WotC 5E 2020 Book Clue - I need your help!

[gyor]

I hope that as well. Cormyr is my favorite section of the realms followed by Mulhurond and rest of the old empires

Like I said it could be for the entire Sea of Fallen Stars region, but one section going to Cormyr or the heartlands in general, another section doing the Old Empires region, another the Utter East and so on.

 

[vpuigdoller]

My first thought is the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale, which have a competitive rivalry thing going on, and their military is a bunch of frontier militias: dunno if heraldry is a big thing there, but otherwise it would fit. The OG Dalelands would also fit.

That was my exact first thought as well but the description is too vague it would fit many places probably.

 

[Parmandur]

That was my exact first thought as well but the description is too vague it would fit many places probably.

True, he was trying to be vague, and succeeded! I would wager somewhere in the Sword Coast is more probable than anything else, even in the Forgotten Realms.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

I didn't know that Chris Perkins did the Gazeeter for Eberron.

Okay her is my guesses IMHO of likelyness.

1. A FRCG like book, but in the style of Eberron: Rising From the Last War. The section he is talking about would be the greater Cormyr area, including Cormyr, Dalelands, and maybe Sea of Fallen Stars cities under Cormyr's influence. But this is not the only section of the Gazeteer, just the current one Perkin's is working on.
2. An Update or Sequel to Desert of Desolation, with the towns being from that region.
3. Zendikar is getting a Setting Guide Book earlier then I expected.
4. Simular to 1, but more focused on the Sea of Fallen Stars region, basically the SCAG for the Sea of Fallen Stars instead of the Swordcoast, but bigger.
5. Ravenloft is getting a full Setting Book Guide and he is working on one of the Gazeteers for the Domains.
6. He is working on a setting Guide for for Ikoria, its Ikoria's 3 main towns he's working on, maybe a few minor ones too.
7. They are doing a Planescape book, with Sigil's part done and now they are exploring the outlands.
8. They are doing a setting guide for Innistrad
9. They are doing a setting guide for Greyhawk
10. They are doing a setting guide for Darksun

I swear @gyor , if you guess it's a FRCG setting book every time you really do set yourself up for disappointment...

So I actually took time to listen to the whole podcast here, and I find it pretty interesting that the word Chris used was "towns." If it was a series of Gazetteers spanning the entirety of a setting like FR or Greyhawk, my gut says he would say "cities" or "countries" as the focus would be on the largest urban centers or whole nations.

Chris mentioned the big inspiration for his gazeteers was Wildemount's book, which if you look at it doesn't split up regions by town, but instead by regions and cities. Chris saying town makes me think the scale of whatever this is, will be smaller.

I think this also could apply to an area like Dalelands; he would probably write a gazetteer to a whole country (despite them being smaller), not just it's largest "town."

So I think that Icewind Dale and Cormyr are both very good suggestions, as they have towns within one "country," so the town naming makes sense. Cormyr also makes further sense, as its nobility will each have their own heraldry.

Now, the wildcard here is the OP's original guess, the Outlands. They are of course named "Gate-Towns," though I have no idea if they have heraldry. They definitely rival each other.

My hail-mary guess is this; that there will be a Planescape book at the end of this year, including this Gate-Town gazetteers. There should be a book released this year with each type of Gem Dragon, and their statblock, and a Planescape book seems like a good fit for that material.

 

[gyor]

True, he was trying to be vague, and succeeded! I would wager somewhere in the Sword Coast is more probable than anything else, even in the Forgotten Realms.

That is the absolute last place they would set this book, between the APs like Storm Kings Thunder, the SCAG, Gazetteers on both Waterdeep, Skullport, and Baldur's Gate, the Swordcoast is totally tapped out. Eventually I expect there will be another BG tie in AP to BG3, but beyond that I fully expect that they will focus more on the rest of the Realms and other settings.

 

[Parmandur]

That is the absolute last place they would set this book, between the APs like Storm Kings Thunder, the SCAG, Gazetteers on both Waterdeep, Skullport, and Baldur's Gate, the Swordcoast is totally tapped out. Eventually I expect there will be another BG tie in AP to BG3, but beyond that I fully expect that they will focus more on the rest of the Realms and other settings.

There is still room to focus in on Icewind Dale, Neverwinter, Luskan, the Moonshaes, etc. They aren't done there yet.

Also, setting something in Icewind Dale would work as a Baldurs Gate tie-in, if there is a Realms shaking event threatening.

 

[Parmandur]

I swear @gyor , if you guess it's a FRCG setting book every time you really do set yourself up for disappointment...

So I actually took time to listen to the whole podcast here, and I find it pretty interesting that the word Chris used was "towns." If it was a series of Gazetteers spanning the entirety of a setting like FR or Greyhawk, my gut says he would say "cities" or "countries" as the focus would be on the largest urban centers or whole nations.

Chris mentioned the big inspiration for his gazeteers was Wildemount's book, which if you look at it doesn't split up regions by town, but instead by regions and cities. Chris saying town makes me think the scale of whatever this is, will be smaller.

I think this also could apply to an area like Dalelands; he would probably write a gazetteer to a whole country (despite them being smaller), not just it's largest "town."

So I think that Icewind Dale and Cormyr are both very good suggestions, as they have towns within one "country," so the town naming makes sense. Cormyr also makes further sense, as its nobility will each have their own heraldry.

