Dungeons and Dragons 2024: the Twee Edition

This picture of the Dungeon Master’s “tracking sheets” for the forthcoming 2024 version of Dungeons and Dragons (edition 5.5?) pretty much confirms that this incarnation of the game is not for me:

A happy cute pink beholder adorning a “Campaign Expectations” sheet, which includes “Potentially Sensitive Elements” and “Player Hopes and Expectations.” Ugh.

Okay, to be fair, not all the new art is “twee” like this.  

But as I’ve said before here, I'm done with the current version of D&D. I had a fun time running a 5th edition D&D campaign – but that was despite the system not because of it. (And I ended up using some significant house rules to make it tolerable.) However, I will give 5e credit for being a lot less tedious than 3e.

Thankfully, neither of my two gaming groups is that interested in playing 5e (or 5.5e or whatever the 2024 “revision” ends up being called) D&D. One group includes a few people who actively dislike D&D (all versions) while the other group includes people who like 5e but are happy to play other things instead. So, unless I end up running some contemporary D&D as a favour for someone outside of my regular gaming groups in the future, I’m done with the Wizards of the Coast versions of the game. 

I haven’t bought a new WotC D&D book in a few years now, as their quality seemed to decline sometime after Ghosts of Saltmarsh. The 2024 revisions look pointless to me. I understand the need to make $$$, but the changes (to my knowledge) move the game even further away from what I want.

(I'll confess that I’m mildly curious to see what is done with the “World of Greyhawk” in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. But I certainly don't "need" any more Greyhawk material.)

Anyhow, if you want some more information about the new versions of the core rulebooks, this article provides an overview (it includes some of the new art as well).