D&D General What About Those Other D&D Settings?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I would be hyped to see Ghostwalk come back -- it's an extremely modular idea that can be dropped into the middle of nowhere on a campaign world when PCs need to take a mythic trek to the underworld -- but I don't see it ever happening.

 

[Parmandur]

Whatever they do for Greyhawk, I want there to be a deluxe edition that comes with lots of historical material. Maybe hire Jon Peterson (Game Wizards) to write a condensed history of how the game started, emphasizing the importance of Greyhawk and Blackmoore (which should be included as an adventure setting) in the creation and evolution of D&D. Really give Arneson, Gygax and friends their flowers, and keep that story alive for new generations of players.

I think that kind of deluxe edition would sell well, but I also think it is important to pass those roots on. D&D isn't just a game, it's a culture. The 50th needs to celebrate it as such.

I think a Spelljammer style boxed set, with a small Gazateer styled on the original Folio, s Monstet book (weird pulpy stuff from 1E that hasn't been updated yet?), a repribt of the origibal map, and a Ruins of Cast3ke Greyhawk mini-megadungeon would be a fantastic 50th anniversary product.

 

[Hex08]

Even though I started playing D&D in the early 1980's I have never heard of some of the settings mentioned by the OP. Also, I haven't played D&D since 3.x ended so I don't really have any skin in this game but of those I recognize I'll share my thoughts.

Al-Qadim: Arabian Adventures - I really enjoyed the setting. In one of my favorite campaigns the group I DM'd for travelled from Faerun to Al-Qadim but I never ran a campaign there exclusively. One of their characters died while there and created a Shi'ar who travelled back to Faerun with the group. I recognize it may need some reworking for a modern audience.

Council of Wyrms was a neat read but I never used it. One of my former DMs let a player be a dragon as a PC using its rules and I was not a fan.

Gamma World as a D&D setting? I don't understand why you would do that and not have it a standalone game.

Ghostwalk - I owned it but never got around to reading it but it seemed like a cool setting.

Greyhaawk is #1!!!!!

Kara-Tur - I owned "Oriental Adventures" and nothing else. Other than creating a group of enemies who travelled far to bedevil the heroes in my campaign I never used it or bought any of the Kara-Tur supplements.

Magic The Gathering - While it has neat settings it just seems like a pure cash grab and I would have no interest.

Maztica - I think I owned this but never used it. It could be a fun setting though.

Mystara - Other than some adventures that took place in it I don't think I owned any source material. It doesn't seem to offer anything not offered by other settings with more already existing material.

Birthright, Blackmoor and Taladas are settings I am aware of but never owned or read so I have no opinions on them.

Jakandor, Nentir Vale and Pelinore are settings I have never even heard of.

I'm not sure how many settings 5E currently has since I don't play it but I think limiting the number of settings is probably best. If people want others let new ones be developed by WotC or third party publishers.

 

[humble minion]

Some of the people from those videos were involved in a rework of the setting that's up on DM's Guild.

Campaign Guide: Zakhara - Adventures in the Land of Fate (Al-Qadim and Forgotten Realms Sourcebook) - Dungeon Masters Guild | Dungeon Masters Guild

Campaign Guide: Zakhara - Adventures in the Land of Fate (Al-Qadim and Forgotten Realms Sourcebook) - "Don't miss the Campaign Guide to Zakhara! Bringing the setting to 5e and cleaning up many of the cultural issues!" -

www.dmsguild.com

I know, I bought it!

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Perhaps, but if you look at the four modules that TSR put out, they contain information that is enough for at least 8 WotC style Hard Cover books.

If they really wanted to, they could probably buy the rights to the ZGG d20 Blackmoor line. If they wanted to.

What Blackmoor has is name recognition and history.

Should they make a 50 year anniversary of Castle Blackmoor? As a colletor item, I think it would make them a lot of money.

