D&D (2024) What Should A New Core Setting Look Like?

[Yaarel]

That feels like quite a stretch of the definition of both "setting" and "The Forgotten Realms."

There are cosmic settings: how planes if any or planetary systems relate to each other.

There are world settings: the assumptions of a planet or plane.

There are regional settings: the local city and its wider area of influence, or a comparable area with a specific group of cultures within the region.


For me, "Forgotten Realms" is a cosmic worldview that includes many planes of existence. Faerun is a continent on the planet of Toril, where most of the adventures take place. A regional setting like Drow Menzoberranzan is just one city with its Underdark hinterland there. The Feywild overlaps it with Crossings back and forth. The Astral dominions connect to its religious sites. And so on.

Like I said, some folks believe Radiant Citadel was one of the settings.

it is also possible that they both got cut in the end and WotC will do the safest, boringest thing and just stick with FR forever.

Heh. Sticking with FR as the default is a done deal.

I think it is almost funny to think WotC would do anything else except FR.

FR includes things that I appreciate, but it also has things that rub me the wrong way. So I have mixed feelings about FR.

Then again, maybe because FR is the default, its problematic aspects are smoothing away under scrutiny. Species and cultures are becoming more sensitive and diverse. Religious possibilities more openended and culturally diverse. Nontheism and theism are equally viable. How superheroes fit into a mundane medievalesque, more thoughtful.

 

[Umbran]

Creating a new official setting is different from creating a new default setting. I assume the default remains Forgotten Realms, albeit a 2024 version of it.

Well, the thread title and OP refer to "core setting" (emphasis mine). I don't think you taking that to mean "default setting" is much of an error on your part.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I think, respectfully, that's over-focusing on the exact meaning of "generic".

Yeah, Eberron isn't "generic". It's a cool and original setting - but it is Kitchen Sink, which is I think the key thing. Whereas Dark Sun is er... not Kitchen Sink. It's like, Carefully Packed Suitcase, where you're not intending to put just anything and everything in it.

I would personally call it a "Meatball Sandwich" setting. You can show some creativity with this kind of sandwich--e.g., I'd say a "parm hero" (chicken parmesan sandwich on a hoagie roll) is a valid variation, despite not using meatballs proper--but there are also some pretty strong limits. You'd never put sweet pickle relish on a meatball sandwich (at least, not if you expect it to sell.) Putting cucumbers on it would mostly be a waste of time, and would risk making it a watery mess. You can do variations with the cheese, but it should probably still be some kind of italian cheese, or a close facsimile. It certainly isn't going to be every diner's preference, but most folks can recognize good quality ingredients and preparation in such a thing.

If one were to continue the metaphor back to the "Kitchen Sink," I'd call those Salad Bar settings. You can do almost whatever you want at the salad bar. There will probably still be limits, like how most "Kitchen Sink" settings still limit themselves to more-or-less fantasy-only, no sci-fi supertech, but within those extremely broad limits, you can have a bazillion different ingredients. Indeed, the point of having a salad bar is to furnish the diner with a huge variety of options to mix and match.

 

[Reynard]

Well, the thread title and OP refer to "core setting" (emphasis mine). I don't think you taking that to mean "default setting" is much of an error on your part.

Yeah, I waffles between "default" and "core" and "assumed" but they all mean pretty much the same thing: the setting WotC sets its adventures and stuff in.

And for the record, I don't think they are going to move away from FR even if they should IMO. The intent is more to discuss what a modern default D&D setting should look like.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

Well, they said they are, first of all. Also, I don't see the downside. They have a whole "multiverse" to play with. Why should they continue to rehash the same 5 settings that were created no less than 20 years ago, and most of which are closer to 30 years old (and according to Ben Riggs' data, didn't generally sell especially well in the first place).

I think "Core" D&D (PHB, DMG, MM) should focus on "Core" D&D IP and lore, the core bread and butter that is D&D, and not create something new. The IP is cool and valuable, and only they can do it.

