D&D (2024) Is the 2024 rules update a new edition? Argue about it here (not everywhere else)!

[Alby87]

I think that a lot of talk is generated by people thinking differentely on what is a "D&D edition" (and not what a "D&D edition change" means). I'll try to explain better: to me a D&D edition are only the base rules: what to do in the three pillars (Combat, Exploration, Social). And, by what we have seen, I don't think those were changed a lot. Maybe the most "breaking" change was just the new Exhaustion rules. The skeletal of this edition (the 5e) will not be changed: will be revised. And I hope for the better (more clarifications).

To bring an example, I would think the Starter Set rulebook. Revision will bring small changes to that book.

Another part of the game, one that is at the same time pluggable and essentials are the class rules. Since the beginning of the one D&D testing, we have seen big changes in classes, and that is (to me) the source of confusion (maybe I'm wrong): so, the character creation and the output character sheet will be deeply different at the end, but during the roleplaying game, the rules at the table will be polished but not totally different.

Will you be able to play a character (sheet) made with 2014 books in a table playing the 2024 rules? Yes, you will. Maybe not optimized to power level, but playable. If you bring a 3.5rd edition character sheet, the DM may ask you "whats your dexterity save bonus and your proficiency" and have them not in your character sheet because they are different editions.

Tl;dr: IMHO, no new edition because rules will be revised and clarified, only character creation rules will be deeply changed, but the output character sheet will be still usable if using the old books.

 

[Horwath]

If some people think it's 5.5e, and some people think it's 6e, then lets compromise...

Calling it 5.75e makes everyone happy right?

5.75e will be done by Paizo in 2034 when 6E comes out on 60th anniversary of D&D.

 

[delericho]

Too soon to tell, since things can still change. But at the moment it looks like a change as big as from 3.0e to 3.5e (which, by rights, should have been labelled a new edition). And, actually, the changes are also looking bigger than the 1st Ed -> 2nd Ed shift.

Regarding backwards compatibility, the test I'll be using is not "is it possible to use the 2024 books alongside the 2014 ones?", it is "will I want to?" Technically it's possible to use a character built with the 3.0e PHB right alongside those built with the 3.5e one, but... I very strongly suspect that's also going to be the case here.

 

[DEFCON 1]

It's not New Edition, it's Bell Biv Devoe.

"Don't trust a big book and a smile-- that game was Poiiiiiiiii-sooooooooonnnnn..."

 

[Parmandur]

I'm honestly a little surprised that anyone is taking obvious marketing ploys seriously. It isn't in WotC's perceived best interests to trumpet this as a new edition right now, so we're seeing a lot of copy about how there's no "editions" any more and everything in the garden will be lovely hereafter. Let's have a hearty round of Kumbayah!

Let me assure you that the moment it becomes in their perceived best interests to do otherwise, they be happy to sell us "6E". I'm not accusing them of dishonesty, exactly - no more than any other marketing ploy.

It isn't "divisive" to notice that the changes in the rules are far-reaching enough that we'll need some way of talking about it and comparing them to the previous version. "5.5" is good enough for me, but ultimately it's the community's practice that will decide.

You decry not calling this 6E as a marketing ploy, but then say "5.5" would work when 3.5 itself was a much worse and silly marketing ploy to make it look like they weren't dropping a "4E." Itall marketing, what matters here is the interoperability.

 

[Parmandur]

Too soon to tell, since things can still change. But at the moment it looks like a change as big as from 3.0e to 3.5e (which, by rights, should have been labelled a new edition). And, actually, the changes are also looking bigger than the 1st Ed -> 2nd Ed shift.

Regarding backwards compatibility, the test I'll be using is not "is it possible to use the 2024 books alongside the 2014 ones?", it is "will I want to?" Technically it's possible to use a character built with the 3.0e PHB right alongside those built with the 3.5e one, but... I very strongly suspect that's also going to be the case here.

Well,from what we have seen so far, which due to the nature of the UA process is going to be toned down before publication anyways, it's possible to build a character mixing and matching options from 2014 and 2024 without causing any headaches. If that isn't backwards compatibility, then nothing is.

 

[payn]

It's not New Edition, it's Bell Biv Devoe.

"Don't trust a big book and a smile-- that game was Poiiiiiiiii-sooooooooonnnnn..."

The time was six o'clock on the Swatch watch
No time to chill, got a session, can't be messin'
Hey, the 5E is gonna do me
Move to the kitchen table drink in a coozi, ooh, that monster booty
pick it up, roll it, face it down, oh, no..5E is going to do me

 

[delericho]

Well,from what we have seen so far, which due to the nature of the UA process is going to be toned down before publication anyways, it's possible to build a character mixing and matching options from 2014 and 2024 without causing any headaches. If that isn't backwards compatibility, then nothing is.

I'm taking the view that everything is provisional until the books are published. So I'll be sticking with "too soon to tell" until then.

The converse of that is that if they send something out that is truly terrible, I won't hold that against them if they reverse course before publication.

 

[Parmandur]

I'm taking the view that everything is provisional until the books are published. So I'll be sticking with "too soon to tell" until then.

The converse of that is that if they send something out that is truly terrible, I won't hold that against them if they reverse course before publication.

That's fair enough.

 

[The Shadow]

You decry not calling this 6E as a marketing ploy, but then say "5.5" would work when 3.5 itself was a much worse and silly marketing ploy to make it look like they weren't dropping a "4E." Itall marketing, what matters here is the interoperability.

Of course it's all marketing, that was my entire point. I'm certainly not claiming that this sort of thing is new.

To be clear, I wasn't saying this ought to be called 6e. I was just saying that what WotC calls it needn't have anything to do with reality. Ultimately the community will sort out how to refer to this new version. I'm okay with 5.5, but I'm just one person - it'll take a year or two to shake out.