Planescape 5 New D&D Books Coming in 2023 -- Including Planescape!

At today's Wizards Presents event, hosts Jimmy Wong, Ginny Di, and Sydnee Goodman announced the 2023 line-up of D&D books, which featured something old, something new, and an expansion of a fan favorite.

The first of the five books, Keys from the Golden Vault, will arrive in winter 2023. At Tuesday's press preview, Chris Perkins, Game Design Architect for D&D, described it as “Ocean’s Eleven meets D&D” and an anthology of short adventures revolving around heists, which can be dropped into existing campaigns.

In Spring 2023, giants get a sourcebook just like their traditional rivals, the dragons, did in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants will be a deep dive into hill, frost, fire, cloud, and storm giants, plus much more.

Summer 2023 will have two releases. The Book of Many Things is a collection of creatures, locations, and other player-facing goodies related to that most famous D&D magic item, the Deck of Many Things. Then “Phandelver Campaign” will expand the popular Lost Mine of Phandelver from the D&D Starter Set into a full campaign tinged with cosmic horror.

And then last, but certainly not least, in Fall 2023, WotC revives another classic D&D setting – Planescape. Just like Spelljammer: Adventures in Space, Planescape will be presented as a three-book set containing a setting guide, bestiary, and adventure campaign in a slipcase. Despite the Spelljammer comparison they did not confirm whether it would also contain a DM screen.

More information on these five titles will be released when we get closer to them in date.

 

[Demetrios1453]

I remember all kinds of complaining about the slipcase even before we knew the contents.

Ok, but it wasn't terribly widespread (most people were tentatively approving or at least curious), and definitely very minor compared to the complaints with the page count.

 

[humble minion]

Ok, but it wasn't terribly widespread (most people were tentatively approving or at least curious), and definitely very minor compared to the complaints with the page count.

There were some complaints about the packaging (I know, I made some of them), but the majority of the were along the lines of wondering why all the extraneous stuff was included at the same time that the page count was cut. It was seen as a badly prioritised use of resources. So much elaborate effort spent on covers and screen and slipcases etc, so little on content. If the packaging had been the same and there was more content, i don't think it would have been a problem for most people. If the same content had been included in a single book without all the additional bits, for a lower price, I think people would have still found the content inadequate, but the complaints would have been less. It was the combination of scant content, high price, and unnecessary cardboard all at once that really got people cranky. Two of those factors and they might have gotten away with it with only a bit of grumbling in the community. Three - no chance.

(And there's people like me who are utterly sick of getting DM screens we'll never use and can't opt out of as part of package deals, but I don't think that was a major issue for most people)

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I don’t mind if Planescape comes in a slipcase it just has to be longer.

 

[Zaukrie]

They wouldn't have changed the format if they were still planning to keep the same page count. No one complained about the three-books-in-a-slipcase format - in fact, it's nice and convenient. What everyone complained about was the page count, so if they are changing the format, it's very likely due to a change in the page count.

Plenty of people complained about three books and a slipcase. A complete waste of resources.

 

[bushmills]

Plenty of people complained about three books and a slipcase. A complete waste of resources.

Most people were not upset about the division into three books, but about the non-existent substance of the same. Feel free to make 5 book slipcases, if the quality of the content is right there will only be a few grumblers, which there always are, but overall there will be positive feedback. The fact that we now have to make do with many half-baked D&D books like Spelljammer is probably simply due to the spirit of the times. Who still reads in great detail? What's important are a few pictures and that you can scroll through easily. Make the exterior very valuable and leave out the content, that simply always works and guarantees quick money-making. Even in sales you can still get rid of it to the unsuspecting. Many companies now don't care that it permanently damages the brand and the loyal fans. Rarely do the founders still have their fingers on the pie, but 0815 managers with spreadsheets determine the course.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Most people were not upset about the division into three books, but about the non-existent substance of the same. Feel free to make 5 book slipcases, if the quality of the content is right there will only be a few grumblers, which there always are, but overall there will be positive feedback. The fact that we now have to make do with many half-baked D&D books like Spelljammer is probably simply due to the spirit of the times. Who still reads in great detail? What's important are a few pictures and that you can scroll through easily. Make the exterior very valuable and leave out the content, that simply always works and guarantees quick money-making. Even in sales you can still get rid of it to the unsuspecting. Many companies now don't care that it permanently damages the brand and the loyal fans. Rarely do the founders still have their fingers on the pie, but 0815 managers with spreadsheets determine the course.

Some were upset about the increased price that came with the slipcase as well, so hopefully they can bring the price down as well.

 

[Parmandur]

Some were upset about the increased price that came with the slipcase as well, so hopefully they can bring the price down as well.

With inflation going the way it has, I expect the hardcovers will get a price increase in the future.

 

[Queer Venger]

ha ha, excited for Planescape!! Probably one of my favorite D&D official settings. I actually ran my home group through my own home-brew of PS during COVID (I have a lot of the old PS box sets back from 2e). Der lizzie's art is incredible (sp?). Anyway, cant wait to see the new 5e PS box set, though I agree that I hope its more robust rules-wise than the Spelljammer one.

 

[Parmandur]

ha ha, excited for Planescape!! Probably one of my favorite D&D official settings. I actually ran my home group through my own home-brew of PS during COVID (I have a lot of the old PS box sets back from 2e). Der lizzie's art is incredible (sp?). Anyway, cant wait to see the new 5e PS box set, though I agree that I hope its more robust rules-wise than the Spelljammer one.

Well, it's got 50% more page count, (three 96 page books instead of 64 page books) so that may help.

 

[jayoungr]

Query from someone who didn't play "back in the day": What's the relationship between Planescape and the Great Modron March? They've been sort of hinting at the latter for years, but I'm wondering whether it's been scrapped, been rolled into the Planescape book, or is still in development.