Editing Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (section)

===Glacial Release Pace===
When WotC announced that they were going to be cutting back on the pace of [[Dungeons %26 Dragons 5th Edition Books|content releases for 5e]], many were initially okay with that; years of multiple releases per month had made first 3e and then [[Dungeons %26 Dragons 4th Edition|4e]] quite expensive to keep up with. Even [[Monte Cook]] had admitted that both prior editions had been undermined by the glut of low-quality content. But then it turned out just how ''much'' WoTC intended to cut the pace back. A pace of two or three books a ''year'', with only one of those being [[splatbook]]s as opposed to adventure modules, wasn't what most fans had in mind, and as the trickle of content seems unlikely to advance, it's become more and more galling.

For perspective, not counting adventures or the Core Trinity, in a 4-year span from 2014 to 2018, 5e has had the following sourcebooks:
* Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide: Basic edition lore update for the [[Forgotten Realms]], with new [[Dwarf]], [[Gnome]] and [[Halfling]] subraces, new mechanics for the [[Half-Elf]] and [[Tiefling]], and new subclasses for the [[Barbarian]], [[Cleric]], [[Monk]], [[Paladin]], [[Rogue]], [[Sorcerer]], [[Warlock]] and [[Wizard]]. Half the size, same the price. And don't be fooled with it, it is about REALLY only about the Sword Coast. Now WotC don't even bother to make the whole Forgotten Realms playable.
* Volo's Guide to Monsters: Bestiary of new monsters, with 13 new PC races.
* Xanathar's Guide to Everything: New subclasses for each class, new feats and spells, plus assorted dungeon master's tips.
* Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes: Bestiary of new monsters, with reprinted [[Duergar]] & [[Svirfneblin]] races from the SCAG, new [[Elf]] subraces, new [[tiefling]] subraces, and the [[gith]] PC races.
* Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica: A sourcebook making a campaign setting out of the [[Magic: The Gathering]] [[plane]] of [[Ravnica]].

And one beta/prereleased product:

* Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron: A sourcebook for having adventures in the World of Eberron. Not officially complete yet, as they were waiting on the finished Artificer.

By comparison, in an equivalent 4-year period (2008 to 2012), 4e had:
* Adventurer's Vault: New weapons and new magical items.
* Martial Power: New powers, [[Paragon Path]]s and [[Epic Destiny|Epic Destinies]] for the [[Fighter]], [[Ranger]], [[Rogue]] and [[Warlord]].
* Draconomicon I: A sourcebook entirely on [[Chromatic Dragon]]s.
* [[Manual of the Planes]]: A guidebook to the [[World Axis]] cosmology, complete with [[Paragon Path]]s, new monsters, and a [[Bladeling]] PC race.
* [[Forgotten Realms]] Campaign Guide: Lore & DM's material for the new edition version of the Realms.
* [[Forgotten Realms]] Player's Guide: Player's content for the 4e Realms, including the [[Drow]] & [[Genasi]] races and the [[Swordmage]] classes, [[Paragon Path]]s and [[Epic Destiny|Epic Destinies]].
* Open Grave: A sourcebook entirely on the [[undead]].
* Player's Handbook II: [[Deva]], [[Gnome]], [[Goliath]], [[Half-Orc]] and [[Shifter]] races, racial [[Paragon Path]]s for all PHB races up to that point, and the classes [[Avenger]], [[Bard]], [[Barbarian]], [[Druid]], [[Invoker]], [[Shaman]], [[Sorcerer]] and [[Warden]], all with [[Paragon Path]]s and [[Epic Destiny|Epic Destinies]].
* Arcane Power: New powers, [[Paragon Path]]s and [[Epic Destiny|Epic Destinies]] for the [[Bard]], [[Sorcerer]], [[Swordmage]], [[Warlock]] and [[Wizard]].
* [[Eberron]] Campaign Guide: Lore & DM's material for the new edition version of Eberron.
* [[Eberron]] Player's Guide: Player's content for the 4e Realms, including the [[Changeling]], [[Kalashtar]] & [[Warforged]] races and the [[Artificer]] class, [[Paragon Path]]s and [[Epic Destiny|Epic Destinies]].
* Monster Manual II: New monsters.
* Divine Power: New powers, [[Paragon Path]]s and [[Epic Destiny|Epic Destinies]] for the [[Avenger]], [[Cleric]], [[Invoker]] and [[Paladin]].
* Adventurer's Vault II: Yet more magical items.
* Dragon Magazine Annual 2009: A selection of choice [[Dragon Magazine]] articles from 2008 and 2009, including the [[Assassin]] class, [[Dhampyr]] and [[Shadar-kai]] PC races, new powers & a [[Paragon Path]] for Star Pact [[Warlock]]s, [[Gladiator]] themes, and plane-themed [[Epic Destiny|Epic Destinies]].
* Dungeon Master's Guide II: Expanded DM's guides and information, including monster customization, and designing encounters, adventures and campaigns.
* Primal Power: New powers, [[Paragon Path]]s and [[Epic Destiny|Epic Destinies]] for the [[Barbarian]], [[Druid]], [[Shaman]] and [[Warden]].
* Draconomicon II: A sourcebook entirely on [[Metallic Dragon]]s.
* The Plane Below: Guidebook to the [[Elemental Chaos]] and the [[Abyss]].
* Player's Handbook Races: Dragonborn: Short booklet expanding dragonborn racial lore, with new racial [[Paragon Path]]s and [[Epic Destiny|Epic Destinies]].
* [[Underdark]]: Guidebook to the Underdark.
* Player's Handbook III: New races ([[Githzerai]], [[Minotaur]], [[Shardmind]], [[Wilden]]), new classes ([[Ardent]], [[Battlemind]], [[Monk]], [[Psion]], [[Runepriest]], [[Seeker]]), new [[Paragon Path]]s and [[Epic Destiny|Epic Destinies]], rules for [[multiclassing|hybrid classing]].
* Hammerfast: A short booklet examining a haunted city shared by [[dwarves]] and [[orc]]s.
* The Plane Above: Guidebook to the [[Astral Sea]].
* Monster Manual III: New monsters.
* Demonomicon: Expanded guidebook to the [[Abyss]] and to [[demon]]s.
* Psionic Power: New powers, [[Paragon Path]]s and [[Epic Destiny|Epic Destinies]] for the [[Ardent]], [[Battlemind]], [[Monk]] and [[Psion]].
* [[Dark Sun]] Campaign Setting: Updated lore for Athas in 4e, combining DM's lore and player's material, such as the [[thri-kreen]] and [[mul]] races, Athasian character themes, the Sorcerer-King pact for [[Warlock]]s, [[Paragon Path]]s and [[Epic Destiny|Epic Destinies]].
* Dark Sun Creature Catalog: Athasian monsters and NPCs for 4th edition.
* Rules Compendium: Dungeon Master's Guide for Essentials.
* Heroes of the Fallen Lands: PHB 1 for Essentials.
* Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms: PHB 2 for Essentials.
* Monster Vault: Updated monster stats, the Monster Manual for Essentials.
* Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium: Even more magical items.
* Heroes of the Feywild: New [[Feywild]] lore and Essentials-based character options, including new powers, themes, [[Paragon Path]]s and [[Epic Destiny|Epic Destinies]].
* Book of Vile Darkness: New "Evil" themed lore and Essentials-based character options, including new powers, themes, [[Paragon Path]]s and [[Epic Destiny|Epic Destinies]], as well as DM's tips to working with levels of evil and new monsters.
* Neverwinter Campaign Setting: New [[Forgotten Realms]] subsetting, complete with lore and Essentials-based character options, including new powers, themes, [[Paragon Path]]s and [[Epic Destiny|Epic Destinies]].
* Heroes of the Elemental Chaos: New [[Elemental Chaos]] lore and Essentials-based character options, including new powers, themes, [[Paragon Path]]s and [[Epic Destiny|Epic Destinies]].
* The Dungeon Survival Handbook: Guide to famous dungeons of D&D, tips for dungeon construction, new PC races ([[Goblin]], [[Kobold]], [[Svirfneblin]]) and new character themes & powers.
* Menzoberranzan: City of Intrigue: [[Forgotten Realms]] sub-setting examining its most iconic [[Drow]] city.

