Two New Settings For D&D This Year

Staffan · Jun 10, 2018

Mistwell said:
View attachment 98143

This, at least, has now gotten an explanation:
https://twitter.com/hellsbellesdnd/status/1005905132511481862

It'll be a streamed game on Wizards' Twitch channel, based around the Great Modron March. They'll announce the players next week, but as someone else said, the Twitter account follows [MENTION=17465]Wizard[/MENTION]s_DND + 8 more people, so it's likely that those eight are the DM + seven players.

The Modron March could be a pretty good way to introduce other settings.

Jester David · Jun 10, 2018

Parmandur said:
My impression from the original article and the author's comments on Reddit was that the two "summer products" mentioned were Dragon Heist and Dungeon of the Mad Mage, as the reported conversation took place before the AP product reveals.

Which seems like a stretch. As the two Dragon Heist products are coming out in September (which is arguably more Autumn than Summer) and November (which is Winter). It really seems like there's two additional settings coming.
The article does quote Stewart as saying "Next month we're going to talk about a couple of different settings that people can start playing as early as this year,"
And also:

"We have two surprises that I think hardcore D&D fans are really going to love coming this summer," Stewart said. "And then I think we got one surprise that's going to release later this year that we've not told anyone about. We're going to announce it in July."

Which would make ZERO sense if he were talking about Dragon Heist. Not just because—as mentioned—those are not coming this summer. But because those had already been announced (and thus were not surprises), and are hardly limited to hardcore fans.

Now, admittedly, the second line could be an awkwardly worded statement that the surprises were coming in the summer, and not the products. But it seems weird to phrase things like that at the Stream of Many Eyes. Why "We have two surprises coming this summer" rather than "we have two surprises coming in like 45 minutes"? That's possible. But strange.

Plus, if it were misleading people, if it were bad phrasing from the author, wouldn't they have edited or updated the article rather than make a vague comment on reddit?

I'm keeping my expectations low, and not expecting a December hardcover that updates two or three settings but is mostly adventures. That'd be an odd product...

Parmandur · Jun 10, 2018

Jester David said:
Which seems like a stretch. As the two Dragon Heist products are coming out in September (which is arguably more Autumn than Summer) and November (which is Winter). It really seems like there's two additional settings coming.
The article does quote Stewart as saying "Next month we're going to talk about a couple of different settings that people can start playing as early as this year,"
And also:

"We have two surprises that I think hardcore D&D fans are really going to love coming this summer," Stewart said. "And then I think we got one surprise that's going to release later this year that we've not told anyone about. We're going to announce it in July."
Which would make ZERO sense if he were talking about Dragon Heist. Not just because—as mentioned—those are not coming this summer. But because those had already been announced (and thus were not surprises), and are hardly limited to hardcore fans.

Now, admittedly, the second line could be an awkwardly worded statement that the surprises were coming in the summer, and not the products. But it seems weird to phrase things like that at the Stream of Many Eyes. Why "We have two surprises coming this summer" rather than "we have two surprises coming in like 45 minutes"? That's possible. But strange.

Plus, if it were misleading people, if it were bad phrasing from the author, wouldn't they have edited or updated the article rather than make a vague comment on reddit?

I'm keeping my expectations low, and not expecting a December hardcover that updates two or three settings but is mostly adventures. That'd be an odd product...

The whole thing is a bit strangely worded, but we will see. As I said, that was what the article writer had suggested on the Reddit thread he started. If they do have two surprises coming this Summer, I would assume it is testing material of some kind.

I have no idea what to expect from their next product, but I do expect it to be something weird and novel,based on everything that has been hinted at in that direction.

Kobold Avenger · Jun 11, 2018

My criticism about the graffiti is that it should be either "Pike It" or "Sod Off", as "Pike Off" is not consistent with any of the cant previously used in Planescape.

Demetrios1453 · Jun 11, 2018

I'll reiterate my position that the "surprise release" that will be announced in July will be a Planescape and/or Spelljammer book, presumably coming out in December.

And the "two surprises"/"couple of different settings" stuff are going to be extensive UAs for mechanics of two different settings, playtests for a product or products for 2019 (or later). I'll hazard a guess at Eberron and Darksun.

Parmandur · Jun 11, 2018

Demetrios1453 said:
I'll reiterate my position that the "surprise release" that will be announced in July will be a Planescape and/or Spelljammer book, presumably coming out in December.

And the "two surprises"/"couple of different settings" stuff are going to be extensive UAs for mechanics of two different settings, playtests for a product or products for 2019 (or later). I'll hazard a guess at Eberron and Darksun.

