Speculating on the Future of D&D

DEFCON 1 · Jul 25, 2018

Mercurius said:
Thanks for advising me on what type of threads you'd like to see me not write; I'll take your request into account.

Well, not really.

Well, if you won't take my advice... maybe you will take someone else's from another thread...

Mercurius said:
And that's it: expectation is where we run into trouble. I listened to an NPR show a few years ago in which a psychologist said that the secret to happiness was having low or no expectations. Then everything is a surprise, a bonus if you will.

You should listen to that guy. He knows what he's talking about.

Mercurius · Jul 25, 2018

DEFCON 1 said:
Well, if you won't take my advice... maybe you will take someone else's from another thread...

You should listen to that guy. He knows what he's talking about.

Yes, and I follow my own advice - which is not to build up expectations. Do you see me complaining? Is this a vent thread? No, it is about speculating about possible futures for D&D.

Your advice was different: it was to refrain from starting such threads, because you seem to hold the (erroneous) assumption that speculation = expecation and thus -> disappointment.

gyor · Jul 25, 2018

Li Shenron said:
If they focus on settings, I think it is indeed possible they will increase the number of books per year. That's because generic books like Xanathar are more easily seen as potentially useful by all gaming groups, while setting-specific books have a smaller target.

Then, all 5e supplements so far featured a blend of fluff and crunch. What I wonder, is what kind of crunch they can fit into setting books, that can really shine as relevant and iconic to such settings. For this reason, I think Dark Sun is the most likely fantasy setting to see a whole book about, at least because psionics is such an integral part of it, and will make such book really "heavy" and important.

Birthright could contain a few very interesting rules modules, but the setting itself has a bit fallen into obscurity through the years. I don't really know, but I think it never had the same popularity as other settings.

Rokugan requires completely different races and classes, and can benefit from a few small rules modules too, but is a no-go because WotC doesn't own the IPR anymore.

But Mystara and Greyhawk? I am not really familiar with them, but at a glance they are such "normal" fantasy settings that I can't imagine how their settings books can have the equivalent weight of Dark Sun. If they do a Mystara or Greyhawk supplement, it'd probably be similar to SCAG, which featured only a small amount of fairly generic crunch (part of which is already reprinted now). I don't see much compelling reason for buying those books for the fluff, when you can buy their original fantasy setting books which are a lot more valuable in terms of fluff (just compare the 5e SCAG with any older edition's FRCS book).

Even if you have no interest in Ravnica itself, the book will have races, subclasses, mechanics, tables, and all kinds of stuff that can be used in other settings or help to create home brew.

Jer · Jul 25, 2018

Mercurius said:
Mystara and Greyhawk are similar to FR in that they are both relatively traditional kitchen sink fantasy settings, but both feel more locked into context-bound flavor, and thus have not aged as well as the FR.

See, I don't think of Greyhawk as a kitchen sink fantasy setting at all. Greyhawk to me is a sword and sorcery setting influenced heavily by the works of Howard, de Camp, Lin Carter, Moorcock, Vance and other fantasy writers who were writing before the 1970s. That's what it means to me. The Realms, OTOH, has a lot of influence from post-1970s fantasy, as well as being a major influence ON post-1980s fantasy. So it includes all of the influences of Greyhawk along with many others - including the Dragonlance stories of Weis and Hickman, the works of Terry Brooks, David Eddings, and many others (including folks like Greenwood and Salvatore and other writers in the novel lines who brought their own influences to the world as well). Both worlds are also obviously influenced by Tolkein as well, but in Greyhawk I feel that the Tolkein influences are more muted while the Realms wears that influence on its sleeve.

OTOH, Mystara is absolutely a kitchen sink setting, but it grew up as a campaign world at the same time as the Realms (late 80s/early 90s). It's a very different play experience IMO because the Known World has a more "modern European" flavor to it in my mind than the Realms does, but that may just be my interpretation (it also has "fantasy geography" and "fantasy culture" issues that many people can't get past, so I long ago resigned myself to the fact that it will never be the breakout hit that I'd like it to be).

gyor · Jul 25, 2018

Ralif Redhammer said:
I think, if we do see more product for D&D, it won’t be by much. The slow burn release schedule has worked well for them these last four years. I’m certainly not eager to return to the glut of 2e, 3e, and 4e again.

I think it’s likely that we’ll see older settings return as PDF/POD products.

One thing both Eberron and Ravnica seem to have in common is that they’re both high magic settings. By comparison, FR looks low-magic (at least, going by the AL modules and hardcovers). Whether this is coincidence, or a swing towards high-magic, high-wonder, magitech settings, I couldn’t say. For all I know, Dragonlance is next (which, I have to say, would make me happy).

One random prediction I’ll make now for the heck of it is that there’ll be another official D&D soundtrack album.

But whatever happens, at this point I trust in Wizards of the Coast’s stewardship and steering of the D&D brand.

WotC is in the business of making money, now that D&D is increasingly profitable, with major room for growth, the higher ups will be pushing for an increased release schedule, to increase profits. "Bloat" won't matter to these people until it effects profit margins.

Personally if most of the increased releases are settings and lore I think bloat will be minimal.

Mercurius · Jul 25, 2018

Speculating on the Future of D&D

Really nicely characterized [MENTION=19857]Jer[/MENTION]. The only place where we might differ is in our understanding and usage of “kitchen sink.” I see it as a term for a setting that is not tightly thematic ala Dark Sun, but offers a wide range of cultures and themes and emphasizes diversity of play options over specific thematic flavor.

So while I agree with (and really like) your take on Greyhawk and FR, I consider both to be kitchen sink settings that offer a wide range of cultures and themes to choose from, even if the Realms might be a more “extreme kitchen sink” and Greyhawk a bit more specific in thematic flavor.

LordEntrails · Jul 25, 2018

TheCosmicKid said:
If, as seems overwhelmingly likely, the UA School of Invention was a playtest for Ravnica's Izzet wizards, then Mearls at least has been working on the Ravnica book for a while.

Sounds reasonably. And I think my original post was probably too dismissive of the effort required for Ravnica.

ccs · Jul 25, 2018

Mercurius said:
Long-term I don't think we'll see anything resembling 6E for quite some time, if ever.

Sure, right. The edition #s change, but the results have always been the same.
At the most you've got about 5 more years on the 5e clock.

Li Shenron · Jul 25, 2018

Mercurius said:
At most I would put out some kind of "legacy" product: a PDF that offers 5E rules and a summary of the setting, but pretty much leaves it as it was decades ago. So it would be "classic Greyhawk" of the early 80s, not Greyhawk 40 years after the Greyhawk Wars.

Yes that's what I mean... what crunch would a 5e Greyhawk book would have, besides famous NPC stats? I am not asking rhetorically, I just don't know. Is there any particular mechanics needed? Important PC races not yet available anywhere else? Classes? Subclasses?

Craig Fox · Jul 25, 2018

When asked "Who'd like to write a Greyhawk sourcebook?" the WotC staffers will glance nervously at the to-do list to see whether bear wrestling is still available.

I'm expecting Dark Sun to be the next cab off the rank. Then an expanded Ravenloft - well maybe not, but I can dream.

Speculating on the Future of D&D

DEFCON 1

Legend

Mercurius

Legend

gyor

Legend

Jer

Legend

gyor

Legend

Mercurius

Legend

LordEntrails

Hero

ccs

41st lv DM

Li Shenron

Legend

Craig Fox

First Post

Similar Threads