D&D 5E D&D's Classic Settings Are Not 'One Shots'

In an interview with ComicBook.com, WotC's Jeremy Crawford talked about the visits to Ravenloft, Eberron, Spelljammer, Dragonlance, and (the upcoming) Planescape we've seen over the last couple of years, and their intentions for the future.

He indicated that they plan to revisit some of these settings again in the future, noting that the setting books are among their most popular books.

We love [the campaign setting books], because they help highlight just how wonderfully rich D&D is. They highlight that D&D can be gothic horror. D&D can be fantasy in space. D&D can be trippy adventures in the afterlife, in terms of Planescape. D&D can be classic high fantasy, in the form of the Forgotten Realms. It can be sort of a steampunk-like fantasy, like in Eberron. We feel it's vital to visit these settings, to tell stories in them. And we look forward to returning to them. So we do not view these as one-shots.

- Jeremy Crawford​

The whole 'multiverse' concept that D&D is currently exploring plays into this, giving them opportunities to resist worlds.

When asked about the release schedule of these books, Crawford noted that the company plans its release schedule so that players get chance to play the material, not just read it, and they don't want to swamp people with too much content to use.

Our approach to how we design for the game and how we plan out the books for it is a play-first approach. At certain times in D&D's history, it's really been a read-first approach. Because we've had points in our history where we were producing so many books each year, there was no way anyone could play all of it. In some years it would be hard to play even a small percentage of the number of things that come out. Because we have a play-first approach, we want to make sure we're coming out with things at a pace where if you really wanted to, and even that would require a lot of weekends and evenings dedicated to D&D play, you could play a lot of it.

- Jeremy Crawford​

You can read more in the interview at ComicBook.com.

 

[Velderan]

I was recently given the Spelljammer slipcase as a gift. It was bought from Amazon. It happens to be the original version with the minstrel show art and racist hadozee description. WotC wildly overestimated the demand for this thing in the form presented. A lot of people clearly stepped away due to the various problems with the product.

I've still not seen the revised Curse of Strahd as a standalone book at any of the FLGS or Barnes and Noble near me. I wonder if all the books they printed for that went into the coffin deluxe set

 

[darjr]

I was recently given the Spelljammer slipcase as a gift. It was bought from Amazon. It happens to be the original version with the minstrel show art and racist hadozee description. WotC wildly overestimated the demand for this thing in the form presented. A lot of people clearly stepped away due to the various problems with the product.

From bookscan it looks like it sold phenomenally well in pre order. Early sales were rather large.

 

[Parmandur]

From bookscan it looks like it sold phenomenally well in pre order. Early sales were rather large.

I mean, it would have been shocking if they sold out of the first printing that fast.

It outsold the 2E version, at least.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

From bookscan it looks like it sold phenomenally well in pre order. Early sales were rather large.

The folks found out how little they got for their money, they can't have a repeat of that with Planescape. They should dump this format for future setting products, add value by more actual content instead of making Beetles and Grim lite.

 

[Micah Sweet]

The folks found out how little they got for their money, they can't have a repeat of that with Planescape. They should dump this format for future setting products, add value by more actual content instead of making Beetles and Grim lite.

That's crazy talk! More content means more time you have to pay the design team for, and more opportunities for some writer to include something that inflames the internet.

 

[Parmandur]

The folks found out how little they got for their money, they can't have a repeat of that with Planescape. They should dump this format for future setting products, add value by more actual content instead of making Beetles and Grim lite.

Planescape seems to be doing quite well in preorder, too

 

[Stormonu]

The folks found out how little they got for their money, they can't have a repeat of that with Planescape. They should dump this format for future setting products, add value by more actual content instead of making Beetles and Grim lite.

Or gee, go back to boxed sets? I mean, that's basically what the Beedle and Grim versions are (as is the coffin-box for Curse of Strahd) - softcovers with pull-out maps and a "monstrous supplement". Hell, I bought the B&G Eberron set so I'd finally have a boxed set for Eberron.

Save the multiple book format for actual multiple books like the 3 core or the player supplement they did with Xanathar's, Tasha's and Monsters of the Multiverse.

I do hope they learned a painful lesson on Spelljammer and won't undercut content for future campaign settings (though they're probably laughing all the way to the bank after Van Richten's and Spelljammer).

 

[Stormonu]

That's crazy talk! More content means more time you have to pay the design team for, and more opportunities for some writer to include something that inflames the internet.

I mean, It's not like cut & paste doesn't exist. They've scanned the old products, just copy it, put it in in-design and grab someone's homebrewery race & monster conversions and they're 90% there. Just gotta generate some AI art...

 

[Velderan]

Planescape seems to be doing quite well in preorder, too

The higher page count might be alleviating some concerns about how much material is in it.

 

[Micah Sweet]

The higher page count might be alleviating some concerns about how much material is in it.

We'll just have to wait and see. Spelljammer had lots of shiny previews too.