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.

 

[Aldarc]

The three in question we're specified to be classic D&D Settings being worked on for 5E.

Given that tin the past, WotC has started that their top Settings are the Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Ravenloft, Planescape, and Dark Sun, I would suppose that Dark Sun and Planescape are likely next. They make good genre boosters, which they are looking for in these books, and are ripe for reimagining along similar lines to what they are doing with Ravenloft.

Birthright would be cool, as doing a Game of Thrones or Fire Emblem inspired genre booster could really expand the game in fun directions.

It becomes fairly obvious with Van Richten's Guide that the setting needs to offer resources that expands the game in non-setting ways: e.g., how to run horror, factions and patrons, etc.

I doubt that Greyhawk would receive a setting/resource book (though Ghosts of Saltmarsh comes close), but I could see a Greyhawk book expanding resources and options on an oft-criticized point about 5e: What do you spend your gold on? A Greyhawk book could thusly be about claiming land, building castles, hiring followers, becoming a lord, and possibly advanced miniatures rules, etc. It definitely would overstep on Matt Colville's Strongholds & Followers, but I'm not sure if that would stop WotC.

 

[Parmandur]

It becomes fairly obvious with Van Richten's Guide that the setting needs to offer resources that expands the game in non-setting ways: e.g., how to run horror, factions and patrons, etc.

I doubt that Greyhawk would receive a setting/resource book (though Ghosts of Saltmarsh comes close), but I could see a Greyhawk book expanding resources and options on an oft-criticized point about 5e: What do you spend your gold on? A Greyhawk book could thusly be about claiming land, building castles, hiring followers, becoming a lord, and possibly advanced miniatures rules, etc. It definitely would overstep on Matt Colville's Strongholds & Followers, but I'm not sure if that would stop WotC.

I think Greyhawk would be hard to justify strictly speaking along those lines, other than as a double-down on old school Sword & Sorcery. I'd love to see that attempted, though.

 

[Aldarc]

I think Greyhawk would be hard to justify strictly speaking along those lines, other than as a double-down on old school Sword & Sorcery. I'd love to see that attempted, though.

As controversial as it may be to say, I don't really think that Greyhawk is all that Sword & Sorcery. There is a certain Fritz Lieber vibe to Greyhawk City and elements scattered throughout, but a lot of the setting on a whole (to me at least) feels like a Medieval miniatures skirmish game. IMHO, the most thematically S&S-like setting D&D has is probably Dark Sun.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Where do you get Mystara being pulp fantasy?

That's how Mike Mearls defined it, and I think he definitely wasn't talking about Conan. I think he was going thinking of a more zany pulp. It's the D&D setting where "lost worlds", robots, and animal people fit best.

 

[Zardnaar]

Which I would love.

I mean, the sad truth is that you can't really do DS nowadays. For starters, there's the issue of slavery. Plus, 5e PCs tend to be unkillable whereas DS tends towards the disposable. Plus, the other mechanics like weapon breakage would have to be build out too. And that's a level of crunch that doesn't really jibe with DS.

Slavery is fine just make it clear it's wrong. The Sorcerer Kings are villain etc. It was like that in the original but make it clear.

But yeah 5E Darksun probably be more fun sum with magic psionics and meh/watered down.

 

[pming]

Hiya!

Wow I was thinking Mystara would be great. Greyhawk if just a reskinned reprint would not.

My reasoning for not wanting Mystar is simple...they just would NOT do it justice.

For them to do Mystara to my satisfaction, they'd have to not produce a "Mystar Campaign Setting Book"; they'd have to produce at least 14 books (one for each Gazetteer). Then there is all of Thyatis/Alphatia ...another book or two. Then they'd likely have to tackle Hollow World stuff. It's all Mystara. Mystara is a HUGE a vastly diverse world...in fact, the core 'Known World' part is only a tiny fraction of the world itself (but that could be glossed over, much like Greyhawk is only part of the world of Oerth).

COULD they do it? Sure, but what they would have to cut out in order to fit Mystara even into a 'huge' 256 page hardback (or "2-128 page hardbacks in a slipcase"... like what Goodman Games has to do with their T1-4 'Original Adventures Reincarnated' line). Even then, it would loose soooo much info!

So, that's my reasoning for no Mystara. Greyhawk they could probably do in large hardback, but not Mystara. Not by a long shot.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[humble minion]

Given that tin the past, WotC has started that their top Settings are the Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Ravenloft, Planescape, and Dark Sun, I would suppose that Dark Sun and Planescape are likely next. They make good genre boosters, which they are looking for in these books, and are ripe for reimagining along similar lines to what they are doing with Ravenloft.

I expect the same.

Probably Planescape next - Ravenloft is being marketed as a setting in itself plus a guide to horror games in general. Planescape fits that mould nicely as a setting combined with being a guide to interplanar travel in general.

I believe (and want to believe) that Dark Sun will be the 3rd setting, though I'm not sure what trope or game style they can use it as an exemplar of.

 

[embee]

dark and gritty can be sold if you got a substance to back it up plus it really depends on how they do it.

How do you deal with the slavery? If there are slaves, then

Slavery is fine just make it clear it's wrong. The Sorcerer Kings are villain etc. It was like that in the original but make it clear.

But yeah 5E Darksun probably be more fun sum with magic psionics and meh/watered down.

At some point, someone will try to work out prices for slaves, probably in the name of immersion.

And then, holy hell will break loose on the internet.

The smartest choice may be to just let DS go. There's an unofficial 5e conversion of it and there's a decent size community on Athas.org.

 

[Zardnaar]

How do you deal with the slavery? If there are slaves, then

At some point, someone will try to work out prices for slaves, probably in the name of immersion.

And then, holy hell will break loose on the internet.

The smartest choice may be to just let DS go. There's an unofficial 5e conversion of it and there's a decent size community on Athas.org.

That's been done before 3.0 frcs iirc.

 

[embee]

That's been done before 3.0 frcs iirc.

Imagine that you are WOTC.

You're the biggest fish in a small pond. You have a tremendously loyal fan base. Your main product has, through sheer luck, had a bit of a moment for several years and that is continuing.

You've had a couple of PR blunders in the past year but have managed to put that behind you for a relatively low price.

Do you walk into a PR minefield?