D&D (2024) Anyone Else Find It Interesting How Different The Approaches to Setting Books Is Between 5e & 5.5e?

[Henadic Theologian]

In the beginning 5e approach was very minimalist. We got got the tiny SCAG, with its focus on the Swordcoast and crumbs for everything else in FR. Then pure drought till E: RftLW and some MtG setting books & Exandria. Near the end we get some minimalist Slipcases for SJ & PS, an adventure for DL, all of which were very little Setting support. It terms of setting in the Great Wheel that WotC owns, with exception of Eberron, no setting is well supported, Ravenloft is mid supported.

Now look at 5.5e right out of the gate TWO BIG books of setting lore released for FR this November, Eberron gets a setting expansion/update. The mystery book in October is very, very likely a setting book (probably for Tarkir or multiple MtG settings or Radiant Citadel or Witchlight/Domains of Delight).

They are restructuring for increased setting support and hiring a new lore world builder.

They are releasing new novels for multiple settings. They just released a new trilogy for DL, and a new DL trilogy starts next year. Last year FR got the Fallbacks novel, a Drizzt/Breezy audio Novella, and Spelljammer got a novel. FR is getting a new novel this year, Fallbacks: Dealing With Dragons with likely tie ins to the FR setting books, a Ravenloft book. Who knows what else.

In 5e the focus was massively in favour of big adventure books, setting books were an after thought, lore secondary at best. In the first full year of 5.5e there is no big adventure, just small ones, and the focus right of the gate is clearly a perference for settings books, of this year's books at least 3 are setting books, one is the last core book, one is an anthology book, and one is a surprise (but I think the odds favour it being a fourth setting book this year), 4 setting focused books + multiple novels in different settings is unprecedented for 5e, closest we can was SCAG + Sundering series, and all that was one setting.

WotC has also been talking about building new D&D settings (hope they do another setting search, but let fans pick the winner).

We also know more video games and other media is coming.

Multiple settings in 5.5e seem to be the top priority for the first time since 2e, could a new golden age for settings be in coming?

 

[payn]

Start with solidifying a foundation for the game, and then build from there. Crawl, walk, run. Also, whats with the mile long thread title?

 

[Omand]

I think you are reading too far into this topic. Let's see what actually rolls out from WotC in terms of settings before claiming that there is a different approach to settings now than before.

The information presented suggests there may be a change, but the proof will be in the pudding.

I have not seen any evidence that the mystery book for the year is a setting, especially a MtG one. Do you have a source for that?

WotC is not releasing new DL books. It is Hickman and Weiss who have been releasing the new novels. Yes, they have to have a licence from WotC, but those books are not a Wizards initiative.

Cheers

 

[Stormonu]

The D&D team needs to sell something to customers, and they may be looking at prior content and realizing they're not going to get great returns on rehashing 2014 5E content, and new rule content will likely get stale quickly.

If they posit to turn to keeping their customers engaged with evolving stories borne out of interesting worlds, they may believe the can keep people involved and engaged for longer. The more shared the experience is, the more talk it will generate and the more likely people are to eagerly reach for the next chapter in the story.

But, we'll have to see. They've learned a lot of things since the last few editions released and they may just be looking for new avenues to sell product - doing things in the realm (ah, hmm) of what's familiar, but seeing where they can expand into new areas for new sales.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I think you are reading too far into this topic. Let's see what actually rolls out from WotC in terms of settings before claiming that there is a different approach to settings now than before.

The information presented suggests there may be a change, but the proof will be in the pudding.

I have not seen any evidence that the mystery book for the year is a setting, especially a MtG one. Do you have a source for that?

WotC is not releasing new DL books. It is Hickman and Weiss who have been releasing the new novels. Yes, they have to have a licence from WotC, but those books are not a Wizards initiative.

Cheers

The last trilogy started because WotC approached Hickman & Weiss if I remember correctly so WotC got the ball rolling.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I think you are reading too far into this topic. Let's see what actually rolls out from WotC in terms of settings before claiming that there is a different approach to settings now than before.

The information presented suggests there may be a change, but the proof will be in the pudding.

I have not seen any evidence that the mystery book for the year is a setting, especially a MtG one. Do you have a source for that?

WotC is not releasing new DL books. It is Hickman and Weiss who have been releasing the new novels. Yes, they have to have a licence from WotC, but those books are not a Wizards initiative.

Cheers

Look at what we already know, at least 2 big setting books & a smaller one at minimum, 2 novels this year, and the fact that WotC basically straight up said they were doing new settings and hiring someone for new and older settings and this is right out of ghe gate. Even without the October Surprise it's pretty clear on what they are doing, unless you think the three announced setting books are going to get canceled?

I mean they literally restructured the D&D team for this, creating new positions for Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford to fill post Core for this plan. Not sure how much more proof you need?

Look at what MtG side is doing, they are building new & renewed settings at a furious pace.

Between this year and last year they are creating Thunder Junction, Bloomborrow, Duskmourn, The Edge, and sort of Gastal, Alarcia, and a Water World (unnamed for now), and began detailing Muraganda.

this mandate is likely spreading to D&D Team.

Oh and TTRPG wise we are getting Exodus Sci fi setting as well. I should have included that one actually. If you do we could be getting 4 or 5 setting books.

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

The D&D team needs to sell something to customers, and they may be looking at prior content and realizing they're not going to get great returns on rehashing 2014 5E content, and new rule content will likely get stale quickly.

I agree. Largely selling us the same content we already bought 10 years ago won't work very well.

 

[TerraDave]

And Greyhawk in the DMG.

It’s probably just the desire to keep content evergreen, Having released so many adventure books and already dumping a bunch of rules material through the revised core books, they needed to come up with something else that they hadn’t overdone.

 

[TerraDave]

Having just posted that, it may also reflect the size of the market. That strategy of supporting multiple not really compatible with each other settings may now make sense with a much larger player base.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

It could very well be a change towards an appreciation that your company can own lore, not rules.

Games Workshop has well enjoyed this as a core of its business model. Just a crazy amount of novels produced over two settings, each of which could be said to be mashups of the sub settings.

Lore may not be easy to represent on a spreadsheet to the investor capitalists, but it hooks the audience and compelling lore drives new fans in. Who then might want to buy the rest.

Virtuous cycle, in theory.

Feeding an improved settings and lore approach is something I see as positive for the company and the game.