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.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I' m convinced they meant the setting of the new module (Icewind Dale) verse a new Setting for the game (Athas).

I think that the new setting is not the adventure book. I don't think Athas is coming, but Planescape.

 

[Mercurius]

I think that the new setting is not the adventure book. I don't think Athas is coming, but Planescape.

I hope so, but don't you think there would be some kind of hint or leak? Planescape is a pretty big event, and it would be hard to keep it totally under wraps.

That said, we haven't seen a splat book yet in 2020, which would break a pattern going back to 2015 (If we count AI as splat).

From 2015-19, the product line was very consistent: two adventure books and one splat per year. Starting in 2017, they added a setting book, and this year there will be two (at least). Perhaps one of those replaces the splat, and we'll see two adventure books this fall, or it could be that their original plan was to expand to five books, and go with the following pattern going forward:

1 splat
2 setting books
2 adventure books

That, to me, would be close to ideal, especially if one of the setting books was Magic/new and one legacy. Then we might see:

2021: Manual of the Planes (with lots of monsters), Planescape, Zendikar, Planar adventure, FR adventure
2022: Xanathar's 2 (with psionics), Dark Sun, Innistrad, DS adventure path, compilation adventures
2023: Epic Handbook (with epic monsters, maybe deities/avatars), FR Campaign Setting, Dominaria, an epic adventure, FR adventure
2024: Revised core rulebooks, Greyhawk box set, some kind of 50th anniversary book

Or something like that. I could also see them swapping out Dragonlance and a War of the Lance book for either FR or Greyhawk.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I hope so, but don't you think there would be some kind of hint or leak? Planescape is a pretty big event, and it would be hard to keep it totally under wraps.

The hint would be all of the Planescape-related subclasses and spells in recent Unearthed Arcana. Oath of Watchers Paladin, Fey Wanderer Ranger, Noble Genie Warlock, Astral Mind Monk, a ton of others.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

That said, we haven't seen a splat book yet in 2020, which would break a pattern going back to 2015 (If we count AI as splat).

The Planescape book that I speak of would also be the splat book. It would have a chapter with character options with races, subclasses, spells, feats, and the class feature variants. The rest of the book would be plane information and probably a Sigil Gazetteer.

 

[Mercurius]

The Planescape book that I speak of would also be the splat book. It would have a chapter with character options with races, subclasses, spells, feats, and the class feature variants. The rest of the book would be plane information and probably a Sigil Gazetteer.

Yes, that is how I see it as well--so more of a Manual of the Planes: a big fat book that includes major sections on Planar Characters, Planar Magic, The Great Wheel, Planar Campaigns, Planar Monsters, Sigil and the Outlands, and maybe Variant Cosmologies (including the World Tree) and Spelljammer and Planeswalking.

I would also hope (and expect) to see a dedicated adventure path, probably involving the gith races.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Yes, that is how I see it as well--so more of a Manual of the Planes: a big fat book that includes major sections on Planar Characters, Planar Magic, The Great Wheel, Planar Campaigns, Planar Monsters, Sigil and the Outlands, and maybe Variant Cosmologies (including the World Tree) and Spelljammer and Planeswalking.

I would also hope (and expect) to see a dedicated adventure path, probably involving the gith races.

Yes, there'd probably be at least one starting adventure, as every D&D setting book in 5e (besides the SCAG) has starting adventures.
I would expect some reprints of already existing races, like Aasimar, Gith, Eladrin, Genasi, Tiefling Variants, etc. along with a few new races, rogue modrons, planetouched, bauriar, etc.

I don't think it's coincidental that a lot of recent UA have been plancescape in theme. They have to be planning something at least themed to be plane-related.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

The main reason, besides the UA, that I think Planescape will also be Xanathar's 2.0 is because XGtE is a fairly short book, and if they were to make a Xanathar's 2.0 I'd expect it to be fairly short if it had the same amount of player content, so they'd need something else to fill the rest of the pages in the book.

 

[Mercurius]

I don't think it's coincidental that a lot of recent UA have been plancescape in theme. They have to be planning something at least themed to be plane-related.

Or maybe they're planing something?

Ugh. I said that.

 

[Mecheon]

But my fear is if there are multimedia projects about the D&D titles then controversies about the canon could star, for example "Eh!, that in the teleserie didn't happen in the original book!". Scripters hired by Hasbro/Allspark/EnternaimentOne could have got their own new ideas about what could be added to the main plots. Maybe some retcons aren't only possible, but neccesary.

I know "Multimedia projects for everything" is kind of your thing, Luis, but, given how Dragonlance is basically dead? There is like a 5% chance at best there'll be any sort of Dragonlance multimedia thing. Any sort of Dragonlance update is just going to be an updated book with bits and pieces, including an adventure.

This is a non-issue.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Or maybe they're planing something?

Ugh. I said that.

Please, gosh, no! Why did you do this to me?