A New Year Awaits

My predictions, hopes, and plans for 2025

Dec 31, 2024

Warrior staring at the sunset in the distance

It seems only yesterday I was writing my wrap-up for 2023 and sharing all the wonderful things I was planning to do in 2024. Yet, somehow, it is time to once again reflect on where we’ve been and turn our attention to the future.

So let’s get to it.

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2024 Review

My love for D&D 4e continued to grow during 2024. I purchased more books (physical and digital) to expand my collection. I spent more time digging into the nuances of the 4th edition rules. I took time to play the game with multiple groups. And, I even managed to navigate the licensing to release a 4e-compatible encounter.

Along the way, I passed 3,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel and the subscriber count for this newsletter more than doubled.

But not everything went as planned.

I envisioned 2024 being a HUGE year. Back in January, I announced that I was going to be publishing a monthly ‘magazine’ complete with an ongoing adventure path, rules for Project 5.4, and other content. I managed to get a total of one single issue released before I hit a wall and went dark for most of the year.

I have a tendency to bite off more than I can chew. I come up with all these grand ideas and jump right in without really thinking it through. It is only after I get into it that I realize there is no way for me to balance everything. So, the magazine quickly failed all its saving throws and I withdrew from content creation until August.

I’ve already covered in prior posts all the things I learned while on my sabbatical, so I will not rehash those lessons here. I will simply say that I am regularly assessing my commitments to ensure I do not stretch myself too thin.

When all was said and done, 2024 turned out to be a transitional year. It was about learning where my limits are. It was about assessing what I want to do. It was about getting back to the fun of D&D 4e and leaving behind the things that made content creation a job.

With these things in mind, let’s look ahead to 2025.

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Predictions

Decreased Interest in TTRPGs A lot has changed in the hobby over the past couple of years. We are nearly two years removed from the OGL fiasco, but the bitterness is still fresh in everyone’s mind. At the same time, there seems to have been a leveling-off of growth in the hobby as a whole. The surge from the days of the pandemic seems to have lessened. There is still a ton of new content out there, but I don’t see the same exponential growth we had a couple years ago. Beyond just D&D, I sense that the hobby as a whole may be entering a lull.

Reckoning for Wizards of the Coast This was supposed to be a huge year for D&D. A new version hit the shelves, they are in full beta testing for Project Sigil (their VTT), and D&D Beyond continues to grow as the epicenter of all things D&D. But something seems off to me.

I find it interesting that despite Wizard of the Coast releasing a new version of the game, they followed that up with layoffs and personnel shuffling. This would seem to indicate that things are not going exactly as planned. I also do not see the same excitement about the 2024 products that I remember from 5e when it was released. And the buzz about Project Sigil seems to be ‘meh’.

I feel that most of the D&D releases in 2024 will be met with a solid ‘thud’ sound. I am sure they will be fine, but not the game-changers that Wizards needs them to be. As we get to the end of 2025, D&D will basically be in the same place it was before they announced the new release. And they have only themselves to blame. When you go out of your way to point out that something is not a new version, then why should you expect people to respond as though it is.

Hopes

Older Edition Licenses This might be a dream, but I feel that the time is approaching where Wizards of the Coast will release older content under a Creative Commons license. There are currently five licenses available for content creators.

3.5e SRD using the OGL 1.0a
4e SRD using the GSL
5e SRD using Creative Commons (or OGL 1.0a if desired)
5e using Dungeon Master’s Guild
Fan Use (non-commercial content only)

There is no licensing available for any D&D content prior to 3.5e. Products such as Old School Essentials and Castles and Crusades replicate the feel of those older games while using the content that is licensed.

I am hoping that 2025 brings a modified 3.5e SRD under Creative Commons. I would also not be surprised to see the Original D&D rules (the white booklets) released under Creative Commons since it is so different from the current game.

Obviously, my dream would be to see a true 4e SRD released under Creative Commons, but I know that would require Wizards to spend time and resources putting it together. I do not see that happening while they are rolling out their new version, but I can hope.

Plans

And, finally, we get to my plans. What am I planning to do in 2025? The answer to that goes back to the lesson I learned in 2024. This is a hobby for me and I need to make sure it stays that way.

Here are some of the things I plan to do…

Posts and videos covering D&D 4e topics
4e-compatible encounters
General D&D current events discussions
Maybe even share some thoughts on D&D current events

The key to remember is that I intend to break the first rule of content creation. I will not have a schedule and my posts will be inconsistent. I might post multiple times in one week and then you will not hear from me for a month or more. My priority is to do a better job at managing my time and keeping the hobby fun. I am hoping that this also results in better content.

If I had one goal that I am aiming for, it is to put more content on this newsletter. It is likely that you will see fewer and fewer videos on my YouTube channel, but I will be adding video posts to this newsletter. Your donations will continue to help keep the new content free for everyone.