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.

 

[Laurefindel]

I think that's one of the main reasons so many home campaigns are kitchen sink settings: It's the easiest way to make player concepts work at the table.

It's the only way to avoid the "no, you can't do that in this setting" or the "I know it's in the PHB/Volo/Mordenkanen/Xanathar/Tasha, but it doesn't exist here". Even settings such as Eberron, which I consider a kitchen sink, can't include all concepts. The wider the character options, the wider the representation, the more kitchen sink-y it becomes and the less specific it can be (as a whole). That's inevitable, and not always a bad thing (I have the impression kitchen-sink settings are often bashed on)

At best you can make a specifically tailored homebrew around the characters' concepts and make a non-kitchen-sink setting for this campaign, or else make a setting presuming the (nondescript) existences of other planes/lands for characters to come from when they do not fit in the default paradigm.

I think the most specific setting that still allows for a wide array of character options is the Star Wars universe. It's cinematic origin makes it easier for people to create something using the same codes, but it's a remarkable exploit nonetheless.

 

[Rikka66]

CR is very popular, but I guess Matt Mercer would rather total creative freedom for the future campaigns. Other reason is better to keep all the new elements in the lore for the show to can cause surprise in the audence. The books only should show things appeared in the serie.

I wonder why WotC doesn't broadcast shows set into other world, not only FR and Ravenloft.

I have not read either book, but I'm sure they have things in them that haven't appeared in the series.

FR is their main world, they only want to focus on settings they have releases for, and they struggle to get even modest successes from these shows anyway.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

That and players get really worked up if they can't do whatever they want.

I feel like a lot of you are being held hostage by your players.

It's generally easier to just destroy whatever sense of cohesion or backstory the DM had for their world that would result in a potential option being taken off the table than it is to convince an intractable player that even the notion of less options isn't somehow bad or wrong (especially if they weren't planning on using that option).

Unless your players are very unusual, they don't have a long list of DMs to choose from. If they won't meet you halfway, I don't know that you need to play with them.

Their desire to play a sea elf blood hunter with material from six different third party books and PDFs that they then customize further is not a guaranteed human right.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I think the most specific setting that still allows for a wide array of character options is the Star Wars universe. It's cinematic origin makes it easier for people to create something using the same codes, but it's a remarkable exploit nonetheless.

I think the exact opposite is happening. I can't play my half-dragon possessed by a dead serial killer who's best known for his bitchin' muscle car in Star Wars.

Instead, pretty much everyone who sits down to play a Star Wars game knows what's in the setting and has a lot of buy-in for it. It's a broad setting, but it's not an infinite one.

Those same players can sit down and figure out an interesting Eberron concept or a concept that would work in Blue Rose or a concept that fits into Freeport just fine.

I don't know that capitulating to problem player behavior before play even starts is going to make for a positive experience the rest of the campaign.

 

[bedir than]

I wonder why WotC doesn't broadcast shows set into other world, not only FR and Ravenloft.

They've done shows set in every adventure and setting book they've released, plus they co-cast Critical Role.

 

[overgeeked]

I wonder why WotC doesn't broadcast shows set into other world, not only FR and Ravenloft.

Because those are the most popular official worlds for 5E. Official meaning WotC has produced content for them.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I can understand FR is the favorite, and other settings need a lot of special work, for example art design and psionic powers for Dark Sun. I guess Dragonlance is in the phase "pre-production".

I wonder if Hasbro wants to wait until the end of the five-year deal with Paramount to renegotiate and asking other lines to be linceced with other producers (Disney, Warner and Netflix).

 

[overgeeked]

I feel like a lot of you are being held hostage by your players.

Not at all. I just got tired of "it's my right to do anything" mentality and sidestepped the issue by having players submit concepts that I choose from. I don't think it's something special about me. I have run for a broad swathe of players and it seems nearly universal at this point. If you tell a group of players that something, anything, is off the table, some will inevitably laser focus on that and complain until they're blue in the face.

Unless your players are very unusual, they don't have a long list of DMs to choose from. If they won't meet you halfway, I don't know that you need to play with them.

I don't get to play without them and they don't get to play without me. Everyone should be willing to meet halfway on some things.

Their desire to play a sea elf blood hunter with material from six different third party books and PDFs that they then customize further is not a guaranteed human right.

Oh, I agree. But try telling them that.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Not at all. I just got tired of "it's my right to do anything" mentality and sidestepped the issue by having players submit concepts that I choose from. I don't think it's something special about me. I have run for a broad swathe of players and it seems nearly universal at this point. If you tell a group of players that something, anything, is off the table, some will inevitably laser focus on that and complain until they're blue in the face.

Have a conversation with those "some." If they genuinely insist on that level of entitlement, it sounds like it's time for them to be DM for a few campaigns.

I don't get to play without them and they don't get to play without me. Everyone should be willing to meet halfway on some things.

It doesn't sound like they're meeting you halfway.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Oh I've got nothing wrong with generic fantasyland. But if that's what I need, I'll probably pick something up like FR or Greyhawk instead. No offense to Mercer, but Tal'Dorei is both kind of boring and too familiar for big fans for me to want to use.

Mercer never set out to create a new and innovative setting. He just knocked off a fairly generic homebrew so he and his actor chums could show off their skills.