D&D 5E What's Next for D&D's Campaign Settings? (And an idea/suggestion for WotC!)

Mercurius · Nov 25, 2013

How about this. Publish Gary's Greyhawk and Ed's Realms, then provide guidance for alternate variations that different DMs can play out. So 4e's Spellplague isn't "canon" to 5e, but it is an optional approach that can be detailed in the 5e campaign book. The Greyhawk Wars are a possible campaign. Etc.

Of course on some level this invalidates the novels that have taken place in those paradigms, but that's just how it goes. I'm fairly certain Timothy Zahn's looking forward to Star Wars 7-9 just like the rest of us.

steeldragons · Nov 25, 2013

Invalidating the novels should be no concern for them at all.

It is. I know it is. I know they want everything being all meshy and cross-promotey.

I hate it. Write all the books you want. Tell all the stories you can conceive within the world...THAT'S what the game is about. Not telling some story that we are then all supposed to accept as law.

Novels and the RPG should be COMPLETELY independent when it comes to world history/actions.

That it is. Steel Dragons the great and powerful has spoken.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

PS EDIT: and yes [MENTION=59082]Mercurius[/MENTION] I think that sounds like a very good way for them to go...I just don't see it happening.

Halivar · Nov 25, 2013

steeldragons said:
Invalidating the novels should be no concern for them at all.

I feel a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of Drizz't fan-boys suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

steeldragons · Nov 25, 2013

Halivar said:
I feel a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of Drizz't fan-boys suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

We can hope. Ohhhhhh how we can only hope!

Quartz · Nov 25, 2013

Klaus said:
The Greyhawk Wars had nothing to do with an edition change.

I disagree. AD&D 2E was released in 1989; the Greyhawk Wars adventures were released in 1991 and so the whole thing would have been in the works for some time previously. That's pretty close for D&D.

Nellisir · Nov 25, 2013

Quartz said:
I disagree. AD&D 2E was released in 1989; the Greyhawk Wars adventures were released in 1991 and so the whole thing would have been in the works for some time previously. That's pretty close for D&D.

The Fate of Istus was the Greyhawk adventure module/path that dealt with "converting" Greyhawk from 1e to 2e. It preceded the Greyhawk Wars by several years.

In other news,there will never be a "new" Gygax Greyhawk update, expansion, or otherwise. Gary is dead. If you want Gygaxian campaign settings, invest in Dangerous Journeys/Mythus and Lejendary Adventures. Attempting to write a "new" Greyhawk "just like Gary's Greyhawk, but newer" is not going to work, and caters to such a tiny niche it wouldn't be close to worth it.

interfactor · Nov 26, 2013

Nellisir said:
In other news,there will never be a "new" Gygax Greyhawk update, expansion, or otherwise. Gary is dead. If you want Gygaxian campaign settings, invest in Dangerous Journeys/Mythus and Lejendary Adventures. Attempting to write a "new" Greyhawk "just like Gary's Greyhawk, but newer" is not going to work, and caters to such a tiny niche it wouldn't be close to worth it.

Gary's notes still exist and were the basis for Castle Zagyg. Only a few books were released prior to the license being pulled by Gygax Games (owned by Gary's widow), hence my hope that either Jeff Talanian or Rob Kuntz could put them together. Heck, Tolkien published more books postmortem than when he was alive (thanks to the work of his son, Christopher). Frankly, I secretly believe that WotC cut a deal with Gygax games for the rights to Gary's notes and that explains the pulling of the Troll Lord Games license. But then again, for all my wishful thinking, I still can't cast magic missile. But seriously, I think we are a bigger group than you give us credit for. 5e is clearly an attempt to reach out to the OSR crowd and a lot of us would be excited about a Greyhawk reboot. Heck, I'd play 5e just for that.

I remember playing Fate of Istus. You wouldn't believe how many Con points we screwed the world of Greyhawk out of.

Argyle King · Nov 26, 2013

Dare I suggest they reach out a diplomatic hand to Monte Cook and ask to update Ptolus? I know it was never officially a D&D setting, but the whole idea behind it was to build a setting around the rules of the game; I feel it might work rather well with 5th Edition.

Nellisir · Nov 26, 2013

interfactor said:
But seriously, I think we are a bigger group than you give us credit for.

I've got a pretty good idea. I've been around a bit, and this isn't the first time this idea has come up. It's a perennial favorite. The best shot it had/closest it came was the Greyhawk Gazetteer for 3e.

I'm not saying WotC won't do something with Greyhawk, but they won't go backwards. If anything, they'll make it more distinct from FR and less of a perceived "vanilla" setting.