D&D 5E D&D "Core" Settings

[Remathilis]

Allow me to ruminate...

The Forbes/Pax newsdump both mentioned "core" settings. So far, these are the settings which will receive support. Some names were dropped (Realms, Lance, Loft, Eberron) and it seems like they really want the creators of each setting on board (Greenwood, Baker, and "a specialist" were all mentioned).

So what other settings could be supported/covered? (and % chance it will see support, which is just my best guess).

* Forgotten Realms (100%) They've all but said this is the default "go to" for modules and living play.

* Eberron (98%) Popular, and Baker seems on board. WotC put a lot of money into this one, I think its a lock. My slightly lower score represents the amount of coverage vs. chance of.

* Ravenloft (90%) Yes, it was mentioned, but the term "Ravenloft" has morphed of late. Do they mean the Demi-plane of Dread, the domains idea from 4e, or just Strahd/Barovia? I'm lowering it due to that ambiguity.
* Dragonlance (90%) I think this is clearly in the "want" category, but it will really depend on Weiss/Hickman and their support.

* Dark Sun (85%) Showed tremendous popularity with 4e, but Athas tends to skip editions. So we'll see.

* Planescape (80%) The Great Wheel WILL be in. Sigil WILL be there. The question comes down to will it keep its unique traits (cant, factions, NPCs) or just remain a playground for planar adventures like in 3e/4e.

* Greyhawk (70%) Well, some of it will leak in due to the popularity of some of its adventure sites (Tomb of Horrors, for example) and proper nouns (Mordenkainen, Vecna) but will we see a proper support for Oerth? I don't think so. But Who knows? Gary's passing does make it harder to create a definitive "creators" vision as is being done with Realms, Lance, and Eberron.

* Mystara (60%) Same problem with Greyhawk, only even more obscure. Mystara hasn't seen support since its token support in 2e, so I don't think it will see much. Plus, Alston's recent passing puts it in similar company with Gary (though Bruce Heard is still alive and well).

* Birthright (40%) Talk about down the memory hole. Limited support and not even token mentions for a decade and a half. I wouldn't be surprised to see some elements of the dominion system make it into 5e, but Cerlia is sadly probably not going to make it.

* Al-qadim/Kara-Tur (40%) Supplements for Forgotten Realms if even. Though a new Oriental Adventures might use Kara Tur this time (as Rokugan is probably not getting used twice).

* Spelljammer (30%) I have a feeling it will be cannibalized and used in Planar adventures like it was in 4e, but I don't expect Giffs, Giant Space Hamsters, and the Rock of Brall to make an appearance again.

Really, Realms/Eberron/Lance/Loft/Sun covers the main types of setting (Classic/Pulp/High Romance/Gothic/S&S) so I'm not sure what else they really would need (nostalgia for some great setting aside).

 

[Morrus]

The term used was "key", not "core". I think that implies something slightly different; genre lynchpins. So Greyhawk, Realms, and DL all cover the high fantasy category - FR is the key setting there. Ravenloft is a key setting because it covers another genre, as do Dark Sun and Eberron.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Sadly, I don't think we will ever see the "mostly ignored except by a devout few" settings ever get strong support again. WotC must feed their corporate masters, so settings that don't have either a proven widespread appeal or past high sales numbers will be, at best, limited to an article in Dragon ezine.

I'm hoping for a complete treatment of Greyhawk. I've never been satisfied with what they've published for that world. I would love to see a book on the various cities, somewhat akin to the Forgotten Realms Adventures book.

Don't we deserve something cool for Greyhawk already?

 

[Ichneumon]

I think we're going to see more of the mini-setting (specific location, levels 1-10) - examples being the Nentir Vale and Neverwinter. Not every setting needs to be a standalone world covering levels 1-20, and some of the settings listed above may find life in another format.

 

[DMZ2112]

I'll be a little more specific and say that I believe Wizards when they say they're going to support all the settings. I just think most of the coverage will be in Dragon. So my percentages will reflect how likely we are to see a hardback.

* Forgotten Realms (100%) They've all but said this is the default "go to" for modules and living play.

If we don't see Forgotten Realms support, it's because Yellowstone has erupted. 100%.

* Eberron (98%) Popular, and Baker seems on board. WotC put a lot of money into this one, I think its a lock. My slightly lower score represents the amount of coverage vs. chance of.

Fair. 98-100%, whatever. I can't really speak to it -- never bought it, won't be buying it in D&D5.

* Ravenloft (90%) Yes, it was mentioned, but the term "Ravenloft" has morphed of late. Do they mean the Demi-plane of Dread, the domains idea from 4e, or just Strahd/Barovia? I'm lowering it due to that ambiguity.

