D&D 5E Is there even a new D&D setting?

Though we’ve been speculating about what the new setting recently pre-announced for D&D might or might not be (Icewind Dale being one suggestion), there's some doubt about whether it exists at all!

The press release that was sent out said:

Fans of D&D will learn all about the new setting and storyline as well as accompanying new products

The web page for the event says:

Fans of D&D will learn all about the new storyline as well as accompanying new products

The word “setting” is missing from the web page, but exists in the press release. The text is the same otherwise.

I don’t know which order the two were written in, or if the latter changed, or if the former contains extra information.

 

[pming]

Hiya!

Huh. Seems everyone immediately jumped on the "New Setting!!! SQWEEEEE!!!!!"...and pretty much..."...oh...and a storyline thing... meh...I guess that's cool...'ish...."

Then the revise the statement and take out "setting".

Well, seems to me that if I was in charge of D&D...well, the writing is on the wall. Virtually EVERYONE wants a new setting. Not virtually everyone wants a new storyline. I mean, D&D isn't about people buying other peoples imagination...it's about using your own. It's one of he main reasons I've bought all of zero 5e books past PHB, DMG, MM. I have very little interest in a "fully fleshed out story...but put into railroad-style-adventure format". They are fun on occasion, when nobody wants to really 'get serious' or do much thinking, and just want to mostly turn off their brain and 'follow the breadcrumbs' to see where the pre-determined story goes. Then sure. I've ran Pathfinder "Adventure Paths" and had a blast. But I/we can only stomach that sort of...hmmm...how to say it.... "expected play style" for so long. Fun while it lasts, but I/we really enjoy a MUCH more open-ended style of play (re: "evil wizard, in that tower, making monsters and testing them on the village below....get 'em!"...where all the details, NPC motivations, NPC reactions, PC 'solutions', etc is all up for grabs and form organically through play).

Anyway. My point was...everyone seems to be far more excited about a setting. I wonder if that's why they removed it; to temper expectations. I don't think it will be as bad as "Diablo Immortal" bad...but...
A new setting? Yeah, THAT I might be interested in spending $100 on. Another "adventure path'esq hardback storytime adventure" for $60? No...not even for half that.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Hiya!

Huh. Seems everyone immediately jumped on the "New Setting!!! SQWEEEEE!!!!!"...and pretty much..."...oh...and a storyline thing... meh...I guess that's cool...'ish...."

Then the revise the statement and take out "setting".

Well, seems to me that if I was in charge of D&D...well, the writing is on the wall. Virtually EVERYONE wants a new setting. Not virtually everyone wants a new storyline. I mean, D&D isn't about people buying other peoples imagination...it's about using your own. It's one of he main reasons I've bought all of zero 5e books past PHB, DMG, MM. I have very little interest in a "fully fleshed out story...but put into railroad-style-adventure format". They are fun on occasion, when nobody wants to really 'get serious' or do much thinking, and just want to mostly turn off their brain and 'follow the breadcrumbs' to see where the pre-determined story goes. Then sure. I've ran Pathfinder "Adventure Paths" and had a blast. But I/we can only stomach that sort of...hmmm...how to say it.... "expected play style" for so long. Fun while it lasts, but I/we really enjoy a MUCH more open-ended style of play (re: "evil wizard, in that tower, making monsters and testing them on the village below....get 'em!"...where all the details, NPC motivations, NPC reactions, PC 'solutions', etc is all up for grabs and form organically through play).

Anyway. My point was...everyone seems to be far more excited about a setting. I wonder if that's why they removed it; to temper expectations. I don't think it will be as bad as "Diablo Immortal" bad...but...
A new setting? Yeah, THAT I might be interested in spending $100 on. Another "adventure path'esq hardback storytime adventure" for $60? No...not even for half that.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

Part of the reason people are more excited for settings is that we just expect a new storyline announced this time every year (it's been like this for years). The new settings thing is still fairly new in the timeline of 5E.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

I see them at all my local bookstores but they seem to be left overs from WOTC backroom. I don't think anyone has the Dragonlance license for novels. WOTC is still selling Ebooks though.

Yes all of Dragonlance is out of print so any you see in stores were printed probably a decade ago. I think the last book was Dragons of the Hourglass Mage

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

I'm still holding out for Desert of Desolation (even though that's not just its title, but also a pretty good description of the chance it will actually happen).

 

[Parmandur]

Yes all of Dragonlance is out of print so any you see in stores were printed probably a decade ago. I think the last book was Dragons of the Hourglass Mage

WotC hasn't put out any new novels for Dragonlance since 2011, but near as I can tell the original trilogy is still in print.

 

[cbwjm]

For me Dragons of Summer Flame was the last hurrah.

I think between that, Saga, and War of Lost Souls people just checked out.

I really quite liked the later books, the War of lost souls was another dragonlance epic that saw the world set right, more or less.

 

[whimsychris123]

I’m gonna go with a Lolth and Menzoberranzan inspired adventure and setting book.

 

[the Jester]

I just researched sales figures and Hickman and Weis have about 25 million books sold--which is similar to Feist, and a bit more than Eddings and Lackey. So not Jordan (60m) Martin (90m) level, and far below Rowling (500 million plus), but still huge.

Is that DragonLance alone? They did write at least one other (pretty good) series together that wasn't D&D-based.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

WotC hasn't put out any new novels for Dragonlance since 2011, but near as I can tell the original trilogy is still in print.

oh yeah, good point.

 

[the Jester]

Look at all the hardcover adventures released so for for 5E. Every single one of them is either set in the Realms or starts in the Realms before veering off into Ravenloft or Avernus.

Not true- you even mention Ghosts of Saltmarsh yourself. That's set firmly in Greyhawk, although it doesn't detail much of the setting.