Now, the wildcard here is the OP's original guess, the Outlands. They are of course named "Gate-Towns," though I have no idea if they have heraldry. They definitely rival each other.

My hail-mary guess is this; that there will be a Planescape book at the end of this year, including this Gate-Town gazetteers. There should be a book released this year with each type of Gem Dragon, and their statblock, and a Planescape book seems like a good fit for that material.

Going off of the repurposing of the "Murder in Baldurs Gate" material for Descent into Avernus, it wouldn't be too surprising if they redid the "Legacy of the Crystal Shard" material to use Icewind Dale as a starting area for something bigger...

 

[gyor]

I swear @gyor , if you guess it's a FRCG setting book every time you really do set yourself up for disappointment...

So I actually took time to listen to the whole podcast here, and I find it pretty interesting that the word Chris used was "towns." If it was a series of Gazetteers spanning the entirety of a setting like FR or Greyhawk, my gut says he would say "cities" or "countries" as the focus would be on the largest urban centers or whole nations.

Chris mentioned the big inspiration for his gazeteers was Wildemount's book, which if you look at it doesn't split up regions by town, but instead by regions and cities. Chris saying town makes me think the scale of whatever this is, will be smaller.

I think this also could apply to an area like Dalelands; he would probably write a gazetteer to a whole country (despite them being smaller), not just it's largest "town."

So I think that Icewind Dale and Cormyr are both very good suggestions, as they have towns within one "country," so the town naming makes sense. Cormyr also makes further sense, as its nobility will each have their own heraldry.

Now, the wildcard here is the OP's original guess, the Outlands. They are of course named "Gate-Towns," though I have no idea if they have heraldry. They definitely rival each other.

My hail-mary guess is this; that there will be a Planescape book at the end of this year, including this Gate-Town gazetteers. There should be a book released this year with each type of Gem Dragon, and their statblock, and a Planescape book seems like a good fit for that material.

He's working on towns right now, it doesn't mean its the only thing this book has.

And if its focused on say the Sea of Fallen Stars region they could dive down into towns or if its a bigger book.

That being said of you read my list of possiblities its more than just FR, so I'm not setting myself up for disappointment, I am open to other possiblities, alot of them including ones folks haven't concidered.

Its just that I think a book just on Cormyr is unlikely, its changed alot less then other regions, hence why I suggested a middle ground, the Sea of Fallen Stars which includes Cormyr.

I suppose its possible that its an AP in Cormyr, but I am hopeful its something more interesting then that.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Now, the wildcard here is the OP's original guess, the Outlands. They are of course named "Gate-Towns," though I have no idea if they have heraldry. They definitely rival each other.

My hail-mary guess is this; that there will be a Planescape book at the end of this year, including this Gate-Town gazetteers. There should be a book released this year with each type of Gem Dragon, and their statblock, and a Planescape book seems like a good fit for that material.

The Gate Towns would be my guess as well.

Based on everything we have seen released, playtested, talked about... I don't think there's any possibility that our autumn AP is anything but a planar adventure with gith and illithid. They have just spent too much time setting all of the planar information up at this point for them not to use it this year.

And the Gate Towns seem to be a facet of the outer planes that have not been done to death with repetitive information printed over the years in all the various Manuals of the Planes from all the different editions. So going in deep on those would allow gamers to go plane-hopping and then jaunt back to Sigil. It'll allow them to describe a lot of the outer planes themselves through how their Gate Town presents, and will make use of all the planar subclasses they've been having us test these last several months. This seems all more likely that just a random Cormyr guide not connected to anything.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

I swear, there has been a LOT of contradictory hints all over the place; I'm going to try and organize some of them, from serious hints to more vague.

• Gem Dragons being in a book this year (this one I find very likely, the Sapphire dragons are already done and released, and was done months ago)
• Welch's "Adventure Compilation" project (including writers Marisha Ray and Debora Ann Woll). This was mentioned months ago, and although it is possible that it was quietly cancelled, I find that possibility strange considering Welch was even willing to talk about the project.
• There is so much UA material that isn't going into Theros (I'm not certain, but everything post-October isn't in Theros). Where does this all go? What is it for? Psionics, new subclasses, class variants, spell tattoos... it's a lot of material and has no clear location.
• Perkin's "Gazetteer Towns" hint
• Perkin's hints of "If you love Curse of Strahd, you'll love this!" Likely the adventure (as that is MO) but could be anything from just a scary-tone to full on Ravenloft return.
• WotC Mindflayer/Spelljammer hints. There are a couple here and there hinting that they want/are doing something with Mind Flayers.
• Perkin's hints of Lantan (I do not remember the source here), but it was that the Lantan tech in Dragon Heist was just a precursor to future material there.

These hints are a mess, and the only clear way to sort them is into 3 books (and I'm not confident in this theory);
1. Welch's book (no idea the theme or what this is; honestly the gazetteers could fit here if they are adventures all over FR).
2. The annual adventure book, likely Lantan plus Spelljammer or Planescape.
3. A monster/player's book, combining new player options with new monsters like the Gem Dragons. Possibly Planescape themed.

This is my broad theory for the year, even though three new books in the fall/winter is a lot (though not unheard of; looking at you 2018).

Now that I've thought about it more, Perkin's gazetteers make sense in Welch's adventure compilation, especially if it was scattered all over the Forgotten Realms.