"Dust" and "Midway" - Codenames for Upcoming D&D Hardcovers

Tales from the Yawning Portal was codenamed Labyrinth. Curse of Strahd was Cloak, and Storm King's Thunder was Dagger (or vice versa). Now two new codenames have emerged, spotted by EN World member kettite. Dust is dated 19 Sep 2017, hardcover, $49.95, and Midway is dated 21 Nov 2017, hardcover, $49.95. These have both appeared over on edelweiss' catalog. They do not match the four unnamed RPG Accessories on Amazon. Engage speculation mode - two new hardcovers later this year!

Typically the September release has been an adventure, and the November release a rules book (Sword Coast Adventurers Guide; Volo's Guide to Monsters). WotC has been hinting at a "major rules expansion" for a while now.

My guess? Take it with a massive truckload of salt, but I'm going to guess that Dust is fey or fey wild related. Possible the thing Adventure Time's Pendleton Ward helped with. But it really is a wild guess.

"Dust"
Wizards RPG Team
FRONTLIST
On Sale Date: 19 September 2017
9780786966103, 0786966106
Hardcover
$49.95 USD, $63.95 CAD


"Midway"
Wizards RPG Team
FRONTLIST
On Sale Date: 21 November 2017
9780786966110, 0786966114
Hardcover
$49.95 USD, $63.95 CAD

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[This Effin’ GM]

So should I give up hope for a Ravenloft adventure then?

...

If we're going to see other settings we're going to see one of these *unless* Mearls & Co. find a way to make Greyhawk or Dragonlance *instantly* recognizable as something different than Forgotten Realms.

Ravlenloft was always set up as a plane that touches other planes. With Forgotten Realms being set up as the default, I think in their minds ravenloft was fine as sort of a way to both touch on planar hoping, showcase the undead, and appeal to ravenloft lovers, without having to compromise on walking away from the realms. Eberoon and Dark Sun would force a divergence from the structure of creating storylines that can also coexist with the video game and forgotten realms novels.

This stated, I think if we see Eberron or Dark Sun, we will either see them as something they do after the 'main' shared universe stuff is done (sort of a 'hey we are done with our big thing here, so now you can have your official Eberron book), or done in such a way that we get a forgotten realms book on, say, Anauroch that is remarkably similar to dark sun some time near when the psionics are fully released (PHB2 likely).

 

[bmfrosty]

This stated, I think if we see Eberron or Dark Sun, we will either see them as something they do after the 'main' shared universe stuff is done (sort of a 'hey we are done with our big thing here, so now you can have your official Eberron book), or done in such a way that we get a forgotten realms book on, say, Anauroch that is remarkably similar to dark sun some time near when the psionics are fully released (PHB2 likely).

It shouldn't be too hard to follow CoS as a template. They include an introductory adventure like Death House designed to get characters up 3rd level in order to make it survivable. Then they have a plot hook to bring them into weird elemental effect - let's say it's in Anauroch - and they get sucked into Athas. Then they have a have a level 3-12 adventure that explores a bunch of locations and tropes common to Dark Sun. End of the story they get the option to come back to Faerun.

Include any new rules in a "Players Companion" freebie and then repeat them in the big new crunch book as well as the AP book as well.

They can follow the exact same pattern for Eberron.

 

[This Effin’ GM]

They could, but I don't think they will. Mainly because most notable ravenloft adventures are really an adventure about Strahd with Ravenloft sort of as a background. Dark Sun and Eberron were set up to be full worlds in their own right, with a lot more variety in the movers and shakers. But thats just me. Its possible, I just dont think they will.

 

[hastur_nz]

I actually think Midway will be 'Oriental Adventures' or suchlike, not PHB2. Functionally, it will be much more like PHB2 i.e. heavy on new rules etc, unlike Sword Coast Adventurers Guide which was mostly background info on the setting with only a few new rules for players. But I think they will not back-track on what Mike Mearls etc have previously said, and they will release a new set of rules, bundled up in a themed package, and for me a 5e version of 'Oriental Adventures' / Kara-Tur / Unexplorable East / whatever, makes the most sense.

Well, maybe that's what I think they should do, rather than what I think they will do... who knows, they are playing things very close to their chest so far in 2017... (did you notice there are no playtester credits in Yawning Portal?)

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Most likely it will be a book full of mechanical options for players and variant rule for DMs, because that's what they've been having us playtest.

