D&D 5E Implications of "Two Storylines Per Year...planned out to 2018"

[TerraDave]

They have also said they will do something with oline columns, and are looking at the online magazines...

IF that means these become a channel for more general stuff, smaller adventures, support for various settings, demonicon/bestiary type series, player and rules stuff (which they have implied is what "unearthed arcana" will be) then that would be OK. I mean, along with these story things.

If they occasionally compile materials from these plus some more into a Fiend Folio type hardback, all the better.

But I agree, storylines by themselves, not that interested.

 

[sgtscott658]

Huh? Just because it is set in 4E FR you can still change it back to pre what ever in your own campaign. Horde of the Dragon Queen is set in post 4E FR yet I have not noticed any effects from post 4E FR on both HotDQ and RoT. And if there was, I would dial it back before all that spellplague stuff happened.

Bottom line is dont let setting specific stuff hold you back from what you like, just change it to your liking. Too easy.

People love the AP-style from Paizo so why the worry about WotC?

I mainly worry I will not be able to use the new adventures at all because they tie in too much to the 4e-Faerun, which I will not ever be using.

 

[Mercurius]

In the past, Mearls has mentioned that there is going to be some sort of provision for fan publishing, but they weren't going to really address it until after the DMG was out.

Depending on their implementation, this could be a major way to cover the space that used to be covered by Dungeon magazine and the one-shot adventure space - a place to post fan-created adventures (maybe as PDF?), along with something in the line of an XP or voting system, so that fans get to note which adventures are good, so they tend to rise to the top, could be a very, very compelling thing.

Sounds like a great idea. My one worry is that it would quickly be flooded with a wash of mediocre-at-best stuff, but if they had handy sort menus (e.g. "Display only 4+ star adventures") then it could work out.

 

[Plaguescarred]

That is great news! I only hope those 7 other storylines are not all set in the Forgotten Realms but instead in other settings as well, like Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Eberron etc... Now that'd be coo!

 

[Plaguescarred]

Both seem to have two books, although ToD has two adventure books while SotA seems to have a mega-adventure book--presumably 300ish pages due to the $50 price tag--as well as an "Adventurer's Handbook;" its msrp of $40 makes me think this is probably going to be around 200 pages (192?).

FYI Chris Perkins said the following during D&D seminar at Gamehole Con regarding Storylines books;

"Not every story will necessarily include a player option type book."

https://twitter.com/GameholeCon/status/530827218356686848

 

[Mercurius]

[MENTION=6701422]Plaguescarred[/MENTION], yeah, I just read that. I'm wondering if it may still include a second book, just not player option. What about a region guide? A DM's sourcebook with monsters and treasure? Maybe just wishful thinking here.

 

[Morrus]

Both seem to have two books, although ToD has two adventure books while SotA seems to have a mega-adventure book-

ToD's player sourcebook (being the first one) is the Player's Handbook.

PotA is part of the Elemental Evil storyline, so there's at least one more adventure after PotA.

 

[Mercurius]

ToD's player sourcebook (being the first one) is the Player's Handbook.

PotA is part of the Elemental Evil storyline, so there's at least one more adventure after PotA.

I don't think that is necessarily true. PotA is $49.95, which leads me to believe that it is a pretty big book - probably around 300 pages - so that might be the whole storyline. I'm envisioning something akin to Rise of the Runelords, although maybe a bit smaller. But then you have the Adventurer's Handbook, so that would be two books. But you think there's another adventure book after PotA?

Now that I think of it, I'm not sure Mearls or Perkins has specified how many books each storyline would have. All we know is that ToD has two, but as you say that may only be because it came out along with the core rulebooks. We know Elemental Evil has at least two, but we don't know if there is a third. We also know that, from what Perkins said and Plaguescarred quoted, every storyline won't necessarily have a player's option book. So that leaves us with...nothing. At least one book, I suppose!

 

[Morrus]

I don't think that is necessarily true. PotA is $49.95, which leads me to believe that it is a pretty big book - probably around 300 pages - so that might be the whole storyline. I'm envisioning something akin to Rise of the Runelords, although maybe a bit smaller. But then you have the Adventurer's Handbook, so that would be two books. But you think there's another adventure book after PotA?

Yes. Otherwise the Elemental Evil storyline and PotA are the exact same thing, which makes no sense. One needs to be part of the other.

 

[Mercurius]

Yes. Otherwise the Elemental Evil storyline and PotA are the exact same thing, which makes no sense. One needs to be part of the other.

Ah, I see what I mean. I guess I thought that "Elemental Evil" might be more of the casual, working title than the official one. But you are saying that it is the official one ala Tyranny of Dragons, thus making PotA akin to Hoard of the Dragon Queen with a second part, "Rise of Tiamat," due out (probably) a couple months later.