2010 D&D release schedule (speculation, not spoilers)

Mercurius

Legend
Looking over the release schedule for 4E hardcover books it is easy to see a pattern and possible to at least speculate on what might be coming to a FLGS near you in 2010. If this has already been discussed--or more so, there have been official "spoilers"--I was not aware so I apologize. But let's have some fun and speculate a bit.

Below is a list of the 2008-09 hardcover release schedule; notice I say schedule...Martial Power and Dungeon Delve were both at least a couple weeks late, but Wizards of the Coast's intention was (and is, seemingly) to release one hardcover book per month, occasionally two:

2008
JUNE
Player's Handbook
Dungeon Master's Guide
Monster Manual

JULY
None

AUGUST
Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide

SEPTEMBER
Forgotten Realms Player's Guide
Adventurer's Vault

OCTOBER
Martial Power (November release)

NOVEMBER
Draconomicon 1: The Chromatic Dragons

DECEMBER
Manual of the Planes

2009
JANUARY
Open Grave

FEBRUARY
Dungeon Delve (March release)

MARCH
Player's Handbook 2

APRIL
Arcane Power

MAY
Monster Manual 2

JUNE
Eberron Campaign Guide

JULY
Eberron Player's Guide
Divine Power

AUGUST
Adventurer's Vault 2

SEPTEMBER
Dungeon Master's Guide 2

OCTOBER
Primal Power

NOVEMBER
Draconomicon 2: The Metallics

DECEMBER
The Plane Below

------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMMENTS:
Again, I placed Martial Power and Dungeon Delve where they were originally planned to be released--the month before their actual release--so that we could see the pattern of WotC's intention: After 7/08, one book per month or, in the case of the campaign setting player's guides, two books (I assume they feel that not enough folks will be appeased by just the player's guide, which seems like sound reasoning to me).

You could also categorize the different books thusly:

Core Rulebooks - PHB, MM, DMG
Campaign Setting Books - Campaign Guides, Player's Guides
Class Power Books - Martial, Arcane, Divine, and Primal Power
Monster/Encounter Books - Draconomicon, Open Grave, Dungeon Delve
Planar Books - Manual of the Planes, The Plane Below

I'm not sure how you'd classify Adventurer's Vault except to say that it is an accessory to the Player's Handbook. You could also say that some books are for DMs (DMG, MM, campaign guides, monster themes, planar) and some for players (class power, player's guides), and some for both (Adventurer's Vault).

So here goes my speculated 2010 Schedule:

JANUARY
Monster/Encounter Book (Demons?...would go with the prior month's The Plane Below, if it is actually about the Abyss. Including Devils?)

FEBRUARY
Monster/Encounter book (Devils? Fey?)

MARCH
Player's Handbook 3 (Shadow and Psionic Characters?)

APRIL
Class Power Book (Shadow? Psionic? Mystic?)

MAY
Monster Manual 3

JUNE
New Campaign Guide (Dark Sun? New world?)

JULY
New Campaign Player's Guide
Class Power Book (Shadow? Mystic? Psionic?...Psionic would go with Dark Sun)

AUGUST
Adventurer's Vault 3

SEPTEMBER
Dungeon Master's Guide 3

OCTOBER
Class Power Book (That is, they are going with Power Sources beyond the known four and the possible Shadow and Psionic...and then my speculated "Mystic", something for Monks and the like...or what about something akin to Eberron's technology? Elemental?)

NOVEMBER
Monster Theme Book (Draconomicon 3?)

DECEMBER
Planar Book (The Astral Sea?)

What do you think?
 

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After E3 and Revenge of the Giants come out, I'm wondering if we'll see any other adventures.

I can speculate about one. The new setting released in 2010 will spawn an adventure sometime in the months following.

I'm hoping for another super-adventure sometime in 2010.
 

Here's another haphazard attempt at guessing the next schedule:

2010
JANUARY
Book about Demons

Actual:
Underdark
Player's Handbook Races: Dragonborn


FEBRUARY
Martial Power II

Actual:
Martial Power 2


MARCH
Player's Handbook 3 (Focus on Chi & Psionics)
Dungeon Delve II

Actual
None


APRIL
Arcane Power II

Actual
Player's Handbook 3 (Focus on Psionic, Divine, and Primal)
The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea
Hammerfast: A Dwarven Outpost Adventure Site


MAY
Monster Manual 3 (perhaps with a focus on extraplanar creatures)

Actual
Dungeon Magazine Annual, Vol. 1
D&D Player's Strategy Guide
HS1 The Slaying Stone

JUNE
Dragonlance Campaign Guide

Actual
Player's Handbook Races: Tiefling
Monster Manual 3

JULY
Dragonlance Player's Guide
Divine Power II

Actual
Vor Rukoth: An Ancient Ruins Adventure Site
Tomb of Horrors
HS2 Orcs of Stonefang Pass
Demonomicon

AUGUST
Adventurer's Vault 3

Dark Sun Campaign Setting
Dark Sun Creature Catalog
Marauders of the Dune Sea

SEPTEMBER
Dungeon Master's Guide 3 (focus on epic tier play)

OCTOBER
Psionic Power

NOVEMBER
Draconomicon 3: Catastrophic Dragons

DECEMBER
Book about the Shadowfell
Chi Power

As far as adventures - I think future adventures will borrow from popular classics in one way or another. These may be updates with similar titles (such as Temple of Elemental Evil: Revisited). Or, they may just build adventures that have elements of an old classic, but are completely original and have unique titles (such as The Dungeon of Primordial Terror).

It will be interesting to come back here in a year or less and see how much any of us were correct.
 
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