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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RangerWickett" data-source="post: 3688955" data-attributes="member: 63">I'm struggling to come up with fluff ideas that don't contradict the style of existing D&D products, because D&D is so crunch-heavy these days. A lot of flavor is already implicit in the mechanics, so while I'm hesitant to endorse books that might split the D&D fanbase (which was one of the disastrous flaws of 2nd Edition's "many settings" style), I think there is an audience for such books.Another flaw is that players tend to be less interested in fluff, since the game is designed to only really give them control over their characters' crunch. The setting, and thus what 'fluff' is available, is tacitly decided by the DM. So we're going to change that paradigm a bit, so that we don't cut out a large percentage of our buying market.1. A Magical Medieval Society. This has already been written, but I'm sure the original authors would not object to a nice WotC-illustrated, hardcover version available in game stores everywhere. This book gives ideas on how societies would believably be influenced by magic. Toss in the bestiary to show how people interact with monsters while you're at it. Everyone here already knows this book is amazing. Let's share it with a broader audience.To give players incentive to buy this book, we might squeeze in a chapter on what motivated people in real medieval societies, and what would motivate them in a magical medieval society. Give ideas to players for what their characters would want, and reinforce the trend of empowering players, so they feel comfortable telling their GMs, "My character is going to work toward this."2. Myth and Mystery. While there have been D&D books in the past that provided stats for stuff like Aztec critters, or spells that appeared in Chinese ghost stories, this book isn't about that. The point of this book is to examine what myth means, and how people interact with the unknown, both the inhabitants of a world of magic, and to the players playing the game. The book explains how people of different cultures view the mysteries of their world, including very flavorful vignettes of folklore in a typical D&D setting. I'm talking real 'folk tale' sort of stuff, the kind of stories like the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, or Cinderella, or all manner of urban legends, the stuff that all too often gets lost in high level games when you're too busy fighting hordes of demons to dwell on the shadowed corners of the nearby forest.Additionally, it provides DM advice, explaining out classic archetypes and how to use them to make your stories resonate mythically, and it presents suggestions on how to spin your campaign to evoke different styles of cultural myth -- D&D through the eyes of Greek playwrights, or traditional tribal perspectives, or viking warriors, or even French revolutionaries.For player incentive, we have the few mechanics that are here, which would be like Bad Axe's "Mythic Heroes," which rewards characters for playing to archetype.3. Arcane Arts. This book is devoted to the art of magic, intended to give spellcasters the ability to not just pick spells and power, but style and meaning. How does a character connect to his magic? How does it affect him? Why does he pursue magic? Also included are different magical traditions (such as what I did in the E.N. Publishing book, Mythic Earth), which give a crunch hook to the different flavors of spellcasting.The first chapter would be the overview, and the rest of the chapters would each present one magical worldview. Now, let me mine the ideas of others in this thread. They've already explained why these books would be good.4. Sigil: City of Doors. To quote an expert:Sigil could easily be the anchor of a series of planar-themed products for a year, such as miniatures, a 10th to 14th level adventure a la Red Hand, fantastic locales, and . . . 5. Demiplanes. Another idea courtesy of Shemeska. In my opinion, Manual of the Planes was one of the best 3e books. It gave me tons of ideas, which was great for me, since I like to make my own settings and adventures. This book is for the more time-strapped DMs, providing them more detailed "Plug and Play" planar locations, with a little something for all character levels.6. Dark Woods, Distant Peaks. This is a combination of the fey and giant books so many people want. Since the two creatures go together so well in northern European folklore, I think it's natural to put them in the same book, because they were scarcely separate entities in the original myths. We would discuss the nature of these creatures and what they represent -- a somewhat simple question for giants, but for fey the answers are always somewhat ambiguous. The book would include not just actual 'fey' and 'giant' creature types, but also any creatures that would ostensibly be part of the same folklore, like goblins. 7. Grognards and Graybeards. Inspired by diaglo. This will be perhaps the first comedy book put out for 3e, tapping the power of nostalgia to draw tons of sales. It will be a mix of tongue-in-cheek "History of the World, Pt. I" stuff, and explanations for all the weird jank that exists in D&D because it grew organically over three decades. If you don't believe in the power of nostalgia, ask the Magic: the Gathering team how well their latest set has been selling. And finally, an idea that is close to my heart:8. Campaign Guide - The Grand Tour.The first in a series, the campaign guides give advice on how to run and play in a campaign of a particular style. Later books will include high romance, noir drama, and epic saga. This one focuses on "showing off the world," the style of campaign where every adventure is a new location, and the heroes constantly travel across the world in exploration, in pursuit, or in flight. Sample campaign ideas and example locations give the fluff some meatiness, and it's all tied to a discussion of how to pull out all the stuff you own in the rest of your D&D books, and get a chance to use it in the same campaign.Brilliant, eh?</blockquote>

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