D&D General 50th Anniversary WotC live panel at PAX Unplugged 2023.

[overgeeked]

The adventures are likely beefed up 5-room dungeons that fill out maybe 3-4 hours of play. The setting is more of a mystery. A "complete" setting? In the DMG...along with all the other stuff they're saying they want in the book. It's either a mini setting so it can be technically "complete" or something like 4E's Nentir Vale where the whole point of the setting is it has large swathes of blank spaces on the map. Or...gods help me...they're going to pull a Spelljammer / Planescape and do a 50+ page revamp of a beloved setting that they call "complete" that's nowhere near complete in any real sense of the word.

 

[Parmandur]

The adventures are likely beefed up 5-room dungeons that fill out maybe 3-4 hours of play. The setting is more of a mystery. A "complete" setting? In the DMG...along with all the other stuff they're saying they want in the book. It's either a mini setting so it can be technically "complete" or something like 4E's Nentir Vale where the whole point of the setting is it has large swathes of blank spaces on the map. Or...gods help me...they're going to pull a Spelljammer / Planescape and do a 50+ page revamp of a beloved setting that they call "complete" that's nowhere near complete in any real sense of the word.

They could do Greyhawk and give it all the detail necessary. It doesn't even need 50 pages.

 

[Lanefan]

It's literally my birthday.

The book I'm interested in - the Making of... one - comes out on my birthday.

Hints will start being dropped shortly.

 

[Reynard]

I don't think the campaign setting will be Greyhawk. I think it will be one of the new/original ones they have been talking about for the last few years. The 2024 DMG isn't a 50th Anniversary product. It is an evergreen product. Putting nostalgia bait in there doesn't track.

 

[Parmandur]

I don't think the campaign setting will be Greyhawk. I think it will be one of the new/original ones they have been talking about for the last few years. The 2024 DMG isn't a 50th Anniversary product. It is an evergreen product. Putting nostalgia bait in there doesn't track.

They made a big point in the panel that the magic items from the 80's cartoon are going to be in the DMG.

 

[Reynard]

They made a big point in the panel that the magic items from the 80's cartoon are going to be in the DMG.

They are running the cartoon 24/7 on their weird streaming service aren't they?

 

[Parmandur]

They are running the cartoon 24/7 on their weird streaming service aren't they?

Yup. I wouldn't be surprised if they make a revival at some point soon, they have been pushing the cartoon for a few years now.

Point is, being an evergreen and utilitarian product aimed Teh Yout isn't incompatible with nostalgia plays...particularly when they are selling borrowed nostalgia actively to kids, like with the new Litrlw Golden Book for the 80's cartoon they did recently.

New and old are not necessarily in conflict for a traditional intergenerational brand.

 

[Reynard]

Yup. I wouldn't be surprised if they make a revival at some point soon, they have been pushing the cartoon for a few years now.

Point is, being an evergreen and utilitarian product aimed Teh Yout isn't incompatible with nostalgia plays...particularly when they are selling borrowed nostalgia actively to kids, like with the new Litrlw Golden Book for the 80's cartoon they did recently.

New and old are not necessarily in conflict for a traditional intergenerational brand.

But does Greyhawk have the kind of cultural relevance of the cartoon? I mean,I started playing in 1985 and have no knowledge of or interest in Greyhawk. I know you have mentioned previously that millenials remember it from 3E but millenials aren't the dominant cohort of customers either.

I mean, I guess it doesn't matter and I could absolutely be wrong. I often am about these things. It just feels like a weird choice when they could do something so much more relevant to the player base they actually expect to buy these books (even if only digitally).

 

[Clint_L]

Thank you very much to those who live-streamed this and gave us on the spot updates!

 

[Parmandur]

But does Greyhawk have the kind of cultural relevance of the cartoon? I mean,I started playing in 1985 and have no knowledge of or interest in Greyhawk. I know you have mentioned previously that millenials remember it from 3E but millenials aren't the dominant cohort of customers either.

I mean, I guess it doesn't matter and I could absolutely be wrong. I often am about these things. It just feels like a weird choice when they could do something so much more relevant to the player base they actually expect to buy these books (even if only digitally).

The Forgotten Realms would be more relevant, but wouldn't fit in a DMG chapter like Greyhawk can. Greyhawk is a concise, big picture vanilla fantasy Setting aoth lots of room for a DM to build their own thing...and vanilla fantasy is always popular.

Greyhawk was the 2nd most popular Setting as recently as early 5E, and the big breakout of the past decade is Wxandria...which proves the enduring popularity of vanilla High Fantasy.