Eberron It Is? [UPDATED & CONFIRMED!]

delericho · Jul 24, 2018

thundershot said:
Good for those that want this. Bad for me who wanted Spelljammer and Dark Sun...

Eberron had the big advantage of having an obvious champion - the setting creator is still active in RPG design and was keen to publish new material.

Spelljammer and Dark Sun probably don't have anyone obviously going to bat for them, and so are a bit slower off the blocks. But I wouldn't be at all surprised if we saw one or both in the next few years. (Dark Sun, in particular, I would expect to come when they get the psionics rules out - and not until then, sadly.)

Echohawk · Jul 24, 2018

delericho said:
Spelljammer and Dark Sun probably don't have anyone obviously going to bat for them, and so are a bit slower off the blocks. But I wouldn't be at all surprised if we saw one or both in the next few years. (Dark Sun, in particular, I would expect to come when they get the psionics rules out - and not until then, sadly.)

I'm pretty sure I remember a Twitter conversation between Mike Mearls and Jeff Grubb on this topic, where Mike assured Jeff they'd be in touch with him when they planned to update Spelljammer. I would be very happy for Jeff Grubb to work with WotC on a Spelljammer equivalent to the Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron. And for Bruce Heard to do one for Mystara come to think of it. Not sure about Dark Sun, although Timothy Brown did an Athas-themed Kickstarter not so long ago.

amethal · Jul 24, 2018

Remathilis said:
I'm assuming you forgot the sarcasm tag on this, because otherwise you are dead wrong.

I had assumed including the words "not one person on the internet would have complained" in my post had made the sarcasm tag redundant.

Dire Bare · Jul 24, 2018

Dire Bare said:
Lot of folks are assuming a future traditional hardcover release . . . . there has been no official word on that, and personally, I don't think it's going to happen. Mearls did confirm via twitter that once this book moves out of "beta" (or early access, or whateveryouwanttocallit) they will offer a POD option (which, I suppose, could include a hardcover option).

This is obviously another 5th edition product experiment by Wizards (well, even years in almost everything seems to be), and I think we'll get the updated digital release, a POD release, and that's it for this book. And, that's it officially from WotC on Eberron, although we now have the setting open on the DMs Guild. In fact, Baker mentioned on his blog that he's working on a supplement to the book with more character options (no timeline on release) with Rudy Rutenberg, and it's my guess this will be through the DMs Guild, rather than directly through WotC.

If this proves profitable enough to balance out costs and time on WotC's end . . . we're likely to see a similar treatment for other past settings.

Enevhar Aldarion said:
Read through this tweet and replies. Mearls gives several pieces of info, including that next month should be the new UA for the Artificer:

https://twitter.com/mikemearls/status/1021496102800056321

I just finished watching the latest Dragontalk podcast, and read over more of Mearls tweets . . . .

Looks like this particular product, the Wayfarer's Guide, will be updated as the UA playtests tweak various elements, and will eventually receive POD (print-on-demand) options, possibly including a hardcover POD. However, this specific product will not "become a real boy" and get a more traditional print release . . . . but material in it MIGHT be incorporated in a future Eberron traditional hardcover. This potential future book will overlap strongly with the Wayfarer's Guide, but will be a different product. The discussion so far is short on details and doesn't offer promises or release dates. And, of course, plans can change between now and a possible future Eberron book, especially with the experimental and playtest nature of the Wayfarer's Guide.

We'll see what happens, but if someday in the not-so-distant future we have two, overlapping and similar products, the Wayfarer's Guide and future-Eberron book . . . . that would irritate me.

gyor · Jul 24, 2018

Paul Farquhar said:
Quite, Eberron is a young upstart that struggled to stay the course. "City State of the Invincible Overlord" would be a setting for old-timers like myself.

I don't think the setting of the City State of the Invincible Overlord (worst name for city ever) counts as D&D anymore, the partnership with the company that owns it, dissolved long ago like Kingdoms of Kalamar.

gyor · Jul 24, 2018

thundershot said:
Good for those that want this. Bad for me who wanted Spelljammer and Dark Sun...

I think 2019 will be your year.

gyor · Jul 24, 2018

guachi said:
I didn't play 3e or 4e so I have no direct experience with Eberron and I disagree that Eberron counts as a setting for "old-timers" or "grognards".

However, the setting does benefit from having its creator publishing stuff for it. If the setting isn't going to have an official hardcover then DMs Guild is where it will be and having Kieth Baker writing stuff overcomes the biggest problem with DMs Guild - finding something you want to buy.

So I give it thumbs up for Eberron fans having something available to them.

From Mearl's tweets I got the impression there will be separate hardcover book more focused on the five nations.

Ath-kethin · Jul 24, 2018

Echohawk said:
I'm pretty sure I remember a Twitter conversation between Mike Mearls and Jeff Grubb on this topic, where Mike assured Jeff they'd be in touch with him when they planned to update Spelljammer. I would be very happy for Jeff Grubb to work with WotC on a Spelljammer equivalent to the Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron. And for Bruce Heard to do one for Mystara come to think of it. Not sure about Dark Sun, although Timothy Brown did an Athas-themed Kickstarter not so long ago.

I wouldn't call it "Athas-themed." Brown explicitly billed Dragon Kings as a "spritual successor" to Dark Sun, but it had little in common with the old setting other than a hostile desert setting.

I don't know if Brown would be interested in a 5e Dark Sun update; he wasn't involved with the 3.5 or 4e versions in any way as far as I know.

Bruce Heard has also produced a "spiritual successor" to Mystara (though he doesn't use that term to describe it) and it's pretty good. I don't know if he's be interested in working onba Mystara book either, since he seems pretty upset at WotC about it when they wouldn't let him buy the setting rights from them. I did not speak with Mr. Heard personally about this, of course, and I could be totally off-base with my thoughts. He clearly loves the setting.

gweinel · Jul 24, 2018

Does Mearls or someone else from Wizards answered why did they choose to make Eberron a digital - ebook product and not a print one? I can understand why the choose Ravinca to be printed, but why not Eberron? I am asking because this seems to me as a downgrading for a published world.
Shall we expect next year to have Planeshift printed and Planescape/Spelljammer ebook again?

delericho · Jul 24, 2018

gweinel said:
Does Mearls or someone else from Wizards answered why did they choose to make Eberron a digital - ebook product and not a print one?

I haven't seen anything.

I can understand why the choose Ravinca to be printed, but why not Eberron? I am asking because this seems to me as a downgrading for a published world.
Shall we expect next year to have Planeshift printed and Planescape/Spelljammer ebook again?

My guess, and it is just a guess, is that the Eberron guide is for us - those fans of the game who are sufficiently dedicated to be online, to know and care about DM's Guild, and therefore are likely to know about this product and buy it.

By contrast, Ravinca is for those gamers who only interface with the game in terms of physical products - who wouldn't know about it if it was on DM's Guild but who might be interested enough to pick it up at the storefront. (And, not coincidentally, it might be spotted by Magic players who are interested enough to take a look... and be snared.)

Following that logic, I'd be inclined to expect both Dark Sun and Planescape to be published in much the same way (that is, via DM's Guild, at least at first). Assuming, that is, that this experiment with Eberron is a success and they don't have plans to set one of their big adventures in one of those settings next year.

(And, to reiterate - everything above is just a guess!)