D&D 5E (2024) Is WOTC done publishing campaigns?

[Zardnaar]

Maybe this is a different dialect thing, but I didn't "cherry pick" specific reviews to prove a point.
I took the top six that were for new product and verified purchases. The first three were just the first three Amazon showed me (US).

The first one was about five times the words that you give when reviewing things, and shows explicitly that they played the whole campaign before reviewing it. It was the first listing for me. Overall I ignored two used book purchases that were both simple reviews of "came in good condition" and "it looked new" which are valid reviews when buying a used hardback book

6 reviews is nothing. More reviews the merrier.

When we buy stuff we often use an independent consumer site.

RPGs are a lot harder. Ive used ENworld to filter my purchases. Here's what I haven't bought.

Dragonheist
Dungeon of the Mad Mage
Storm Kings Thunder
Acquisitions Incorporated
Shattered Obelisk
The Vecna One.
Strixhaven
Dragonlance
Planescape
Spelljammer
Stanger Things boxed sets X2.
Descent into Avernus

That's most of the ones I dont own. I think its a decent avoid these products list theres a few i might yet buy though (niche ones didn't interest me).

After HotDQ, RoT, Out of the Abyss I stopped buying early.

Also cross reference youtube tier lists.

Its funny you've gone into bat for HotDQ which is on of the worst adventures lol. You seem to love Hasbro. Personally I wouldn't glaze for any corporation espicially an American one you do you. We should play poker sometime.

 

[Artamo]

I guess I’m just not that picky when it comes to adventures. I’ve hacked them up to suit my purposes since forever. I don’t think I can approach a published adventure today without that mindset. That means something would have to be truly unusable for me to outright loathe it, or so vanilla and plain that i feel like I’ve wasted my money. Most of the 5e adventures that I’ve bought fall well within the usability realm, and so I’m fine with them.

 

[zakael19]

I guess I’m just not that picky when it comes to adventures. I’ve hacked them up to suit my purposes since forever. I don’t think I can approach a published adventure today without that mindset. That means something would have to be truly unusable for me to outright loathe it, or so vanilla and plain that i feel like I’ve wasted my money. Most of the 5e adventures that I’ve bought fall well within the usability realm, and so I’m fine with them.

My hope for WOTC is that they start to approach the quality and focus of some of the 3PP pubs. Stuff like Dungeons of Drakkenheim is generally significantly better formatted from an organizational and layout perspective, and designed from a general game-running perspective then pretty much all the mainline WOTC stuff I've either run or owned.

 

[bedir than]

6 reviews is nothing. More reviews the merrier.

I could share the 1,800 reviews, but it still wouldn't be enough would it?

 

[Artamo]

My hope for WOTC is that they start to approach the quality and focus of some of the 3PP pubs. Stuff like Dungeons of Drakkenheim is generally significantly better formatted from an organizational and layout perspective, and designed from a general game-running perspective then pretty much all the mainline WOTC stuff I've either run or owned.

Better layout is always a plus for me! I very rarely run direct from the book but even in prep, a better layout just plain helps me.

 

[Zardnaar]

I could share the 1,800 reviews, but it still wouldn't be enough would it?

Its Amazon. I said their reviews are crap. Its self selected buy in for starters thats the big one.

Generally its a 4.5 to 5 scale.

Even here HotDQ isnt particularly well regarded. Theres almost 0% chance it would get 4.7/5 lol.

 

[AnotherGuy]

Its Amazon. I said their reviews are crap.

I agree with this.
As a curious observer you get better information about the product from forums, youtube videos or specific RPG sites rather than from Amazon review. I mean I will look at them, but I am not expecting much.

Generally its a 4.5 to 5 scale.

Even here HotDQ isnt particularly well regarded. Theres almost 0% chance it would get 4.7/5 lol.

When I have used an AP, I 'almost always check out DMs Guild for the guides and other contents/ideas floating around the net for the AP or for specific chapters. That may seem wrong, but generally I like to have the best possible information available for success at the table. Merge all that with one's own brand of creativity and what interests one's players results in the magic that may otherwise seem absent from just perusing an AP cold.

