Eberron It Is? [UPDATED & CONFIRMED!]

As I said in the other thread, the question is now whether we're just going to see DMs Guild and PDF support, or whether, once the psionic and artificer rules are set, we'll be seeing something more substantial in the way of an actual published book. I have a feeling that once the necessary rules are in place (with a likely rules expansion book early next year for new classes and races), we'll be seeing a full book, and this is just to whet the appetite and get things started...

 

[qstor]

From Mearl's tweets I got the impression there will be separate hardcover book more focused on the five nations.

I can't see WotC doing this unless it was part of an adventure since they don't DO setting books anymore.

 

[HawaiiSteveO]

I am still a little skeptical about laying down $20 for the current resource pdf than I am concerned about the $ for purchasing Dragon Heist. I pretty much have the Eberron mechanics worked out in terms of races, dragonmarks, etc. so I don't know if I should spend my money now or wait until the playtesting is over and the real thing shows up.

If you have everything already I'd say you don't need it then. I'm new to Eberron and just finished skimming it first time around and I'm very impressed with what I've read. I'm not a Realms hater by any means, but the 'new' Eberron has a TOTALLY different feel and I can't wait to start playing. Really great stuff it's $20 not 2 grand!

I honestly don't get the whole 'play testing' fuss and bother.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Thanks for posting this!

I hope that once that is complete, the playtest designation will be removed.

Not sure if others have pointed out this big piece of info (no time to read whole thread at work). Wayfarer's Guide confirmed for eventual print version via DMs Guild Print-on-demand.

Check out @MikeMearls’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/mikemearls/status/1021493084536881159?s=09

 

[Demetrios1453]

I can't see WotC doing this unless it was part of an adventure since they don't DO setting books anymore.

Well, the Ravnica book may indicate that's changing.

 

[Parmandur]

I can't see WotC doing this unless it was part of an adventure since they don't DO setting books anymore.

They are releasing a setting book in November, and the post you quote is referring to the rest actively discussing plans for future setting books in public.

 

[flametitan]

I took a look at it on D&D Beyond (and pre-ordered Ravnica, despite my initial disappointment over no spelljammer)

I'm not even through the "What is Eberron?" chapter and I'm in love. I knew it was likely up my alley to begin with, but there's things in here I'm going to have to use, even if I don't run Eberron (specifically the Environmental Elements Sidebar. This should have been in the DMG, as it's another crucial element in bringing TotM games to life.) I'm a little disappointed at first that the stuff in here is technically UA, but there's enough of an overview to make it worth the money even without the crunch.

If you already have the books, I feel that this's not going to add enough (covering the world and crunch in only 176) pages to make it worth buying. Best hold off until wotc says the're confident with the feedback and announce that the crunch is in "finished form". If you're new to the world, like myself, and want to learn about it and why it's loved, however, it feels well worth the money.

(that reads more like a review than I meant it to be.)

 

[Tony Vargas]

One thing slightly perplexes me about the choice of Eberron (other than always wanting to type it Ebberon, IDK why I do that).

Eberron is a 'kitchen sink' kind of setting, it carefully made a place for /everything/ in D&D lore at the point it came out. 5e may be trying to appeal to fans of all editions, but it's not the kind of all-inclusive bloatware that cries out for a setting like Eberron (nor FR, nor Planescape, for that matter). A setting, like Dark Sun, that might introduce some new stuff that'd mostly just stay in Athas, would've made more sense. Same with Dragonlance. 5e's measured pace of output has kept it light/shallow on the kinds of options & universal lore that settings like FR/Eberron/Planescape (and I'm guessing Ravnica) are lousy with. The 5e design/publication philosophy and AL policy of Core+1 lend themselves much more to a series of settings that wouldn't be all-encompassing or cross-pollenate much, but be neatly self-contained in one supplement.

Maybe, they're actually going to hire another designer or few, and that pace of publication is going to pick up?

 

[flametitan]

One thing slightly perplexes me about the choice of Eberron (other than always wanting to type it Ebberon, IDK why I do that).

Eberron is a 'kitchen sink' kind of setting, it carefully made a place for /everything/ in D&D lore at the point it came out. 5e may be trying to appeal to fans of all editions, but it's not the kind of all-inclusive bloatware that cries out for a setting like Eberron (nor FR, nor Planescape, for that matter). A setting, like Dark Sun, that might introduce some new stuff that'd mostly just stay in Athas, would've made more sense. Same with Dragonlance. 5e's measured pace of output has kept it light/shallow on the kinds of options & universal lore that settings like FR/Eberron/Planescape (and I'm guessing Ravnica) are lousy with. The 5e design/publication philosophy and AL policy of Core+1 lend themselves much more to a series of settings that wouldn't be all-encompassing or cross-pollenate much, but be neatly self-contained in one supplement.

Maybe, they're actually going to hire another designer or few, and that pace of publication is going to pick up?

I don't necessarily think it means they'll ramp up production. Reading through it, "everything has a place," in WGtE seems to be more in the form of, "yeah, we can find a way for your character's race to exist in the world," rather than, "Oh yeah, we have everything! under the sun!" The possible ways to include races not mentioned in Eberron includes things like being a mutant borne from an artificier's experiment or the Mourning, or slipping your way into the world via planar convergence, making you one-of-a-kind. It takes pains to remind DMs that just because there's potential to fit in every race, that doesn't mean they have to be in significant enough quanities to really affect the world (Sharn is not a zoo), or even has to exist in Eberron.

Likewise, I think when most people call a setting a Kitchen Sink, it more represents the mishmash of conflicting themes, genres, and technology, like Golarion or the Forgotten Realms end up doing when you zoom out far enough. By contrast, while there's a place for everything in Eberron, Khorvaire itself is much more focused in the style of game it wants people to run in it. It wants to run swashbuckling pulp stories with noir elements, and it builds itself to benefit those kinds of stories.

 

[SkidAce]

.. Neither is hamfisted corporate IP-sharing products designed to "expand" the player-base, potentially at the expense of the core audience and the long-suffering fans who have put 5e in the position for its resurgence by buying the products to this point.

As a customer, I prefer to be engaged, not milked...

I am using your quote as an example...my point is not directed at you specifically....


Where the heck is this hamfisted evil corporate forced idea upon us to suck us dry of all money "muhahahahahahha" meme coming from.

I've wanted a MtG based setting since MtG came out.

I wanted and expected it when WotC took over.



As a customer, this is like forcing me to accept an ice cream cone on a hot day, THANKS!

 

[Demetrios1453]

Interesting, there's a section on gnolls in the PC race section, both detailing and posing questions on how to play a gnoll in Eberron. Given that it was said after Volo's that we wouldn't see playable gnolls in 5e, this is a bit of a surprise; I'm curious to see how it pans out, and when we will get the rules for character creation, as the section is currently all fluff.

(There's a section for PC minotaurs as well, but that's less of surprise, since 5e rules for playable minotaurs have of course already been released in UA)