I haven't gotten excited for an official WotC 5e product in years. This is what I've heard of each of them ...
- Spelljammer ("incomplete and inadequate")
- Deck of Many Things ("derail your campaign with a luxury box that has a 50/50 chance of arriving damaged - great for lulz")
- Tyranny of Dragons ("re-purchase the railroad site-seeing tour of the Realms")
- Wild Beyond the Witchlight ("get through the entire adventure without combat")
- Call of the Netherdeep ("play second-fiddle to Matt Mercer's NPCs - who can beat the adventure for you"
- Candlekeep and Radiant Citadel ("here's a bunch of one-shots that were written by random freelancers")
- Fizban's and Bigby's ("monster books about the literal most boring monsters in the game")
- Monsters of the Multiverse ("re-purchase the monster books you've already got")
- Planescape ("overpriced box filled with cardboard and not content")
For all my other complaints about 5e as a system, WotC's products specifically are either low quality or don't interest me (or sometimes both). And this isn't just "the last few releases" it's for the past several years.
Fair enough.
Tho, I consider the Deck of Many Things to be "merch", like the D&D Cookbook, rather than a game rules supplement. So I wouldnt include it in this list.
Monsters of the Multiverse is useful, and I refer to it often. Probably 2024 will look more like it.
Candlekeep has a good reputation. Radiant Citadel is solid, and its focus on the Deep Ether is important for my campaign. It has the "absence of whites" problem − but − it is intended to include and be included by an ongoing campaign. It is a useful resource to get a feel for different cultures. One shots are great. They fill in gaps, and it is easy to modify them to make them feel more like part of the ongoing campaign.
Witchlight is fun, there was plenty of combat encounters − instigated by players.
I got Planescape recently, and havent read thru it yet.
I love much of Spelljammer. I like using the Astral Plane and its "dominions" for mindscapes. But the part of Spelljammer that is horrific is its adventure that forces players to commit genocide. I cannot believe this is a WotC product. That required the creation of a completely different ending. Plus, there was the US-historically-racist representation of the Hadozee, which in the context of recent events was especially appalling. That required a complete rewrite and careful selection of images. And when I was consulting the Spelljammer fan sites to find out who the Hadozees were, those fan site narratives were even more appalling, the 5e Spelljammer seemed like a cleanup in comparison.
I like Fizban, and refer to it when creating adventures. I love the psionic Gem Dragons.
Bigbys was offputting because it is an unhelpful incorrect stereotypical presentation of Norsesque culture. Heh, there is even a palpable sense that Bigby the "presenter" is culturally appropriating and misrepresenting Scandinavia.