Last I heard, Ravenloft was the new Shadowfell. We had a little argument about whether Ravenloft was empirically more stupid a name than Shadowfell. The name Ravenfell was bandied about and someone made a product (and a boatload of money). 100%, for both its likelihood to be included and to disappoint hardcore fans.

* Dragonlance (90%) I think this is clearly in the "want" category, but it will really depend on Weiss/Hickman and their support.

I'm with Morrus. Shenanigans. No way Mike Mearls doesn't know how to reach Weis and Hickman. Closer to 50%, and only because of its popular history.

* Dark Sun (85%) Showed tremendous popularity with 4e, but Athas tends to skip editions. So we'll see.

Athas tends to... what? You realize there have only /been/ two editions since it was launched, right? Rich Baker was the driving force behind Dark Sun 4e, and he now works for Paizo. I'm just saying 85% seems high. 60%, maybe, considering its recent popularity.

* Planescape (80%) The Great Wheel WILL be in. Sigil WILL be there. The question comes down to will it keep its unique traits (cant, factions, NPCs) or just remain a playground for planar adventures like in 3e/4e.

My money is on a modified version of the treatment the planes got in D&D3, with some of the more logical aspects of the World Axis cosmology figured in. Expect "Planescape" in the sense that the core setting has a scape of planes. No razorvine or planar cant. We might get a faction subclass or two. 100%, see also Ravenloft.

* Greyhawk (70%) Well, some of it will leak in due to the popularity of some of its adventure sites (Tomb of Horrors, for example) and proper nouns (Mordenkainen, Vecna) but will we see a proper support for Oerth? I don't think so. But Who knows? Gary's passing does make it harder to create a definitive "creators" vision as is being done with Realms, Lance, and Eberron.

I think Greyhawk's got the least chance of any of these settings to show up in hardback. Nerath stole its lunch money. Only one of them is going to leave the squared circle; do you really think it will be the one that was the token forgettable core setting that was only used in organized play two editions ago, or the one that all the new players know from the latest edition? 10%, and only because it is Greyhawk. You left Nerath off this list, but I'd put it at close to 90%.

* Mystara (60%) Same problem with Greyhawk, only even more obscure. Mystara hasn't seen support since its token support in 2e, so I don't think it will see much. Plus, Alston's recent passing puts it in similar company with Gary (though Bruce Heard is still alive and well).

Mystara is screwed by its age and the complete silence on the line for 20 years, but I am still hard-pressed to believe it's as screwed as Greyhawk. I can see one nostalgia-driven hardback for the BECMI core setting. 50%.

(Edited to remove Birthright)

* Birthright (40%) Talk about down the memory hole. Limited support and not even token mentions for a decade and a half. I wouldn't be surprised to see some elements of the dominion system make it into 5e, but Cerlia is sadly probably not going to make it.

I lied about Greyhawk. Nothing is as screwed as Birthright. 5%.

* Al-qadim/Kara-Tur (40%) Supplements for Forgotten Realms if even. Though a new Oriental Adventures might use Kara Tur this time (as Rokugan is probably not getting used twice).

Yeah, these are FR softbacks if they're anything. Wizards doesn't own Rokugan anymore, FYI. That was pretty short-lived.

* Spelljammer (30%) I have a feeling it will be cannibalized and used in Planar adventures like it was in 4e, but I don't expect Giffs, Giant Space Hamsters, and the Rock of Brall to make an appearance again.

You might expect me to lump Spelljammer in with Ravenloft and Planescape, too, but Mearls has gone on record as saying that he feels like Spelljammer got short shrift and he would really like to see it developed into a setting in its own right, rather than just a transitive setting. So if Spelljammer shows up, I would actually expect it to be /all about/ giff, giant space hamsters, and the Rock of Bral, and not cannibalized at all. 80%, because even though Mearls is the man in charge I'm not sure he can overcome all the obstacles in the way of making this a reality.

 

[DMZ2112]

I'm hoping for a complete treatment of Greyhawk. I've never been satisfied with what they've published for that world. I would love to see a book on the various cities, somewhat akin to the Forgotten Realms Adventures book.

You know about this, right? Is it insufficient for some reason?

 

[Mistwell]

You know about this, right? Is it insufficient for some reason?

Bad link, mate.

 

[tuxgeo]

Try this link to Greyhawk Adventures instead. (Link originally bollixed in above post.)

Edit: I mean, in the post above Mistwell's (of course.) [Cursed misty ninjae, anyway!]

 

[DMZ2112]

Bad link, mate.

How weird is that? It was supposed to go to Wikipedia.

Feexed.

 

[tsadkiel]

You know about this, right? Is it insufficient for some reason?

It kinda is insufficient, if you're looking for a complete treatment of the Greyhawk setting - it covers some out of the way locales, NPCs, gods and 0 level characters, but doesn't really cover the main setting at all.