Spelljammer I think Spelljammer will be more like Ravenloft then Strixhaven

[Parmandur]

Spelljammer would be awesome. I so wanna run games there.

I wanna roll up spheres and locations and sites ala Traveller.

I wanna visit strange new worlds aka Star Trek

I wanna have intense space fights aka Star Wars.

I wanna hunt and seek like Red October

And I wanna do it in D&D.

Don't forget sword fight on a ship deck with giant insects and oozes! Just...like...something?

 

[overgeeked]

Spelljammer would be awesome. I so wanna run games there.

I wanna roll up spheres and locations and sites ala Traveller.

I wanna visit strange new worlds aka Star Trek

I wanna have intense space fights aka Star Wars.

I wanna hunt and seek like Red October

And I wanna do it in D&D.

Right. Travel to new crystal spheres where the laws of physics are different. Rescue a person from a bygone age adrift in the phlogiston. Explore the remains of a dead god. Find crystal spheres where the stars are really great cities inhabited by alien creatures or great bowls of fire held aloft by huge statues of forgotten gods.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

The big thing about Spelljammer is the elevator pitch. It's a setting that mixes fantasy age of sail with all that implies for trading, piracy, and having a home ship that you can make yours. That's the point of releasing it - it was an amazing hook in 1989 and is an excellent hook today.

I'll add in weird alien stuff and the fact that it connects the Prime Material Plane settings to each other.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Not really, no. It's so much more than that.

I agree that it's a strong hook. No argument there. But Spelljammer isn't only that hook. It's so much more than that. Like Ravenloft isn't only gothic horror D&D. Nor is Dark Sun only post-apocalyptic survival horror D&D. They're so...so much more than the simple and reductive hook each presents.

Exactly don't confuse the hook for the totality of a setting.

 

[Tonguez]

The Last time Spelljammer was discussed I did my own proposal for a Box set so

Book 1 Astrogators Guide
1 Introduction
2 Spacefaring Life (Character Options)

• PCs as Merchants, Diplomats, Explorers and PiratesFreebooters
• Class & Background

3 Factions and Empires

• Known Races (and how to tweak them)
• New Races

4 Technology, Equipment and Society

Book 2 Spelljammers Manual
5 Building a Ship
6 The Crew - Roles on a Ship
7 Ship Movement and Naval Combat
8 Gravity, Air, Adrift in the Rainbow Sea <could be side bars>
9 Spells, Prayer and Patrons

Book 3 Campaigns in the Rainbow Sea
10 Building a Universe (Systems, Spheres, Planes)
11 Many Worlds - Planets, Factions and Trade
12 The Rock of Bral (Adventure)
13 Maps and Displays
14 Space Lairs (Adventure Seeds)

 

[overgeeked]

The Last time Spelljammer was discussed I did my own proposal for a Box set so

Book 1 Astrogators Guide
1 Introduction
2 Spacefaring Life (Character Options)

• PCs as Merchants, Diplomats, Explorers and PiratesFreebooters
• Class & Background

3 Factions and Empires

• Known Races (and how to tweak them)
• New Races

4 Technology, Equipment and Society

Book 2 Spelljammers Manual
5 Building a Ship
6 The Crew - Roles on a Ship
7 Ship Movement and Naval Combat
8 Gravity, Air, Adrift in the Rainbow Sea <could be side bars>
9 Spells, Prayer and Patrons

Book 3 Campaigns in the Rainbow Sea
10 Building a Universe (Systems, Spheres, Planes)
11 Many Worlds - Planets, Factions and Trade
12 The Rock of Bral (Adventure)
13 Maps and Displays
14 Space Lairs (Adventure Seeds)

I would absolutely love if the "new format" they're hinting at is a return of boxed sets. Though I think they specifically said it wasn't a boxed set.

 

[Parmandur]

I would absolutely love if the "new format" they're hinting at is a return of boxed sets. Though I think they specifically said it wasn't a boxed set.

He only specified that it was physical print, not digital. I tend to think he means internal organization will be a bit different, as Ravenloft and Strixhaven were compared to earlier Setting books.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Not really, no. It's so much more than that.

I agree that it's a strong hook. No argument there. But Spelljammer isn't only that hook. It's so much more than that. Like Ravenloft isn't only gothic horror D&D. Nor is Dark Sun only post-apocalyptic survival horror D&D. They're so...so much more than the simple and reductive hook each presents.

There is more to Spelljammer than the hook - but the hook rather than the depth is why Spelljammer would appear to be more on the agenda than Planescape, Greyhawk, or Mystara when I believe each of them had far more fans.

 

[humble minion]

A 5e incarnation of Spelljammer would be making a mistake if it paid too much attention to the worlds and planets within the setting, imho. Spelljammer is about being in space - the focus should be predominately on your ship, the other guy's ship, the clockwork gnome space stations, the seedy asteroid-belt taverns etc. The emphasis should be on doing space stuff in the space setting, not just using a set of space travel rules to work out how long it takes to get from Waterdeep to steampunk India planet so you can raid a dungeon there, while maybe having a space-based random encounter or two on the way.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

A 5e incarnation of Spelljammer would be making a mistake if it paid too much attention to the worlds and planets within the setting, imho. Spelljammer is about being in space - the focus should be predominately on your ship, the other guy's ship, the clockwork gnome space stations, the seedy asteroid-belt taverns etc. The emphasis should be on doing space stuff in the space setting, not just using a set of space travel rules to work out how long it takes to get from Waterdeep to steampunk India planet so you can raid a dungeon there, while maybe having a space-based random encounter or two on the way.

I have no doubt there will be plenty of in space stuff like different spelljammers.