D&D 5E Survey: What should the next Magic the Gathering Campaign Setting be?

[Urriak Uruk]

Maybe the dark powers are caged in another dimension, and with a jailer who tries to avoid higher damage against innocent. The modus operanti of the Dark Powers is too different from the creatures of the Far Realm or the infernal planes.

The Dark Powers are established in 5E through Curse of Strahd. They are unlikely to change what has already been published for 5e.

 

[Remathilis]

We now have two examples, Ravnica and Theros, of WotC simply introducing limitations in regards to Races to maintain Setting flavor. They made Innistrad humanocentric for specific narrative and thematic reasons, which can easily apply to D&D as well: it would be a nice change of pace.

It's more than just the races though. I mean, Theros and Ravnica still offer a half-dozen races each (including subraces) which is far more than just Innistrad's human. It also is harder to incorporate many class options; in particular monks, barbarians, bards, and sorcerers don't have solid places to come from canonically and would require some rejiggering to fit. It might be an interesting place to introduce a half-vampire race, or a version of shifter to allow PCs some element of being a monster though.

Ultimately, its why I don't think Innistrad could carry the horror/dark fantasy D&D trope alone, it has some areas (like Ravenloft) where its limits stop it from being accommodating to a wide variety of games. My perfect-world scenario would be a setting the intermixed elements of both settings, but realistically, I think presenting both options (an open setting for general horror, domains to emulate specific tropes or monsters) along with a toolkit of horror options (a few races like Vistani or half-vampire, some reprinted subclasses like shadow sorcerer or monster hunter, backgrounds like Cathar/Inquisitor and Haunted One) as well as a huge variety of gothic monsters and NPCs would be the best alternative.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

The sourcebook "heroes of the shadow" in the 4th Ed had got the vrylonkas, a race of vampire-touched.

The avenger could be a new class for the concept of witch-hunter/inquisitor, altough somebody may say as paladin subclass is enough.

The anime of Castlevania in Netflix can help for the return of the popularity of the gothic horror.

The gothic horror shouldn't be only undead-hunt, but we need more variety of enemies, even dark faes. And because the DM should be ready if PCs get a lot of anti-undead weapons.

A sourcebook about Innistrad will be not published until any event of the metaplot of M:tG. This means Ilkoria or Eldraine have got more numbers to arrive before.

A D&D sourcebook about Ilkoria should need game mechanics about daikaijus as monster allies and this is a lot of work for playtesting. Then Eldraine should arrive before.

Kamigawa shouldn't be before a remake of Oriental Adventures, and I have said some times this could be used to promote new classes with own game mechanics, for example the martial adepts. I guess WotC is going to choose what will be the new classes and PC races, and after how to be added to old or new setting. What if they publish the shaman class, and anybody wants it for his game in Dark Sun?

Other option is to new a erstaz of Dark Sun for Magic: the Gathering.

 

[gyor]

The sourcebook "heroes of the shadow" in the 4th Ed had got the vrylonkas, a race of vampire-touched.

The avenger could be a new class for the concept of witch-hunter/inquisitor, altough somebody may say as paladin subclass is enough.

The anime of Castlevania in Netflix can help for the return of the popularity of the gothic horror.

The gothic horror shouldn't be only undead-hunt, but we need more variety of enemies, even dark faes. And because the DM should be ready if PCs get a lot of anti-undead weapons.

A sourcebook about Innistrad will be not published until any event of the metaplot of M:tG. This means Ilkoria or Eldraine have got more numbers to arrive before.

A D&D sourcebook about Ilkoria should need game mechanics about daikaijus as monster allies and this is a lot of work for playtesting. Then Eldraine should arrive before.

Kamigawa shouldn't be before a remake of Oriental Adventures, and I have said some times this could be used to promote new classes with own game mechanics, for example the martial adepts. I guess WotC is going to choose what will be the new classes and PC races, and after how to be added to old or new setting. What if they publish the shaman class, and anybody wants it for his game in Dark Sun?

Other option is to new a erstaz of Dark Sun for Magic: the Gathering.

I honestly don't don't see them doing Kamiwaga, they've said they rather do a "Asian" Plane from scratch then go back, it's simply not detailed enough or meaty enough, and it's over shadowed in every way by D&D own Kara Tur.

Ikoria and Eldraine won't be done until a second trip there, there are parts that need fleshing out with a second set and more importantly it will to be planned for before a tie in set of cards is released and they didn't know if Ikoria and Eldraine would be popular enough before releasing to set it in motion. So next time.

Now Zendikar Rising is the third visit to Zendikar, (six sets of cards in total + other media tie ins) and I have the feeling that major elements of Zendikar Rising are going to tie into a D&D Zendikar Setting Book. So they knew Zendikar was popular going in with a lot of pre-existing lore in addition to the new lore from Zendikar Rising.

An example of a tie in is I think they are going to add Dwarves, and maybe some other new races to Zendikar, ones that fit D&D.

 

[gyor]

We now have two examples, Ravnica and Theros, of WotC simply introducing limitations in regards to Races to maintain Setting flavor. They made Innistrad humanocentric for specific narrative and thematic reasons, which can easily apply to D&D as well: it would be a nice change of pace.

Big difference between changing the line up of races from removing all, but one.

 

[Parmandur]

I honestly don't don't see them doing Kamiwaga, they've said they rather do a "Asian" Plane from scratch then go back, it's simply not detailed enough or meaty enough, and it's over shadowed in every way by D&D own Kara Tur.

Ikoria and Eldraine won't be done until a second trip there, there are parts that need fleshing out with a second set and more importantly it will to be planned for before a tie in set of cards is released and they didn't know if Ikoria and Eldraine would be popular enough before releasing to set it in motion. So next time.