The way I look at AP's is that they represent a framework, they are not fully fleshed out.
I check for

• Interesting (a) locations (b) combat (c) challenges (d) NPCs
• Usable Maps
• Their own Uniqueness
• Sensible Overall Storyline

At the end of the day you and your players twist and turn the adventure as you see fit.

 

[Zardnaar]

I agree with this.
As a curious observer you get better information about the product from forums, youtube videos or specific RPG sites rather than from Amazon review. I mean I will look at them, but I am not expecting much.


When I have used an AP, I 'almost always check out DMs Guild for the guides and other contents/ideas floating around the net for the AP or for specific chapters. That may seem wrong, but generally I like to have the best possible information available for success at the table. Merge all that with one's own brand of creativity and what interests one's players results in the magic that may otherwise seem absent from just perusing an AP cold.

The way I look at AP's is that they represent a framework, they are not fully fleshed out.
I check for

• Interesting (a) locations (b) combat (c) challenges (d) NPCs
• Usable Maps
• Their own Uniqueness
• Sensible Overall Storyline

At the end of the day you and your players twist and turn the adventure as you see fit.

Well the one good thing about living in NZ.

You're behind the release schedule. I'll see what chatter is here, little bit elsewhere. Cross reference with YouTube.

Good stuff buy.
Mixed wait for sale or gift.
Negative avoid.

 

[MichaelSomething]

6 reviews is nothing. More reviews the merrier.

When we buy stuff we often use an independent consumer site.

RPGs are a lot harder. Ive used ENworld to filter my purchases. Here's what I haven't bought.

Dragonheist
Dungeon of the Mad Mage
Storm Kings Thunder
Acquisitions Incorporated
Shattered Obelisk
The Vecna One.
Strixhaven
Dragonlance
Planescape
Spelljammer
Stanger Things boxed sets X2.
Descent into Avernus

That's most of the ones I dont own. I think its a decent avoid these products list theres a few i might yet buy though (niche ones didn't interest me).

After HotDQ, RoT, Out of the Abyss I stopped buying early.

Also cross reference youtube tier lists.

Its funny you've gone into bat for HotDQ which is on of the worst adventures lol. You seem to love Hasbro. Personally I wouldn't glaze for any corporation espicially an American one you do you. We should play poker sometime.

Using Enworld to filter your purchases?? Then why not go EN Publishing for your adventure needs? Don't settle for inferior WOTC adventures when awesome EN Publishing adventures are just a click away!!

Dungeons & Dragons

We publish a range of products for your 5th Edition games, including adventures, new classes, and more! All fully compatible with the 5th Edition of the world's oldest roleplaying game.

enpublishingrpg.com

 

[Cergorach]

Keep in mind that the MM 2024 was released a year ago, they did release Dragon Delves with instructions how to make the anthology into a campaign. Also the complete backlog of 2014 adventures is available and require a little updating to be usable. In some cases like Foundry VTT, the update to 2024 for Pandelver and Tomb of Annihilation is already baked in. Then add in that updated player options have a higher priority then updated adventures, delays with certain print products, delays with delivery in the rest of the world, extremely unpredictable tariff situations, and you have a recipe for complete adventure products not having the priority at the moment.

Also keep in mind that the starter set Keep on the Borderlands has multiple adventures, the Faerun Adventures book has an adventure and that and the DMG have a host of adventure hooks.

I also have a sneaking suspicion that the very popular adventure The Curse of Strahd is up for a 10 year anniversary and would make a good candidate for a 2024 rerelease.

Sidenote: We were playing parts of the Vecna adventure with 2024 rules and I'm now running a Dungeon of the Mad Mage campaign with just changing the monster statblocks, traps, and treasures to MM/DMG 2024 standards. Which is pretty easy to do with Foundry VTT and I suspect the same is also true when playing at the table in person without any electronics present...

Personally I'm not really waiting for another new official D&D adventure, although I do hope they release a Curse of Strahd update, that would probably also mean an official FVTT module for it, so I won't have to do that myself... I see our current Undermountain campaign running for a LONG time, with possibly some side steps. And then I still have a bunch of other long campaigns ready for D&D5e 2024 to choose from (Ember, Kingmaker conversion, Dungeons of Drakkenheim, etc.). I think I have a decade+ worth of good material ready or close to ready.