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?
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?
