D&D 5E D&D's Classic Settings Are Not 'One Shots'

In an interview with ComicBook.com, WotC's Jeremy Crawford talked about the visits to Ravenloft, Eberron, Spelljammer, Dragonlance, and (the upcoming) Planescape we've seen over the last couple of years, and their intentions for the future.

He indicated that they plan to revisit some of these settings again in the future, noting that the setting books are among their most popular books.

We love [the campaign setting books], because they help highlight just how wonderfully rich D&D is. They highlight that D&D can be gothic horror. D&D can be fantasy in space. D&D can be trippy adventures in the afterlife, in terms of Planescape. D&D can be classic high fantasy, in the form of the Forgotten Realms. It can be sort of a steampunk-like fantasy, like in Eberron. We feel it's vital to visit these settings, to tell stories in them. And we look forward to returning to them. So we do not view these as one-shots.

- Jeremy Crawford​

The whole 'multiverse' concept that D&D is currently exploring plays into this, giving them opportunities to resist worlds.

When asked about the release schedule of these books, Crawford noted that the company plans its release schedule so that players get chance to play the material, not just read it, and they don't want to swamp people with too much content to use.

Our approach to how we design for the game and how we plan out the books for it is a play-first approach. At certain times in D&D's history, it's really been a read-first approach. Because we've had points in our history where we were producing so many books each year, there was no way anyone could play all of it. In some years it would be hard to play even a small percentage of the number of things that come out. Because we have a play-first approach, we want to make sure we're coming out with things at a pace where if you really wanted to, and even that would require a lot of weekends and evenings dedicated to D&D play, you could play a lot of it.

- Jeremy Crawford​

You can read more in the interview at ComicBook.com.

 

[bedir than]

The only person that determines what is "on screen" is the GM.

then so much for the insistence that Wizards has kiddy-fied the adventures

 

[bedir than]

Strixhaven has gotten a lot of support on DMs Guild, which takes it most of the way to what the book ought to have been to begin with, although obviously that means assembling your own campaign setting and paying for the privilege of doing so. I think it's unlikely that WotC will ever return to the setting or concept this edition, unfortunately. In the realms of untapped monetization, a really good school of magic setting was a huge opportunity.

With Magic the Gathering heading back to Strixhaven I'm hopeful we'll see more support from D&D

 

[Vaalingrade]

I think the problem with all of these revisited settings is that everyone's expectations are different.

Some folks clearly wanted Spelljammer to be all about space battles. Some folks wanted it to be an updated Rock of Braal setting. WotC clearly wanted it to be broad strokes about the concept, and not a drilled-down remake of the 2E material (or the 3E Dragon magazine stuff, which was pretty neat).

I suspect WotC does think Spelljammer was a success, since they're doing another setting in almost an identical format.

I mean, for some reason, we all (self included) expected a setting book for Spelljammer despite being told to our face that wasn't going to happen.

 

[scruffygrognard]

WotC should license out classic settings, like Greyhawk and Planescape, so that they can get in-depth, boxed set releases with large maps and multiple books. I'm sure that crowd-sourcing those settings would help minimize the risks of a product underselling.

 

[Azzy]

I miss the old days when there were regular releases every month and their campaign worlds were well supported.

I don't.

I mean, I miss settings being more fleshed out (something that post Eberron and Wildemount setting books are lacking in), but that kind of release schedule is just bad for most consumers and the designers that have to support that kind of glut.

 

[Reynard]

then so much for the insistence that Wizards has kiddy-fied the adventures

The assertion that I was responding to was that the adventures listed included hard R material up front.

 

[overgeeked]

WotC should license out classic settings Greyhawk and Planescape so that they can get in-depth, boxed set releases with large maps and multiple books. I'm sure that crowd-sourcing those settings would help minimize the risks of a product underselling.

Or at least open them to the DM’s Guild.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

Or at least open them to the DM’s Guild.

Short of WotC pulling a complete 180, Planescape is pretty much guaranteed to be opened on DMsGuild once it releases.

And I expect Greyhawk would follow suit, if/when they release a 5e product for it. Which is certainly possible, given the 50th anniversary next year - a GH or FR setting guide of some kind seems like a decent bet for a 50th anniversary project in my mind.

 

[Scribe]

Short of WotC pulling a complete 180, Planescape is pretty much guaranteed to be opened on DMsGuild once it releases.

And I expect Greyhawk would follow suit, if/when they release a 5e product for it. Which is certainly possible, given the 50th anniversary next year - a GH or FR setting guide of some kind seems like a decent bet for a 50th anniversary project in my mind.

A mighty BG3 influenced FR Tome, please.

 

[overgeeked]

Short of WotC pulling a complete 180, Planescape is pretty much guaranteed to be opened on DMsGuild once it releases.

And I expect Greyhawk would follow suit, if/when they release a 5e product for it. Which is certainly possible, given the 50th anniversary next year - a GH or FR setting guide of some kind seems like a decent bet for a 50th anniversary project in my mind.

Yes, I’m aware. I mean for the settings they’re ignoring. Open those up to the Guild. Like Dark Sun. They’re flat out said they’re never going to have the spine to touch it, so open it up on the Guild for others to toy with. So too with Mystara, Hollow World, Birthright, Nentir Vale, etc. WotC still gets their cut. They’re not out anything.