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...

 

[jasper]

Note. It is not Adventure League legal at this time.

 

[Jester David]

Crunch: Four new races, one new background, a new weapon, 3 feats, eighteen or so magic items.
Some optional rules in sidebars.

Plus the Dragonmarks, which are kinda racial substitution features.

 

[Ath-kethin]

I'm definitely interested, but I don't know if I'm $20 worth of interested.

 

[jasper]

Ok, I'm officially a prophet, who wants to join a new, fantastic religion? we have biscuits.

Is that biscuits with sausage gravy?
red eye gravy
or tomatoe gravy?

 

[variant]

So Ravnica of all things is getting a hardcover, but not Eberron? Has Wizards of the Coast lost their minds?

 

[God]

This is an odd move to me.

I feel like there will be a lot of people who like both Ravnica and Eberron and lots who like neither.

I would have thought (and hoped) that they would release 2 settings which are very different from each other.

Alas I have struck out on these releases but congrats to those who are getting what they wanted.

It's a bean-counting move (at least the Magic: The Gathering part, and probably Eberron, too).

Say they instead released an update of a really good setting, like Planescape, Greyhawk or Dark Sun. Many fans of those settings, if still active in D&D, would already be adopters of 5E due to its 1E/2E callbacks -- 5E is already much closer to the original than anything for the past 20 years. So by putting out a new <insert awesome 1E/2E campaign setting> sourcebook, they're basically getting some percentage of existing customers to buy one book.

With the Ravnica book, they don't really care at all about D&D fans, although some will gobble it up just because it's a new book with a little crunch. The target market is Magic players who can be lured into D&D -- each of whom represents 2+ books sold, as they'll need a PHB + Ravnica. And given the stereotypical mindset of CCG players, WotC's probably betting that most will pick up all the books, to get access to all the toys/crunch/exploits.

So that one, at least, isn't about pleasing existing customers but rather attracting new ones.

The Eberron decision is a little more puzzling, but I assume they have some demographic data suggesting late 3.5-era players who cut their teeth on Eberron are a prime market. Players who started playing as teens in the early-2000s would be in their early 30s now? Prime time for nostalgia + disposable income. Maybe there are more Eberron 3.5 holdouts, since it was never converted to 4E and doesn't naturally dovetail with 5E like the earlier campaign settings do?

 

[HawaiiSteveO]

I'm definitely interested, but I don't know if I'm $20 worth of interested.

Picked up DDB version, used code NEVERWINTER to get 25% off. Reading it now, really digging it.

 

[DQDesign]

Is that biscuits with sausage gravy?
red eye gravy
or tomatoe gravy?

they are Italian biscuits encompassing wine and olive oil.

 

[Ath-kethin]

It's a bean-counting move (at least the Magic: The Gathering part, and probably Eberron, too).

Say they instead released an update of a really good setting, like Planescape, Greyhawk or Dark Sun. Many fans of those settings, if still active in D&D, would already be adopters of 5E due to its 1E/2E callbacks -- 5E is already much closer to the original than anything for the past 20 years. So by putting out a new <insert awesome 1E/2E campaign setting> sourcebook, they're basically getting some percentage of existing customers to buy one book.

With the Ravnica book, they don't really care at all about D&D fans, although some will gobble it up just because it's a new book with a little crunch. The target market is Magic players who can be lured into D&D -- each of whom represents 2+ books sold, as they'll need a PHB + Ravnica. And given the stereotypical mindset of CCG players, WotC's probably betting that most will pick up all the books, to get access to all the toys/crunch/exploits.

So that one, at least, isn't about pleasing existing customers but rather attracting new ones.

The Eberron decision is a little more puzzling, but I assume they have some demographic data suggesting late 3.5-era players who cut their teeth on Eberron are a prime market. Players who started playing as teens in the early-2000s would be in their early 30s now? Prime time for nostalgia + disposable income. Maybe there are more Eberron 3.5 holdouts, since it was never converted to 4E and doesn't naturally dovetail with 5E like the earlier campaign settings do?

Your dismissal of Eberron as not "a really good setting" is telling, especially given your error in stating the setting was not updated for 4e - Eberron had a Player's Guide, a Campaign Guide, and an adventure in 4e, same as Dark Sun.

It's also worth noting that this PDF is explicitly called out as playtest material in its Introduction (apparently by Keith Baker?). Which means in some ways it's even worse than you mention: this is a $20 Unearthed Arcana installment.

But as a huge fan of both Eberron and weird fantasy (from whence the setting sprang), I'm all in.

 

[abetterway]

Maybe there are more Eberron 3.5 holdouts, since it was never converted to 4E ...

Eberon was slightly supported in 4E: Eberron Player's Guide: A 4th Edition D&D Supplement