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

[Bolares]

The Critical Role campaign just isn’t for me. I like Critical Role as a passive form of entertainment, but I have no desire to play in that world myself. I imagine my feelings towards Critical Role is similar to how some folks feel about published settings in general - that feeling of “why would I want to run a game in Matt Mercer’s setting? Sure, it’s got some cool ideas, but it isn’t mine.”

This is how I feel about campaigns in FR. I could give less of a sh*t about that world, but all the adventures (almost all) are set there, so I focus on the story an leave the setting to the background in my game. That's what I'll probably do with this, not because I don't like Exandria, but because my group doesn't watch CR and wouldn't care mucha bout the setting.

 

[AverageMojito]

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.

This is a gem. Around here? With horror and despair, perhaps? I find the idea very amusing.

The Critical Role campaign just isn’t for me. I like Critical Role as a passive form of entertainment, but I have no desire to play in that world myself. I imagine my feelings towards Critical Role is similar to how some folks feel about published settings in general - that feeling of “why would I want to run a game in Matt Mercer’s setting? Sure, it’s got some cool ideas, but it isn’t mine.”

Well, if you've played any adventure published for 5e (and most of D&D history), you've played in someone else's setting. All major 5E AP were played in Ed Greenwood's home setting (admittedly, a very different Realms from his home Realms for a while now). The highly praised classic modules were played in Gygax's or Arneson's home setting. So, not exactly a new thing.

 

[grimslade]

I am surprised the Dragon book took this long to come out. It is a popular book in every edition and half the name of the game. I definitely don't need it, but it may have ideas to mine for other BBEGs.
Strixhaven has too much that I want to strip mine for campaigns. I am genuinely intrigued to see the setting in TTRPG form.
I don't normally buy the adventure campaign books, but Wild Beyond the WitchLight is too different not to get. I don't see it as the harbinger of future content but it would be nice to have a variety of styles to the adventure paths.
The Exandria AP is probably a pass for me. I liked the Wildmount book, but I haven't used a single thing from it, nor campaigned in the world. Maybe, I will eventually watch a Critical Role session and be intrigued, but not on my purchasing radar now.
Spelljammer or Planejammer teased with the newest UA races or dark horse perpetual contender DarkSun will be hard to pass up.

 

[FrozenNorth]

A bit off topic but what did you find most enjoyable with Wildemount? From an outsider's perspective I saw a high fantasy world that takes inspiration from pre-renaissance Europe. That's a pretty saturated space even for someone like me who enjoys that stuff. Is there anything particularly interesting game or mechanics-wise?

I was looking to answer this post, but I answered it in a different thread.

One innovation that seemed to have started in the Wildemount setting guide was adding two or three adventure hooks at each location described. I found this very useful.

I also really like the fact that while the Dwendelian empire was very “standard European-centric fantasy”, the other areas seemed different. Xhorhas didn’t feel like a European empire with a different coat of paint (and the implication of the Luxen were pretty cool), the Menagerie Coast definitely had more of a Polynesian feel, and the Biting North seemed to revolve around survival and exploration rather than pillaging and raiding.

 

[Retreater]

Well, if you've played any adventure published for 5e (and most of D&D history), you've played in someone else's setting. All major 5E AP were played in Ed Greenwood's home setting (admittedly, a very different Realms from his home Realms for a while now). The highly praised classic modules were played in Gygax's or Arneson's home setting. So, not exactly a new thing.

My discounting of CR material is that - while I'm not a fan - a number of my players are. They will know more about the setting than I will, and the comparisons to how Matt Mercer runs his game is something I don't want.
I also don't like running things in other established campaign settings the players are familiar with. I want to make it my own, I want them to be surprised when they encounter NPCs and locations.

 

[Bolares]

My discounting of CR material is that - while I'm not a fan - a number of my players are. They will know more about the setting than I will, and the comparisons to how Matt Mercer runs his game is something I don't want.
I also don't like running things in other established campaign settings the players are familiar with. I want to make it my own, I want them to be surprised when they encounter NPCs and locations.

Well, if it counts for something, it seems that most of this adventure will take place in a part of the world CR has not explored so much yet (but will explore in campaign 3)

 

[Parmandur]

To be fair, I suspect it will be more American College than British public school. Fewer cold showers.

One of the criticisms the Magic Set got was excessive American-cebtricness that the designers weren't even aware of: all American College tropes, turned out to be very different from global players experiences.

 

[Retreater]

Well, if it counts for something, it seems that most of this adventure will take place in a part of the world CR has not explored so much yet (but will explore in campaign 3)

So by the time it's published and I would get around to running it, I'd likely have the same problem.
My wife is a CR fan, however. So if any of you plan to run it online, she'd like to play it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

One of the criticisms the Magic Set got was excessive American-cebtricness that the designers weren't even aware of: all American College tropes, turned out to be very different from global players experiences.

People write what they know. I don't see anything wrong with that. I would rather that than have them make a pigs ear of trying to make it British. To non-Americans it has novelty value. There are some things that might need more explanation though.

 

[Parmandur]

My discounting of CR material is that - while I'm not a fan - a number of my players are. They will know more about the setting than I will, and the comparisons to how Matt Mercer runs his game is something I don't want.
I also don't like running things in other established campaign settings the players are familiar with. I want to make it my own, I want them to be surprised when they encounter NPCs and locations.

That's how I feel about playing in any media Setting too (bad experience with the Wheel of Time RPG in College). However, the advantage that the Critical Role book has is that the serial numbers can be easily filed off, and there's still a lot of generally applicable DM prep material to repurpose.