D&D (2024) Jeremy Crawford: “We are releasing new editions of the books”

[Parmandur]

Using the name "Dungeons & Dragons" only was in reference to the previous edition, "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons". WotC was very clearly telling us at the time they were moving beyond the split between D&D (BECMI) and AD&D. Starting with 3E, there is only one version of the D&D game, not two simultaneously supported versions.

Worth noting that WotC wanted to bring back Advanced Dungeons & Dragons for the core books in 2014...but discovered in market research that people were turned off by the "Advanced."

 

[Parmandur]

You may not find THACO confusing. You're certainly not alone.

But there is a reason why practically the entire RPG industry, including most OSR games, have left THACO in the rear-view mirror. Most of us do find it unnecessarily confusing.

I'm old-school, started playing in the 80s . . . and I hated THACO back then. As did every kid I played with. All of my old dudes I play with now also have less than fond memories of some of those old-school rules, especially THACO. I'm pretty confident most D&D gamers, old and new alike, are not eager for a return to that subsystem.

Everything good about THAC0 is replicated in 5E by the Bounded accuracy framework: same bell curve.

 

[Parmandur]

In full disclosure as I have said in other threads that I've not play tested any of the new 1D&D stuff I'm just going off what I've read of the packets which isn't everything, and what I've read here on EN World. I'm willing to give the final books a read through and if the game is actually easier to play and run, the books are better organized I might consider switching back and eat crow. But as a DM I think Id run that over 2014. don't think I'd want to mix and match versions.

Fair enough: doing so isn't at all difficult, though, and WotC has been publishing books with the new style Monsters for 2 years now.

 

[Parmandur]

It did?

When the 3.5 books came out, my group continued to use our older 3.0 books. Not the core books, but the supplements. If we went through the bother to purchase the new books, why use the old core books?

And there were folks who decided to stick with 3.0 and not buy the new books . . . although eventually most folks moved up "editions".

With 4E, using the entire 4E run at the same time, including "Essentials" was ridiculously easy. The shift from 4.0 to "4.1" was even smaller than the upcoming rules shift.

When the new 5E books come out next year . . . I'll be purchasing the new books and probably using all of the newer rules updates. But I'm keeping all of my existing 5E books, and I will continue to use them. And it will be ridiculously easy.

Some folks just seem to want things to be difficult, when really they aren't.

Next year . . . continue using the 2014 rules if you want. Or pick up the 2024 rules. Or pick up one of the upcoming alternate 5E rulesets. It's all going to be easily compatible.

Heck, I started with 3.5, amd we went back to 3E books to supplement it, on purpose.

 

[Parmandur]

OK that makes things clearer

It's stronger than that: Crawford has said that someone bringing a 2014 character sheet only needs to choose a bonus 1st Level Feat, and should be good to go. Or can slap a 2014 Subclass on a 2024 Class. And they are implying this will be AL legal, too.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Do they have an agenda? Not the word I would use,

Well yeah, we only use 'agenda' for those we're trying to defame.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

This makes sense, and were I to actually decide to play 1D&D Id probably do the same. Here's where I'm confused, has WotC ever clarified what their definition of backwards compatibility is? I interpreted it as if one player is playing a 2014 PC then they'd use the rules in the 2014 PHB, if another is playing a 2024 PC then they'd use the 2024 PHB. Am I wrong? Seems like its going to be using a little from both the 2014 and 2024 rules

I'm pretty sure what they mean by it is that everyone can participate in the same published adventure. They've been saying that since day 1.

OK that makes things clearer

It's not only that, though. It's this:

1) You will be able to purchase and run the 5e Adventures with no work to convert.
2) You can use old monsters alongside new ones.
3) You can play exclusively 2014 characters at the same table as exclusively 2024 ones.
4) You can mix-and-match 2014 & 2024 PC options. IF you (and your DM) are willing to do the "work" to convert whatever mismatches occur. They have explicitly said two things on this subject: A) Before press, they will do a final review of the 2024 rules with an eye on compatibility. This means that they will look to see if the new version is adding anything of substance, and if it is not, or if it is too confusing for no real gain, they will revert to 2014 versions. B) They will print side-bars on how to make any necessary conversions that remain.

The only thing a table needs to decide is if they can handle 4, or if they feel that it will be too open to exploitation, at which point, your DM can simply not allow it; which is essentially the same thing that happens any time that there is errata or splatbooks anyhow. Maybe this will be a little more complicated than that, but I don't think it will be by more than a degree or two, tops.

 

[OldSchoolGamerGirl]

well, if this is what you expect, then it will be easy to check in 2025 whether you were correct or not.

Until then it is at best pure speculation

isn't the entire discussion speculation at this point?

I believe that this is a new edition even if they say other words. You believe it is not. Neither of us have an agenda outside of talking about the games we all enjoy

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Around here (GA), and in CA and PA it's called "Mexican Coke", because Mexico gets the sugar, too. Like, that's how the restaurants list it in their menu.

we have that too... it's why I know I can (as a non insulin dependent type 2 diabetic) process the suger better then the corn syrup. But it's just Coke everywhere else.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

There absolutely are. Thaco isn't the best system by any means. I use better ways myself in my preferred games. I just don't think it was all that confusing, and the meme-level hate bewilders me.

I started in the mid 90's I COULD go back to Thac0 with a bit of issue remembering, but it isn't what I would call hard. I however never wish to again.