"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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[mvincent]

'Midway' makes me think of 'Battle of the Midway', which makes me think of a mass battle system (which they've been working on in Unearthed Arcana). A ship related supplement is not out of the question either.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Dark Sun is extremely unlikely because it needs psionics, and finished psionic rules by then aren't highly likely (given that previous statements from Mike Mearls implied at least one more playtest after the one we just got). Now, I could be wrong on that (I was wrong on the PHB making the summer 2014 release date), but that's the way to bet. Indicators that I might be wrong on that would be if we see a psionics feedback survey within 3 weeks, and another playtest out before the end of May. That would give them time to burn the midnight oil and perhaps have the finished ruleset out by September. I wouldn't count on it though--it still seems unlikely.

Since they still haven't figured out what form to publish the big book of mechanics in, it is also not highly likely, though I think it's possibly more likely than psionics, simply because they probably aren't us multiple design iterations to playtest on it. If they get in the rest of the stuff in the next few months, they could have it ready to go by November.

"Dust" could be anything. We're probably stretching to assume there is any environmental connection to it. More likely it's about undead.

Midway though. I think a good interpretation of that could be Sigil which is at the midway point of all things in the Planescape setting.

This is the one that came to my mind. Since it wouldn't be a second adventure, perhaps they are considering a Sigil "setting" book as the format in which to put out the new mechanics. What they are very unlikely to do is put out a big book of crunch without some story or lore connection, because that violates their marketing strategy. If on the other hand, they used Sigil as the place that pulls together stuff from all over the multiverse, then they could also include a bunch of otherwise unrelated crunch, and even include races and subclasses specific to various D&D settings.

That would be pretty darn cool, and fit in with their marketing style.

I don't buy the "midway between editions" as I don't think we're going to see 6E until 2024...

I'll raise you that and say I don't think we'll see a 6e for at least 13 years or so. If it were up to Mike Mearls, we might never get another edition, and that would be fine with me. That said, I think we probably will eventually get one more edition of D&D, and if they do it right they can then cease rewriting the game and just focus on continued expansion for the rest of the lifetime of D&D.

 

[Mercurius]

I'll raise you that and say I don't think we'll see a 6e for at least 13 years or so. If it were up to Mike Mearls, we might never get another edition, and that would be fine with me. That said, I think we probably will eventually get one more edition of D&D, and if they do it right they can then cease rewriting the game and just focus on continued expansion for the rest of the lifetime of D&D.

I agree we may never see "6E," but we almost certainly will see revised versions of 5E and/or some kind of 50th anniversary commemorative edition. Who knows, maybe we see something akin to "5.2" -- errata-ed and revised core rulebooks that come out in a few years that incorporate lessons learned from the first half decade of 5E (e.g. the ranger). Then in 2024, we get a bunch of 50th anniversary deluxe stuff, even a kind of 5.5 that incorporates some tweaks and such.

But given the nature of changing technology, but the time we get deep into the 2020s and approach 2030, who knows what sort of technologies will be available and how it will impact a 20th century game like D&D. I certainy don't see a 6th, 7th, etc...Rather, I see 5E being the last true new edition, with further and increasingly smaller revisions for as long as there is interest, and then a truly new "edition" of D&D being a virtual world.

But back on topic...

 

[JeffB]

Midway- turning point in the Pacific theatre.

Midway- a classic WWII movie from the mid 1970s with a who's who of Hollywood cast. Charleton Heston was the biggest star.

Charleton Heston was also in The Planet of the Apes



GAW$@!!T ALL TO H- E DOUBLEHOCKEYSTICKS..THEY DID IT...WOTC REALLY DID IT....THEY BLEW IT UP...

I'm predicting Gamma World

Final answer Regis.

 

[Gradine]

I'll echo the sentiments here that Dark Sun seems highly unlikely; if they're going to go somewhere outside of typical Forgotten Realms it'll likely still be something they can shoehorn in as an expansion or otherwise connected to the setting (see: Ravenloft). That's why I think Planescape seems like a likely answer for Dust (if not a Deserts of Desolation-inspired AP, which seems the most likely answer at this point); and certainly a Manuel of Planes of sorts for Midway.

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

"Dust" as in "Stardust" as in "f-you Space Pathfinder, have some Spelljammer"
"Midway" couldnthem be Sigil?

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

But I'd love Gamma World. I would be so all over that.

 

[darjr]

I would LOVE a desert of desolation AP!!!

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

Isle of Dread??

 

[Reynard]

I think folks expecting or hoping for Dark Sun are going to be disappointed. They don't even out a Dark Sun entry in the module sidebars. I think it is far more likely we will see Eberron as a second setting (assuming one doesn't count Ravenloft as one). We might see Dragonlance as a big AP with a supporting hardcover but I bet that is still years away.