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.

 

[delericho]

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.

I would be extremely surprised to see either a full-blown Dragonlance campaign setting book or a full Manual of the Planes - in both cases, that would make the setting essentially "done". My bet would instead be something more like the old "Planes of Law" set - something covering a fairly broad (but, crucially, incomplete) slice of the setting, coupled with one or more big-ish adventures. Two books is better than one, but why stop there?

 

[The Glen]

]]

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

Are you free Friday? Got room in my Veiled Society adventure

 

[Golroc]

As someone who started out with 1st edition, played 2nd edition throughout my teen years, then played 3rd edition before life caught up, and now a few decades later am back looking at picking the hobby again - the D&D campaign settings are massively disappointing! Just a single book for most - and a handful of books at most (for FR). And those books are rather anemic compared to what others companies are releasing. Pathfinder has the kind of setting and number core books I'd expect from D&D. Tiny indie crowdfunded books seem have been released with more content than some of these settings!

I'm really sorry to sound negative, because I hear a lot of people say that D&D is better than it has been in years, but to me it feels like we're getting only the "simplified and glitzy" releases that tended to be released alongside AD&D back in the day to try and draw in more casual and mass-market players. Maybe that's where the money is these days. But I really wish I could pick up D&D again. However, looking at the glacial release schedule, the multiverse focus and the lack of worldbuilding, just turns me off. Maybe it's a great system for homebrew - it always was back in the day I think. But these classic settings deserve so much more. BG3 is showing just how rich a tapestry of lore there is to draw on - and that's just one setting. Where are the Gods & Faiths of Faerun, the regional sourcebooks, the Underdark, etc? There's just a Sword Coast book and a Neverwinter adventure book?

It feels hyper-commercialized to me, I am afraid. It's not just about these settings being one-shots - it's about not seeing the company care enough about the settings to fully support them. If there are more players than ever and WOTC even thinks they're "undermonetized" where are the books? Games Workshop puts out more books by far for miniature wargames than WOTC does for D&D. That's weird to me.

 

[Reynard]

I would be extremely surprised to see either a full-blown Dragonlance campaign setting book or a full Manual of the Planes - in both cases, that would make the setting essentially "done". My bet would instead be something more like the old "Planes of Law" set - something covering a fairly broad (but, crucially, incomplete) slice of the setting, coupled with one or more big-ish adventures. Two books is better than one, but why stop there?

I feel like that is more of a wish than a prediction. WotC has not done anything like that in the whole 5E publishing cycle. What makes you think it is more likely that they would start that now, rather than follow the established pattern?

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Now Dark Sun may be potentially troublemaker because it can be used for parody of the "climate emergency" by both sides, promoters and opposing. This is not fault by creators for the TSR age.

DS is awesome but now it is not wellcome in the 5e because the marketing strategy is radically different. Now the philosophy by WotC is "all the crunch has to can be used in all settings". Now it is wrong if you can't include the new PC species appeared in the complete psionic handbook. Would buy a DM a setting fearing árguments with players who want to play with a "banned" class or specie in Athas? The adventures or modules shouldn't be too specific for only certain setting.

What if the Athasian Tablelands were the batlefield between the cults of Vecna and Tharizdum(elder elemental eye)?

Did Athasiann deities created their own astral dominions before the cleasing wars? What happened to souls of the victims of the cleasing wars?

Hanna-Barbera cartoon "Pirates of the Dark Waters" is a good example of how a tribal-punk setting can be "child-friendly".

Greyhawk enjoys the potential adventage it is "incomplete", and this allows space to add new elements in the future. For example the oriental continent could be the "home" of the updated martial adepts (crusader, swordsage, warblade..).

* It is curious, but today Greyhawk and Mystara are "retro" or "vintage fantasy". It is like reading an old strip comic of Flash Gordon, or the little girl finding grandma's doll.

 

[Reynard]

draw in more casual and mass-market players.

Yes. They want to sell the games they produce and make money. That's their job.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

As much as I love the TSR boxed sets from 2e, I do believe that adventures are the superior method to develop settings. I don’t think it’s coincidence that those who played the 1e adventures in Greyhawk and Mystara are their biggest champions.

Hmm, I think Mystara's hardcore partisans are mostly focused on the Gazetteers. The various Greyhawk settings have all been fine, but they certainly don't stir as much passion as Gygax's modules nominally set there. (Honestly, it was less than 200 words in each that tied any of them to a setting. Often much less.)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

As someone who started out with 1st edition, played 2nd edition throughout my teen years, then played 3rd edition before life caught up, and now a few decades later am back looking at picking the hobby again - the D&D campaign settings are massively disappointing! Just a single book for most - and a handful of books at most (for FR). And those books are rather anemic compared to what others companies are releasing. Pathfinder has the kind of setting and number core books I'd expect from D&D. Tiny indie crowdfunded books seem have been released with more content than some of these settings!

I'm really sorry to sound negative, because I hear a lot of people say that D&D is better than it has been in years, but to me it feels like we're getting only the "simplified and glitzy" releases that tended to be released alongside AD&D back in the day to try and draw in more casual and mass-market players. Maybe that's where the money is these days. But I really wish I could pick up D&D again. However, looking at the glacial release schedule, the multiverse focus and the lack of worldbuilding, just turns me off. Maybe it's a great system for homebrew - it always was back in the day I think. But these classic settings deserve so much more. BG3 is showing just how rich a tapestry of lore there is to draw on - and that's just one setting. Where are the Gods & Faiths of Faerun, the regional sourcebooks, the Underdark, etc? There's just a Sword Coast book and a Neverwinter adventure book?

It feels hyper-commercialized to me, I am afraid. It's not just about these settings being one-shots - it's about not seeing the company care enough about the settings to fully support them. If there are more players than ever and WOTC even thinks they're "undermonetized" where are the books? Games Workshop puts out more books by far for miniature wargames than WOTC does for D&D. That's weird to me.

Yes to all of this, especially about WotC weirdly leaving money on the table with products that people actually want.

On the other hand, 99% of the TSR setting material is available at DMs Guild/DriveThruRPG, much of it available as print on demand. In a lot of cases, everything but 5E mechanics is all there waiting for the people who want it and, in many cases, someone has written up the 5E mechanics, too. (I think all the Ravenloft stuff through 3E has been converted, for instance.)

It's not quite the same as there being no other material being available, even if it's not packaged in 5E trade dress. (And 5E trade dress is nothing special, IMO, so no loss there.)

 

[overgeeked]

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.

Because, when it was new it was not “just another generic” whatever. It was the first official D&D setting. For some it was the first fantasy setting they played in, official adventures or not.

 

[overgeeked]

Are you free Friday? Got room in my Veiled Society adventure

Thank you, but no. Friday’s date night and I’ve long since been spoiled on many of the old modules.