D&D 5E Mike Mearls states on Twitter hardcover adventures now annual releases

[Mercule]

They clearly want to move away from having separate campaign worlds.

Which is about the most anti-D&D thing I can think of. Probably the main thing that's kept me engaged with D&D, rather than moving to any of the other fantasy systems that have popped up over the last four decades is that D&D has always been supportive of home brew and multiple settings.

In order to help future films and other lucrative franchises, they want there to be one "world of D&D", which is a kitchen-sinkified version of the Realms with everything popular from the other settings thrown in.

I get the theoretic benefit. We'll see whether it comes to pass -- there's a reasonable chance it'll come off like the Warcraft movie. I really do wish them no ill will in monetizing the Forgotten Realms IP. I just wish they'd not confuse the D&D IP with the Forgotten Realms IP.

 

[IchneumonWasp]

They clearly want to move away from having separate campaign worlds.

In order to help future films and other lucrative franchises, they want there to be one "world of D&D", which is a kitchen-sinkified version of the Realms with everything popular from the other settings thrown in.

Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app

I don't think this is true necessarily. It's just that it makes sense, from a financial perspective not to support multiple settings at once. The D&D team is rather small. They can't afford to make stuff that is clearly directed towards one specific campaign setting, if that means that a large quantity of players won't even look at it.

Most of the stuff that has been produced for Forgotten Realms is generic fantasy enough that it can be used in any campaign world. For example, I can see them coming out with an Eberron Campaign Setting + Adventure mixed into one, in a few years, after the psionic material has been released and they've had time to work on the Artificer, Eberron races and dragonmarks. But creating all of these take time and I like the fact that they don't want to release something before it is actually well done. Forgotten Realms can be done without them creating lots of extra mechanics.

 

[CapnZapp]

the D&D IP

But what is the "D&D IP" without a grounding in a setting, a world and its peoples?

Don't get me wrong! While rhetorical I fully assume you know the answer - just as I know it.

...but try explain it in a 30 second pitch to the regular moviegoer or toy/board game/action figure customer. That's the dilemma.

Note: I am not saying D&D = Realms nor am I supportive of that notion. I am merely wondering how it is possible to unsee the evidence this is the direction of Hasbro's greater plans for the brand. Everything released so far is geared towards herding the greater D&D audience into a single setting (with any exceptions so minor they don't bear mentioning). Us actual role-players is but a financial blip on those plans. Even if they do publish a Planescape:ish hardback collecting summaries/overviews of the other major settings (expect coverage on par with SCAG, i.e. a far cry from what we really want) won't change what I believe is their clear direction; it will merely be a feint to appease their most vocal critics.

 

[Lord_Blacksteel]

Another consideration: they have Goodman Games publishing updated classic adventures now. WOTC may view that as freeing them up to do something else in the future with one of their "book slots".

 

[TwoSix]

Note: I am not saying D&D = Realms nor am I supportive of that notion. I am merely wondering how it is possible to unsee the evidence this is the direction of Hasbro's greater plans for the brand. Everything released so far is geared towards herding the greater D&D audience into a single setting (with any exceptions so minor they don't bear mentioning). Us actual role-players is but a financial blip on those plans. Even if they do publish a Planescape:ish hardback collecting summaries/overviews of the other major settings (expect coverage on par with SCAG, i.e. a far cry from what we really want) won't change what I believe is their clear direction; it will merely be a feint to appease their most vocal critics.

Yep. They'll continue to acknowledge Eberron, Dragonlance, etc., as part of the history of D&D, and part of the D&D multiverse. And that's good! They might even throw in a few pages about the other Prime Materials in a planar supplement, noting that every possible D&D world exists somewhere, and can be connected by the planes. But moving forward, it's Realms first, Planescape/planar stuff second (since the presentation of the planes is pretty strongly D&D specific, and good IP), and settings that are also kitchen-sink medievel fantasy realms dead last. Really alternate stuff like Dark Sun, that expands the genre possibilities of D&D, would make sense to be after planar material.

 

[Mercule]

But what is the "D&D IP" without a grounding in a setting, a world and its peoples?

