Planescape Planescape IS D&D Says Jeremy Crawford

Planescape is Jeremy Crawford's favourite D&D setting. "It is D&D", he says, as he talks about how in the 2024 core rulebook updates Planescape will be more up front and center as "the setting of settings".

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[overgeeked]

Those are really fair critiques. And your opinion is always valid - that's 90% of what we discuss is opinions and understanding each others' points of view. IIRC, the cant was a medley of Cockney Rhyming Slang and terms used by historical thieves (maybe Victorian era? can't remember).

It's fun reading David Zeb Cook's interview (he was the principal designer behind Planescape) that I shared just a few posts up because he calls out the goth-punk stuff specifically when asked about Planescape material that came out after the box set: "Most of it I liked, although I sometimes think things went too much the goth-gloom route for my taste. Of course I really liked the unplayable surreal ideas, which is maybe not so good for a game."

If the writers manage to capture that philosophical surreal weirdness in the adventure/locations in a way that's more game-able than a lot of the original PS material, that will be a huge accomplishment. It's hard to do, IME, but has big payoff at the table when it clicks.

Weirdly, it’s stuff like that that shows D&D is not a great system for Planescape. To play the setting to the fullest you should be able to incorporate the philosophical surreal weirdness and the players should be able to run any kind of character. Modron, beholder, ancient dragon, medusa, human, elf, etc.

 

[Quickleaf]

Weirdly, it’s stuff like that that shows D&D is not a great system for Planescape. To play the setting to the fullest you should be able to incorporate the philosophical surreal weirdness and the players should be abke to run any kind of character. Modron, beholder, ancient dragon, medusa, human, elf, etc.

Yeah, I'm a total outlier, but in my old AD&D Planescape campaign we had a guest player run the Shadow of the Aasimar Fighter that she'd lost through an infernal bargain, using my very rough/teenage understanding of Carl Jung's Shadow. If I run Planescape again, I'd encourage players to embrace the weird stuff and break out of the usual "race/lineage" mindset.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I still say the Planar Cant just needs to be used as the Common Tongue of the outer planes. That way, all of that slang has a place for groups that want it, but it can just be ignored by those who don't.

And I still think it makes little sense for the residents of, say, Mechanus, to speak in either Infernal or Celestial, to say nothing of Abyssal. There need to be a lot more planar languages, IMO, with a planar "Common" that travelers all speak and which is the unofficial official language of Sigil.

 

[Zaukrie]

I still say the Planar Cant just needs to be used as the Common Tongue of the outer planes. That way, all of that slang has a place for groups that want it, but it can just be ignored by those who don't.

I still think it makes little sense for the residents of, say, Mechanus, to speak in either Infernal or Celestial, to say nothing of Abyssal. There need to be a lot more planar languages, IMO, with a planar "Common" that travelers all speak and which is the unofficial official language of Sigil.

For fiction I agree. For playing? I'm not sure it matters to more than a tiny percent of tables.

 

[Hussar]

I guess it's fair to say that I conflate the Great Wheel with Planescape. I really don't see how they are separate from each other. Planescape subsumed the Great Wheel in pretty much every published product.

Let's see if a pizza analogy can explain my issues.

In my town, I have all sorts of pizza places from cheap, mass produced all the way up to masterpieces of the pizza form. And everything in between. In your town, you have the same thing. And in Bob's town, he also has all these choices. But, if you, me and Bob leave our town and meet for pizza outside of our town, we must go to Dominos Pizza. Only Dominoes exists outside of any town. No matter what, you must eat at Dominoes if you want to eat pizza between towns.

Additionally, if anyone tries to open a pizza place between towns that isn't Domninoes, they get burned to the ground by a mob of Dominoes lovers who insist that every must ONLY EVER eat at Dominoes between towns. You must not ever have any other choices.

So, yeah, that's why I dislike Planescape. It's like those people that complain about how in 5e, most of the adventures and books are set in the Sword Coast. The Sword Coast is pretty much the only game in town for 5e. ((Yes, yes, I KNOW there are other books out there, work with me here. Your pedantry is acknowledged)) And if you don't really like the Sword Coast, it makes a lot of those books not really appealing.

Now, imagine that for me, Planescape has been like that in D&D for about thirty years. Everything planar is the Sword Coast. One setting. Only one setting. No deviation. I haven't actually been interested in a planar adventure from TSR or WotC until Radiant Citadel and that's specifically because it wasn't part of Planescape. So, there is a glimmer of hope. WOtC is willing to do planar stuff that isn't ramming Planescape down everyone's throats. But, I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Scribe]

Path of the Planebreaker for 5e - Monte Cook Games

Unlock the mysteries of the planes! A cursed moon hurtles through the multiverse, crashing from one plane to the next, […]

www.montecookgames.com

Otherwise, yeah I doubt Wizards is going to be back in 'Planar Adventure' mode for a long long time after Radiant and now the real Planescape.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

For fiction I agree. For playing? I'm not sure it matters to more than a tiny percent of tables.

It's probably a change that should have been done in 2014. Shoehorning it in now would have been weird.

 

[Zaukrie]

Path of the Planebreaker for 5e - Monte Cook Games

Unlock the mysteries of the planes! A cursed moon hurtles through the multiverse, crashing from one plane to the next, […]

www.montecookgames.com

Otherwise, yeah I doubt Wizards is going to be back in 'Planar Adventure' mode for a long long time after Radiant and now the real Planescape.

I'm assuming hte Vecna one spans the multiverse....

 

[ersatzphil]

Now, imagine that for me, Planescape has been like that in D&D for about thirty years. Everything planar is the Sword Coast. One setting. Only one setting. No deviation. I haven't actually been interested in a planar adventure from TSR or WotC until Radiant Citadel and that's specifically because it wasn't part of Planescape. So, there is a glimmer of hope. WOtC is willing to do planar stuff that isn't ramming Planescape down everyone's throats. But, I'm not holding my breath.

I think I largely agree with you, even speaking as someone who adored the 2e Planescape line. Planescape works better - at least for me - when I think of it as it’s own setting, rather than a mandatory meta-setting. Zeb Cook even said as much in the interview linked up thread.

 

[Scribe]

I'm assuming hte Vecna one spans the multiverse....

Right, and so Wizards needs a mechanism for their implementation of a Planar Adventure that is all encompassing for their IP of D&D.

Planescape.