If you've been counting along, in the time period it's taken 5e to release ''5'' books, 4e released '''40''' books...Yeah, you can see the difference and get why people are kind of steamed by the sluggishness. The release cycle seems to be little more than the bare minimum that [[Ed Greenwood]]'s contract requires they publish.

This only looks worse when you look at what they ''have'' decided to publish in recent years outside the contractually-obligated ''Forgotten Realms'' books, namely a bunch of desperate grabs at relevance in the form of sourcebooks for popular gaming podcasts and ''Magic'' sourcebooks... the second of which isn't even for a popular, creative, and iconic setting like Ravinica was, just a lazy Greek mythology knockoff they were selling cards for that three-month cycle.  When future gaming historians look back at this era of 5e, an edition defined by protracted content drought, they will, rightly, sneer at Wizards for sitting on popular, marketable IPs and instead pumping effort into [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiOMbqPHFwo| chasing fleeting flash-in-the-pan trends].

If there's an upside to all of this, it does mean that collecting all the 5E books is comparatively easier because there's a lot less of them. Your wallet probably appreciates it too. 

Around 2020, WotC did at least start to put out two non-adventure books a year, but the sluggishness of those early days is a stigma they will bear for a long time. But even if the release rhythm is getting faster, that is being done at a cost: 

==== Books being written by people who don't play the game ====

Maybe it's in order to get books out out the door faster, but releases are being outsourced to writers outside of Wizards Of The Coast. [[Dungeons_%26_Dragons_5th_Edition#D.26D_Beyond| D&D Beyond]], the digital version of the D&D books, [[Dungeons_%26_Dragons_5th_Edition#The_Ugly| has articles written by ignoramuses]], but hey, the main books are safe, right? Well, not anymore! For example, [[Dungeons_%26_Dragons_5th_Edition_Books| Tasha's Cauldron of Everything]] (which already [[Dungeons_%26_Dragons_5th_Edition#The_Tasha_Controversy| includes heavy skub]]) on page 46 recommends some "setlists" for the Battle Master martial archetype option in the [[Fighter#5th_edition|Fighter]]. When gaining a level, instead of taking the 2 point increase in Strength, Dexterity or somewhere else, the Duelist and Gladiator options recommend you get the Weapon Master feat, which only adds 1 point in STR or DEX, and proficiency with 4 weapons... even though the Fighter already has proficiency with every weapon.