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

 

[pemerton]

I disagree. A failure to mention usually(if typical behavior from these boards is any indication) an assumption of existence. Not mentioning will automatically cause most tables to include them because they don't know any better about the world.

Why would that be a problem?

The language of Theros should be used for the races that aren't present on the default Krynn.

Why "should"? Anyone who cares about the Orcs in Krynn issue can do there thing regardless of words used. Anyone who doesn't care doesn't need any words. So why worry about the words?

 

[Maxperson]

Why would that be a problem?

For the same reason a DM shouldn't tell the player what their PCs do. It's a loss of agency. In this case it would be taking away from the DMs and players the agency to make an informed decision about the setting. That's bad.

 

[pemerton]

It's a bad thing to take a world without orcs and make the default for it to have orcs unless the DM removes them, which is what staying silent does.

Why? Why is this bad?

We're talking about a commercial publishing decision. Who is wronged by WotC publishing a book entitled "Dragonlance" that is silent about Orcs (and moustaches, and warlocks, and . . . )?

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I am of the just don't mention them opinion. No need to call them out as being in or out.

 

[pemerton]

Exactly. Whether this is included or not is going to have absolutely zero impact on whether bad DMs are bad DMs, but it will have an impact on whether DMs know about the setting and are making an informed choice, or whether they don't know, and are going to be surprised when one of their players says "Huh, I didn't think there were orcs in Dragonlance" or the like.

The information-denial thing here is utterly bizarre.

At worst they annoy a small portion of a small portion, while at the same time informing the vast majority and letting them make an informed decision.

It's a loss of agency. In this case it would be taking away from the DMs and players the agency to make an informed decision about the setting. That's bad.

"Informed consent" is a concept from medicine, perhaps financial planning, and similarly weighty areas of human life.

I don't see how it operates in the context of the commercial publication of books about imaginary places. WotC doesn't have an obligation to inform people who purchase tomorrow's Dragonlance book that, yesterday, the book it was selling under the same title did this or that thing with Orcs.

If someone at tomorrow's D&D table has memories of what was in yesterday's book, they can share those memories, or not, as they see fit. There is zero big deal here that I can see.

 

[mamba]

Why "should"? Anyone who cares about the Orcs in Krynn issue can do there thing regardless of words used. Anyone who doesn't care doesn't need any words. So why worry about the words?

only if they are aware. Why do you need to trick players instead of giving them the option to make an informed choice?

 

[mamba]

WotC doesn't have an obligation to inform people who purchase tomorrow's Dragonlance book that, yesterday, the book it was selling under the same title did this or that thing with Orcs.

no one is talking about an obligation, merely a wish / preference.

Why is giving the choice to the players such a bad thing to you that you rather lie to them by omitting this?

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I am of the just don't mention them opinion. No need to call them out as being in or out.

agreed

 

[Maxperson]

"Informed consent" is a concept from medicine, perhaps financial planning, and similarly weighty areas of human life.

I don't see how it operates in the context of the commercial publication of books about imaginary places. WotC doesn't have an obligation to inform people who purchase tomorrow's Dragonlance book that, yesterday, the book it was selling under the same title did this or that thing with Orcs.

I don't want to hear any more complaints about agency then! Agency(informed consent since that's what you are equating it to) is a thing for medicine, financial planning and similarly weighty areas of human life. Not a thing for RPGs!

 

[Maxperson]

I am of the just don't mention them opinion. No need to call them out as being in or out.

Lack of calling them out = calling them in, since orcs and other monsters not called out are typically viewed as in.