D&D General Does D&D (and RPGs in general) Need Edition Resets?

[Micah Sweet]

You are certainly entitled to express your opinion. And the beautiful thing is, you can still play 3.5 with anyone you find willing to play with you.
But I agree with @Clint_L , that's a terrible business idea.

To be fair, I see nothing in the OP specifically focusing on business concerns. That's something others have brought into the conversation to support their opinions.

 

[mamba]

To be fair, I see nothing in the OP specifically focusing on business concerns. That's something others have brought into the conversation to support their opinions.

Given that prosperity is part of what makes a golden age, it is inherently part of it

 

[Thomas Shey]

how are you defining the golden age? The only way I can see is ‘edition I personally liked best’

That's pretty much true with 90% of people (and I'm being conservative) who say something like that about an edition of anything.

 

[payn]

That's pretty much true with 90% of people (and I'm being conservative) who say something like that about an edition of anything.

Right, and if up to them any metric criteria will be whatever works best for it.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Right, and if up to them any metric criteria will be whatever works best for it.

You can sometimes get ones that seem to make reasonable sense from a third-party point of view; some of the people who think the fourth edition of the Hero System was the golden age can make what seems like a reasonable argument for that, even if you don't agree with it. But it does require a certain--selectivity?--in what you argue for in most cases. Among other things, it almost always is going to overweight popularity in the values stated.

 

[Remathilis]

3.5 is the golden age of D&D, not 5E, 5E is a decline like 4E. They should go back to 3.5

3e was in print for eight years under WotC and an additional decade under Paizo. There is literally more 3e compatible material than any other edition of D&D.

Though that might be an argument against backwards compatibility; I don't know what else you could make for 3e between WotC, Paizo, and 3pp. There is probably more material than you could ever use. And the vast majority of it is compatible with enough elbow grease. Hundreds of settings, thousands of classes, spells races and feats, millions of monsters. Enough adventures to play for decades. I'm not sure what the 3e market is even missing at this point.

 

[Zardnaar]

I have youthful nostalgia for 3.5, but...no.

I don't have much nostalgia for 3E. Maybe some adventures and products. System itself yeah nah.

 

[LordEntrails]

To be fair, I see nothing in the OP specifically focusing on business concerns. That's something others have brought into the conversation to support their opinions.

Hence why I added the descriptor of 'business'.
As can be seen with the ongoing discussion, calling something a 'golden age' just because its what one person has an emotional attachment to is pretty useless in a generic discussion. Or at least limited when trying to reach agreement between differing people or when trying to be objective. (And a purely subjective opinions only useful for others with the same view, and since they already have the same view, don't need to hear it from another.)

Enough adventures to play for decades. I'm not sure what the 3e market is even missing at this point.

Yea, part of what would make a decision to publish 3.X material a terrible business idea. Even Paizo had to come out with another edition just so they could sell something.

 

[LordEntrails]

I don't have much nostalgia for 3E. Maybe sone adventures a day products. System itself yeah nah.

I liked the system as a young adult because I could use my math skills to optimize it. (And sometimes even come close to breaking it.) But, now that I no longer have an interest in that, it's not a system I enjoy.

 

[Zardnaar]

Hence why I added the descriptor of 'business'.
As can be seen with the ongoing discussion, calling something a 'golden age' just because its what one person has an emotional attachment to is pretty useless in a generic discussion. Or at least limited when trying to reach agreement between differing people or when trying to be objective. (And a purely subjective opinions only useful for others with the same view, and since they already have the same view, don't need to hear it from another.)

Yea, part of what would make a decision to publish 3.X material a terrible business idea. Even Paizo had to come out with another edition just so they could sell something.

Wouldn't mind seeing a final evolution of 3.X.

Incorporate some OSR/5E concepts. Flatter numbers.