-Havard

I'd buy it, it has good ideas, without the issues or difficult to adapt to 5e mechanics of other old settings. But I think you vastly overestimate the amount of name recognition. This is a setting that was defunct when I started playing in 1982, and I'm a good 20 years older than most of the rest of my group. As a collectors item, targeted at people in their late 50s and 60s, it would have to have a three digit price tag, which would mean I couldn't afford it.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

If Dragonlance has been unlocked in DMGuild then Taladas has to be also.

I love the idea of playing dragon PCs but there are no monster classes in 5Ed. If it would be unlocked in DMGuild, I imagine 3PPs creating dragon monster classes based in almost of dragons from previous editions, even the cobra dragon from the magazine.

A future classes could be something like "dracolyte", where the PCs is getting draconic traits. The subclasses would be based in the different species, not only the core ones.

My opinion is Cris Perkin's Iomandra is an ersatz of Council of Wyrms mixed with sea adventures. I don't say it was wrong.

I wonder how would be Mystara is WotC allowed crossovers with no-fantasy franchises.

* When the crossover Evil Dead-Ravenloft(Falkovnia)? Or Ravenloft-Dead by Daylight.

* Nentir Vale/Points of Light could be unlocked in DM Guild. A simple sourcebook would be enough.

* A reboot of the parody module "Castle Greyhawk" could be possible. I imagine this like a demiplane what can appear in different worlds, something close to a domain of delight from Witchlight.

* Gamma World could be like a test and a transition. It could be reimagined as "Omega World", a mixture of the previous Gamma World and Dark Sun.

* How had Athas/Dar Sun been if for the beggining of the cleasing war a planar invasion by Phyrexians started? And then a mysterious floating island appears on the sky. All the factions go to that flying island to try to discover its miseries, and then a new increible visitor arrives!: the Fortnite battlebus.

 

[Minigiant]

Nentir Valve being the ONLY setting where all the races and classes are designed to be part of the setting seems like a no brainier to a setting release for anyone without nostalgia goggles.

 

[humble minion]

Nentir Valve being the ONLY setting where all the races and classes are designed to be part of the setting seems like a no brainier to a setting release for anyone without nostalgia goggles.

I missed out on getting to know Nentir Vale properly after largely skipping 4e, but it seems unlikely to me that WotC will release another relatively conventional kitchen-sink type setting when FR and Exandria are already out there, unless there's a specific angle to take. I've got my doubts we'll see anything done with Greyhawk for the same reason, 50th anniversary or not. VRGtR was as much a generic horror sourcebook as it was a setting. SotDQ (and the boardgame) focused on war stories and massed combat. Spelljammer was all about surreal and trippy weirdness. What's the unique focus for Nentir Vale?

 

[Teemu]

I say, do a twofer: old and new, an olive branch to both sides. Greyhawk first, then Points of Light (or whatever they choose to call it.)

The two actually have more in common than you might think. Particularly in the "leaving room for the DM to play" category.

Although I love the Points of Light / Nentir Vale setting, calling it new is a bit of a stretch. In 2024 it'll have been 16 years since the introduction of Nentir Vale. It's a bit like calling Dragonlance a new setting during the launch of 3e D&D!

I want something brand new. Something with its own identity and something that offers a new way to experience D&D tropes.

 

[Minigiant]

I missed out on getting to know Nentir Vale properly after largely skipping 4e, but it seems unlikely to me that WotC will release another relatively conventional kitchen-sink type setting when FR and Exandria are already out there, unless there's a specific angle to take. I've got my doubts we'll see anything done with Greyhawk for the same reason, 50th anniversary or not. VRGtR was as much a generic horror sourcebook as it was a setting. SotDQ (and the boardgame) focused on war stories and massed combat. Spelljammer was all about surreal and trippy weirdness. What's the unique focus for Nentir Vale?

Point of light.

The world went through a dark age and is recovering. The areas outside the roads and settlements are littered with monsters and treasures of the Golden Age ruins.

And again it's the only setting besides Exandria where the new races, classes, and monsters are not tacked on at the end. Dragonborn and Tieflings had/have kingdoms and empires. The Great Old Ones are named and part of the world. Warlocks and sorcerers are narratively tied to the Arcane.