D&D 5E WotC's Nathan Stewart Teases New D&D Setting Book in 2019

No real details, other than denying that it will be Spelljammer, but in the latest Spoilers & Swag episode Stewart stated straight up that another hardcover setting book is coming in 2019:

"Nathan Stewart, the senior director of Dungeons & Dragons and Avalon Hill, made the announcement on his monthly "Spoilers & Swag" Twitchcast yesterday. 'Next year for our annual releases I can confirm there will be a setting book,' he said. 'A new setting book. A book that we have not created that is for a D&D setting.'"

I'd speculate, given the Settings mentioned in the recent marketing survey and what is listed in the DMsGuild, that the likely options are from the following, given we got Magic this year and Stewart has previously said they are not working on a new setting right now:

- Dark Sun
- Dragonlance
- Eberron
- Greyhawk
- Planescape
- Ravenloft

https://comicbook.com/gaming/2018/11/03/dungeons-and-dragons-new-campaign-setting-book-2019/

 

[gyor]

Don't forget the possibility Dark Sun could return (again), which is what I'm hoping for.

Also, I'd like to see a return to Jakandor, but that was a pretty niche product. There is also Birthright - which was a pretty good idea for a setting (just with a lot of unpronounceable words). Red Steel/Savage Coast and Hollow World had some fair development (more than The Horde), and both were distinct from standard Mystra they could be mined for the future. Hopefully, Council of Wyrms will stay dead, but I wish they could turn that setting on its ear to produce a sort-of Eragon dragon-rider world where the PC's are linked to dragon mount/companions.

Finally, don't forget that they once did a Diablo II RPG; somebody might dig that one out of the closet...

Does WotC even have the rights to do Diablo RPGs now?

 

[Jester David]

Does WotC even have the rights to do Diablo RPGs now?

Not to our knowledge.
The rights likely would have lapsed since the days of 3.0e, but they could have renewed the licence or struck a new deal with Blizzard.
But that's pretty unlikely.

 

[GarrettKP]

I suspect the book is Planescape, with a Dark Sun beta book ala Wayfinders.

The top 5 settings in the last survey were Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, Planescape and Dark Sun. We have gotten 3 of the 5 (yes, Curse of Strahd counts).

Planescape and Dark Sun are the two missing. And of the two Dark Sun still has some things missing in the game (Psionics). So I expect that gets a PDF Beta test for the new Psion rules and Planescape gets the full hardcover.

Then they can say they have touched all 5 of the popular D&D settings and move on to more Magic crossovers.

 

[Parmandur]

Whenever I see statements like this I always think of:

View attachment 102856



But, seriously, they have a shotgun approach to clues. You can make a reliable argument for Lantan, The Great Modron March, Pirates, Slavers, Spelljammer, Barrier Peaks, and more.
There's the clues for the next couple adventures, the stuff that's just Easter Eggs/ references but could become a clue, the stuff that's just them trolling, and more.

(I do think pirates as well, but who knows?)


Well, yeah. Because lore doesn't need updates.
A similar statement could be made of the 3e Eberron book, the 1e Dragonlance book, the 1e Greyhawk folio, etc. We don't really need an update of any campaign setting. At best we just need a PoD book on the Guild.

I like WotC giving me a safe, low-impact space to flex my conspiracy theory muscles.

That's the issue with Forgotten Realms and the new setting book style they are rolling out: what content the FR would facilitate along the lines of GGtR or WGtE is already in the DMG or MM, and supplemented by AP or readily available older edition stuff. As you have pointed out, GGtR has about the same amount of straight Gazeeter material as Dragon Heist.

 

[gyor]

I suspect the book is Planescape, with a Dark Sun beta book ala Wayfinders.

The top 5 settings in the last survey were Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, Planescape and Dark Sun. We have gotten 3 of the 5 (yes, Curse of Strahd counts).

Planescape and Dark Sun are the two missing. And of the two Dark Sun still has some things missing in the game (Psionics). So I expect that gets a PDF Beta test for the new Psion rules and Planescape gets the full hardcover.

Then they can say they have touched all 5 of the popular D&D settings and move on to more Magic crossovers.

CoS counts, but barely, Barovaria is the least interesting of the domains IMO, and Ravenloft gets nothing beyond Barovaria, not even simple mentions.

