D&D 5E New D&D Hardcover To Be Announced On The 23rd (Tomorrow)?

According to this page on Amazon.com, a new Dungeon & Dragons hardcover title for May will be announced tomorrow. Users in the US see the product below (those in the UK are seeing a Wizkids miniatures set instead).

So far signs look like Ravenloft, but we’ll know for sure tomorrow.

[Update -- also mentioned by Todd Kendrick, recently of D&D Beyond].

WotC has posted the below animation, which says “The Mist Beckons”.

 

[Charlaquin]

Its a little different than what we have seen before. Have we ever had a book with everything...setting, player stuff, dm stuff, and an adventure?

There was the original Expert Set. Its like that, but 5E and Ravenloft, and a book and not a box set.

The 4e Dark Sun setting book was like that, as was the 4e Forgotten Realms book.

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft (Dungeons & Dragons)Hardcover – May 18, 2021​

Its a little different than what we have seen before. Have we ever had a book with everything...setting, player stuff, dm stuff, and an adventure?

There was the original Expert Set. Its like that, but 5E and Ravenloft, and a book and not a box set.

Ravnica?

 

[Weiley31]

Seems like the Amazon page, on my end, is updated as well and mentions Ravenloft as well. Since this year is supposed to have some classic settings, I wonder when Spelljammer and Dragonlance setting books are coming.

 

[Charlaquin]

I’m pretty thrilled for this. I love me some Gothic Horror, and I had already been considering going back to Curse of Strahd after my current campaign. This looks like it’ll provide lots of opportunities to expand on the adventure and make it fresh for those of my players who have already played through it. Here’s hoping they do the Vistani better this time around.

 

[humble minion]

I mean good for the folks that like it but...damn I really want Planescape.

And i really wanted Dark Sun, but I'll buy this anyway because I like Ravenloft too.

RL is imho the easiest 'nonstandard' old campaign setting to release in 5e. There's not DS's huge multiplicity of new classes/races/psionics to deal with, or its restrictions on magic, nor Planescape's vast scope and factions and so on, or an entire space travel system for Spelljammer, and the bewildering array of iconic unique monsters from all of these settings. RL really just a mood and theme and maybe a few modifications to spells etc. I could hope they put a bit of work into guidelines on running games in a more gaslamp/blackpowder tech-level setting since the more interesting bits of RL trend in that direction, but RL can function without them.

This looks like a trial run to me. WotC working out what the best release model for the old classic settings is, and sensibly starting with one of the easier ones.

 

[Kurotowa]

Its a little different than what we have seen before. Have we ever had a book with everything...setting, player stuff, dm stuff, and an adventure?

Well, yes. All of the 5e setting books (Eberron, Ravnica, and Theros) have followed that model. So this is in fact exactly what we've seen before, and exactly what I was expecting.

 

[Faolyn]

What I hope any new Ravenloft product does is make the Domains more than just thier darklord. Focus on telling stories in Ravenloft that doesn't need Strahd or Adam as the main antagonist. Tone down the obvious "this domain is Dracula/the Mummy/Dragonlance" stuff and give us new ideas or suggestions.

Agreed. Actually, what I'd almost like to see is just giving each Darklord a Region--as in, an area of Regional Effects and Lair Actions that travels with them, and let the Domains be countries, not prisons.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Ok, so a bit more on the Ravenloft side than my original guess, but I wasn't too far off in that the bestiary is a major part and that it would have a section on how to run homebrew horror campaigns. It loks like it will fall somewhere between Volo's and Ravnica in its format...

 

[Kodiak3D]

I was just getting ready to start a Ravenloft campaign for some friends. The timing couldn't be better!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Its a little different than what we have seen before. Have we ever had a book with everything...setting, player stuff, dm stuff, and an adventure?

Theros and Eberron.