The D&D IP is a set of game rules that enables players to run narrative-based games. It is suitable for any vaguely medieval flavored game and favors custom or "home brew" over published settings. Over the lifetime of the game, several licensed settings have been converted to use the game rules and many other settings have been created expressly for the game. Among the most famous of these are Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Lankhmar, and Wheel of Time. Modified versions of the D&D system have been created for other genres and settings, including modern spy games, urban fantasy, old west, and Star Wars.

Don't get me wrong! While rhetorical I fully assume you know the answer - just as I know it.

...but try explain it in a 30 second pitch to the regular moviegoer or toy/board game/action figure customer. That's the dilemma.

It's a false dilemma. D&D can't be turned into a movie any more than the Unreal Engine could be turned into a movie. It's a vehicle/medium, not a story or setting of its own. Yes, D&D has some flavorful tools in the bag, but that's not the same thing.

The Forgotten Realms IP, on the other hand is definitely about the story and setting:

The Forgotten Realms is a vaguely medieval fantasy setting that was originally created by Ed Greenwood as a vehicle for writing fiction. Numerous books have been set in the Forgotten Realms. The setting was also converted to be playable using the D&D game system. A movie is even being made set in the Forgotten Realms.

 

[Parmandur]

Mearls just talked about Dark Sun in the video about the Whispers Bard today.

It isn't simply the brand strategy that makes FR attractive: they have stated most DMs Homebrew, but DMs that Homebrew generic fantasy that happily file off any serial numbers plus active Forgotten Realms fans are combine their biggest market, who they can hit with the same products (like Volos, or the APs).

 

[CapnZapp]

The D&D IP is a set of game rules that enables players to run narrative-based games. It is suitable for any vaguely medieval flavored game and favors custom or "home brew" over published settings. Over the lifetime of the game, several licensed settings have been converted to use the game rules and many other settings have been created expressly for the game. Among the most famous of these are Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Lankhmar, and Wheel of Time. Modified versions of the D&D system have been created for other genres and settings, including modern spy games, urban fantasy, old west, and Star Wars.


It's a false dilemma. D&D can't be turned into a movie any more than the Unreal Engine could be turned into a movie. It's a vehicle/medium, not a story or setting of its own. Yes, D&D has some flavorful tools in the bag, but that's not the same thing.

The Forgotten Realms IP, on the other hand is definitely about the story and setting:

The Forgotten Realms is a vaguely medieval fantasy setting that was originally created by Ed Greenwood as a vehicle for writing fiction. Numerous books have been set in the Forgotten Realms. The setting was also converted to be playable using the D&D game system. A movie is even being made set in the Forgotten Realms.

You come across as explaining this to me as if I haven't read the thread or participated in the discussions...

Giving you the benefit of the doubt: no, I did not genuinely wonder what D&D was. It was a rhetorical question, a literary technique.

 

[CapnZapp]

continue to acknowledge

just talked about

Talk is cheap.

And why should they go out and confirm "we're officially pooping on your favorite setting"? That just makes no sense.

But continuing to acknowledge and just talking about is a far cry from actively supporting a setting through a complete game line, with a campaign gazetteer followed by various adventures and setting-specific splat books. You know, like D&D used to be.

 

[lkj]

I'll just make the observation that several folks on the D&D team have suggested they are planning to provide support for other campaign worlds, but that because they wanted to 'do it right' they were taking their time with rolling out that support. The comments have been vague but not evasive (in my opinion). They have some plan. I suspect they think it's clever. They have surprised me before (OGL for example). So, I think it might be premature to assume they are not going to delve into other campaign settings.

Will it be enough for everybody? Will it take a form that people consider adequate? Probably not. I doubt we'll have a series of separate campaign setting books, or even gazetteers. But I think we'll be seeing something substantial in the next couple years.

And for those looking for an example of these comments, there have been a number (most of which I am way too lazy to dig up). But the latest has been in Nathan Stewart's 'fireside chats' (actually had a fireplace last time). In both of them, on the topic of other campaign settings, he said they had plans to support other settings. However, he said this support would not happen on a timeline that made everyone happy. So we probably have awhile to wait.

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