Dungeons & Dragons Will Announce New Products at Gen Con, Modules Returning to Game

Wizards of the Coast plans to use Gen Con as a launching point for future products. During a press briefing at Gary Con on Thursday, Head of D&D Franchise Dan Ayoub said that they would be announcing the product tied to the Season of Champions at Gen Con this year. Additionally, starting at Gen Con in 2026, D&D will also announce the roadmap for the upcoming year at the convention, which will include announcements of upcoming Seasons, announcement of new products, and other "stuff" tied to the season.

Ayoub told the press briefing that early feedback for the seasons have been "fantastic," so it appears that this will be the standard moving forward.

Later in the press briefing, Ayoub noted that the lengthy delay in announcements was due to a combination of internal reorganization for the D&D team and a shift in which products would be released in 2026. He also said that adventure modules will be returning to Dungeons & Dragons as part of the new Season models, although it's unclear whether this will be through the D&D Encounters program, Adventurer's League, or through some other kind of unannounced product.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Well, except for the fact that the Eberron version the orcs would druids

Most orcs aren’t druids, even in Eberron. And orcs can become druids in any setting.

, in the Dragonlance version they would be replaced with Draconians

Easy swap, can do it on the fly. Or just refuff them as humans with orc stat blocks.

and the Ravenloft version the orcs would be vampires.

Why? No reason orcs can’t be in Ravenloft.

 

[Remathilis]

Most orcs aren’t druids, even in Eberron. And orcs can become druids in any setting.

The point is orcs in Eberron aren't typically the raider types that were common in Realms or Greyhawk and thus will need more explanation.

Easy swap, can do it on the fly.

Except for changing the whole nature of the encounter. You might as well write "sitting at the table are five CR 2 monsters appropriate to your campaign"

Why? No reason orcs can’t be in Ravenloft.

Prior to Van Richten's Guide, orcs didn't exist. Regardless, kicking in the door on a bunch of orcs isn't very gothic horror.

But I think you're supporting my point. Ravenloft should have orcs. Dragonlance should have orcs. D&D settings should support D&D rules and supplements. This "X doesn't belong in Y setting" needs to die in a fire.

 

[Clint_L]

And for modules to work, they need to be in game stores, not just online.

Why is that?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The point is orcs in Eberron aren't typically the raider types that were common in Realms or Greyhawk and thus will need more explanation

The text says nothing to indicate they are raiders.

Except for changing the whole nature of the encounter. You might as well write "sitting at the table are five CR 2 monsters appropriate to your campaign"

Hence my edit to refluff the orcs as humans if the context made dragon army soldiers inappropriate. The players won’t notice the difference.

Prior to Van Richten's Guide, orcs didn't exist

Orcs have never, at any point, been excluded from Ravenloft. Done right they can be very scary.

 

[Scott Christian]

Why is that?

I happen to think game stores provide a niche that places like libraries, schools, bars, etc. can't provide. And one of the ways an item gains popularity isn't just from online advertising. It is also through word of mouth. And as far as I know, no one does word of mouth better than a game store.

 

[Scott Christian]

Except for changing the whole nature of the encounter. You might as well write "sitting at the table are five CR 2 monsters appropriate to your campaign"

This is a cliff wall. It is impossible to climb, and magic spells like flying instantly are countered when you are within 10 miles of the wall. Pitons set in it are instantly dislodged. There are no cracks, nor is there any grips. It is perfectly smooth. It is 1 billion feet tall. Even a wish spell will not let you climb this wall.

That is what you are debating.

The mind will not change. "Generic is the only way to go with these modules that aren't even published yet. No module needs to be tailored to the setting, and no matter what aspect of the module you are looking at: plot, NPCs, setting, mood, tone, encounters, travel, etc. it can all be changed on a whim by the DM; therefore, no setting-based modules are needed."

There is no changing the mind that believes this.

 

[DEFCON 1]

As far as I know, Keith Baker’s Eberron supplements are some of the best selling products on DMs Guild. Also, it’s not the only setting this applies to - I’d like to see a Ravenloft anthology. Ravenloft is probably one of the WotC’s best selling settings as evidenced by their consistent support for it across multiple editions. Finally, there is a difference when it is a product designed by the original creator or it’s an official WotC product. I’m far, far less likely to buy a third party product unless I’ve heard positive things about it through word of mouth or reviews. I wouldn’t put too much stock into DMSGuild sales being a great indicator of demand.

