D&D 5E Do we need a Fifth Edition Revival (5ER)?

[Scribe]

I just get tired of constant "The sky is falling" threads. Have we hit a peak? Maybe, maybe not. I have no issue with diversification and competition, I think it's healthy for the hobby. I just think it's a bit early for the eulogy.

I didnt get the impression this is a sky is falling thread? lol

 

[Morrus]

I don't think it's going to happen either, so what are the options left for those of us who love 5E? One way is for a community to "take ownership" of 5E in the same was the OSR took ownership of B/W.

Hmmm. I'd ask, though, why does it need to compete on WotC's scale? If just a few thousand people happily play a 5E-based game, enough to support the line, with a dozen or so 3PPs for it, does it matter that WotC is over there being big?

 

[not-so-newguy]

If 5ER means that folks stop depending on Hasbro products to inform and shape their game, then I'm fine with that.

I don't think that this is the end of the "golden age" of all RPGs. I do think it's the end of golden age for Hasbro D&D, however.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

I feel that the community needs to change its way of thinking about the hobby. You don't need an endless line of products to keep playing your favorite system. There's plenty of "new" and "shiny" systems out there to support any style of play, with major corporate backing and blockbuster movies/video games to prove how valuable and cool it is. The problem is that nobody actually wants "new" or "shiny"; they just want rehashed ideas that make it easy for them to pick up and continue doing the same thing they've been doing, and they want to feel relevant. Nothing wrong with that, obviously. But lately, it just feels more and more like complacency rather than willingness to change, make an effort, or standing up for anything other than what benefits the individual first.

More relevant to this discussion, what does 5e currently lack that one can't just continue playing with everything that has come out already? Have you used every option and played every adventure? If so, start looking at 3rd party stuff. There is a TON of alternate settings, cross-over genres, and IP-cross overs to play dozens more campaigns. And, of course, there's homebrew. The same can be said for nearly every edition and spin-off out there, or at least the ones that include an open license to allow shared support (looking at you 4e/GSL!).

 

[ezo]

No one is ripping apart 5E and rebuilding it

Speak for yourself, LOL!

 

[Divine2021]

I run Kobold Press written modules almost exclusively at this point. They have some really good stuff! And actually care about lore! Weird, I know.

 

[Oofta]

I didnt get the impression this is a sky is falling thread? lol

Well, you have the title itself "The golden age of TTRPGs is dead". Then you look at the article itself, you have the headline "The Doom of Our Time Approaches" with snippets like "...there is the rising Godzilla that is 6th edition D&D, which scientists say will attack our shores in the spring of 2024. So far, there is no hint of an OGL for whatever that game will be." Which, okay. Why would there be any announcement for the 2024 edition version of OGL, whatever that may be, yet? Assuming the edition really is backwards compatible, why would need a new version? The core shared assumptions that other companies can build on are likely to be the same. Regardless, they aren't going to release a new open license or submit to CC until they have something to submit. Don't even get me started on the comparison of WotC to TSR.

Maybe the TTRPG community is fracturing. Obviously some companies are jumping on the "OGL FIASCO!!!" bandwagon to start up their own splinter group they hope will be more profitable. I wish them luck. But maybe DDB will start opening up it's library to compatible products to bring it all back together. Despite what has been stated, we don't have campaign 4 of Critical Role yet so we don't know what system it will use. Maybe he's right, the splintering of the community will lead to a death spiral. Will sales and growth plateau? Even shrink a bit? Of course, they have to at some point. I just don't see a death spiral.

Last but not least when someone invokes words like "...after last month’s blood sacrifices upon the altar of profitability" to me, it starts to sound like clickbait. It's not as bad as some but a rose by any other name and all that.

 

[Scribe]

Well, you have the title itself "The golden age of TTRPGs is dead". Then you look at the article itself, you have the headline "The Doom of Our Time Approaches" with snippets like "...there is the rising Godzilla that is 6th edition D&D, which scientists say will attack our shores in the spring of 2024. So far, there is no hint of an OGL for whatever that game will be." Which, okay. Why would there be any announcement for the 2024 edition version of OGL, whatever that may be, yet? Assuming the edition really is backwards compatible, why would need a new version? The core shared assumptions that other companies can build on are likely to be the same. Regardless, they aren't going to release a new open license or submit to CC until they have something to submit. Don't even get me started on the comparison of WotC to TSR.

Maybe the TTRPG community is fracturing. Obviously some companies are jumping on the "OGL FIASCO!!!" bandwagon to start up their own splinter group they hope will be more profitable. I wish them luck. But maybe DDB will start opening up it's library to compatible products to bring it all back together. Despite what has been stated, we don't have campaign 4 of Critical Role yet so we don't know what system it will use. Maybe he's right, the splintering of the community will lead to a death spiral. Will sales and growth plateau? Even shrink a bit? Of course, they have to at some point. I just don't see a death spiral.

Last but not least when someone invokes words like "...after last month’s blood sacrifices upon the altar of profitability" to me, it starts to sound like clickbait. It's not as bad as some but a rose by any other name and all that.

Ah you are referring to that other article, ok.

 

[Retreater]

More relevant to this discussion, what does 5e currently lack that one can't just continue playing with everything that has come out already?

More high-level content, balanced encounter math, functional magic item economies, better tactical play options (similar to BG3). While some of the 3PP 5e-compatible stuff may address these features for me, I can't say that official 5e is a "complete game" that spans everything that I need. It doesn't even address what was covered in every other edition of the game. It doesn't even provide examples of what that type of play looks like. It doesn't even touch the breadth of content that was available in the first year of publication of 3rd or 4th editions.
It's an anemic system.

 

[Quickleaf]

I think you're right, @M.T. Black, that the big issue is how far designers (and players) are willing to stray from WotC 5E's baseline. Even the wild and craziest 5E material -- the leveless, non-combat spells in Metal Weave's Incantations, maybe -- are very clearly supplementary to the game in the way it's regularly played.

No one is ripping apart 5E and rebuilding it the way that, say, Whitehack or the Black Sword Hack have done in the OSR movement.

Love this article. You have my operating table, gentlemen. I am ready to rip it apart (and already a few steps into doing so).