D&D General Dungeons & Dragons Sneak Peek at Gameholecon: 50th Anniversary Adventure, Rod of Seven Parts, The Endless Stair, Tsojcanth, Barrier Peaks?

I was leaving a panel at GameHoleCon when Chris Perkins walked in and then Justice and Bill and then quite a few other WotC folk! So I stayed.

I'm glad I did because what started as a very funny trivia game challenge to the WotC folk and some of the audience soon turned into a discussion about things they are working on. Cool things. Oh and some of those questions were by Jon Peterson and were hard! I pride myself in getting a couple correct! Iron Rations for the win! Chris Lindsay talked about the DMSGuild too, and strongly hinted to me about the Manual of the Planes. I just wasn't on the same plane.

Anyway they discussed things that have already been covered, but I think with a bit more detail on particular things. This was more of a conversation than a presentation after all.

• Ron Lundeen discussed the internal playtests and that he liked it when he would see similar things discussed in the same ways in both public and private testing.
• Bill Benham discussed Jaquaysing the maps and adventures and how they are taking that more to heart. I think she was on everyone's mind at the panel, see this thread if you would, she could use our help.
• Ron also dicussed how he learned that scrolls are a secret magic item table of power and rarity for magic items generally. That's a nice hint I'll have to take a closer look at.

And then Chris talked about how their adventures take this fine line of between having too much and overwhelming new people yet also having to satisfy old hats like myself.

• The new core books will have an update to format and art like the more recent books.
• Gateway to new players was a term they kept using for the new PHB and even the DMG.
• Oh and they mentioned Tasha’s Bubbling Cauldron as a new spell, which Hollie will be delighted with.
• All three books will have mostly new art from new artists too, like from two concept artists from Obi Wan and the Avatar shows.

Then they went on to the DMG and how it'll talk about what a DM does, what are the parts of the game, the books and even how to use the DM Screen in play.

• It'll have handouts and tools to help you organize and build your notes and show you a campaign setting designed to be customized as a tutorial to make it your own and eventually build one from scratch.
• There will be new magic items to fill in more rarity niches and more cool common ones too.
• And finally we'll get the 1980 cartoon series magic items, something Chris seemed almost giddy about.

The Monster Manual will have more high level creatures and they noted things they'll put in stat blocks that were missing before, like proficiency bonus.

'Romp around the multiverse', I don't think that's a new book title, but it's a new kind of anthology book that revisits all the things they've done in D&D, a '50th anniversary book'. Chris Perkins actually ran the Ravenloft adventure at the convention, I wish I'd captured the events he ran because I'm guessing the title and a few details are in that entry. Anyone here play in his games? Care to share?

And then Chris started to display cool secrets. I'm not sure if any of these are separate books or part of the above mentioned book, but I think they are separate books the way Chris was hinting. I must also offer an apology. There was no way I could get all of these images. I was caught off guard and in a bit of awe. The last one especially is just killing me, it was wonderful and Chris refused to show me after the panel with that wry smile of his.

So here is the only clear image I got. What do you see? Give me your guesses and I'll later give you what the jokes were they made. I even got a laugh out of the crew with one!

However the missing last image was my biggest regret. It was a cute fluffy bunny on a stump...... Oh the agony! I got a selfie with Chris as a consolation prize!

OK I’ll spill more. I’m not sure but they indeed seemed to be talking about multiple books and this new book for the 50th. I think they intentionally obfuscated things.

• The key to me is that the 50th book is a visit to all the 5e adventures and the stuff that isn’t from those are either for the story to tie them together or are from other books
• The bunny was undead, a Sheep in Wolfs clothing. It was a brand new painting and I didn’t recognize the artist.
• My joke was that the Rod would fall apart way to easily, as they tried to hint what it was.

So from what they were taking about I think.

• A D&D 50th Anniversary book
• An Endless Stair book
• A Rod of Seven parts book
• And Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
• Oh and Tsojcanth

Please note those are all guesses by me. Oh and Tsojcanth.

Chris did say that the D&D 50th book had been announced but I can’t find anything on it.

 

[darjr]

It would be difficult to have Vecna be the baby daddy—he became a lich over a thousand years before Iggwilv was even born.

ahem BG3 cough

 

[Scribe]

It was definitely mentioned in 4E. Maybe it's rose-colored glasses or it's been some time since you read the 4E book.

A quick scan shows several sidebars and references throughout the book. Because it's integral to the setting. Almost like it's one of the defining features. It has an entry on the table of contents, it's mentioned in one of the eight characteristics of Athas, it's mentioned as something the PCs can fight against, it gets several paragraphs in the social order section, it's part of several races, it's referenced in the name of one of the paragon paths, it's mentioned several times in the character themes, it's a background, it's called out in various write ups of NPCs and locations and the history of the setting, it's also given several paragraphs in the running Dark Sun section, along with a call-out box detailing slavery and alignment.

4E, and the climate in which it existed, is about as far away from today, as 1999 was to 1901, in terms of what would be acceptable in Wizards view to print.

 

[overgeeked]

4E, and the climate in which it existed, is about as far away from today, as 1999 was to 1901, in terms of what would be acceptable in Wizards view to print.

Yes. I said as much in the rest of my post.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

Paris, Troy, Athens, … you do not even bother with the ‘new’ most of the time

That's hardly unique to North America. Have a look out the etymology for "Cartagena" is Spain.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

If your going to blandify the setting, just don't touch it, just as minor references here and there and add the remaining races like Muls to FR (actually the hybrid rules largely cover Muls).

Exactly. I'd rather seem them mothballed then turned into generic mush.

 

[overgeeked]

Exactly. I'd rather seem them mothballed then turned into generic mush.

Same. I don't want the current team touching Dark Sun.

 

[dave2008]

If your going to blandify the setting, just don't touch it, just as minor references here and there and add the remaining races like Muls to FR (actually the hybrid rules largely cover Muls).

Exactly. I'd rather seem them mothballed then turned into generic mush.

Same. I don't want the current team touching Dark Sun.

IDK, I would like to see a fresh take on it. If I wanted the same old same old, well I can get the old stuff. I am always interested reinterpretations of old lore.

That being said, I am not really fan of any traditional settings as I've always used my own and just burrowed stuff if needed

 

[QuentinGeorge]

IDK, I would like to see a fresh take on it. If I wanted the same old same old, well I can get the old stuff. I am always interested reinterpretations of old lore.

That being said, I am not really fan of any traditional settings as I've always used my own and just burrowed stuff if needed

If we want "fresh and interesting", make a completely new setting, with no ties to the past. And give it a new name. Let's not have these things dancing around in the flayed flesh of the departed.

 

[dave2008]

If we want "fresh and interesting", make a completely new setting, with no ties to the past. And give it a new name. Let's not have these things dancing around in the flayed flesh of the departed.

I disagree. I am more interested in revised old settings. But that is just me, you are free to want what you want of course.

 

[Scribe]

I disagree. I am more interested in revised old settings. But that is just me, you are free to want what you want of course.

Why?

Similar tropes and themes can be expressed any number of ways. The reuse of names is simply naked marketing for nostalgic appeal.