D&D 5E Is there any indication that WotC will launch a new setting?

[hawkeyefan]

I think they've clearly said that they will introduce other settings, but that they will only do so when they're ready, and they'll likely try to do something a little different, with more mass appeal.

So they have indicated they'll do it...but how or when or which setting? We have no idea. No reason to expect it any time soon, I think. Their current model seems to be working well, so I think a change of focus like that seems to risky to justify at this point.

 

[Zippee]

I think they've clearly said that they will introduce other settings, but that they will only do so when they're ready, and they'll likely try to do something a little different, with more mass appeal..

I'm not aware of WotC saying that they will, all I've heard is them refusing to say they will not release a new setting, leaving it open (mainly to avoid the tirade that would follow any such statement I presume).

I think the only way a 'new' setting may materialise is in a specific AP such as CoS which is not really set anywhere but can sort of be gotten to from any setting. So some kind of planar AP is a possibility but what that would look like (Planescape, Spelljammer or something new) is open to debate.

Any non FR setting material released will be to provide open links that other settings can plug into, including vanilla FR. But those 'other settings' will be homebrew, third party or pre-existing.

Having one core setting (FR) plus a link hub (Planar) setting that third parties can plug into makes a degree of sense to me. Especially as it doesn't close the door on future official settings or weird AP landscapes.

 

[Remathilis]

I'm still surprised we haven't gotten the "Sampler Platter" book with a chapter each devoted to Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Dark Sun, Eberron, Sigil (for Planescape), and Ravenloft (outside Barovia), with a mechanical update for a few key areas (important monsters like draconians, races like warforged and kender) and maybe a few variant rules (dragonmarks, defiling, or power checks) to "whet" the appetite for non-FR settings and give some needed mechanical support to them for longtime players. If one proves to be popular, consider going there next for an AP or guidebook.

I was convinced this was coming the first UA about Eberron. But WotC seems to prefer to allude to these settings rather than give them a proper introduction in 5e, so...

 

[Parmandur]

They have been indicating lately that setting material will be primarily in Adventure Paths.

 

[Jester David]

I hope they can start a new setting search in the next year,or before 2030.

The last setting search was probably a one-off. Eberron is cool, but they have a huge wealth of existing settings they're not doing enough with without adding yet another setting to the mix. They're far, far, FAR more likely to return to Eberron or Al-Qadim or Kara Tur than they are do run another setting search.
Heck, the still own and have done nothing with the two runner ups from the contest.

Sorry. Not going to happen.

If you have an amazing idea for a fantasy setting that you think the whole gaming world will love, you'll just have to do what the rest of us do: self-publish. Write it, hire an editor, find some art (public domain or Creative commons: don't steal), lay it out, and send it to Lulu, createspace, or lightning source to print a copy.

 

[Jester David]

I'm still surprised we haven't gotten the "Sampler Platter" book with a chapter each devoted to Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Dark Sun, Eberron, Sigil (for Planescape), and Ravenloft (outside Barovia), with a mechanical update for a few key areas (important monsters like draconians, races like warforged and kender) and maybe a few variant rules (dragonmarks, defiling, or power checks) to "whet" the appetite for non-FR settings and give some needed mechanical support to them for longtime players. If one proves to be popular, consider going there next for an AP or guidebook.

I was convinced this was coming the first UA about Eberron. But WotC seems to prefer to allude to these settings rather than give them a proper introduction in 5e, so...

The big book of setting mechanics would be cool. It's what I've hoped to see for a while, as it's a good way to provide options that are inherently limited and not overwhelming to players or DMs, since by default they're not all assumed.

 

[jayoungr]

I think the best indication that they might do so is the fact that they haven't opened up any of the older official settings that don't currently have published 5E adventures to the DM's Guild. That suggests to me that they are at least considering releasing something official for those older settings.

 

[Parmandur]

I think the best indication that they might do so is the fact that they haven't opened up any of the older official settings that don't currently have published 5E adventures to the DM's Guild. That suggests to me that they are at least considering releasing something official for those older settings.

They continue to explicitly advise how to use all APs with other traditional settings and Homebrew: TftYP particularly.

Also, characters from Greyhawk in particular keep showing up...

 

[Storyteller Hero]

If one looks at the pattern of Unearthed Arcana play tests, there seems to be a strong indication that Eberron is going to get a sourcebook for 5e before the end of the 5e run.

 

[hawkeyefan]

I'm not aware of WotC saying that they will, all I've heard is them refusing to say they will not release a new setting, leaving it open (mainly to avoid the tirade that would follow any such statement I presume).

Whenever any of the primary designers are asked about settings, they say that they do plan on getting to them. But which settings and in what capacity and at what point....those details they do not share. I don't have any links to provide evidence, but I know I've read that on more than one occasion.

But, just because something is said to be part of the plan doesn't mean it actually will wind up happening.

Honestly, I see the introduction of any alternate setting as kind of a step back, in a way. And I say that as a fan of several of the settings. Currently they are doing what they can to expand the game and the player base. They're altering past models of how game material is presented and how it's divided along player/DM lines. They are trying to reach as broad an audience as possible.

Publishing a setting book is a shift away from that. It's a niche product that by definition will appeal to a smaller audience. It appeals to the nostalgia of fans who were around when those settings first appeared and also to a section of the main audience that may find the setting that's offered appealing.

So I'd only expect to see a product like that once sales have leveled and it seems they've got as large an audience as they're likely to get. Until then, it doesn't make any sense to spend the time amd resources on a product that won't have the same potential for mass appeal.

Unless they come up with a way to present setting material in a way that can also be a mass appeal book. They did a great job with Curse of Strahd, but other settings may be more challenging.