D&D 5E Check Out Planescape's Table of Contents & More!

Brandes Stoddard has received a copy of Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse (which come out in two weeks!) and is posting loads of photos over on Blue Sky. You can check out his feed for the whole treasure trove--here's a look at the table of contents.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Yeah, sorry - I missed the page numbers. Really glad they decided to not continue doing pure alphabetic. MotM really upset me trying to do that silliness.

I don’t mind pure alphabet in some cases, but in many closely related monsters it would just result in us losing the section talking about them as a whole.

Like Demons if they did pure alphabetical in the 2014 MM we would have lost the entire Demon and Abyss section.

On the other hand I have no issue with the oozes not being grouped together.

 

[Stormonu]

They have been changing history in all their settings (Ravenloft most terribly). I see no sense of history that doesn't revolve around $$$.

Van Richten's is probably the worst offender they've done. It was a weird mix of moving some domains forward in time and completely rewriting others in a way that came across as "You don't really like what you think you like and we're going to fix it for you."

Both Dragonlance* and Eberron seem to have been treated with more respect. Unfortunately, FR had to be unscrambled from its 4E treatment, and is still suffering from all the Realms-shaking events its had to endure. From what I've been seeing so far, Planescape is being treated fairly well and they are thankfully rolling back before the metaplot of Faction War blew things up.

* though Clerics got a sort of "we're going to sort of side step the 'No clerical magic at the start', don't look at this too hard" treatment so as to not hose PCs

 

[DarkCrisis]

Just because they make changes doesn't mean they have no sense of history. It is just not your sense of history..

"History is written by the victors"

 

[Reynard]

Getting it on DMsGuild is what makes it worth it to me.

For the record, the high-priced, unnecessary format change is the main reason I'm not buying this. If it was a book that didn't cost $20 more than it did, I'd likely consider what they are adding worth it.

That MSRP is a bit shocking, for sure. I wonder what the margin is on it. It is hard to imagine it is that much better than a single hardback volume. But if not, why use this format. It's not like anyone was asking for it.

Maybe it counts as a "box" and so opens up some outlets?

 

[Reynard]

Van Richten's is probably the worst offender they've done. It was a weird mix of moving some domains forward in time and completely rewriting others in a way that came across as "You don't really like what you think you like and we're going to fix it for you."

That isn't what they did. They did not fix those things for you. They fixed them for the modern fandom and market.

We oldies need to get it out of our heads that our buying power is the dominant force in the market. It isn't. They aren't making changes -- or not -- to appeal to GenX anymore. And shouldn't.

 

[Stormonu]

Getting it on DMsGuild is what makes it worth it to me.

For the record, the high-priced, unnecessary format change is the main reason I'm not buying this. If it was a book that didn't cost $20 more than it did, I'd likely consider what they are adding worth it.

I'm not fond of the three-book format, I think they got that from Beedles & Grim and don't understand why that works for softbound books in a boxed set but not hardcover in a sleeve. I pray this is the last campaign set we get in this format.

Does make it easy enough to chuck the adventure book in the trash (as per Lights of Xyrsis), or file it separately with my other adventures while I file the setting book with my other campaign/core books.

And, unless you're old PS 2E box set is crammed full, the books will probably fit in it...

 

[Stormonu]

That isn't what they did. They did not fix those things for you. They fixed them for the modern fandom and market.

We oldies need to get it out of our heads that our buying power is the dominant force in the market. It isn't. They aren't making changes -- or not -- to appeal to GenX anymore. And shouldn't.

I was referring to a more generic (spiteful) "you".

However, I'm not going to surrender what I like for a corporation's bottom line. They can still create products that respect what made them famous in the first place and yet still draw in fans old an new. Curse of Strahd did that. Van Richten's did not.

 

[JEB]

From what I've been seeing so far, Planescape is being treated fairly well and they are thankfully rolling back before the metaplot of Faction War blew things up.

At least one element of post-Faction War Planescape is being retained - the Mind's Eye. I do doubt they'll reference Faction War as backstory, though - at least not in any detailed sense.

 

[Parmandur]

That MSRP is a bit shocking, for sure. I wonder what the margin is on it. It is hard to imagine it is that much better than a single hardback volume. But if not, why use this format. It's not like anyone was asking for it.

Maybe it counts as a "box" and so opens up some outlets?

Tje price is essentially just one hardcover plus a DM screen. Margins probably about the same. Thing is...people may have been asking for it. Per Chria Perkins last year, take it for what it is worth, the point was for usability at the table.

 

[Kurotowa]

Van Richten's is probably the worst offender they've done. It was a weird mix of moving some domains forward in time and completely rewriting others in a way that came across as "You don't really like what you think you like and we're going to fix it for you."

I loved Van Richten's Guide. But I've never been super invested in adherence to a prior canon, in any medium. Everything's always getting reboots or retcons, and from the number of conflicting versions of ancients myths we have that's nothing new. The real question is, "Is it good?" And I thought most of VRG was very good.