D&D 5E D&D Head Talks Future Plans (Sort Of)

WotC has launched a new design blog. The first edition is written by D&D head Ray Winninger, and he talks a little about future plans.

"Later in the year, Chris will return with our big summer adventure, James Wyatt will deliver a substantially improved version of a concept that I initiated myself, and Amanda Hamon will close us out with a project that was jointly conceived by herself and several other studio members. As usual, Jeremy Crawford is working with all of our leads, overseeing mechanical content and rules development.

In addition to these five major products, look for a couple of additional surprises we’ll unveil in the months ahead."

You can read the full blog here:

Who We Are & What We Do | D&D Studio Blog | Dungeons & Dragons

The first of many design blogs, direct from your friends at the Dungeons & Dragons Studio!

dnd.wizards.com

He also mentions that a D&D book takes 12-14 months to make, and half the projects developed don't make it to market. Winninger describes the structure of WotC's 'D&D Studio':

"The D&D Studio itself is organized into four departments: Game Design, Art, Production, and Product Management, each led by a department head. Game Design is responsible for the developing game mechanics and stories. Art establishes the “look and feel” of Dungeons & Dragons by creating visual concepts, directing our freelance illustrators, and creating innovative graphic designs. The Production department manages our project schedules, interfaces with manufacturing experts, and generally handles administrative matters for the studio. The Product Management department interfaces with sales, marketing, and market research. They also own our long-term product roadmap and look after the D&D business."

The studio has five Product Leads: Jeremy Crawford, Amanda Hamon, Chris Perkins, Wes Schneider, and James Wyatt.

 

[Mercurius]

Or how about this for a surprise: 5E version of the lost Nentir Vale Gazetteer.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Interesting stuff. It's nice to see a bit more of a voice coming out of WotC after years of pretty much complete silence engaging with fans.

Anyone else remember the days when you could actually talk to someone who currently worked at WotC here on En World? I miss that.

I still remember the good days when WotC still had a forum and you could talk to them there too. This site gained a lot of new regular members when those forums were killed off.

 

[Mercurius]

OK, one more wild prediction. WotC has a tendency to surprise us. We assume that any setting will be either classic or Magic, but what if they mix it up and offer something completely new?

I keep thinking about dragons and fey, and the fact that they really haven't done anything heavily sylvan related. So how about this: a setting/campaign book set in a new world, one that is strongly sylvan with lots of fey things and dragon overlords of some kind. The book includes a setting guide, lots of fey and dragon creatures, and a starting adventure.

 

[Staffan]

Waffle, waffle....waffle.

Where is Planescape?

Here.

 

[TrippyHippy]

Here.

I’ve got that. Where is Planescape for 5E?

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Dragons and feys in the same book? It sounds like the throne of Eldraine.

Planescape would be a planar handbook mentioning Sigil, the Gate-Towns and the fations, and a compilations of updated modules.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

OK, one more wild prediction. WotC has a tendency to surprise us. We assume that any setting will be either classic or Magic, but what if they mix it up and offer something completely new?

I keep thinking about dragons and fey, and the fact that they really haven't done anything heavily sylvan related. So how about this: a setting/campaign book set in a new world, one that is strongly sylvan with lots of fey things and dragon overlords of some kind. The book includes a setting guide, lots of fey and dragon creatures, and a starting adventure.

Gods above I’d love that. Blue Rose has some of hat I’d want in such a setting, but not enough lol.
I want forest kingdom ruled by an Elf Queen who is an Archfey, where the houses are in the trees and the animals can talk, and a region of human kingdoms based on romantic fantasy, where good rulers send knights on quests for the good of the people, where if you cross the Glade of Twilight at night you have to cross in one go or you’ll never leave, but if you leave a gift and walk straight through the Fey of that place will fill your pack with food and wine that heals and emboldens, and where great dragons with elaborate histories duel in the sky and demand tribute and sometimes take a young person as a pupil or a snack.

Don’t get me wrong, I run all my D&D games a bit like that, and I’m building a world that has elements of that world and Studio Ghibli movies and some of the stranger final fantasy games, but I’d love to have a big published setting that hits some or all of those notes, and see what stuff they come up with that I wouldn’t think of.

 

[Demetrios1453]

OK, one more wild prediction. WotC has a tendency to surprise us. We assume that any setting will be either classic or Magic, but what if they mix it up and offer something completely new?

I keep thinking about dragons and fey, and the fact that they really haven't done anything heavily sylvan related. So how about this: a setting/campaign book set in a new world, one that is strongly sylvan with lots of fey things and dragon overlords of some kind. The book includes a setting guide, lots of fey and dragon creatures, and a starting adventure.

I'm wondering (as I mentioned in another thread) whether the July adventure will be fey-themed, perhaps even partially set in the Feywild itself, which would explain the fey UAs...

 

[Iamoutofhere]

Why can’t they just say what is coming out?

 

[Mercurius]

Why can’t they just say what is coming out?

Just guessing, but I suspect it has something to do with not wanting people to focus on what is coming up later as it may impact sales of more immediate products. Also, it gives them more flexibility, as far as publication order.