3.5 was promoted as 3.5 when it was first announced? Or was it something like "3e revised"? Searching online brings me conflicting results. I know at least eventually WotC did publish books explicitly labeled as 3.5e but I don't know if those came later.
Besides the rollout being clear with 3.5, they also did a few print ads for it. But the reality is, it wasn't until 4th edition did WotC do any real Ad budget on D&D. From 1997 until 2007 they kind of only did in store ads and game magazine ads. 4th edition gave us those real amazing animationed shorts advertising 4th edition and some of the changes ie tieflings as a core race, and gnomes as a monster "Rawr"
I have a first printing of the 2014 PHB. On the back cover, it has the sentence. “When you’re ready for even more, expand your adventures with the fifth edition Dungeon Master’s Guide and Monster Manual.
But I definitely agree with Tyger Dave. People are getting so hung up on labels. Why? Just play the game. Use whichever version you like, kitbash them together. Play 1e. Whatever you like. Just go and have fun and stop getting bent out of shape about what number to hang on it.
All I can say with absolute clarity is the book has a big "Core Rulebook 1 v. 3.5" graphic on the cover. I was in Army during 3/3.5 and this is around the era of 9/11. I had other things than D&D to focus on, so I missed most of 3rd Editon gameplay.
Besides the rollout being clear with 3.5, they also did a few print ads for it. But the reality is, it wasn't until 4th edition did WotC do any real Ad budget on D&D. From 1997 until 2007 they kind of only did in store ads and game magazine ads. 4th edition gave us those real amazing animationed shorts advertising 4th edition and some of the changes ie tieflings as a core race, and gnomes as a monster "Rawr"