Dungeons & Dragons Announces Arcana Unleashed, New Magic-Themed Sourcebook at $49.99 Price Point

[Remathilis]

Sure, but why is the adventure separate? The cost suggests they could easily be combined into one book - and that would actually be more profitable since fewer covers equals cheaper printing costs. I would suggest it was done to make the book setting agnostic.

I wager that a lot more people will be interested in the player options than the module. The biggest problem with the Slipcase sets was players wanted the PC info but couldn't get it without buying the module and bestiary.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I wager that a lot more people will be interested in the player options than the module. The biggest problem with the Slipcase sets was players wanted the PC info but couldn't get it without buying the module and bestiary.

Adventures are specifically DM targeted, so yes, the split is Player Book/DM book. With the player book expected to sell more copies. No reason to put any setting specific stuff in the player book though, setting books are for DMs, and splat books historically sell better than setting books.

 

[Parmandur]

Adventures are specifically DM targeted, so yes, the split is Player Book/DM book. With the player book expected to sell more copies. No reason to put any setting specific stuff in the player book though, setting books are for DMs, and splat books historically sell better than setting books.

Since it is a tie-in to the Adventure, player focused setting info seems likely, particularly given the page count.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Since it is a tie-in to the Adventure, player focused setting info seems likely, particularly given the page count.

Have you looked at the art? Seen anything that looks like Thay or any other Forgotten realms location? We have Alustriel in Sigil, and a Hogwarts style wizard school with students happy, excited and engaged. I’m pretty sure Thayan wizard school is more like Dotheboys Hall. Lots of other pictures of people not wearing red robes not on barren plateaus.

 

[Parmandur]

Have you looked at the art? Seen anything that looks like Thay or any other Forgotten realms location? We have Alustriel in Sigil, and a Hogwarts style wizard school with students happy, excited and engaged. I’m pretty sure Thayan wizard school is more like Dotheboys Hall. Lots of other pictures of people not wearing red robes not on barren plateaus.

Yeah, who is fighting the Red Wizards in a wizard war...? The happy wizard school stuff looks like a good fit for Aglarond as described in the Arcane Empires section of the new FR book, and both Aglarond and Rashemen would work great as places of origin and home bases for PCs dealing with the Red Wizards, and the location of weird secret Wizard sects as described in the Background text. This is being marketed as a player book for an Adventure Campaign, on the very cover. They are doing something with the page count.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Rashemen

None of the art remotely resembles a land of mask-wearing witches and rustic berserker lodges either.

It looks like Sigil, Stryxhaven, Eberron, Ravnica or some other high magitech location.

 

[mamba]

Have you looked at the art? Seen anything that looks like Thay or any other Forgotten realms location?

that is how many pieces compared to the overall book? 3%? 5% max? I would not jump to any conclusions based on that

 

[Paul Farquhar]

that is how many pieces compared to the overall book? 3%? 5% max? I would not jump to any conclusions based on that

Can you think of any setting books that had pre-release art that did not feature any recognisable setting locations, setting characters or setting organisations?

Compare it to the art released for Deadfall or Ravenloft. The setting for both is easily identifiable from any of the art.

 

[mamba]

Can you think of any setting books that had pre-release art that did not feature any recognisable setting locations, setting characters or setting organisations?

no, but there is a difference between this being a Thay Gazetteer and this being a book similar to the FR players book with a Thay section.

I am not saying it contains nothing but Thay, only that I expect it to also contain some Thay while you rule that out

 

[Paul Farquhar]

no, but there is a difference between this being a Thay Gazetteer and this being a book similar to the FR players book with a Thay section.

It's a relatively short book, judged by the price point. I doubt it will have space for a Magocracies of the Multiverse gazetteer in amongst the subclasses, spell lists, magic items, monsters and eight completely new unconnected-to-any-known-existing-factions factions.

That's what Deadfall is for.


Note that its also possible to buy Deadfall without buying Arcana Unleashed. Ergo it must include all setting information required to run the adventure.