If we don't put DMs Guild sales being an indicator of demand, then what do we use?

WotC's not going to just produce an anthology of Eberron-specific or Ravenloft-specific modules in a hardcover "Candlekeep Mysteries" type of book just on a whim. Just in the hopes that there are enough Eberron fans and Ravenloft fans that would make it worth their while to produce it (rather than use their time, energy, and money to make some other product with more universal appeal).

WotC needs to be shown there's an audience for these books. And if can be shown to them that they went through all the effort of opening up Eberron on DMs Guild so that random people and third-parties could produce product (like modules) for it... and even THOSE third-party producers aren't bothering to write and release Eberron or Ravenloft modules on any sort of scale because nobody is buying the stupid things... then why would WotC ever give it the greenlight?

People talk with their wallets. And when an Eberron fan chooses not to buy Eberron product for whatever reason they have... they are telling WotC that even they are not necessarily a consumer for a potential Eberron product that WotC might make. Which is fine... they don't have to be... but don't then get all bitchy that WotC ends up choosing not to make it. (General) you... the potential Eberron purchaser... are proving yourself to merely be more of a fair-weather fan. And (general) you aren't worth catering to with WotC's time, energy, and money for Eberron when they can instead make all kinds of generic or Forgotten Realms product and be much more confident in the audience and sales.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

WotC's not going to just produce an anthology of Eberron-specific or Ravenloft-specific modules in a hardcover "Candlekeep Mysteries"

One of the adventures in Candlekeep mysteries is partially set in Ravenloft, and two others are a great fit as Ravenloft adventures.

There are several setting specific adventures in the anthologies, when setting details are relevant. But much of the time the adventures work anywhere.

 

[Artamo]

If we don't put DMs Guild sales being an indicator of demand, then what do we use?

WotC's not going to just produce an anthology of Eberron-specific or Ravenloft-specific modules in a hardcover "Candlekeep Mysteries" type of book just on a whim. Just in the hopes that there are enough Eberron fans and Ravenloft fans that would make it worth their while to produce it (rather than use their time, energy, and money to make some other product with more universal appeal).

WotC needs to be shown there's an audience for these books. And if can be shown to them that they went through all the effort of opening up Eberron on DMs Guild so that random people and third-parties could produce product (like modules) for it... and even THOSE third-party producers aren't bothering to write and release Eberron or Ravenloft modules on any sort of scale because nobody is buying the stupid things... then why would WotC ever give it the greenlight?

People talk with their wallets. And when an Eberron fan chooses not to buy Eberron product for whatever reason they have... they are telling WotC that even they are not necessarily a consumer for a potential Eberron product that WotC might make. Which is fine... they don't have to be... but don't then get all bitchy that WotC ends up choosing not to make it. (General) you... the potential Eberron purchaser... are proving yourself to merely be more of a fair-weather fan. And (general) you aren't worth catering to with WotC's time, energy, and money for Eberron when they can instead make all kinds of generic or Forgotten Realms product and be much more confident in the audience and sales.

I don’t know that we do anything with regards to DMsGuild. I expect that Wizards has its own methods of determining demand, and I don’t think it’s a great plan to simply guess that buying stuff of DMsGuild is going to factor into that, particularly since there has been a significant amount of junk that has flooded DMsGuild in the past few years. That could very easily devalue DMsGuild as being the indicator you believe it to be.

I can make an argument that buying or backing similar products may be helpful. For instance, Kobold Press just had a pretty successful kickstarter for Night Hunters: Gothic Horror. The success of that project gives folks an indication that games involving Gothic Horror have a good fan base. If WotC is using that as an indicator, then it sends a signal. But here’s the thing: KP is a well known, well regarded publisher. Joe Blow with a $5 pdf built with generated material isn’t.

I guess my point is two fold:

1. We don’t know how WotC determines demand.
2. Be a smart buyer. Buy stuff you want from reputable companies putting out quality work. If you see something you want on DMsGuild, great. But telling people to go buy there willy-nilly (like really, there has been a lot of low effort crap on DMsGuild) because it sends a signal to WotC isn’t going to help anyone.

 

[Parmandur]

Having watched the full panel now, it is worth noting that the WotC team acknowledged that they have something to announce about older editions and the OGL/CC soon...