This sparked some additional musings this morning.
Art is about making decisions on what to exclude as well as what to depict. In this way, perhaps, 5th edition has drifted away from a clear focus. We've seen the addition of more and more peripheral elements of the game (commerce, academia, exotic sorcerers from more distant lands, other Realms) with additional mechanics for all of these, the introduction of new customs in every Tribunal (some with new mechanics as well), the detailing of each House (with some heavy mechanics for some), etc.
This has created something I will call an "IDIC syndrome". (IDIC stands for "Infinite Diversify in Infinite Combinations", a major element in Vulcan philosophy from Star Trek.)
With all of this diverfity and all those combinations, 5th edition has lost some of its focus. I think a 6th edition would need to restore that focus -- it is a game about wizards and their magic, in a semi-historical european medieval context.
While exotic sorcerers from distant lands, faeries or demons make great opponents (or allies), the game isn't about them. Make it easy for the storyguide to create and run them. The same applies to commerce, academia, and all the peripheral elements of the game -- make them easier to deal with, because it is often the storyguide that has to deal with those. Every hour he/she needs to spend detailing the stats for an NPC, or doing spreadsheets to deal with the covenant's finances, is one less hour to work on the stories.
The same applies to new players. If the player willing to try the game needs to spend 4 hours creating that first magus, that's 4 less hours enjoying the game itself. One should be able to create that initial character in 30 minutes and understand the basic rules in 30 minutes. So what if it doesn't have all the bells and whistles right away? After an hour, one should be up and running, roleplaying that first story.
That is what 5th edition no longer offers. It has so many options that complex has turned into complicated. A 6th edition can return us to a better focus.