Unearthed Arcana Crawford On Lots Of Stuff! Release Tempo, Video Games, OGL, Conventions, Unearthed Arcana, 2018, Tia

Crawford confirms the brilliant strategy of the D&D team. Thanks for posting the highlights Morrus. Sales and fans returning to D&D are proof that they are doing something right.

Bravo!

 

[El Mahdi]

All the multiverse stuff. Expect a "Crisis on Infinite D&D Earths" storyline down the road when some new editor comes along and is desperate to bring in revenue

Until they ease up on the ridiculous Avengers-inspired cinematic universe approach, I will continue to have little confidence in WotC.

The choices are being made for monetary reasons, not for the purposes of good story creation.

This heretical syncretic trend is bad enough, but financially motivated syncretism?!?!

It can't be allowed!!!

Also, "The Wizards Three" are Canonical? Does that mean a stat conversion of Ed Greenwood is in our future?

He already has stats. He's Elminster.

Just as Bruce Wayne has the same stats as Batman.

And now I'm imagining Ed Greenwood saying in Batman's voice: "I'm...Elminster!"

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

Well, its muddier that that.

Planes of Law leaves the question open. (Saying they are similar, but leaving it a mystery if they are the same or not). Monster Mythology (2e) says Tiamat's stats should not be used in Dragonlance, since "there Tiamat is strongly identified with Takhisis[...]"

Jeff Grub was quoted on Dragonlance Nexus as saying " Trace very early on wanted Huma / Bahumat as a good dragon god and Takhisis / Tiamat as an evil dragon god. " but that's off the record.

So officially, its been implied but never stated (and I thought it was more strongly implied, but...) so the idea they are the same does have some history, if just weakly...

You also need only look at DL10: which stat block does it tell you to use when you encounter not-Tiamat in a dream?

That would be Tiamat's.

Walks like a duck. Quacks like a duck....

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

I expect three pages of dictionary definitions of the word "the".

Wasn't that the basis of Clinton's defence when he was impeached? (Serious question. Not interested in the politics.)

 

[TheWriterFantastic™]

Cool. I'd watch that too. In fact it sounds like the Parks and Recreation Filibsuter:

[video=youtube;5BBhNkywMJY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BBhNkywMJY[/video]

I know this is off-topic, but I'd totally pay to see this version of Episode VII over the new Fantastic Four...

 

[Elodan]

I expect three pages of dictionary definitions of the word "the".

Does that include whether or not it's pronounced the (thee) or the (thuh)?

 

[Agamon]

What we've seen so far isn't really a rich exploration of D&D's many multiverses. What we've seen is D&D's rich multiverses being imported into the Forgotten Realms. I know that's an overstatement, because so far we've really only seen Elemental Evil assimilated. My point is in specific reference to Crawford's mention that we might see the same sort of thing with future products.

Not the same sort of thing, but the thing you're looking for, I think.

The "hints" from the already published adventures are how the baddies are "going elsewhere" after a failure to try again. Tiamat's plan for Krynn didn't work , so she tries on Toril. Same with Tharizdun, who failed on Oerth, and is trying on Toril. I think this might lead up to some crazy Planescape or Spelljammer style realm-hopping adventure.

That said, I'm not sure how OotA fits into that idea. But we haven't seen it yet.

 

[Agamon]

This is why Michael Bay's terrible movies are so successful.

Bay's movies aren't terrible because of concept, they are terrible in execution.

 

[Dausuul]

So officially, its been implied but never stated (and I thought it was more strongly implied, but...) so the idea they are the same does have some history, if just weakly...

It has been explicitly stated at least once. From the AD&D Manual of the Planes, page 111: "As Takhisis in the world of Krynn, Tiamat has never let her followers know that there are other arch-devils or that there is a Nine Hells at all."

 

[Staffan]

Not the same sort of thing, but the thing you're looking for, I think.

The "hints" from the already published adventures are how the baddies are "going elsewhere" after a failure to try again. Tiamat's plan for Krynn didn't work , so she tries on Toril. Same with Tharizdun, who failed on Oerth, and is trying on Toril. I think this might lead up to some crazy Planescape or Spelljammer style realm-hopping adventure.

That said, I'm not sure how OotA fits into that idea. But we haven't seen it yet.

The only problem with this idea is that these guys (and gals) failed their plots on Krynn and Oerth... and go to Toril? Which has Elminster, Drizzt, however many there are left of the Seven Sisters, as well as assorted other really high-level NPCs.

That's like a Marvel villain saying "Screw trying to take over New Orleans, I'm going to New York!"

 

[DEFCON 1]

The only problem with this idea is that these guys (and gals) failed their plots on Krynn and Oerth... and go to Toril? Which has Elminster, Drizzt, however many there are left of the Seven Sisters, as well as assorted other really high-level NPCs.

That's like a Marvel villain saying "Screw trying to take over New Orleans, I'm going to New York!"

Yeah, but as this is a 'multiverse'... it's not necessarily 'Toril Prime' they are going to... they are going to each individual alternate Toril that every DM is running, wherein Elminster, Drizzt, Blackstaff, Szass Tam or any other major NPC might not actually exist within. Especially based upon the number of people who complain about them showing up in Toril Prime and who state outright they are ditching those Mary Sue characters when they run the adventure.