In 2021, Wizards of the Coast confirmed that it was planning to release a new version of Dungeons & Dragons in 2024, meaning D&D fans should get prepared for major mechanical changes. However, WotC notably says that the new edition will be entirely backwards compatible with 5e. Wizards of the Coast is making a smart move by continuing to support the extremely popular 5e in its new edition, but in terms of creative potential, the new edition of D&D might be held back by its backwards compatibility. That approach means that WotC will have far less power to experiment and overhaul gameplay mechanics than it would otherwise.
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Drawbacks of Dungeons & Dragons’ 6e Approach
Dungeons & Dragons 5e was designed to be approachable for D&D newcomers. It vastly slimmed down the mechanical complexity found in previous popular D&D editions like 3.5e; for instance, it opted for its advantage and disadvantage system over a long list of specific modifiers to rolls and DCs. Wizards of the Coast’s approach has paid off, since the player base has grown greatly under 5e, but 6e may have hampered by that simplicity. A new edition of the game might struggle to implement wholly new weapon types, classes, monsters, and so on without introducing the kinds of complexities that 5e sought to eliminate.
Aside from struggling to add new mechanics, 6e may be unable to overhaul fundamental mechanics. For instance, 6e can’t introduce a new system of spellcasting to D&D without conflicting with 5e’s mechanics. Wizards of the Coast could say that a 6e system is intended to replace 5e’s spell slots and casting mechanics, but if it’s sufficiently different, then it’s more like an entirely new edition than a new generation of content that’s compatible with 5e. Even as Wizards of the Coast slowly reworks aspects of 5e like player races, 6e can’t take huge leaps with core mechanics without failing to play nice with 5e. 6e’s new mechanics and mechanical overhauls will have to be the starts of new processes, rather than being totally distinct.
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Dungeons & Dragons Will Still Flourish
It’s hard to know what to expect from D&D 6e due to its limitations. Rather than overhauling the structure of character creation, combat, and other core mechanics, 6e might focus on introducing a large set of optional rules that tweak D&D 5e without completely contradicting the way 5e is played. A new set of optional rules would definitely contribute to D&D 5e’s constant, steady growth, although it would also mean that 6e struggles to find its own identity.
Wizards of the Coast’s choice not to move away from 5e entirely makes sense, since the current edition is still a huge success. Hype for the upcoming Spelljammer expansions and the Dragonlance adventure book shows that interest in 5e is as high as ever. 6e may end up being more like 5.5e in the end due to its backwards compatibility, but it could still contribute some interesting things to the game. Although the current edition of Dungeons & Dragons may not be entirely transformed, maybe Wizards of the Coast can still find ways to streamline and optimize the 5e experience with the help of 6e rules.
Dungeons & Dragons 5e is available now.
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