D&D General Dungeons & Dragons Sneak Peek at Gameholecon: 50th Anniversary Adventure, Rod of Seven Parts, The Endless Stair, Tsojcanth, Barrier Peaks?

I was leaving a panel at GameHoleCon when Chris Perkins walked in and then Justice and Bill and then quite a few other WotC folk! So I stayed.

I'm glad I did because what started as a very funny trivia game challenge to the WotC folk and some of the audience soon turned into a discussion about things they are working on. Cool things. Oh and some of those questions were by Jon Peterson and were hard! I pride myself in getting a couple correct! Iron Rations for the win! Chris Lindsay talked about the DMSGuild too, and strongly hinted to me about the Manual of the Planes. I just wasn't on the same plane.

Anyway they discussed things that have already been covered, but I think with a bit more detail on particular things. This was more of a conversation than a presentation after all.

• Ron Lundeen discussed the internal playtests and that he liked it when he would see similar things discussed in the same ways in both public and private testing.
• Bill Benham discussed Jaquaysing the maps and adventures and how they are taking that more to heart. I think she was on everyone's mind at the panel, see this thread if you would, she could use our help.
• Ron also dicussed how he learned that scrolls are a secret magic item table of power and rarity for magic items generally. That's a nice hint I'll have to take a closer look at.

And then Chris talked about how their adventures take this fine line of between having too much and overwhelming new people yet also having to satisfy old hats like myself.

• The new core books will have an update to format and art like the more recent books.
• Gateway to new players was a term they kept using for the new PHB and even the DMG.
• Oh and they mentioned Tasha’s Bubbling Cauldron as a new spell, which Hollie will be delighted with.
• All three books will have mostly new art from new artists too, like from two concept artists from Obi Wan and the Avatar shows.

Then they went on to the DMG and how it'll talk about what a DM does, what are the parts of the game, the books and even how to use the DM Screen in play.

• It'll have handouts and tools to help you organize and build your notes and show you a campaign setting designed to be customized as a tutorial to make it your own and eventually build one from scratch.
• There will be new magic items to fill in more rarity niches and more cool common ones too.
• And finally we'll get the 1980 cartoon series magic items, something Chris seemed almost giddy about.

The Monster Manual will have more high level creatures and they noted things they'll put in stat blocks that were missing before, like proficiency bonus.

'Romp around the multiverse', I don't think that's a new book title, but it's a new kind of anthology book that revisits all the things they've done in D&D, a '50th anniversary book'. Chris Perkins actually ran the Ravenloft adventure at the convention, I wish I'd captured the events he ran because I'm guessing the title and a few details are in that entry. Anyone here play in his games? Care to share?

And then Chris started to display cool secrets. I'm not sure if any of these are separate books or part of the above mentioned book, but I think they are separate books the way Chris was hinting. I must also offer an apology. There was no way I could get all of these images. I was caught off guard and in a bit of awe. The last one especially is just killing me, it was wonderful and Chris refused to show me after the panel with that wry smile of his.

So here is the only clear image I got. What do you see? Give me your guesses and I'll later give you what the jokes were they made. I even got a laugh out of the crew with one!

However the missing last image was my biggest regret. It was a cute fluffy bunny on a stump...... Oh the agony! I got a selfie with Chris as a consolation prize!

OK I’ll spill more. I’m not sure but they indeed seemed to be talking about multiple books and this new book for the 50th. I think they intentionally obfuscated things.

• The key to me is that the 50th book is a visit to all the 5e adventures and the stuff that isn’t from those are either for the story to tie them together or are from other books
• The bunny was undead, a Sheep in Wolfs clothing. It was a brand new painting and I didn’t recognize the artist.
• My joke was that the Rod would fall apart way to easily, as they tried to hint what it was.

So from what they were taking about I think.

• A D&D 50th Anniversary book
• An Endless Stair book
• A Rod of Seven parts book
• And Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
• Oh and Tsojcanth

Please note those are all guesses by me. Oh and Tsojcanth.

Chris did say that the D&D 50th book had been announced but I can’t find anything on it.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I think it is pretty unlikely, too, and wouldn't have even suggested it this morning (unlike the DMG chapter having a high likelihood of being Greyhawk, that is my pretty sober speculation). But it is doable, and would be a heck of a gonzo 50th anniversary celebration of Gygax's contributions to the hobby.

For anyone at WotC reading this: You know what would also be a great 50th anniversary celebration? Gold foil lettering on the covers during the 2024 print run (and during that print run only). Spike those sales through extra collectability.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I was leaving a panel when Chris Perkins walked in and then Justice and Bill and then quite a few other WotC folk! So I stayed.

View attachment 315746

I'm glad I did because what started as a very funny trivial game challenge to the WotC folk and some of the audience soon turned into a discussion about things they are working on. Cool things. Oh and some of those questions were by Jon Peterson and were hard! I pride myself in getting a couple correct! Iron Rations for the win! Chris Lindsay talked about the DMSGuild too, and strongly hinted to me about the Manual of the Planes. I just wasn't on the same plane.

Anyway they discussed things that have already been covered, but I think with a bit more detail on particular things. This was more of a conversation than a presentation after all.

View attachment 315735View attachment 315733
​

Ron Lundeen discussed the internal playtests and that he liked it when he would see similar things discussed in the same ways in both public and private testing.
Bill Benham discussed Jaquaysing the maps and adventures and how they are taking that more to heart. I think she was on everyone's mind at the panel, see this thread if you would, she could use our help.

Ron also dicussed how he learned that scrolls are a secret magic item table of power and rarity for magic items generally. That's a nice hint I'll have to take a closer look at.

And then Chris talked about how their adventures take this fine line of between having too much and overwhelming new people yet also having to satisfy old hats like myself.

