"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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[spiggs18]

Dark Sun would be awesome, but I doubt that WOTC would change there direction now. It's Forgotten Realms with about a page worth of information on how to convert the adventure to other settings LOL.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

I predict that Dust is the Al-Qadim 5e AP and Midway is the Kara-Tur 5e AP.

 

[Reynard]

I predict that Dust is the Al-Qadim 5e AP and Midway is the Kara-Tur 5e AP.

Except that the likelihood of 2 APs 2 months apart is vanishingly small.

 

[jimmifett]

For the love of delicious bacon, money, fast cars and fast women, no more Forgotten Realms! Lets get some Eberron.

 

[Mercurius]

I'll add my voice to some variant of:

Dust = some sort of desert themed story arc, be it set in Dark Sun or the FR (Raurin or Al-Qadim). This might also introduce some psionics stuff, which could mean that the unnamed supplements are psionic in nature.
Midway = rules expansion.

I don't buy the "midway between editions" as I don't think we're going to see 6E until 2024, which is the 50th anniversary of D&D. But that was my first impression. On the other hand, we might be "midway" between the first version of 5E and a revised or more finished version in 2020, which wouldn't be 6E but 5E Revised.

 

[Mercurius]

Let's add them all together:

June 20 $9.95
July 18 $14.95
Sept 17 $19.95
Sept 19 $49.95 hardcover
Oct 17 #24.95
Nov 21 $49.95 hardcover

It would seem likely that the June, July, and Sept products all lead up to the Sept 19 hardcover, perhaps as supplements or accessories for it (maybe some variants of map, tiles, primer, mini gazetteer?). For instance, if "Dust" truly is Dark Sun, maybe the $19.95 product is a kind of 64-page Dark Sun gazetteer or primer.

It also could be that the first two products are unrelated to Dust, especially given that two-month gap between July and September, unless there is an as-yet unannounced GenCon release or AL thing in August.

Not sure how the Oct 17 product might tie in, but it could be a "further adventures in Dark Sun" guide or something completely unrelated to Dust.

One thing I think is probable is that both hardcovers are not story arcs, and that we're getting our mechanical expansion this year. Given that the expansion will almost certainly include psionics, Dark Sun seems likely for "Dust."

 

[JeffB]

I think there's absolutely no chance that they would announce 2 adventures one right after another... is there?!

This is why I didn't go with Isle of Dread for "midway"

 

[Morrus]

Dark Sun would be awesome, but I doubt that WOTC would change there direction now. It's Forgotten Realms with about a page worth of information on how to convert the adventure to other settings LOL.

What, like, Curse of Strahd?

 

[ddaley]

Will these require a subscription? J/K!

Actually, a subscription that I might support is one like Paizo's Adventure Path subscription...

 

[MechaTarrasque]

Except that the likelihood of 2 APs 2 months apart is vanishingly small.

That will teach me to skip the release dates......