It will almost certainly be bundled with a lore heavy package, similar to SCAG or VGtM, because that is how they do it in 5e. It will be designed as something anyone can make use of. It will also have a theme. Due to the diversity of materials we've been playtesting, it will need to be a theme that isn't too terribly focused on one specific area or genre. It may include the psionic rules, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they are not included, and included in a 2018 product instead.

The best fit I can think of (or my version of what they should do) to fulfill those requirements is some sort of Planescape thing. Most likely that would be focused on Sigil. As the crossroads of the multiverse, they could put everything (such as classes and races from various worlds and cultures) all together and it fits with D&D lore perfectly. This would also allow them to do an adventure season that involves trips to Sigil from the Forgotten Realms. Due to the nature of Sigil, they wouldn't have to take you away from the Realms (like with Barovia) but could have you jump back and forth throughout the adventure, and include other planes in the mix. Thematically, it could be anything. Maybe devils are trying to covertly infiltrate and take control of the major political groups of the Sword Coast and expanding the intrigue and in-fighting of the Nine Hells into the Material Plane. Or Githyanki and Githzerai are both trying to hunt down Mind Flayers, who are instigating a plot to return to their rightful place as rulers of the Astral and Material Planes. Devils got tons of lore in the MM, and Mind Flayers did in VGtMs, so they are strong possibilities, but others exist.

In reality, the words "Dust" and "Midway" should be ignored in attempting to predict the nature of the products. After they are released, those may or may not make sense. But what we know from past precedent and designer statements is that seeds of future products are sown in current ones (so which creatures got more than their fair share of word count and haven't yet been major antagonists?) We also have seen what mechanical options they have been playtesting over the past couple of years, including which ones they have had us playtest more than once. It is also worth noting that some of the surveys on those had "Midway Survey" inconspicuously in the address of the survey--so the mechanics are almost certainly going in the Midway product. Those are the best info we have to go off of.

 

[WackyAnne]

In answer to your first line - yes, I believe the only support you'll see for Ravenloft in the foreseeable future is via PDF, and almost certainly all of that from the DMs Guild. Vintage materials and new 3PP writers will be there to fill the void as best they can.
As for the rest - you have perfectly encapsulated my thoughts on the matter - and have clearly looked at the same customer surveys I have in coming to that conclusion. Greyhawk may stand a better chance - as Mearls and more have a deep love for the setting, and it's already almost made the docket once, as well as it's in the second tier of desired settings for 5E. But Dragonlance? Not a chance - it didn't even break the top ten settings, had complaints from earlier players that it was too railroad-y being tied to the novels &/or limited to the War of the Lance, and last but not least Margaret Weiss, co-creator of the series, retired from writing for RPGs last year to focus on film (and no, I don't think that means the D&D movie will be DL).

My wager? Dust will be Dark Sun, with Midway either Planescape &/or the rumoured player-option heavy book. It might be Eberron instead, but I think the signs of stuff we've seen so far point more surely in DS's direction... I'll admit to being happily surprised by other WotC moves in D&D's direction, so I am prepared for just about any announcement next month...

 

[TwoSix]

Ravlenloft was always set up as a plane that touches other planes. With Forgotten Realms being set up as the default, I think in their minds ravenloft was fine as sort of a way to both touch on planar hoping, showcase the undead, and appeal to ravenloft lovers, without having to compromise on walking away from the realms. Eberoon and Dark Sun would force a divergence from the structure of creating storylines that can also coexist with the video game and forgotten realms novels.

I agree with this. Honestly, if you don't know the setting's history, there's nothing in CoS to suggest that Barovia is anything other than some weird Realms demiplane.

 

[bmfrosty]

I agree with this. Honestly, if you don't know the setting's history, there's nothing in CoS to suggest that Barovia is anything other than some weird Realms demiplane.

Is that some sort of sacred cow? If it were, is there any reason to believe that Mearls an Co. wouldn't violate it?

 

[TwoSix]

Is that some sort of sacred cow? If it were, is there any reason to believe that Mearls an Co. wouldn't violate it?

Got me. Personally, I couldn't care less if they put Barovia smack in the middle of the Dalelands (Mistdale?), but I know to some people it matters. What WotC's view on it is anyone's guess.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Is that some sort of sacred cow?

Yes, yes it is. It's part of an entire demiplane that forms a campaign setting.

If it were, is there any reason to believe that Mearls an Co. wouldn't violate it?

They are unlikely to do so if they can find a way to avoid it. In this case, they simply avoided mentioning the exact nature of Barovia, and didn't mention anything about a wider demiplane (I assume). That allows people who know the lore to use it, and those who don't want to don't have to learn it. One of the designers did answer a tweet by saying that Ravenloft is where it's always been.