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.

 

[DammitVictor]

I am not going to question the honesty of this statement, or make any predictions about these promises not being kept-- but I will say, I'll believe that these are products are not "one shots" when I see the seconds.

I believe they were always planned to be one-shots, but I will accept it as a pleasant surprise if Hasbro decides to change those plans and support them as product lines.

 

[deganawida]

I've never played in an official Dark Sun, Ravenloft, Mystara, or Spelljammer adventure. I'd say I'm a champion for those settings.

I probably explained it poorly.

I have noticed that, anecdotally, the biggest champions for Greyhawk in particular are those who played the original adventures and discovered the secrets of the world through play, rather than people who picked up one of the Greyhawk boxed sets or books and made up their own adventures.

If this bore out to be true outside of anecdotes, it might also explain why DragonLance has never caught on fire outside of the original modules and the novels.

My hypothesis is that designing via adventures, or via experiencing the world, presents a different type of development that’s not conducive to a major setting box, and vice versa.

Mystara was a poor example, as it had the Gazetteers.

Does that help better explain what I’m trying to say?

Edit: DYAC

 

[Velderan]

Castlevania is the best Ravenloft campaign!

I would hope everyone uses lines from Symphony of the Night for their Strahd monologues.

 

[Reynard]

I am not going to question the honesty of this statement, or make any predictions about these promises not being kept-- but I will say, I'll believe that these are products are not "one shots" when I see the seconds.

I believe they were always planned to be one-shots, but I will accept it as a pleasant surprise if Hasbro decides to change those plans and support them as product lines.

It makes perfect sense for WotC to consider additional books in settings based on how well the adventures do. if CoS was not the consistently top rated module it is, we probably would not have a big fat Ravenloft book. If Dragonlance sells well over time, I would not be the least bit surprised if an actual campaign setting guide appeared, or even perhaps an update of the original campaign modules.

I still want a globetrotting pulpy noir Eberron campaign, though.

 

[overgeeked]

I probably explained it poorly.

I have noticed that, anecdotally, the biggest champions for Greyhawk in particular are those who played the original adventures and discovered the secrets of the world through play, rather than people who picked up one of the Greyhawk boxed sets or books and made up their own adventures.

If this bore out to be true outside of anecdotes, it might also explain why DragonLance has never caught on fire outside of the original modules and the novels.

My hypothesis is that designing via adventures, or via experiencing the world, presents a different type of development that’s not conducive to a major setting box, and vice versa.

Mystara was a poor example, as it had the Gazetteers.

Does that help better explain what I’m trying to say?

Edit: DYAC

I’m not sure I agree. Different people attach to things for different reasons and through different routes. Reading the gazetteer, getting the Greyhawk box for Christmas one year, reading the novels, playing the best campaign of homebrew adventures the player’s ever played, etc. Lots of reasons. No need to limit that to only “played the official adventures.”

 

[Demetrios1453]

I am not going to question the honesty of this statement, or make any predictions about these promises not being kept-- but I will say, I'll believe that these are products are not "one shots" when I see the seconds.

I believe they were always planned to be one-shots, but I will accept it as a pleasant surprise if Hasbro decides to change those plans and support them as product lines.

We've seen it with CoS being followed up by the Ravenloft book a few years later. If, for example, the Dragonlance adventure sold well, then we should expect to see a full setting down the line (does anyone have any info on how well the DL book sold?). Similarly, if the Planescape set does well, I'd expect a full Manual of the Planes in the relatively new future.

 

[Incenjucar]

I expect that adventures are more lucrative for WotC as they're basically DLC, and create shared experiences. I personally have zero interest in them.

 

[overgeeked]

I would hope everyone uses lines from Symphony of the Night for their Strahd monologues.

The Darkest Dungeon soundtrack is great for that. Lustmord. Cryo Chamber. Horror movie and video game soundtracks. Lots of great music for horror gaming.

 

[Vincent55]

As it stands right now they just slap a name on the book fill it with fluff (not even coherent fluff or good fluff at that) and half-baked ideas and sell it. To be honest all they need is just some updated mechanics and can just reprint most of the settings and people would buy them. They really don't need to reinvent the wheel as it where, but they feel the need to water down and alter it until its lost which made it great.

 

[deganawida]

I’m not sure I agree. Different people attach to things for different reasons and through different routes. Reading the gazetteer, getting the Greyhawk box for Christmas one year, reading the novels, playing the best campaign of homebrew adventures the player’s ever played, etc. Lots of reasons. No need to limit that to only “played the official adventures.”

That’s okay. I’m not sure I agree with it, either, and I’m the one who put it forward.

This may be me playing “freshman psych major” and trying to diagnose why I can’t grasp the love for Greyhawk in particular. I mean, I get that people love it, and it is fascinating, but, to me, it’s just another vanilla medieval Europe-inspired swords & sorcery world. My apologies, that’s not meant to denigrate it or its fans, that’s just how it feels on an emotional level to me.