While I am keeping my Tales of the Valiant books, I am divesting in most of my 2014 5E library. They are not the types of experiences and adventures I am looking for, and my 5E group fell through due to the decline of D&D as a hobby. Where there was once excitement about playing Ravenloft and other classic settings, now there is disinterest and apathy towards starting a game and experiencing those adventures.
I have decided to start again with a smaller Tales of the Valiant library, instead of keeping a ton of worthless D&D 2014 books around. The uncertainty surrounding D&D 2024 killed enthusiasm in my group, as the community was hesitant to buy the new books. A few of my group's most important players were part of that group, and the rest of the new players were uncertain about making the jump. In the end, D&D 2024's weak reception and low sales sealed the deal; nobody wanted to play, and no one wanted to buy books that had any uncertainty about whether they would be usable.
For 5E to survive on my gaming shelves at all, it needs to lose a significant amount of weight and approximately 80% of my 5E library. My Kobold Press books will likely be the last 5E books I own.
The entire 5E ecosystem is in a critical, life-ending state. Years of junk content, tons of interesting Kickstarter books, and add-on after add-on have turned a once-simple, fun game into an overwhelming mess of a pile of mutant flesh. The game is unplayable in this state. My library needs to lose weight, and most of its books.
The only way this game will have a chance of competing with other games, such as GURPS, Old School Essentials, and Dungeon Crawl Classics, is to tighten up, refocus, and deliver a concise, streamlined, and compelling experience.
I need to give ToV space and room to "find itself."
If I have seven shelves of 5E books sitting there telling me otherwise, I will never be able to do that.
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