Listen to the full Gamehole Con Panel from WotC's Mearls, Perkins, and Crawford

Much of the information which has filtered through here to the community has been from reports of snippets from the panel held by WotC's Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, and Chris Perkins. Now, the whole panel has been released in full by Gaming and BS RPG Podcast. It's a couple of hours long -- "Recorded at Gamehole Con 2016, a tabletop gaming convention held in Madison, Wisconsin, this bonus episode features Mike Mearls, Christopher Perkins and Jeremy Crawford from Wizards of the Coast. This is the unedited seminar that they hosted. They discuss Volo’s Guide to Monsters, the differences in settings and the design approach to each one, field Q&A’s from the audience where someone asks about their own home rules that they use in their own D&D games." Thanks to Sean P Kelley for the scoop!

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[TerraDave]

There is a plan, and there will be other settings, and high level options. Some day.

 

[Shasarak]

If you take these two statements together, then the idea that Perkins is working on a revamp of an old classic doesn't seem unreasonable. If this is the case, then you can make some informed guesses as to what adventure it might be...

Is it something to do with a Labyrinth?

 

[Demetrios1453]

One interesting tidbit that stands out for me: when Chris Perkins briefly discussed an upcoming adventure that he's working on. He only talks about it in vague terms - that it starts as a sandbox, but eventually narrows down into a more dungeon-style experience.

Mike Mearls also talks about upcoming products, and how Wizards is looking to create some experiences that capitalize on nostalgia and ensure that multiple generations of players can experience variants of iconic stories (think in terms of what they did with Princes of the Apocalypse and Curse of Strahd).

If you take these two statements together, then the idea that Perkins is working on a revamp of an old classic doesn't seem unreasonable. If this is the case, then you can make some informed guesses as to what adventure it might be...

Hmmm, that reinforces my wild theory that we'll be seeing an updated Tomb of Horrors actually in Greyhawk. Levels 1-5 being in a locale generic enough to be in any setting, with the characters stumbling upon Acererak's mechinizations, and then Mordenkanen or someone similar whisks them away to Greyhawk. The characters explore the greater Greyhawk City area in sandbox mode, finding more clues, all leading to the New Tomb of Horrors ("Now 23% More Horrific!").

 

[wedgeski]

Side question: who named this con?

 

[Charles Rampant]

One interesting tidbit that stands out for me: when Chris Perkins briefly discussed an upcoming adventure that he's working on. He only talks about it in vague terms - that it starts as a sandbox, but eventually narrows down into a more dungeon-style experience.

Mike Mearls also talks about upcoming products, and how Wizards is looking to create some experiences that capitalize on nostalgia and ensure that multiple generations of players can experience variants of iconic stories (think in terms of what they did with Princes of the Apocalypse and Curse of Strahd).

If you take these two statements together, then the idea that Perkins is working on a revamp of an old classic doesn't seem unreasonable. If this is the case, then you can make some informed guesses as to what adventure it might be...

When I heard about the 'narrows down into a dungeon' bit, I thought that this is exactly what Curse of Strahd does in particular. You can do whatever you like in the valley, but ultimately your story ends with a fight against Strahd in the castle.

 

[gyor]

Hmmm, that reinforces my wild theory that we'll be seeing an updated Tomb of Horrors actually in Greyhawk. Levels 1-5 being in a locale generic enough to be in any setting, with the characters stumbling upon Acererak's mechinizations, and then Mordenkanen or someone similar whisks them away to Greyhawk. The characters explore the greater Greyhawk City area in sandbox mode, finding more clues, all leading to the New Tomb of Horrors ("Now 23% More Horrific!").

Dungeonology straight up says the Tomb of Horrors is in the Forgotten Realms now, so no need to whisk you away to Greyhawk.

I have to say, recylcling old adventurers from other settings, not even FR adventurers and dumping them in the Forgotten Realms isn't cool and clever and I'm unimpressed.

 

[Barantor]

Greyhawk needs to stay Greyhawk, it sucks that they are limiting the official adventures to Forgotten Realms and one foray into Ravenloft (which is kinda a sub-setting anyway).

It's basically becoming hollow, name something in FR the same as an old Mystara, Greyhawk or Dark Sun adventure and then put it in FR! People will love it!......

 

[Demetrios1453]

Dungeonology straight up says the Tomb of Horrors is in the Forgotten Realms now, so no need to whisk you away to Greyhawk.

I have to say, recylcling old adventurers from other settings, not even FR adventurers and dumping them in the Forgotten Realms isn't cool and clever and I'm unimpressed.

Dungeonoogy does not straight up say that, only that Acererak is known in the Realms. Hence my suggestion that the 1 - 5 section would be done as characters investigating Acererak in such a way that it can be reskinned for any setting ("officially" in the Realms, but translatable to anywhere), followed by being sent to Greyhawk.


Here is the post from the relevant thread (http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?499294-Volo-s-Other-Book(s)-Future-Spoilers ):

Honestly it doesn't say much... There is nothing about it in the Dungeonology book but the Volo's Guide to the Forgotten Realms has a little (and I mean little) bit. A diagram and 2 paragraphs:

View attachment 78131

The fact that it also states that the barriers between the two worlds are breaking down seems to indicate that we'll see travel between the two, and since Greyhawk is described in some detail (for an introductory product like Dungeonology) seems to indicate that we'll see something set there relatively soon...

 

[Parmandur]

Lots of interesting stuff in here. Monstrous races in Volos are confirmed as fully playtested and balanced, the warning in Volos is entirely story motivated DM discretionary permission to say no. All races written up as highly flavored, assume people who are not into refluffing want specific detailed fluff to hat their RP hat on. Forgotten Realms is specifically not used as the default, all serial number pre-filed off for say Tabaxi or Tritons for general use.

 

[Parmandur]

Multiverse as unified, single setting: no seperation between FR, Greyhawk, Ebereon, Athas, etc. Try to bring them all in, all the time.