Info from the 2006 May to August WotC Catalog

[RichGreen]

Here you go
January through April Releases

Thanks! Better stuff in May to August than the first four months, I reckon.

Cheers


Richard

 

[The Shaman]

Roleplaying
May
d20 Critical Locations Locations of adventure for any d20 Modern campaign.
d20 Critical Locations features 40 full-color maps of interesting modern locations, valuable to any d20 Modern campaign. Beautifully rendered by cartographer Christopher West and ready for use in any d20 Modern game, each map comes with adventure hooks and pregenerated supporting characters. Some maps appeared previously in Polyhedron Magazine, but most are new for this product.
By Christopher West, Eric Cagle, and Owen K.C. Stephens; 96 pages, $19.95.

May?!?

This is supposed to be the fourth of four Modern books for 2005, not a second-quarter release in 2006 - the Wizards preview page still shows it as a December 2005 release.

:\

 

[Darrin Drader]

Mysteries of the Moonsea The first in-depth look at this classic Forgotten REalms region in many years.
Mysteries of the Moonsea offers in in-depth look at one of the most important regions of the Forgotten Realms. The Moonsea region is full of wealth and peril. It is home to the nefarious Zhentil Keep, the merchant city of Melvaunt, and the mysterious Ironfang Keep. Mysteries of the Moonsea includes a history of the region, detailed information on the major towns and adveture locations, the important figures and groups that operate in and around the Moonsea, new spells and monsters specific to the area, and tips for Dungeon Masters on running a campaign set in the region.
by Sean K Reynolds, Thomas M. Reid, Darrin Drader, Wil Upchurch; 160 pages, $29.95

This is a new approach for an FR region book. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say that I think Kamikaze Midget would find it.... innovative. Don't expect the same old fare from this book.

 

[Staffan]

This is a new approach for an FR region book. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say that I think Kamikaze Midget would find it.... innovative. Don't expect the same old fare from this book.

So, what's the "new approach"? The description sounds like it's similar to Silver Marches or Unapproachable East, but seeing as you have an inside perspective...

 

[Darrin Drader]

So, what's the "new approach"? The description sounds like it's similar to Silver Marches or Unapproachable East, but seeing as you have an inside perspective...

I can't really elaborate other than to say that this is really not like any other Forgotten Realms books to date. I'm sure that some will like the format of the book while there will be others who will not be pleased, but that's pretty much normal for D&D books anyway.

 

[Menexenus]

Thanks for the news Thalmin! Looking forward to...well, all of them! Gotta ask though - does anybody else find the price jump from gargantuan to colossal a little too extreme? I mean, I'm enough of a fan to buy the black for $25, but I'll think twice about paying $50 for a colossal mini! (And then I'll probably buy it anyway but still...ouch!!)

My thoughts *exactly* (except for the part where "I'll probably buy it anyway")!

 

[Hellcow]

Since Keith Baker has a hand in it, I think it won't be a wash, but I'm not so sure I like the idea of elaborating on the one area that has been set aside for DMs to make their own.

Don't worry. Secrets of Xen'drik is designed to be a toolbox: things you can choose to use or not, as fits the needs of the game. Xen'drik should always be the place where you can add your own lost city or previously unknown culture, and SoX doesn't change that; it just provides use with tools and locations you can choose to use, and more information about cultures and history that have already been mentioned. But the goal is to broaden your options as a DM, not to reduce them.

And for the record, it's Richard Baker on Tome of Battle, not me.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Don't be so sure. Xen'drik is where House Cannith's original fortunes came from, where the warforged components and docents come from, and where it's rumored the schemas for warforged came from. All in all, I think we may be getting some information on how the giants originally invented warforged, or how there's an ancient warforged homeland in Xen'drik, or something similar. This book should be ever more warforgedey than the previous selections.

And now you've gone and made me all nervous about it...

Someday there'll be an Eberron book for us who aren't a fan of Warforged....someday....

 

[Anti-Sean]

And now you've gone and made me all nervous about it...

Someday there'll be an Eberron book for us who aren't a fan of Warforged....someday....

You mean like when Sharn: City of Towers, Five Nations, and the Explorers Handbook are finally released?

Races of Eberron had a great deal of Warforged content, since that was its point. Magic of Eberron had a few (one?) warforged related feats, and that's about it - perhaps a handful of magic items (unless you want to count some of the artificer/House Cannith backstory and Renegade Mastermaker PrC). Each of the three books listed above had a nominal amount of information re: warforged and their place in the setting, as it related to each book (stat blocks for NPCs, etc.). I don't see that any of them were overflowing with warforged-specific details to such an extent that it would be a detriment to anyone who wanted to downplay/remove warforged from their game entirely. Each book most likely also had warforged included in several pieces of art, but that's going to be difficult to escape, and should affect your ability to use the setting far less that warforged related crunch or fluff.

I can dig that you're not a warforged fan, but I just don't see the overabundance of warforged stuff that you do. Granted, as a fan of them, my view is likely biased in the opposite direction.

 

[MrFilthyIke]

Player's Handbook II

d20 Critical Locations

Dungeons & Dragons Player's Kit

Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss

Mysteries of the Moonsea

Monster Manual IV

Secrets of Xen'drik

d20 Spectaculars

Tome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords

D&D Icons Gargantuan Black Dragon

D&D Icons Colossal Red Dragon

Looks like a good year for me so far! Like to looks and topics covered.