"Dust" and "Midway" - Codenames for Upcoming D&D Hardcovers

Tales from the Yawning Portal was codenamed Labyrinth. Curse of Strahd was Cloak, and Storm King's Thunder was Dagger (or vice versa). Now two new codenames have emerged, spotted by EN World member kettite. Dust is dated 19 Sep 2017, hardcover, $49.95, and Midway is dated 21 Nov 2017, hardcover, $49.95. These have both appeared over on edelweiss' catalog. They do not match the four unnamed RPG Accessories on Amazon. Engage speculation mode - two new hardcovers later this year!

Typically the September release has been an adventure, and the November release a rules book (Sword Coast Adventurers Guide; Volo's Guide to Monsters). WotC has been hinting at a "major rules expansion" for a while now.

My guess? Take it with a massive truckload of salt, but I'm going to guess that Dust is fey or fey wild related. Possible the thing Adventure Time's Pendleton Ward helped with. But it really is a wild guess.

"Dust"
Wizards RPG Team
FRONTLIST
On Sale Date: 19 September 2017
9780786966103, 0786966106
Hardcover
$49.95 USD, $63.95 CAD


"Midway"
Wizards RPG Team
FRONTLIST
On Sale Date: 21 November 2017
9780786966110, 0786966114
Hardcover
$49.95 USD, $63.95 CAD

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[Jester David]

That interesting. Faerie dust brings to mind Peter Pan: pirates and natives and mermaids etc...

Fairy Dust is another option, and just as valid as Dark Sun or ancient tombs.

Which does emphasize my point about the code names being meaningless. As I said earlier, they could be randomly decided and we'd still find a way to justify their association in some way or another...

If they said the next three were "lotus", "geyser", and "behemoth" we'd all find some association or Rorschach an image.
(The above chosen from a online random code name generator.)

 

[Prakriti]

1) The AI games often do their own thing. Look at how the summer events in 2016 all tied into the Rod of Seven Parts.

This is the one thing that gives me pause. That Chris Perkins is one tricksy fellow.

Do we *really* need two storylines in one year that are basically "killer dungeons"? That doesn't leave a lot of options for people who don't like that style of play. The spring and summer adventures should be very different by design, so if people don't like one they have something else coming in six months...

Every adventure path has featured a killer dungeon or two or three. Castle Ravenloft, the Giant Lords, the nodes of Elemental Evil, Tomb of Horrors, etc. And the fact that Tomb of Horrors was re-released this year makes a sequel even more likely. They want people to experience the original before they play the sequel.

In any case, I did exaggerate. Chult isn't a "certainty" at this point. It's just a lot likelier than most of the other possibilities, a planar adventure being the next most likely (and the one I'd personally most like to see).

 

[FitzTheRuke]

This is the one thing that gives me pause. That Chris Perkins is one tricksy fellow.


Every adventure path has featured a killer dungeon or two or three. Castle Ravenloft, the Giant Lords, the nodes of Elemental Evil, Tomb of Horrors, etc. And the fact that Tomb of Horrors was re-released this year makes a sequel even more likely. They want people to experience the original before they play the sequel.

In any case, I did exaggerate. Chult isn't a "certainty" at this point. It's just a lot likelier than most of the other possibilities, a planar adventure being the next most likely (and the one I'd personally most like to see).

A planar adventure is really unlikely, but Planescape as a framing device for Midway seems really likely. At least to me.

Sent from my LG-D852 using EN World mobile app

 

[Jester David]

Every adventure path has featured a killer dungeon or two or three. Castle Ravenloft, the Giant Lords, the nodes of Elemental Evil, Tomb of Horrors, etc. And the fact that Tomb of Horrors was re-released this year makes a sequel even more likely. They want people to experience the original before they play the sequel.

They all have dungeons. But they don't all have story-less modular funnhouse dungeon designed to be run adverserially. We don't need a full year of Tomb of Horrors.

 

[Staffan]

Which does emphasize my point about the code names being meaningless. As I said earlier, they could be randomly decided and we'd still find a way to justify their association in some way or another...

"I find the Law of Fives to be more and more manifest the harder I look."

 

[Lidgar]

Reading Volos Guide last night, two things struck me:

1. There sure are a lot of fey creatures

2. There is a good amount of attention given to "Purple Rocks" (string of islands in the Forgotten Realms) and Kraken Priests

So count me in to speculate:

1. Dust = Fey oriented adventure

2. Midway = Nautical supplement/adventure, possibly with connections to Chult given all the Grungs, Frogoloths, etc.

 

[Henry]

A planar adventure is really unlikely, but Planescape as a framing device for Midway seems really likely. At least to me.

Sent from my LG-D852 using EN World mobile app

Y'know, Sigil is considered by many the Center (the "midway") of the Multiverse... making that a good bet, I agree.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Reading Volos Guide last night, two things struck me:

1. There sure are a lot of fey creatures

2. There is a good amount of attention given to "Purple Rocks" (string of islands in the Forgotten Realms) and Kraken Priests

So count me in to speculate:

1. Dust = Fey oriented adventure

2. Midway = Nautical supplement/adventure, possibly with connections to Chult given all the Grungs, Frogoloths, etc.

Actually, the Purple Rocks stuff could have meant to supplement SKT, as some of the action towards the end of the adventure takes place around the islands and involves a powerful aquatic enemy that could definitely be involved with creating the Volo's creatures.

Sent from my VS987 using EN World mobile app

 

[Remathilis]

They all have dungeons. But they don't all have story-less modular funnhouse dungeon designed to be run adverserially. We don't need a full year of Tomb of Horrors.

Return to the Tomb of Horrors and Tome of Horrors (4e) both show Accerack can be more than a final trap; they have good plots, multiple locations, exploration and planar elements, alongside the death traps. I'm sure a Chult-based Accerack adventure will have more in common with those than the infamous 1e tomb you're deriding.

 

[darjr]

The latest Lore You Should Know on the WoTC D&D podcast is all about Chult. They also mention there are things they can't say yet......