D&D 5E Grumbling about New (and Announced) Releases

[Retreater]

I didn't want to rain on the parade in the thread about the newly announced Critical Role adventure, but I'm just not excited at all about it - or for that matter the Dragon book, the Feywild adventure, or the upcoming magic college setting.

Some could perhaps attribute this to burn-out - after all, I've purchased (and used) many of the official 5e books over the years. However, I think there's something more to it. I still look at third party stuff for my once-in-a-blue-moon 5e game. I get excited about releases for other systems. I eagerly backed Level Up.

I think it's the high magic feel.

Anyone else feel similarly?

 

[TerraDave]

There is a lightening of tone. Candlekeep mysteries also fits that (and has a high magic premise).

I will probably not buy any of those books--you never know--but I probably wasn't going to in any case. I will probably get the Goodman Games Temple of Elemental Evil, also to your point.

Overall, 5e is a pretty magicy edition. But more is coming, and they seem to be doing more, so we will see.

 

[J.Quondam]

Yeah, a little bit. I can appreciate where you're coming from.

For me, at least, I don't think it's necessarily to do with "high magic" (though I'm definitely a low-magic kind of guy). Rather, I think it's just a run of topics that don't particularly interest me. I'm not into CR or MTG, so those two are out. I'm on the fence about Witchlight. And perhaps my deepest, darkest D&D secret is that (deep breath) I don't really care for dragons, and never have. So Fizban's is meh for me. To each their own!

But... I do think that, as far as I'm concerned, it's no more that a string of personal misses. And honestly, I like that, because it means I'm looking at quite a while of saving some money or getting other non-WotC or non-D&D stuff. Meanwhile, other gamers are getting their goodies, so the hobby stays healthy and happy.

All told, I look at it as a win-win.

 

[not-so-newguy]

Wasn't there something about Dark Tower and Goodman Games?

 

[Parmandur]

I didn't want to rain on the parade in the thread about the newly announced Critical Role adventure, but I'm just not excited at all about it - or for that matter the Dragon book, the Feywild adventure, or the upcoming magic college setting.

Some could perhaps attribute this to burn-out - after all, I've purchased (and used) many of the official 5e books over the years. However, I think there's something more to it. I still look at third party stuff for my once-in-a-blue-moon 5e game. I get excited about releases for other systems. I eagerly backed Level Up.

I think it's the high magic feel.

Anyone else feel similarly?

Honestly, I just get more excited with every book. Every time I start to cool off, they do something off the wall to hook me again.

I mean...a book, all about Dragons. Just Dragons. Awesome.

 

[commandercrud]

I was with you until you said "eagerly backed Level Up."

 

[Cadence]

My 12 yo is really excited about the Dragons and Strixhaven. (In answer to another thread, I usually only use the PhB and MM).

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Well, the problem for me isn't that I'm losing interest... it's just there's too many books now! We used to get a book every quarter, but now we're getting books every month.

Not really, but I bought Witchlight and haven't finished reading it. Fizban's comes out next week, Strixhaven in December, and now this CR book in March. No way I'm catching up with that release schedule, so I'm skipping some of these even though they all appeal to me at least a little.

Plus, there are older books I've still got some interest in, like Storm King's Thunder or Ravnica.

So I've got too many products to buy, too little time to read them all. And it sounds like the release schedule is only going to increase!

 

[Keefe the Thief]

I'm the other way around. I never really cared about the too traditional books. Reprinting old adventures etc. But now there are some really interesting campaign options coming. A true feywild campaign. Playing in a magical school.

These are core tropes of fantasy, yet D&D has apparently always shied away from. Now we get them, and I am excited.

I wonder how Planescape would be received if it was released today for the first time. I'm pretty sure that lots of people would grumble about this non-standard setting with the weird semi-goth art and a total rewrite of the planes.

 

[schm0]

There is a lightening of tone. Candlekeep mysteries also fits that (and has a high magic premise).

They also just released Ravenloft and Rime of the Frost Maiden, two very bleak and dark books. I don't think the tone is lightening as much as you think it is.