I think the second part is quite likely, but as to what the actual major setting product will look like: it seems that whatever they have up their sleeves is genuinely different, not like anything tried in the past 40 years of setting products. I am genuinely curious, but reluctant to pin it down to a specific guess at this point.

CapnZapp · Jun 11, 2018

Remathilis said:
What I generally expect is some combination:

* A brief overview of said world from a micro-cosmic scale; detailing a single region or adventure setting with enough detail to run in said area.
* A quick guide to using the main PHB options in said setting. ("In Krynn, monks are...)
* Any must have PC options to run the setting (kender, warforged, psionics, artificer) or at least what/where to find them ("you can use the goliath stats found in Volo's Guide...")
* A few important monsters (draconians) important to the setting.
* Possibly a mini adventure of 1-3 levels either as a taster or as part of some larger multiverse spanning adventure.
* DM's Guild support to cover regions, options, and monsters not touched by the main product.

The problem is - what customer is this directed at?

All of this is perfunctory. It gives off the "as little investment as we can get away with" vibe.

In order to sell a setting to a new customer, you need more than perfunctory. Much more in fact. First, you need a company that shows it believes in its product and is ready to back it up.

Summer back-door releases is not that.

Then, you need actual adventure. "possibly a mini adventure" is not that.

So, not the new gamer then, who could be made interested by a large pr blitz, with a lavish campaign guide occupying one of the year's few big hardcover releases, accompanied by DMsG support a la the semi-official Mezro series of scenarios.

That leaves the existing gamer, the grognard, who has all the AD&D and d20 supplements. What she wants is a detailed account of any updates to the setting. She also wants rules support, of course, but what she does not need is for big daddy to say "you get permission to reskin the orc as a X, and you can feature bards as Y"

All the easy stuff she can do herself (and has probably done so already, considering how 5E has existed for so long already). What she would be interested in parting with money for, is the hard stuff. Not the light reskinning, but the deep retooling. The new classes, subclasses, spells and feats. The official answer to hard questions "no halflings in Z".

---

Don't get me wrong - I'm not contesting your predictions. I think they're probably not far from the mark.

It's just that I happen to think this scenario is bloody perfunctory, and of little use to anyone. That's not on you, of course.

Coroc · Jun 11, 2018

[MENTION=7635]Remathilis[/MENTION] So you have got the opinion that DS is fundamentally mechanically different and should either be ist own product or totally watered down to FR Standard (Lol "watered" see what i did there ?), i got that, but what about Krynn?

Why do you consider this one (DL) so easy compared to DS?

You got the three moons and Magic strength dependant on them, Spells available dependant on alignment,

Depending on the starting Point of a campaign clerical Magic might not be working,

You got Dragonlances! How do you represent them for 5e? A +5 weapon doing Players HP to Dragons?

You got of course Dragon Mounts, very cool Marketing Gadget, every younger Player would love that, they would be stupid to release DL without that. Aaaand if you got your dragonlance and a Dragon mount you can channel the Dragons breathweapon through it.

Same but a Little less complicated goes for eberron. The believe System is different, the planes are different! You got warforged, so you Need the rust and repair spells if you want to do it right. Characterising a warforged just with a +2 Str +1 Con and Advantage vs. poison is not doing it right. but that is Detail.

So what is so Special about DS compared to Krynn that it seems like another game to you instead of a heavy modded D&D?

Ancalagon · Jun 11, 2018

Staffan said:
This, at least, has now gotten an explanation:
https://twitter.com/hellsbellesdnd/status/1005905132511481862

It'll be a streamed game on Wizards' Twitch channel, based around the Great Modron March. They'll announce the players next week, but as someone else said, the Twitter account follows [MENTION=17465]Wizard[/MENTION]s_DND + 8 more people, so it's likely that those eight are the DM + seven players.

The Modron March could be a pretty good way to introduce other settings.

Now this could be interesting!

Bitbrain · Jun 11, 2018

Staffan said:
This, at least, has now gotten an explanation:
https://twitter.com/hellsbellesdnd/status/1005905132511481862

It'll be a streamed game on Wizards' Twitch channel, based around the Great Modron March. They'll announce the players next week, but as someone else said, the Twitter account follows @Wizards_DND + 8 more people, so it's likely that those eight are the DM + seven players.

Seven players. Interesting . . . the 5e DMG lists seven known worlds of the Material Plane: Forgotten Realms (Toril), Greyhawk (Oerth), Dragonlance (Krynn), Dark Sun (Athas), Eberron, Birthright (Aebrynis), and Mystara.

Just to hypothesize, but it would be kinda neat if each of the seven player characters hailed from a different setting.