Future of D&D Keynote Speech [UPDATE - with video!]

[Morrus]

The full video is available below. In the meantime, in the address masterfully moderated by Kevin 'Piratecat' Kulp:

• All back-catalog of D&D products from all editions to be made available again in electronic format.
• New six-book Forgotten Realms novel series called "The Sundering"
• Two FR adventures next year; WotC will collect results of the adventures played at home and the aggregate results will be what officially happens in the Realms.
• 75,000 fans have given playtest feedback for D&D Next. WotC anticipates a 2-year process.
• Starting tomorrow, they will be releasing levels 1-5 of the sorcerer and warlock classes to highlight two more magic systems.
  
  
  ​

[video=youtube;r2LE5w4ZO_k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2LE5w4ZO_k[/video]
​

 

[Pour]

So... everyone gets the kind of magic they want? And we get PDFs back? Sweet.

If I may, though, what do they plan products wise for the next two years? Or are PDFs going to see them through, you think? System neutral? System every?

 

[Dire Bare]

• All back-catalog of D&D products from all editions to be made available again as PDF.
• New six-book forgotten Realms novel series called "The Sundering"
• Two FR adventures next year; WotC will collect results of the adventures played at home and the aggregate results will be what officially happens in the Realms.
• 75,000 fans have given playtest feedback for D&D Next. WotC anticipates a 2-year process.
• Starting tomorrow, they will be releasing levels 1-3 of the sorcerer and warlock classes to highlight two more magic systems.​

Well, that was fun to watch!

Interesting that "The Sundering" is the latest edition-transitioning RSE, but is also the *last* RSE, with the shift in focus towards the players. Also, the purpose of "The Sundering" isn't so much to change the Realms to fit the new edition of the rules, but rather to "make the Realms right". Likely, the six books in the series will all be published before the playtest process is over.

And, a possible correction . . . if I heard correctly, Mearls did announce the return of digital publishing for D&D game books in early 2013, but I did not hear the term "PDF", I don't think anything was said about format.

 

[Dire Bare]

So... everyone gets the kind of magic they want? And we get PDFs back? Sweet.

If I may, though, what do they plan products wise for the next two years? Or are PDFs going to see them through, you think? System neutral? System every?

Beyond what Morris posted above, no other product announcements were made. But there are more seminars throughout the weekend, and there is bound to be more news.

 

[jaerdaph]

My father was ten minutes in to watching the keynote live video feed with me before realizing that DnDNext art director Jon Schindehette wasn't NY Yankees Manager Joe Girardi...

"Why is Joe Girardi talking about Dungeons & Dragons?"

 

[KesselZero]

The full video will be available very soon. In the meantime, in the address masterfully moderated by Kevin 'Piratecat' Kulp:

• All back-catalog of D&D products from all editions to be made available again as PDF.
• New six-book forgotten Realms novel series called "The Sundering"
• Two FR adventures next year; WotC will collect results of the adventures played at home and the aggregate results will be what officially happens in the Realms.
• 75,000 fans have given playtest feedback for D&D Next. WotC anticipates a 2-year process.
• Starting tomorrow, they will be releasing levels 1-3 of the sorcerer and warlock classes to highlight two more magic systems.​

• ​

Didn't they say they were releasing levels 1-5, not 1-3?

Also, in other news, Piratecat accidentally said "In Search of Adventure" rather than "In Search of the Unknown." Unless he was referring to the compilation that included a bit of "In Search of the Unknown," in which case he accidentally said "B1."

/compulsive wankerness

 

[Dire Bare]

[/LEFT]
[/LIST]
Didn't they say they were releasing levels 1-5, not 1-3?

Also, in other news, Piratecat accidentally said "In Search of Adventure" rather than "In Search of the Unknown." Unless he was referring to the compilation that included a bit of "In Search of the Unknown," in which case he accidentally said "B1."

/compulsive wankerness

PirateCat did say that if he screwed up, we'd yell at him. LET IT BEGIN!

And yes, I'm pretty sure they said Warlock and Sorcerer, levels 1-5, released Saturday.

 

[GilvanBlight]

Electronic Format does not necessarily mean PDF, it could mean something totally different only available to DDi subscribers who install some odd software only on Wednesdays.

 

[GX.Sigma]

Electronic Format does not necessarily mean PDF, it could mean something totally different only available to DDi subscribers who install some odd software only on Wednesdays.

Depressing but true (more likely a device-specific format with PitA DRM that makes it really annoying to do anything with). Better than nothing, I suppose.

I missed the live streams; any ideas when the recording will be up?

 

[Obryn]

For me, either .mobi (Kindle) or .epub (Nook) would be way better than PDF.

PDFs are pretty and all, but I'd give my right arm to get all my 4e books on my Kindle in a non-PDF format.

-O