Still I don't think they will do a more in depth visit to Ravenloft for awhile yet.

I'd add the possibility of Dragonlance IF it gets a movie in 2019, WotC & Hasbro loves synergy, but if not I think you nailed Hardcover Planescape book, Ebook Darksun so that all it's mechanics can be tested. I'll add that I think Spelljammer gets an AP like Curse of Strahd.

If we are both wrong then it will most likely be a proper FRCG 5e. But I think Planescape is the most likely.

Has anyone heard any rumour in the last few months of a Dragonlance movie?

 

[Parmandur]

Does WotC even have the rights to do Diablo RPGs now?

WotC doesn't license things anymore: they sell, they don't buy.

 

[GarrettKP]

CoS counts, but barely, Barovaria is the least interesting of the domains IMO, and Ravenloft gets nothing beyond Barovaria, not even simple mentions.

Still I don't think they will do a more in depth visit to Ravenloft for awhile yet.

I'd add the possibility of Dragonlance IF it gets a movie in 2019, WotC & Hasbro loves synergy, but if not I think you nailed Hardcover Planescape book, Ebook Darksun so that all it's mechanics can be tested. I'll add that I think Spelljammer gets an AP like Curse of Strahd.

If we are both wrong then it will most likely be a proper FRCG 5e. But I think Planescape is the most likely.

Has anyone heard any rumour in the last few months of a Dragonlance movie?

We aren’t even sure the movie is set in Dragonlance. We know Joe Manginello pitched a Dragonlance movie but all official news about the movie that is being made haven’t mentioned Joe at all. So I don’t think we are getting a Dragonlance film.

As for Spelljammer, I think the “setting” is just getting rolled into the general cosmetology so I don’t think it’s getting a book by itself. I think aspects of the setting will just keep getting cherry picked and thrown into other adventure books.

 

[Parmandur]

I suspect the book is Planescape, with a Dark Sun beta book ala Wayfinders.

The top 5 settings in the last survey were Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, Planescape and Dark Sun. We have gotten 3 of the 5 (yes, Curse of Strahd counts).

Planescape and Dark Sun are the two missing. And of the two Dark Sun still has some things missing in the game (Psionics). So I expect that gets a PDF Beta test for the new Psion rules and Planescape gets the full hardcover.

Then they can say they have touched all 5 of the popular D&D settings and move on to more Magic crossovers.

I think you are right that a Dark Sun playtest document next year seems likely, based on Mearls Happy Fun Hour, but I also think we will see an Eberron hardcover. Maybe an Eberron Magic Block, which would be funny.

 

[DEFCON 1]

WotC has been using 5E to try and train people to stop thinking about or worrying about "canon". They don't want to concern themselves with it much anymore, because it is a pain in the ass to work around and it requires a massive amount of additional writing to have to come up with all the crap that goes on in all the corners of the worlds, most of which are ever barely looked at or touched upon.

They know there are certain players who will never stop being hung up on what is current "canon" in every single location in every single part of a particular setting... but they just have no desire to cater to them anymore. WotC will "update" what is "canon" for a particular place when they produce a product they want to make that includes that location... but as far as the rest of it? Not worth their time. Because if anyone decides "You know, I think I'll set my next campaign in Turmish!", WotC will just tell the person to use Turmish stuff from previous editions for their game because its just as "new" for that player as anything else WotC might've been bothered to write in some 5E campaign setting book, without needing to spend the time, money, and resources to do so for very little return.

 

[Parmandur]

CoS counts, but barely, Barovaria is the least interesting of the domains IMO, and Ravenloft gets nothing beyond Barovaria, not even simple mentions.

Still I don't think they will do a more in depth visit to Ravenloft for awhile yet.

I'd add the possibility of Dragonlance IF it gets a movie in 2019, WotC & Hasbro loves synergy, but if not I think you nailed Hardcover Planescape book, Ebook Darksun so that all it's mechanics can be tested. I'll add that I think Spelljammer gets an AP like Curse of Strahd.

If we are both wrong then it will most likely be a proper FRCG 5e. But I think Planescape is the most likely.

Has anyone heard any rumour in the last few months of a Dragonlance movie?

Nothing about a Dragonlance movie. There is a D&D movie on the schedule for 2021 for Paramount, but nothing has really come out about their plans.