WotC Dragonlance: Everything You Need For Shadow of the Dragon Queen

WotC has shared a video explaining the Dragonlance setting, and what to expect when it is released in December.

World at War: Introduces war as a genre of play to fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons.

Dragonlance: Introduces the Dragonlance setting with a focus on the War of the Lance and an overview of what players and DMs need to run adventures during this world spanning conflict.

Heroes of War: Provides character creation rules highlighting core elements of the Dragonlance setting, including the kender race and new backgrounds for the Knight of Solamnia and Mage of High Sorcery magic-users. Also introduces the Lunar Sorcery sorcerer subclass with new spells that bind your character to Krynn's three mystical moons and imbues you with lunar magic.

Villains: Pits heroes against the infamous death knight Lord Soth and his army of draconians.

Notes --

• 224 page hardcover adventure
• D&D's setting for war
• Set in eastern Solamnia
• War is represented by context -- it's not goblins attacking the village, but evil forces; refugees, rumours
• You can play anything from D&D - clerics included, although many classic D&D elements have been forgotten
• Introductory scenarios bring you up to speed on the world so no prior research needed

 

[DarkCrisis]

At least in my experience, I think you have that first part reversed. That being said, that's to my mind a very healthy attitude - if I were to announce that I wanted to run a Middle Earth game and a player showed up announcing that they wouldn't play unless they got to be a Jedi? It may just not be the right game for them, in a "no harm, no foul" sort of way.

Yeah, more DMs than Players is the opposite of every take Ive ever seen on the subject. I even had one game store ask me if i would DM because they had a bunch of people wanting to play but not enough DMs.

 

[Vaalingrade]

You absolutely did, I even quoted where you did it.

You quoted what you misconstrued, not what I 'did'.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

We're talking 'strawmen' when the counter arguments are about daleks and jedi when the question was about a core race?

A race is a race. If you can play an orc even though they are not part of the fiction of that setting, why not a dalek?

 

[ersatzphil]

I did not. The whole thing is the DM controlling the players' choices for ~their vison~.

Having butted heads with you a few times here, I'm left with the impression that you've played with - and had your opinions formed by - some really terrible DMs.

 

[Campbell]

You absolutely did, I even quoted where you did it.

Yes, not letting the player be an Orc is restricting their choice, but not at all in the same way as the player must be Raistlin. One is perfectly fine, your player cannot be Orcus / a dragon either after all, the other is not.

If the DM wants no orcs under any circumstance and the player absolutely insists on being one, then the player has to find a different DM.

Sure, but then we also do not get to wring hands about the player seeking out the play experience they desire.

 

[Micah Sweet]

A

This seems a good time to remind people that it is likely that more people buy the first printing of Shadow of the Dragon Queen than bought every single TSR Dragonlance game product.

Appeal to popularity doesn't do anything for any given individual though, which of course all of us are.

 

[Micah Sweet]

A race is a race. If you can play an orc even though they are not part of the fiction of that setting, why not a dalek?

You could conceivably make a dalek work in a Doctor Who game. Obviously they would be vastly different in outlook from virtually every other member of their race, and would terrify anyone who had ever heard of them, but if the table wants to try, go for it!

You see, daleks exist in Doctor Who. Orcs (outside of unique extra-planar travelers) do not.

 

[mamba]

Sure, but then we also do not get to wring hands about the player seeking out the play experience they desire.

No one is wringing hands, all I am saying is they are not entitled to it if they conflict with the DM’s world.

They are free to not play in that world and find a different DM. They are not free to impose their will on the DM.
Ideally there would be a compromise here, but if not, then they are not blameless here and the DM was wrong, which seems to be what the OP believes.

 

[ersatzphil]

You see, daleks exist in Doctor Who. Orcs (outside of unique extra-planar travelers) do not.

I think we can all agree: if the DM announces that they want to run a Forgotten Realms game and I show up insisting that I want to be a pot-dealing Setite from Boston, the DM is clearly the one in the wrong.

 

[mamba]

You quoted what you misconstrued, not what I 'did'.

I quoted where you wrote what I said you did

The two are not equal or equivalent.

The DM has every right to restrict options, whether setting, races, classes, subclasses or individual skills / spells.
The player has the right to accept or reject that choice or have a discussion with the DM about changing it. But if the two cannot agree, the player needs to find a different DM. Neither one is at fault here, they are just not a good fit. That can happen at any level.