Morrus,
As the guy who runs the
Dragonlance Nexus, I found your comments very intriguing. I wanted to add my thoughts from the POV of a DL fan.
In Dragonlance fandom, we've talked quite a bit about the future of our beloved setting. Should we continue on with the story? Should it have a reboot? If so, how should it be done? Perhaps like they did with Star Trek, so as to get back to the heart of the setting without saying the past didn't exist.
Dragonlance as an adventure path? It seems like a natural fit. After all, the original Chronicles series of adventures was one of the first adventure paths (before the phrase was even coined), and was perhaps the first one that span over a large series of modules. It has been reprinted three different times, so you know it has appeal. They weren't perfect and had some issues with railroading at the start, but they are classics. And if we are getting back to basics, Dragonlance is a natural.
My fear in all of this is that Dragonlance may be seen as a one-trick pony with the War of the Lance. I know that the setting has room for all sorts of stories. However, I think a number of people will always hold the War of the Lance to be the main story of Dragonlance and have no need to go beyond. If this is the only way we will see Dragonlance in print again, then I would be fine with the reprint, though I hope to see more.
Greyhawk may hold potential, but WotC needs to fully support it as a setting. There needs to be a modernized core rulebook for it, and updates on the setting. My fear is that the split Greyhawk fandom won't do well with a re-imagined Greyhawk. However, I for one would love to see Greyhawk once again.
I understand the reasoning behind making the Realms so prominent in 5e. It's the largest, most well-known of all the generic settings. It holds a lot of popularity, so it's only natural to use it.
Unfortunately, the Realms suffers from some of the same problems that have affected Dragonlance. Most notable is the Spellplague. It is to the Realms what the Fifth Age was to Dragonlance - a time jump with a changed landscape and magic, a new game system, and a split fan base to go with it. I even wrote to Rich Baker about my concerns, but he assured me that having the D&D logo on it (which the Fifth Age didn't) would be what would make the Realms succeed. About that...
Dragonlance at one point was the Fifth Age vs. the Fourth Age. Now we see that with the Realms. The answer in Dragonlance's case was to have the War of Souls, and to create the 3.5 rules for Dragonlance under Sovereign Press (now Margaret Weis Productions). Yes, some schisms remain, but a lot of healing has happened. DL moved on. The Realms needs to as well.
While I'm not sure I wholly agree with your points, I think you have given fans a lot to think about.
Just curious, what's your take on the Nentir Vale and Mystara in all of this?
EDIT: Cam beat me to the punch!