D&D 5E 3 Classic Settings Coming To 5E?

On the D&D Celebration – Sunday, Inside the D&D Studio with Liz Schuh and Ray Winninger, Winninger said that WotC will be shifting to a greater emphasis on settings in the coming years.

This includes three classic settings getting active attention, including some that fans have been actively asking for. He was cagey about which ones, though.

The video below is an 11-hour video, but the information comes in the last hour for those who want to scrub through.



Additionally, Liz Schuh said there would be more anthologies, as well as more products to enhance game play that are not books.

Winninger mentioned more products aimed at the mainstream player who can't spend immense amount of time absorbing 3 tomes.

Ray and Liz confirmed there will be more Magic: The Gathering collaborations.

 

[EscherEnigma]

Depends on if Reynard meant "with no non human races [for players]" or "with no non human races [in the setting]", I suppose.

 

[Reynard]

Depends on if Reynard meant "with no non human races [for players]" or "with no non human races [in the setting]", I suppose.

Either but I'm okay with terrifying fair folk elves and inscrutable deep dwelling creatures that could be called dwarves. I don't mind chaos men or demonic orcs as enemies. But in all those cases they should be rare and a setting doesn't need them all. If i want a game in which the players run their characters as actual people, i much prefer a setting that is much more mundane except where it isn't. But then D&D, 5e especially, isn't really the game for that.

 

[Reynard]

D20 Modern?

I mean other than the fact that's not D&D, and the fact that there are lots of non-humans in d20 Modern, sure.

 

[Nymrod]

I mean other than the fact that's not D&D, and the fact that there are lots of non-humans in d20 Modern, sure.

Oh maybe Gothic Earth (Masque of the Red Death) then? Not sure I even own that one but I assume you'd have to be a human there.

 

[teitan]

I am thinking definitely Greyhawk with a major anniversary coming up. Spelljammer and Dark Sun. I think Planescape will be the spoiler. If anything it will be a Manual of the Planes product than a distinct setting. Spelljammer seems to actually finally work while in 2e it was kind of, well, nostalgia colored glasses make it seem much cooler than it actually was while the idea was crazy cool, the execution sucked the life out of it. Of the three I think this is the one that will get spoiled by a Planescape book if we get Planescape.

 

[Stefano Rinaldelli]

Either but I'm okay with terrifying fair folk elves and inscrutable deep dwelling creatures that could be called dwarves. I don't mind chaos men or demonic orcs as enemies. But in all those cases they should be rare and a setting doesn't need them all. If i want a game in which the players run their characters as actual people, i much prefer a setting that is much more mundane except where it isn't. But then D&D, 5e especially, isn't really the game for that.

Sometimes I feel the need of a different setting, something less turbo-weird as D&D present incarnations. It is because of it that I dream to move to Adventures in Middle Earth, but as Dragonlance, that setting suffer the intimate connection with an iper famous and bulky saga written upon it.
In my campaign I try to avoid dragonborn and tiefling races, warlock class, heavy deity based feature. Definitely feel the need of something more mature than weird stuff to fill the eyes. In the long run a mundane set wins the battle, for me.

 

[Older Beholder]

One thing to remember when it comes to classic settings - they've been mentioned in the core books and beyond, and to some extent I think this can give us an idea of where they plan to go and where they don't.

For this reason, I can tell you one thing I know for certain: Birthright isn't on the list. It's not mentioned in the PHB or DMG, nor am I aware of any other published 5E books that make mention of it. Also, WotC largely decided two decades ago that they weren't really interested in supporting domain-level play, and I've seen nothing to indicate that has changed. I like Birthright; I like domain-level play; but there's not going to be official support for these any time soon.

This is also why I doubt it will be Spelljammer - I can't recall that setting being mentioned either.

Whilst Spelljammer isn't mentioned the way other settings have been. They're usually talking about how you'd adapt an adventure to various other D&D worlds. Which usually wouldn't make a lot of sense in regards to Spelljammer.

BUT, there have been actual spelljammer ships in a couple of the adventure books, Dungeon of the Mad mage and I think there is another in Icewind Dale.
So, you never know.

Just out of interest, was there any mention of when these new settings might be announced?

 

[Nymrod]

I am thinking definitely Greyhawk with a major anniversary coming up. Spelljammer and Dark Sun. I think Planescape will be the spoiler. If anything it will be a Manual of the Planes product than a distinct setting. Spelljammer seems to actually finally work while in 2e it was kind of, well, nostalgia colored glasses make it seem much cooler than it actually was while the idea was crazy cool, the execution sucked the life out of it. Of the three I think this is the one that will get spoiled by a Planescape book if we get Planescape.

Not trying to offend any of those writers (because they might be around here) but in general the Spelljammer books were not up to par. The research for the Realmspace/Krynnspace/Greyspace ones was just not adequate (failing to tie them well with the settings in numerous cases), the editing was just bad and the idea of entire planets occupied by 2-3 civilizations was just STUPID. Better to just detail a couple of settlements of interest than to say that the entire planet has two-three biomes which was often the case. The Polyhedron version in 3E was much better than the AD&D material but it still suffered from that issue.

 

[Remathilis]

The Polyhedron version in 3E was much better than the AD&D material but it still suffered from that issue.

I have no problem with Star Wars/Trek style one biome planets (desert planet, forest planet, ice planet) so that is a non-issue. I'm just glad someone referenced Shadows of the Spider Moon, the best Spelljammer version and a critically underated gem. If Spelljammer has to come back, let it be that version rather than the miniature giant space hamster version.

 

[Reynard]

It just occurred to me: what about Dragonfist? As mini-settings go, I recall that one being pretty cool.