D&D 5E Should Published Settings Limit Classes and Races Allowed?

howandwhy99

Adventurer

• Sep 10, 2017

• #1

With the new effort to republish popular game settings there is a desire to update them to 5th ed. What also tends to happen is the redesigning of settings to fit the new edition's rules.

This is nothing new. In fact, many settings were designed backwards to fit the rules. 2nd ed Darksun is the perfect archetype for this thinking. Its creative designers stretched the game to the very limits of what was possible with a D&D game setting. Why the limts? Because sometime along the way D&D came to mean not only the core rules, but every class, every race, every monster, every magic item, ad nauseam.

Of course to some degree every version of D&D is its own setting, but the trap is making every setting into edition specific kitchen sinks.

We can all customize our home games, but are buyers open to purchasing published settings where not only new options are given, but some published options are specifically not given? No elves? No paladins? No fire magic?

 

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JonnyP71

Explorer

• Sep 10, 2017

• #2

Definitely, and that is precisely what I would want from a setting. Dark Sun with Tieflings and Dragonborn and Halflings portrayed in a 5E/FR way is simply not Dark Sun. A Middle Earth setting allowing Dwarven Wizards is not Middle Earth. And so on..

 

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Lanliss

Explorer

• Sep 10, 2017

• #3

By default, yes. I think what isn't in a setting is just as important as what is. And just like people say to those who want to adjust settings for themselves, people can add back in their own things they want to play if it is that important.

 

CapnZapp

Legend

• Sep 10, 2017

• #4

Shrug. Do that, and lose potential customers.

There's a reason kitchen sink worlds rise to the top. Something for everyone and fewer "no can't do that"s

Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app

 

Zardnaar

Legend

• Sep 10, 2017

• #5

CapnZapp said:

Shrug. Do that, and lose potential customers.

There's a reason kitchen sink worlds rise to the top. Something for everyone and fewer "no can't do that"s

Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app

Click to expand...

Most kitchen sink settings actually died or are life support and even FR had its 4E moment. Mystara, Greyhawk, Dragonlance are all more or less dead.

Outside FR the popular D&D settings offer something a bit different. Darksun, Eberron, Planescape, Ravenloft all offer something a bit different or edgy over kitchen sink settings. Those are the ones WotC are also likely to reprint.

FR won competing against other kitchen sink settings mostly GH, DL and Mystara/Known world. The other settings were mostly 2E ones to cater to different audiences or to those who don't want kitchen sink all of the time. Why have Darksun as kitchen sink when you already have FR that more or less does it better anyway?

 

Gardens & Goblins

First Post

• Sep 10, 2017

• #6

Sure, why not.

Folks can always ignore the suggestion.

Campaign worlds like Dark Sun were built on, amongst other things, their thematic take on, and lack of, certain 'traditional' races. Folks are free to add Warforged, Tritons and whatever they wish - it's a magical world so anything can happen. Personally I'd aim for a more 'authentic' feel but hey, each to their own.

Of course, certain racial choices might actively undermine the tone/feel of a campaign. We run a 'Sky Realm' game where everyone uses flying machines, airships and the like, with the land being comprised entirely of floating islands. Falling to your death is a BIG THING, so someone wanting to roll an aarakocra would be at odds with the tone/feel, and in many ways at a distinct advantage over other player characters.

Of course, there's also the challenge of ingenuity (note: not 'creativity'), which by its very nature requires restrictions so that we might succeed despite them.

 

Eltab

Lord of the Hidden Layer

• Sep 10, 2017

• #7

Any setting should have something specific to itself, both classes and races and cultural notes.
- Stone Age equipment, psionics, cannibal halflings, Thri-Kreen in Dark Sun.
- Warforged, magi-tech, detective noir in Eberron.

If / when a classic setting is updated, put in a sidebar that suggests how to incorporate newer races / classes into the setting.
4e did a clunky job of this with Dragonborn in Dark Sun.

Forgotten Realms, as a 'kitchen sink' setting, has the virtue that you can introduce new players to 'what a classic D&D setting feels like'. When they are comfortable with the rules and understand the background assumptions, THEN you can pull out Dark Sun / Ebberon / your favorite and say "Hey let's try this out, it feels different in play."

 

Last edited: Sep 11, 2017

Giltonio_Santos

Hero

• Sep 10, 2017

• #8

Sure. Also, as someone else said earlier, you can always bring back anything you think is a must have for your own campaign.

 

TwoSix

Dirty, realism-hating munchkin powergamer

• Sep 10, 2017

• #9

I have no problem with excluding stuff (I think focusing options help make the setting stronger, personally). But I doubt any 5e setting released will do so, since "the D&D multiverse" is supposed to be the true 5e setting. It's also why I think Planescape is the most likely setting to be rebooted, as the planes are one the most obviously "D&D" elements that hasn't been overly explored, and really can't be done in Forgotten Realms. Then, you can easily touch on Eberron, Krynn, Athas, etc, as different areas of the Prime.

Edit: The broader point is that I don't think WotC will be focused on insular, internally cohesive settings, where restrictions on race/class would be more fitting and necessary.

 

M

MechaPilot

Explorer

• Sep 10, 2017

• #10

They should state what is disallowed by default, as well as why it's disallowed, and they should provide setting-specific options for including things disallowed by default if groups want to include those things.