D&D 5E Planescape, Bigby, Phandelver and the Deck of Many Things: Covers & Details Revealed!

The covers of the upcoming D&D books — including Planescape, Glory of the Giants, and the Deck of Many Things have been revealed.

• August 15th -- Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants ($59.95)
• August 15th -- The Practically Complete Guide to Dragons ($39.95)
• September 19th -- Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk ($59.95)
• October 16th -- Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse ($TBA)
• November 14th -- Book of Many Things ($TBA)

Coming August 15th with two variants. Lore about giants, 76 stat blocks, feats, and a giant subclass.

3 hardcovers in a boxed set-- 96 page guide to Sigil, 64-page bestiary, and 96-page adventure, along with a poster map and DM screen. Coming October 16th.

224-page adventure for levels 1-12, poster map, 16 new monsters. Coming September 19th.

66 illustrated cards, 192-page book with lore, character options, magic items, and monsters, 80-page card reference guide, all in a slipcase. Coming November 14th.​

These Are Dungeons & Dragons' New Products For 2023

New books for the fantasy role-playing game include Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants, and a look at the legendary Deck of Many Things.

themessenger.com

 

[Maxperson]

Planescape had four box sets. The main one, Law, Chaos, Conflict and Inner Planes. At $30 each (90's dollars) that is $120 alone. Slap on the Astral and Ethereal plane guides, the Guide to Sigil, Planeswalker Handbook, and three Monster Compendium annuals, and you're looking at over $200 to run Planescape. That's close to $400 in today's money. (And to be fair, that leaves out plenty of other supplements and all the modules).

So how much are you willing to pay for Planescape? Want to buy a $400 dollar book?

The four boxed sets were great, but they kinda overdid it in 2e. They could have made a great setting for half that. And yes, I'd pay $200 for a good setting. I did it in 3e when I bought...

1. Forgotten Realms Campaign setting
2. Faiths and Pantheons
3. The Silver Marches
4. The Shining South
5. The Unapproachable East
6. The Player's Guide to Faerun
7. The Races of Faerun
8. The Monsters of Faerun

 

[Parmandur]

I very much doubt people in any great numbers have shelled out $50 for a few pages of setting, throwing away the adventure portion. I'm going to need hard proof of your claim.

Well, the hard fact is, people have shelled out gor Adventure/Setting hybrid products. If they hadn't, WotC wouldn't be doubling down on them.

Thr point is, WotC has produced the Swtting content in products: if you wish to buy them, they have the info, if you don't, then Don. Doesn't mean that they aren't there, and the model hasn't shifted in 9 years, so it's probably here to stay.

 

[Maxperson]

Well, the hard fact is, people have shelled out gor Adventure/Setting hybrid products.

Not for the meager setting content alone they haven't. Not in any decent numbers anyway.

Thr point is, WotC has produced the Swtting content in products: if you wish to buy them, they have the info, if you don't, then Don.

They have not produced any additional setting content for the FR. Adventures =/= setting content. They = adventures. Adventures must consist of some setting, which isn't the same. A setting book = setting content.

 

[Parmandur]

Not for the meager setting content alone they haven't. Not in any decent numbers anyway.

They have not produced any additional setting content for the FR. Adventures =/= setting content. They = adventures. Adventures must consist of some setting, which isn't the same. A setting book = setting content.

There is Setting content in the big campaign books. Just because you personally aren't buying Tomb of Annihilation doesn't mean that Chult hasn't received Setting coverage, because it has.

 

[Stormonu]

Not for the meager setting content alone they haven't. Not in any decent numbers anyway.

They have not produced any additional setting content for the FR. Adventures =/= setting content. They = adventures. Adventures must consist of some setting, which isn't the same. A setting book = setting content.

That's not quite true. You can have a campaign setting revealed through adventure - Tomb of Annilation covers Chult and its locations, Rime covers Ten-towns and the surrounding area. It's not the best or most thorough coverage (I mean, there are 2E books for both areas), but there's enough there that even if you aren't using the modules specific adventure, you can certainly run a campaign setting off the information within.

I will say, however, that's not how I like it to be done, but you can't claim it doesn't exist.

 

[Parmandur]

That's not quite true. You can have a campaign setting revealed through adventure - Tomb of Annilation covers Chult and its locations, Rime covers Ten-towns and the surrounding area. It's not the best or most thorough coverage (I mean, there are 2E books for both areas), but there's enough there that even if you aren't using the modules specific adventure, you can certainly run a campaign setting off the information within.

I will say, however, that's not how I like it to be done, but you can't claim it doesn't exist.

I've flipped through the 2E Chult book, and honestly Tomb of Annhilation might just have more usable Setting info in it's pages, even more actual pages of Setring info.

WotC also sells the old AD&D books, actively and often in print now...and I've seen Chris Perkins at least recommended specific 2E titles to help run 5E games, which seems doable enough.

 

[Maxperson]

I've flipped through the 2E Chult book, and honestly Tomb of Annhilation might just have more usable Setting info in it's pages, even more actual pages of Setring info.

WotC also sells the old AD&D books, actively and often in print now...and I've seen Chris Perkins at least recommended specific 2E titles to help run 5E games, which seems doable enough.

If you're going to 2e to get setting info to run a 5e setting, 5e has failed at setting.

 

[Maxperson]

That's not quite true. You can have a campaign setting revealed through adventure - Tomb of Annilation covers Chult and its locations, Rime covers Ten-towns and the surrounding area. It's not the best or most thorough coverage (I mean, there are 2E books for both areas), but there's enough there that even if you aren't using the modules specific adventure, you can certainly run a campaign setting off the information within.

I will say, however, that's not how I like it to be done, but you can't claim it doesn't exist.

Those are for the adventure, though, not for the FR setting. And I'm not forking over $40-$50 for some pages in an adventure. I strongly doubt many people are. Those buying those adventures are buying them to run.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

Those are for the adventure, though, not for the FR setting. And I'm not forking over $40-$50 for some pages in an adventure. I strongly doubt many people are. Those buying those adventures are buying them to run.

You know it'd be great if there was some setting info for the Isle of Dread, but sadly all I've got are the X1 module, the Torrents of Dread adventure in Dungeon #114, and four installments of the Savage Tide adventure path...

Whether or not you consider an adventure module to be worth the investment for the setting material it contains does not change the fact that it still contains setting material.

 

[Incenjucar]

If you're going to 2e to get setting info to run a 5e setting, 5e has failed at setting.

I think we can safely surmise that the deep settings days are over for official D&D for the foreseeable future. WotC isn't going to bother unless they decide to let LLMs do it for them or something, and even then I don't see them printing it.