D&D 5E WotC: 5 D&D Settings In Development?

WotC's Ray Winninger spoke a little about some upcoming D&D settings -- two classic settings are coming in 2022 in formats we haven't seen before, and two brand new (not Magic: the Gathering) settings are also in development, as well as return to a setting they've already covered in 5E. He does note, however, that of the last three, there's a chance of one or more not making it to release, as they develop more than they use.

Two classic settings? What could they be?​

So that's:

• 2 classic settings in 2022 (in a brand new format)
• 2 brand new settings
• 1 returning setting

So the big questions -- what are the two classic settings, and what do they mean by a format we haven't seen before? Winninger has clarified on Twitter that "Each of these products is pursuing a different format you've never seen before. And neither is "digital only;" these are new print formats."

As I've mentioned on a couple of occasions, there are two more products that revive "classic" settings in production right now.

The manuscript for the first, overseen by [Chris Perkins], is nearly complete. Work on the second, led by [F. Wesley Schneider] with an assist from [Ari Levitch], is just ramping up in earnest. Both are targeting 2022 and formats you've never seen before.

In addition to these two titles, we have two brand new [D&D] settings in early development, as well as a return to a setting we've already covered. (No, these are not M:tG worlds.)

As I mentioned in the dev blog, we develop more material than we publish, so it's possible one or more of these last three won't reach production. But as of right now, they're all looking great.

Of course the phrase "two more products that revive 'classic' settings" could be interpreted in different ways. It might not be two individual setting books.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

I was focused on what Magic settings would be coming, independent of his list. They're not going to stop making MTG settings.

I actually do think they are taking a break from releasing "Classic MTG" settings. The tweet thread above does seem to rule them out. But I personally believe the two new settings will also be leveraged for MTG card sets, much like Strixhaven is.

EDIT: That said, it may be released for D&D, then released for MTG, but not follow the lore of MTG... much like Forgotten Realms card set, be a card set with not much MTG lore in it.

 

[Bitbrain]

Reply to OP. My hypothesis:

CLASSIC
Dark Sun. I can’t help it! It’s my favorite setting and I wanna see them update it to 5e!

Planescape. Stick Spelljammer in the Astral Plane.

NEW
“Fantasy Asia” setting. Kara-Tur as it should have been, basically.

No idea on the other two.

 

[Mercurius]

The main reason I don't think we'll see the "points of light" setting is that I don't think it really exists, at least other than Nentir Vale. I could be wrong, but I don't think that the world was every really developed beyond Nentir Vale except as names on a map for a board game.

 

[Zaukrie]

Ok, after lots of posts:

Classic: Planescape and Gamma World
New: "Asia" and no idea

 

[Demetrios1453]

FR, Planescape, and Ravenloft are the only D&D settings with South Asian elements (including Hinduism).

And FR's has been very minimal, just a few relatively small areas in the Utter East. By comparison SW Asia and E Asia all have huge subcontinents of their own.

 

[Zaukrie]

The main reason I don't think we'll see the "points of light" setting is that I don't think it really exists, at least other than Nentir Vale. I could be wrong, but I don't think that the world was every really developed beyond Nentir Vale except as names on a map for a board game.

Ya, I really meant Nentir Vale....and it's plenty big. That monster book is so well done in terms of creating factions and stories.....

 

[Mercurius]

That is the only book, I would purchase big time, a fantasy setting of Mythic India.

Yes, emphasis on mythic. Imagine the Rakshasa Imperium, and the ongoing war of the Asuras and Devas. They could draw from the literally hundreds (if not thousands) of different Hindu sects, from Kashmir Shaivism to Vedanta to Samkya philosophy. And just imagine a yogic martial artist, like this gem of cinematic history...

 

[overgeeked]

The main reason I don't think we'll see the "points of light" setting is that I don't think it really exists, at least other than Nentir Vale. I could be wrong, but I don't think that the world was every really developed beyond Nentir Vale except as names on a map for a board game.

Maybe I'm the odd one out, but I kinda prefer the setting to have lots of blank spaces to fill in and customize. Once the map is filled in and all the places, factions, NPCs are named and detailed, it becomes static. Fixed. The original Known World and early days 4E points of light knew that and made it fun.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Well, I'm thinking that the "new" settings are technically going to be in MTG too... they will just be new to MTG, much like Strixhaven is. Still, I find a new MTG setting for next year unlikely, as there will likely be two classic settings released next year (and that would mean 3 setting released that year, seems like too many).

I think they prefer releasing setting books, setting books allow them to offer different things for different tastes and wants in a single package, and because setting book are each off in their own corner, but easily reusable for home brew compared to general books with player options, they don't get nearly as much complaints about bloat.

So why would they set an artificial limit on how many of the books in a given year can be settings?

They don't release none setting players options books every year nor MM with playable sub/races, so a year that a side from an Adventure Anthology and Summer Adventure, is all setting books, say 3 or 4 even, is very, very possible.

 

[univoxs]

New format? My guesses are a bucket of loose pages. A text tattooed to a raw hide. Someone shouts rules at you from a roof with a bull horn. Homing pigeons.