D&D 5E 5E Product Chart - Updated 4/21/22

[Mercurius]

Urriah, I'm curious: If you had your druthers, how much product--and what type--would WotC produce? I'm just trying to get a sense of what your (understandable) moderation on predicting an increase in product is because you prefer a sparser schedule or, what I suspect, because you just caution against hoping for more.

 

[Parmandur]

Urriah, I'm curious: If you had your druthers, how much product--and what type--would WotC produce? I'm just trying to get a sense of what your (understandable) moderation on predicting an increase in product is because you prefer a sparser schedule or, what I suspect, because you just caution against hoping for more.

For myself, I prefer 1 book a Fiscal Quarter. That's about what I can digest. I think that is roughly what WotC is aiming for, at least for splashy releases.

 

[Mercurius]

As long as they get around to a "Planescape" book/slipcase set to cover Sigil and the Great Wheel properly, I'm perfectly fine with them opening up the Astral Plane/Sea to Spelljamming and exploring additional cosmological setups.

My guess is that such a slipcase wouldn't cover Sigil AND the Great Wheel, at least not "properly." I think it would look something like this:

Sigil book - details Sigil, the Outlands, and Factions
Adventure book - a series of maybe a dozen adventures, about half of which are focused on Sigil and the Outlands, and the other half as forays into various planes - so there would be info on some planes, but not the whole shebang.
Splat - Guide to character creation, options, maybe some rules on planar travel.

Full coverage of the planes would have to wait for a hypothetical Manual of the Multiverse book. Or some such.

 

[Parmandur]

Another point about WotC future plans: I think we may be done with big Sword Coast Adventures. It seems that Icewind Dale was the last one, for at least 3 years.

 

[Parmandur]

My guess is that such a slipcase wouldn't cover Sigil AND the Great Wheel, at least not "properly." I think it would look something like this:

Sigil book - details Sigil, the Outlands, and Factions
Adventure book - a series of maybe a dozen adventures, about half of which are focused on Sigil and the Outlands, and the other half as forays into various planes - so there would be info on some planes, but not the whole shebang.
Splat - Guide to character creation, options, maybe some rules on planar travel.

Full coverage of the planes would have to wait for a hypothetical Manual of the Multiverse book. Or some such.

I would arrange it more exactly like Spelljammer:

• Adventurers Guide, with PC options, any new rules, Factions, and a Gazateer (doable I 64 pages)
• Planar Bestiary
• Adventure

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Urriah, I'm curious: If you had your druthers, how much product--and what type--would WotC produce? I'm just trying to get a sense of what your (understandable) moderation on predicting an increase in product is because you prefer a sparser schedule or, what I suspect, because you just caution against hoping for more.

It's the latter, I'm always happy to see more books, but I am also a realist and try to make honest assessments of in predictions. A sixth book would be nice, I just don't believe it is happening.

As for my purchases, I used to get about 3 books a year. Recently that has dramatically fallen, as now I'm running The Enemy Within (a WFRP campaign) converted to 5E, so I've been buying some of the Enemy Within books (I've got the first three so far) instead of normal 5E books. The last 5E book I bought was Witchlight.

If my Enemy Within campaign falls apart, I'll probably go back to buying normal 5E and return to about a 3 book a year pace.

 

[Mercurius]

For myself, I prefer 1 book a Fiscal Quarter. That's about what I can digest. I think that is roughly what WotC is aiming for, at least for splashy releases.

Do you buy every book?

For myself, I like the idea of six major products a year - or one every two months - and then one or two special products. But part of this is because I only buy maybe a couple books a year, so want more options to choose from.

But that's also what I think makes the most sense - that the sweetspot is about six major products + a couple extras. Anything more and you run the danger of over-saturating the market. Less, and there are too few options for those who don't buy everything.

In the old days of 5E with only three books, if you didn't want one you'd have to wait four months - and then might be facing the same problem. Most regular players (especially DMs) like to buy more than a single book a year. Six books increases the likelihood that you'll find something you want.

 

[Mercurius]

I would arrange it more exactly like Spelljammer:

• Adventurers Guide, with PC options, any new rules, Factions, and a Gazateer (doable I 64 pages)
• Planar Bestiary
• Adventure

Oh right, the bestiary - forgot about that. OK, you win .

But I think your approach would definitely necessitate a later manual of some kind.

 

[Mercurius]

It's the latter, I'm always happy to see more books, but I am also a realist and try to make honest assessments of in predictions. A sixth book would be nice, I just don't believe it is happening.

As for my purchases, I used to get about 3 books a year. Recently that has dramatically fallen, as now I'm running The Enemy Within (a WFRP campaign) converted to 5E, so I've been buying some of the Enemy Within books (I've got the first three so far) instead of normal 5E books. The last 5E book I bought was Witchlight.

If my Enemy Within campaign falls apart, I'll probably go back to buying normal 5E and return to about a 3 book a year pace.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

Well, the five books (or equivalent) + starter set + battle game is about the equivalent of six books a year, so they're kind of already there.

 

[Parmandur]

Do you buy every book?

For myself, I like the idea of six major products a year - or one every two months - and then one or two special products. But part of this is because I only buy maybe a couple books a year, so want more options to choose from.

But that's also what I think makes the most sense - that the sweetspot is about six major products + a couple extras. Anything more and you run the danger of over-saturating the market. Less, and there are too few options for those who don't buy everything.

In the old days of 5E with only three books, if you didn't want one you'd have to wait four months - and then might be facing the same problem. Most regular players (especially DMs) like to buy more than a single book a year. Six books increases the likelihood that you'll find something you want.

I have bought every book except Acquisitions Incorporated, and I plan on missing Monsters of the Multiverse. Every time I expect to slow it down, they pull me back in with Spelljammer or something fresh and exciting like Radiant Citadel or Witchlight.