We've heard rumors of Greyhawk in the new Core books (maybe I am inferring based on context), but I don't like the goofiness of the older Greyhawk content (like the Castle Greyhawk/Greyhawk Ruins clown-dungeon-level punnery or anything Zagyg-adjacent), but I'm down for a cleaned up, curated experience that leans into something less high fantasy kitchen-sink than FR (I like FR, but I don't want an FR clone). Should Greyhawk be more Sword and Sorcery (think the old Greyhawk novels with Gord or Mika-oba) and embrace Caldwell-era art? Either way, Greyhawk culture, art, and architecture would need to be explored artistically, to give it a visible tone. The old Living Greyhawk Gazeteer book had dense paragraphs of history, but it was giant walls of text with terrible line art. It was a poor experience to read.

I am all open for new, separate campaign settings, but they should explore variant experiences in their own books.

 

[aco175]

I would develop a new kingdom in the FR like Tethyr or Cormyr. Give it some 5e updates to allows for the new core book stuff and fluff it enough to make people want to play there.

They could make a MagicTG world/setting where they can tie in cards from a new edition of Magic to be able to use with the setting.

 

[Dausuul]

This is a thread about what you think would be good for the game and popular with the player base. this is not a thread about what you, specifically, would like. I mean, answer how you want, I'm not the cops, but keep the subject in mind.

That Said: Let's assume WotC is going to create an entirely new setting for D&D with the 2024 edition. Maybe it will be the setting in the DMG, or maybe it will come out a year later. in either case, what should that setting look like in order to lift up the game and appeal to the majority of fans -- who, while certainly are going to have a lot of different tastes, we do know that fanbase is mostly GenZ and Millenial, half women, and significantly more diverse than previous cohorts.

I think they could do a lot worse than leaning into anime and JRPG aesthetics and setting tropes, giving this hypothetical new world a more Zelda feel than traditional D&D has had.

What do you think?

Forgotten Realms, zoomed in on Baldur's Gate.

Seriously -- from a business standpoint, now would be a terrible time to switch out the default setting. And I say that with some pain, because I deeply dislike FR. But there's no predicting where the market's tastes will be 5 years out; and right now, BG3 is the hot new D&D-adjacent thing, and Wizards should be leaning into it.

Five years ago, I'd have said the Critical Role setting, but CR has faded a bit.

 

[overgeeked]

I'd like to see an updated version of 4E's Points of Light only given the JRPG, anime, manga, light novel, etc treatment. Not Nentir Vale specifically, due to the constraints of the ask in the OP, rather the concept of Points of Light carried over and given a redo with a JRPG, anime, etc flavor.

 

[Yaarel]

Forgotten Realms, zoomed in on Baldur's Gate.

Seriously -- from a business standpoint, now would be a terrible time to switch out the default setting. And I say that with some pain, because I deeply dislike FR. But there's no predicting where the market's tastes will be 5 years out; and right now, BG3 is the hot new D&D-adjacent thing, and Wizards should be leaning into it.

Five years ago, I'd have said the Critical Role setting, but CR has faded a bit.

You have a point about zooming into one regional setting, in this case the city of Baldurs Gate and its region of influence.

The movie, Honor among Thieves, zoomed in on the city of Neverwinter. You might be right Baldurs Gate might have more currency at the moment.


The earlier 5e setting guide, Sword Coast Adventurers Guide, felt too sprawling and unfocused, diluting any vivid flavor. Only a closeup of a specific locale can bring a flavor to life. For example, focusing on the Drow city of Menzoberranzan is more helpful to make the Drow vivid, than mentioning each and every Drow city that exists across the Underdark.

It is enough to say. Faerun is a subcontinent on the planet Toril. Other subcontinents are Ama and Zakhara, and other continents are Ose, Kalashaka, Maztica and South. Baldurs Gate is a coastal city in Northwest Faerun. Then the rest of the book is details about Baldurs Gate and its region.

A DM then can decide to go with the default city, or make up a new city somewhere else on planet Toril.

Altho NW Faerun is heavily detailed over the editions, other continents on Toril are less explored, with less info about what is there, and the "points of light" approach can still apply.

 

[Reynard]

A setting tells you what you are supposed to do in play, and since in D&D you are supposed to do whatever you want, you need a settingbthat gives all the options. You need dungeons AND dragons, plus perilous swamps and mysterious towers and floating islands and cut throat courts and blasted wastes and magical face forests and on and on.

What I am saying is, zooming in is a terrible idea.

ETA: This, by the way, is why I still contend that Eberron is the perfect modern era WotC D&D setting, and if any legacy setting were to take center stage, it should be Eberron.