D&D 5E Is the new setting Icewind Dale?

@Birmy pointed out this Reddit comment.

Add that to the image WotC put out with the upcoming announcement.

And they're selling apparel featuring a snowy owlbear.

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[Ralif Redhammer]

Though I still think Icewind Dale more probable, see, this brings me back to my hope for the Bloodstone Lands. After all, that location was used in modules that incorporated the old Battlesystem rules. If it's going to focus on mass combat, we could see a return to Vaasa and Damara, Zhengyi the Witch-King and Orcus.

We know from past comments a next book will have a focus on towns, their heraldry and their militia. Many thought of the Dales, but a gazetteer of the Ten-Towns (mostly a reprint ++ of the stuff from LotCS) with a cool campaign based around the idea of raising the Ten Towns against the forces of the Shadow King or some other threats would be cool (with rules for mass combat). Or maybe a compilation of old adventures based in a cold or mountain setting, like Saltmarsh did for coastal adventures.

 

[Azzy]

Well, I don't think that IWD will be the "new setting", but instead the setting of the new adventure and accompanying story-line.

Been playing a lot of Neverwinter lately, and spending a lot of time in Icewind Dale. So I'm not sure if I'm going like an IWD adventure or hate it (from being overdosed on IWD). But I guess I'll have to convince someone to run it so I can convert my NW character to D&D.

 

[Traycor]

I'm sure NWN did sell more - I was thinking strictly in terms of the Infinity Engine games (Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate 2, Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale 2, and Planescape: Torment).

Icewind Dale very probably sold fewer units than NWN, but it may have actually been more profitable. It was a comparatively cheap game to make, re-using BG's engine & assets to make a much simpler hack & slash dungeon crawl game. NWN was way more ambitious and introduced the Aurora Engine, which was revolutionary at the time (although I kinda like the older games better personally).

NWN would have been more profitable. That game was the father of modern-day microtransactions in games. They were selling the new modules, even bringing in other companies to make them. It was a big deal at the time, and every company saw $$$.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

In context, and seeing the schedule for the weekend, I believe they are talking about Theros.

Check the grammar: "Fans of D&D will learn all about the new setting and storyline"

The definite article. And only one "the". There is only one subject.

If it referred to two separate things is should read "Fans of D&D will learn all about the new setting and the new storyline"

Now, it's not impossible that they made a grammatical error, but Occam's razor suggests the simpler explanation - that it means what it says - is more likely to be correct.

I'm sure they will talk about Theros as well as the Icewind Dale combined storyline and setting book though. The real mystery is do mind flayers lurk beneath Icewind Dale?

 

[Parmandur]

Check the grammar: "Fans of D&D will learn all about the new setting and storyline"

The definite article. And only one "the". There is only one subject.

If it referred to two separate things is should read "Fans of D&D will learn all about the new setting and the new storyline"

Now, it's not impossible that they made a grammatical error, but Occam's razor suggests the simpler explanation - that it means what it says - is more likely to be correct.

I'm sure they will talk about Theros as well as the Icewind Dale combined storyline and setting book though. The real mystery is do mind flayers lurk beneath Icewind Dale?

English is a deliciously ambiguous language, but given the overall context and having read a bunch of Greg Tito's work, I'd say Occam's Razor favors sloppy grammar here.

Mind Flayers and Icewind Dale are actually already a thing established in the past, so it certainly would be no tremendous leap.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Check the grammar: "Fans of D&D will learn all about the new setting and storyline"

The definite article. And only one "the". There is only one subject.

If it referred to two separate things is should read "Fans of D&D will learn all about the new setting and the new storyline"

Now, it's not impossible that they made a grammatical error, but Occam's razor suggests the simpler explanation - that it means what it says - is more likely to be correct.

I'm sure they will talk about Theros as well as the Icewind Dale combined storyline and setting book though. The real mystery is do mind flayers lurk beneath Icewind Dale?

C.f. “Cruel and unusual punishments.”

 

[Mercurius]

Oh, I see this is where the ouroboric speculation about the "new setting" is currently happening. Love the excessive scrutiny a few simple words are getting.

I still think the most likely explanation is Theros.

 

[Parmandur]

Oh, I see this is where the ouroboric speculation about the "new setting" is currently happening. Love the excessive scrutiny a few simple words are getting.

I still think the most likely explanation is Theros.

Yeah, probably. I mean, the storyline will be set somewhere, and the tealeaves suggest Icewind Dale, but that's not a "new setting" the way that Theros is.

 

[The Glen]

I would think that Neverwinter Nights or Planescape: Torment had IWD beat, but maybe you're right.

Funny thing about the D&D video games, for products sold the winner is actually Chronicles of Mystara.

 

[Mercurius]

Yeah, probably. I mean, the storyline will be set somewhere, and the tealeaves suggest Icewind Dale, but that's not a "new setting" the way that Theros is.

Or:

"New" means unlikely to be in the Realms.
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Theros is new to D&D, and comes out a month after this stream, so even if they have another new setting coming down the pike, why would they be talking about the next new setting and not the impending one?
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They've already got two settings for 2020; if they do publish four books, would they really make three of them settings?
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Theros.​

Its Theros, folks.

(Probably)