I miss those feelings. I can't think of a single 5e release I've been that excited about other than the Core rules - maybe Tomb of Annihilation?
D&D 5E Anyone else feeling "meh" about recent 5e releases?
Parmandur
Book-Friend
That sounds amazing, I'd eat that over authentic sushi every day of the week.
They may not be your flavor, but Ravnica is the single most popular Magic setting, and Eberron is an incredibly popular setting. WotC has to play the numbers, but they are providing those materials.
Mordenkainen's - as a DM I have actually gotten a lot of use out of the monsters, so it's been worth it for that alone for me
Dragon Heist - was quite interested; it's an ambitious product that imo doesn't quite succeed at what it's trying to be. If somebody called it a disappointment I wouldn't really argue with them BUT there is some very fun stuff in it. Feels like it needed more planning and refining before it got released.
Ravnica - I own this on DNDBeyond and have to admit I haven't read much of it and am unlikely to use much of it. It's fine. Order Domain cleric and Circle of Spores druid are excellent additions to the game. Minotaur is also pretty good. Eberron is more interesting to me as a setting.
Dungeon of the Mad Mage - Not really my style BUT it's a completely different 5E product than anything else available and if you are someone who actually enjoys megadungeons this is a pretty great megadungeon. Asks a lot of the DM to bring to life though. I was shocked that it really only weakly ties in to Dragon Heist - I was hoping that this book would make Dragon Heist's story more satisfying, but it doesn't do that.
Stranger Things Starter Set - I understand why this exists and who it's targeted at and can't argue with the strategy. But yes, not a product for me.
Saltmarsh - Very good product imo. Deep content and really thoughtful in a way that Yawning Portal often isn't. U2 and U3 are actually the worst things in it. They're getting there conceptually, and I expect that when they do a 3rd compilation book it'll be even better.
Acq Inq - I flipped through this at Barnes & Noble and was actually more intrigued than I thought. I was surprised to see that a huge amount of the page count is actually devoted to a mini-campaign - I did not get that impression at all from the hype and reviews. Not for me but I approve of variety and options.
Essentials Kit - GREAT value product for $25. Even if you're not new, worth picking up for Dragon of Icespire Peak which any DM could mine for one-shots and side-quests for levels 1-6.
Dragon Heist - was quite interested; it's an ambitious product that imo doesn't quite succeed at what it's trying to be. If somebody called it a disappointment I wouldn't really argue with them BUT there is some very fun stuff in it. Feels like it needed more planning and refining before it got released.
Ravnica - I own this on DNDBeyond and have to admit I haven't read much of it and am unlikely to use much of it. It's fine. Order Domain cleric and Circle of Spores druid are excellent additions to the game. Minotaur is also pretty good. Eberron is more interesting to me as a setting.
Dungeon of the Mad Mage - Not really my style BUT it's a completely different 5E product than anything else available and if you are someone who actually enjoys megadungeons this is a pretty great megadungeon. Asks a lot of the DM to bring to life though. I was shocked that it really only weakly ties in to Dragon Heist - I was hoping that this book would make Dragon Heist's story more satisfying, but it doesn't do that.
Stranger Things Starter Set - I understand why this exists and who it's targeted at and can't argue with the strategy. But yes, not a product for me.
Saltmarsh - Very good product imo. Deep content and really thoughtful in a way that Yawning Portal often isn't. U2 and U3 are actually the worst things in it. They're getting there conceptually, and I expect that when they do a 3rd compilation book it'll be even better.
Acq Inq - I flipped through this at Barnes & Noble and was actually more intrigued than I thought. I was surprised to see that a huge amount of the page count is actually devoted to a mini-campaign - I did not get that impression at all from the hype and reviews. Not for me but I approve of variety and options.
Essentials Kit - GREAT value product for $25. Even if you're not new, worth picking up for Dragon of Icespire Peak which any DM could mine for one-shots and side-quests for levels 1-6.
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I wasn't aware of that.
Now if only there were 3pp adventures like back in the d20 era, maybe there would be enough to keep me going? (I'm aware there's DM's Guild, but it's all just random stuff - not vetted in any way. And sites like ENWorld sadly don't really have review resources or discussions about these companies or their products.)
If it had been real bacon and warm cheese sauce, I'd have enjoyed it more. Haha
Giltonio_Santos
Hero
Also, I know that this comes up in every thread like this, but there are third-party publishers putting out some solid products. I'm not telling you to go to the Guild, get 1d4 warlord variants and see which one makes the cut to your table, but if you think a new monster book would be nice, for example, I have both books released by Kobold Press and I believe they're up to the standards set by WotC's official releases.
I'm excited about the Essentials Kit that should be arriving in about a week. The handouts should help me introduce new players to 5e, and the adventure will become part of a planned Phandalin sandbox campaign next year.
I was also recently excited to discover Wizkids' new deepcut minis for D&D and Pathfinder (at Blackwells Bookshop!) and have been spending loads of moolah on them both at Blackwells & via Chaos Cards UK.
As for WoTC hardbacks, well I only bought the Dragon Queen two a couple months ago, and Princes of the Apocalypse last year. Running PoTA now but it'll run for several years at 1 game/month. Equally enjoying my other 3 5e campaigns - Primeval Thule, Shattered Star/Runelords (Pathfinder conversion), and now Red Hand of Doom (3e conversion). So not too fussed WoTC only has a limited release schedule; it's been that way from the start of 5e.
I was also recently excited to discover Wizkids' new deepcut minis for D&D and Pathfinder (at Blackwells Bookshop!) and have been spending loads of moolah on them both at Blackwells & via Chaos Cards UK.
As for WoTC hardbacks, well I only bought the Dragon Queen two a couple months ago, and Princes of the Apocalypse last year. Running PoTA now but it'll run for several years at 1 game/month. Equally enjoying my other 3 5e campaigns - Primeval Thule, Shattered Star/Runelords (Pathfinder conversion), and now Red Hand of Doom (3e conversion). So not too fussed WoTC only has a limited release schedule; it's been that way from the start of 5e.
I mean I'm doing okay spending hobby money. I'm going to conventions, buying minis, scenery, systems other than D&D, etc. I just wish there were more 5e content I wanted. It honestly feels like the "dark times" when 4e was dead and 5e was around the bend, and WotC was just republishing old books and coffee table books.
Hell, give me something like PotA, OotA, or ToA again. Those things are veritable treasures (for me) compared to Parody Inc.
I have one of the Kobold Press monster books. It's alright. A little too campaign-specific and imbalanced, but it's okay.
Any good adventures? From what I've been reading, Frog God (the successor to Necromancer - one of the better 3pp back in the day) has been pretty hit and miss these days.
