D&D 5E Tyranny of Dragons Panel at PAX East Today

[Mistwell]

From Matt-M-McElroy:

I was on two panels with Mike Mearls yesterday, but they were not specifically about Next, so it was only talked about in general terms (lots of other games and D&D history were discussed) so I won't be much help I'm afraid.

There were a lot of Next demos going on in the Tabletop hall and people seemed to be having a great time.

MMM

 

[tuxgeo]

No, just an Art of the Dungeon Master panel.

Aw, yeah, that was it.

 

[Incenjucar]

I must say I like most of that art. I was worried it would get too cartoony or 90s gritty again, but it looks to be moving toward a more detailed or ethereal feel. Hopefully this are representative, rather than the exceptions.

 

[mhensley]

I dunno, I think it's a great idea for a launch adventure. In a game called Dungeons & Dragons, you're working against a Dragon worshiping cult that's trying to bring back the goddess of evil Dragons. I know almost nothing about 5th edition, but I think this sounds like fun.

I'm sure it could be a great adventure, but I'm really not a fan of adventure paths or meta plots in settings. I currently like D&D Next and the Forgotten Realms. I'm even been planning out using the FR in a 5e campaign soon, but this announcement gives me pause. Didn't they listen to what the fans have been saying? I'm pretty sure the majority were not saying - "you know what the realms need more of: meta plots that change everything".

Maybe I'm better off just homebrewing my setting so that wotc doesn't pull the rug out from under me every few months.

 

[Alphastream]

I'm sure it could be a great adventure, but I'm really not a fan of adventure paths or meta plots in settings. I currently like D&D Next and the Forgotten Realms. I'm even been planning out using the FR in a 5e campaign soon, but this announcement gives me pause. Didn't they listen to what the fans have been saying? I'm pretty sure the majority were not saying - "you know what the realms need more of: meta plots that change everything".

Maybe I'm better off just homebrewing my setting so that wotc doesn't pull the rug out from under me every few months.

I think WotC has actually been keeping this in mind. Take a look at Murder in Baldur's Gate or Legacy of the Crystal Shard. Both of these adventures (available in stores) came with a booklet providing extensive information on the city/region/environs. Even if you don't run the adventure, there is a lot of value there. If I were running a city adventure I would break out Murder in Baldur's Gate and mine it for ideas, regardless of where the city was, because it's an excellent resource for ideas. Even the later adventures, such as Scourge of the Sword Coast (available on DnDClassics), have some very useful information for anyone running an adventure in Daggerford (more background is found in Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle and also in the older Under Ilefarn).

So, sure. If you don't like pre-published adventures or adventure paths, those products will be of less use for you. But, they do have elements that may make them still worth considering. WotC is currently creating adventures that tie in very richly to the FR setting, providing a wealth of information useful to DMs.

As for pulling the rug, you are the gatekeeper. Take the Spellplague. An adventure such as Lost Crown of Neverwinter can still be great inspiration. Lost Crown isn't lore heavy, in part because it came out to support the excellent depth in the 4E Neverwinter setting book. But, it has a pretty fun tragic tale about a spellplagued NPC and their influence in the city. It also deals with a part of the city where they try to cure those afflicted by the Spellplague. That tale can easily be converted from 'Spellplague' to any kind of magical illness or curse and still be a compelling tale. You don't have to adopt WotC's Spellplague timeline to make use of this.

Tyranny of Dragons will be the same way. Tiamat may be somewhere at the end of this, from what we hear of it, but any tale with dragons creating an alliance and weaving in the Cult of the Dragon and the Red Wizards sounds like fun. Those are great elements for inspiration in FR, even if you don't use them in their entirety.

 

[an_idol_mind]

Didn't WotC previously say that the Sundering was the last big Realms-shaking event for a while?

 

[DMZ2112]

Didn't WotC previously say that the Sundering was the last big Realms-shaking event for a while?

I get impression that the point of Tyranny of Dragons is to /stop/ a Realms-shaking event. If the Realms-shaking event occurs, the PCs have screwed the pooch.

That said, a Tiamat-dominated Forgotten Realms? I'd run in that setting.

*gasp* Maybe the Forgotten Realms ARE the Dragonlance reboot! Zounds! Wheels within wheels!

 

[Plaguescarred]

I don't consider Tyranny of Dragons as a Realms Shaking Event personally. Its more like a megaplot taking places in multiplateform somewhat like Rise of the Underdark was, which isn't usually referred to as one.

 

[Alphastream]

Didn't WotC previously say that the Sundering was the last big Realms-shaking event for a while?

It is, in the tradition of all the edition-changing FR events. 4E made significant changes, nearly all of which are being lessened (and in some cases completely undone). This is particularly true for most? of the Abeir intrusions, though I would guess we will retain some cool earthmotes and waterfalls coming out of thin air (those are darn cool!). Spellplague is a good example of something that is being lessened, with pockets remaining and some people still manifesting, but it won't be as commonplace now that Mystra is back. I would guess that the Abeir continent will be gone again and the primordials will decrease as a big threat (at least as an Abeir-fueled one).

The biggest noticeable impact is really the return to prominence of many organizations that had moved to the background, such as the Zhentarim. This is especially true in published works, though LFR (Living Forgotten Realms) often made good use of those classic organizations. For the average home campaign, it will really be about the way those organizations are written up - once more as prominent threats actively influencing the realms. The emphasis will be on classic political intrigues, rather than the upheaval and chaos from the sudden change from the Spellplague.

 

[M.L. Martin]

*gasp* Maybe the Forgotten Realms ARE the Dragonlance reboot! Zounds! Wheels within wheels!

You jest, but I have to wonder if Tyranny wasn't conceived as a Dragonlance reboot or event (the Resurrection of Takhisis) and then moved to the Realms in order to better leverage their IP and/or avoid the heavy baggage that DL carries.