The new core books will have an update to format and art like the more recent booksbooks.
Gateway to new players was a term they kept using for the new PHB and even the DMG.

Oh and they mentioned Tasha’s Bubbling Cauldron as a new spell, which Hollie will be delighted with.

All three books will have mostly knew art from new artists too, like from two concept artists from Obi Wan and the Avatar shows.

Then they went on to the DMG and how it'll talk about what a DM does, what' are the parts of the game, the books and even how to use the DM Screen in play. It'll have handouts and tools to help you organize and build your notes and show you a campaign setting designed to be customized as a tutorial to make it your own and eventually build one from scratch.

There will be new magic items to fill in more rarity niches and more cool common ones too. And finally we'll get the 1980 cartoon series magic items, something Chris seemed almost giddy about.

The Monster Manual will have more high level creatures and they noted things they'll put in stat blocks that were missing before, like proficiency bonus.

Romp around the multiverse, I don't think that's a new book title, but it's a new kind of anthology book that revisits all the things they've done in D&D, a 50th anniversary book. Chris Perkins actually ran the Ravenloft adventure at the convention, I wish I'd captured the events he ran because I'm guessing the title and a few details are in that entry. Anyone here play in his games? Care to share?

And then Chris started to display cool secrets. I'm not sure if any of these are separate books or part of the above mentioned book, but I think they are separate books the way Chris was hinting. I must also proffer an apology. There was no way I could get all of these images. I was caught off guard and in a bit of awe. The last one especially is just killing me, it was wonderful and Chris refused to show me after the panel with that wry smile of his.

So here is the only clear image I got. What do you see? Give me your guesses and I'll later give you what the jokes were they made. I even got a laugh out of the crew with one!

View attachment 315736​

However the missing last image was my biggest regret. It was a cute fluffy bunny on a stump......

Oh the agony!

I got a selfie with Chris as a consolation prize!
View attachment 315737


Update:
OK I’ll spill more. I’m not sure but they indeed seemed to be talking about multiple books and this new book for the 50th. I think they intentionally obfuscated things.

The key to me is that the 50th book is a visit to all the 5e adventures and the stuff that isn’t from those are either for the story to tie them together or are from other books

The bunny was undead a Sheep in Wolfs clothing. It was a brand new painting and I didn’t recognize the artist.

My joke was that the Rod would fall apart way to easily, as they tried to hint what it was.

So from what they were taking about I think.

A D&D 50th Anniversary book, an Endless Stair book, a Rod of Seven parts book, and Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. Please note those are all guesses by me. Oh and Tsojcanth.

Chris did say that the D&D 50th book had been announced but I can’t find anything on it.

If you polled the 12 to 25 year olds that make up the majority of D&D customers, how many would even know what Greyhawk is, let alone would be clamoring for its return?

Why in the world would WotC use Greyhawk as the 2024 DMG setting when they could do something new that actually resonates with their core customer demographic?

Because the Devs are fans of the setting, but its not different enough from FR, so sticking it in the DMG as a example is possibly the only way they can do it.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I think that's Zoomers? Get off my lawn?

You have a lawn? You're no Millennial!

throws avocado toast at him

 

[mamba]

But they sort of works for me, particularly since it situates them all in a sandbox

agreed, it sort of works, esp. when you run a sandbox anyway

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Because the Devs are fans of the setting, but its not different enough from FR, so sticking it in the DMG as a example is possibly the only way they can do it.

Yeah, for all the contortions people try to do to differentiate Greyhawk from the Forgotten Realms, from the standpoint of the larger audience, it's basically vanilla vs. French vanilla. You're not going to get a lot of people new with 5E (i.e. nearly all of the players today) super excited about that.

 

[Mercurius]

I wouldn't be surprised if Greyhawk is the setting in the DMG. For one, it is a perfect fit for the 50th anniversary DMG without committing full resources to a setting book. Secondly, don't underestimate the fact that Kidz These Dayz are into "retro" (which I'd differentiate from nostalgia: the latter is a feeling evoked by someone who was there, while retro is an interest in a past that was never experienced and thus more "in the style of" than a "rosy remembrance"; e.g. Stranger Things is retro). Add to that, the bonafide nostalgia of the designers and you've got a lot going for Greyhawk as being the DMG setting.

In summary, we have:

• "The" iconic D&D setting
• 50th anniversary commemoration
• DMG setting won't be a fully treatment, probably in the range of 60-120 pages
• Gen X/Millenial designer nostalgia
• Younger Millenial/Zennial retro interest

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Yeah, for all the contortions people try to do to differentiate Greyhawk from the Forgotten Realms, from the standpoint of the larger audience, it's basically vanilla vs. French vanilla. You're not going to get a lot of people new with 5E (i.e. nearly all of the players today) super excited about that.

I would go that far, but fair amount would. More like Vanilla VS Tim Hortons Candy Cane White Hot Chocolate with a shot of Caramel.

 

[Parmandur]

You have a lawn? You're no Millennial!

throws avocado toast at him

I mean, it's my landlord's, but he ain't here.

eats toast off the floor, waste not want not

 

[Mercurius]

It also sounds like the core three are going to be huge, if all are "expanded." So I'm guessing we'll see another price hike...maybe $69.95 a piece? Ouch. Or maybe due to mass printing, they'll keep it at $59.95. I still remember the 3E books starting at $20 a piece...that's about $36 today.

 

[Parmandur]

Yeah, for all the contortions people try to do to differentiate Greyhawk from the Forgotten Realms, from the standpoint of the larger audience, it's basically vanilla vs. French vanilla. You're not going to get a lot of people new with 5E (i.e. nearly all of the players today) super excited about that.

But, you can stick it in a single chapter pretty effectively.