2011 was an exciting year for Dungeons and Dragons. 4th edition was going strong, the D&D Encounters gaming sessions were successful, and the Adventure System board games were a hit. They started a big push with the Neverwinter brand, up to and including a Facebook game. So what will 2012 bring us?

A new D&D. While they're not quite calling it 5th Edition yet, that seems to be the common inference. They have already begun playtesting with 'friends and family', with public playtesting opening shortly. D&D Essentials was met with mixed reaction, so it'll be interesting to see which way they take the new system as far as complexity goes. WotC is selling hard the idea that this next system will be shaped by the players, taking into account as much input from the games as they can, which may prove to be a daunting task. Enigmatically, they also say the system will be 'flexible', and  "rich with options for players and DMs to embrace or reject as they see fit, a game that brings D&D fans together rather than serves as one more category to splinter us apart."

Whatever that means.

The full press release, as well as how to sign up for the playtest can be found here.