Now Zendikar Rising is the third visit to Zendikar, (six sets of cards in total + other media tie ins) and I have the feeling that major elements of Zendikar Rising are going to tie into a D&D Zendikar Setting Book. So they knew Zendikar was popular going in with a lot of pre-existing lore in addition to the new lore from Zendikar Rising.

An example of a tie in is I think they are going to add Dwarves, and maybe some other new races to Zendikar, ones that fit D&D.

I think you are on to something with Zendikar.

Longer term, an Eldraine book would be very cool: Adventure generation material based on Fairy Tale tropes would be excellent, and useable in other Settings.

In terms of interesting Race options, Tarkir would be very fun: for example, it's one of the onlyagic Settings that has Orcs, and provides Orcs that would be very suitable for PCs while still being Savage. Also, dog people. The tricolor scheme for the various civilizations would add some interesting tensions to explore, much like Ravnica but more traditional Sword & Sorcery in scope.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

I think you are on to something with Zendikar.

Longer term, an Eldraine book would be very cool: Adventure generation material based on Fairy Tale tropes would be excellent, and useable in other Settings.

In terms of interesting Race options, Tarkir would be very fun: for example, it's one of the onlyagic Settings that has Orcs, and provides Orcs that would be very suitable for PCs while still being Savage. Also, dog people. The tricolor scheme for the various civilizations would add some interesting tensions to explore, much like Ravnica but more traditional Sword & Sorcery in scope.

Tarkir also has Djinn and Efreet, that behave less like monsters and more like races.

And Tarkir Naga.

 

[gyor]

I think you are on to something with Zendikar.

Longer term, an Eldraine book would be very cool: Adventure generation material based on Fairy Tale tropes would be excellent, and useable in other Settings.

In terms of interesting Race options, Tarkir would be very fun: for example, it's one of the onlyagic Settings that has Orcs, and provides Orcs that would be very suitable for PCs while still being Savage. Also, dog people. The tricolor scheme for the various civilizations would add some interesting tensions to explore, much like Ravnica but more traditional Sword & Sorcery in scope.

Tarkir has more setting meat then Kamigawa but it shares two problems, one it to is over shadowed by Kara Tur, and secondly WotC wants a new MtG Asian themed setting, not the old ones, plus Tarkir has that weird 2 time line issue. I don't think they are going back to Kamigawa or Tarkir in mtg, never mind D&D.

Here here are the MtG settings I see getting D&D setting books.

Theros is already getting one, but future AP is possible.
Ravnica already has one, future full AP is possible.

Zendikar
Dominaria
Amonkhet
Ixalan
Lorwyn
Eldraine (after it gets a second card set)
Ikoria (after it gets a second card set)

I don't see the rest happening for various reasons.

 

[gyor]

Tarkir also has Djinn and Efreet, that behave less like monsters and more like races.

And Tarkir Naga.

View attachment 121311

Love the art, but love Amonkhet's Cobra like Nagas even more.

 

[Parmandur]

Tarkir has more setting meat then Kamigawa but it shares two problems, one it to is over shadowed by Kara Tur, and secondly WotC wants a new MtG Asian themed setting, not the old ones, plus Tarkir has that weird 2 time line issue. I don't think they are going back to Kamigawa or Tarkir in mtg, never mind D&D.

Here here are the MtG settings I see getting D&D setting books.

Theros is already getting one, but future AP is possible.
Ravnica already has one, future full AP is possible.

Zendikar
Dominaria
Amonkhet
Ixalan
Lorwyn
Eldraine (after it gets a second card set)
Ikoria (after it gets a second card set)

I don't see the rest happening for various reasons.

Kamigawa is in a different situation, sitting down at 8 on the Rabiah scale. Tarkir is at 4, which puts it in a good place for Magic Settings: ahead of Amonkhet, Kaladash or Ixalan for example. If they go there for Magic, which they likely will eventually, it's a good fit for a D&D book.

Here is what Maro had to say about Tarkir's Magic future in the last Rabiah Scale article:

Popularity: Khans version (Popular), Dragons version (Liked)

Tarkir is in a weird place. We visited a plane, then radically changed it, and the audience preferred the world before the change. Luckily, we seeded a few things into Tarkir in case this happened.

Mechanical Identity: Strong

Tarkir and its wedge color identity (a color and its two enemies) are strongly linked, and I doubt we'd return to Tarkir without a wedge presence in the set. (Although, I should note that three-color has some play design issues to work through.) Tarkir is also linked to Dragons, which would also be a component on any return.

Creative Identity: Strong

The Creative team spent a lot of time and energy filling the world of Tarkir with amazing creative components. It's probably the most fleshed out world that we've only visited once.

Room for Expansion: Significant Room for Expansion

Tarkir has an extensive amount of worldbuilding, with each clan having its own portion of the world in which to shine. The original block had elements from two timelines and two different points in time. I am confident that a return would have plenty of space to work with, both mechanically and creatively.

Story Continuation: Minor Plot Line

Because of the time travel component of the story, the Creative team was careful not to tie Tarkir too closely to the current storyline, but the world has a lot of threads a story could pick up on, including Sarkhan and Narset, who are from Tarkir, and Ugin who made it his home plane for many years.

Rabiah Scale Rating: 4

The world has strong mechanical and creative ties, is popular, and ties into the modern story in numerous ways. The biggest issue is how to capture some of the old timeline mojo in the current timeline, but a bunch of work was seeded to help us do that.

The Rabiah Scale, Part 2 | MAGIC: THE GATHERING

Mark wraps up his look at how likely he thinks we are to return to each plane Magic has already visited.

magic.wizards.com