Dragonlance More DRAGONLANCE Information: Kender, Battles, W&H's Novels, & More!

In addition to the official videos announcing Dragonlance releases for late 2022, I got to talk to talk to the D&D team and get a few more details not in the public D&D Direct event.

• Because Dragonlance is a setting about war, Ray Winninger, Executive Producer of Dungeons & Dragons, was asked if Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen would have large-scale combat rules. He said that they would in an broad abstract form. The board game or battle game Dragonlance: Warriors of Krynn is actually focused on large-scale combat and can be played independently or RPG players could switch to Warriors of Krynn for their big combat scenes, including porting in their characters and then switch back to the RPG after the battle. So the RPG adventure can be played alone, the board game can be played alone or they can be combined, depending upon the group's preference.
• Dragonlance: Warriors of Krynn is a cooperative game.
• When asked if Dragonlance: Warriors of Krynn could be used for large-scale battles in other D&D settings Winninger said it was designed with that idea in mind. However, if Dragonlance: Warriors of Krynn is poplar they'll consider making more customized, large-scale combat board games for other settings.
• Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen is a brand new story, independent of the upcoming novel, Dragonlance: Dragons of Deceit. Winninger said that Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman are telling their own story set in Krynn while Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen is a different story set in Krynn and is blazing a trail to help players create their own stories in Krynn. So Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen and Dragons of Deceit are both set in the same world but different stories.
• There will be some cameos from old Dragonlance characters, especially villains, in Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen.
• Price points for Dragonlance: Warriors of Krynn and Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen are not finalized yet.
• When asked about player races for Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen – especially Kender – Winninger said that Kender have gotten a good reception from the Unearthed Arcana play test but they're making some tweaks. Yes, Kender will be an option. He said the play test material gives hints as to what playable races it will have but would not mention to confirm any specifically beyond Kender.

 

[Neonchameleon]

I guess I am failing to see why people hate Kender so much, when Gnomes are mechanically just as, if not more, disruptive. A good DM and a good player can have an amazing time with a Kender.

A good DM and a good player can have an amazing time with a flumph. The test of good design is how it works with an average or even new DM and average or brand new player.

And gnomes may be mechanically disruptive. But they aren't walking incarnations of spoiled brats that steal from the party.

 

[Raunalyn]

A good DM and a good player can have an amazing time with a flumph. The test of good design is how it works with an average or even new DM and average or brand new player.

And gnomes may be mechanically disruptive. But they aren't walking incarnations of spoiled brats that steal from the party.

No, but it's baked in mechanically that their inventions have a good chance of blowing up and killing the entire party. I don't see that as any better.

 

[Stormonu]

And that is neither more nor less than a "I'm just playing my character" defence for utterly odious behaviour.

If they don't recognise that what they are doing is wrong this makes them kleptomaniac pathological liars. Quite literally pathological by your "defence". And they should be treated accordingly - as kleptomaniac pathological liars who have learned to taunt people into a rage.

What would you do if a player were to say "I want to play a kleptomaniac pathological liar who steals from the party and gets the party into trouble" as a character?

And why in the name of Orcus do you think that it's a good idea to encourage people to play kleptomaniac pathological liars who get the party into trouble? How do you see this as other than truly obnoxious behaviour other than when handled extremely carefully? Far too carefully to be made the hat of an entire race.

It's obvious you have a chip on your shoulder when it comes to Kender. If you don't mind my asking, did something personal spark this unbridled hatred?

I agree that Kender are obviously the largest case of designer RAI vs. RAW when it comes to handling, but I don't understand the seething hatred.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

A warning disclaimer could be published in the first pages: "WotC doesn't take responsability about possible troubles caused by compulsive collectors who can't understand the concept of private property". Kenders PCs shouldn't be Tasselholf's clones/ripoff. Their psychology should be realistic. "Oh, the last year I lost my family when pirates attacked our coast village to catch slaves, but don't worry, I don't suffer post-traumatic stress!". They didn't live always in a "safe zone", and they can suffer attacks by bandits, goblins, bugbears, kobolds, hobgoblings and company. Maybe their supertitions about good luck could help them to be more daredevil thanks a placebo effect.

And usually shopkeepers should worry not only for the kenders but also beggars who try to steal food.

 

[Neonchameleon]

No, but it's baked in mechanically that their inventions have a good chance of blowing up and killing the entire party. I don't see that as any better.

Isn't a "good chance" a 1 in 20 chance of blowing up when you roll on the mishap table - and that probably won't kill the entire party unless you're really unlucky with positioning, especially as the GM is told to be funny rather than go for the kill with mishaps? No it's not great - but comes up very very rarely rather than every session.

 

[Raunalyn]

If they don't like standard Kender, then play an Afflicted Kender, or even a Marak kender from Taladas. I find the extreme and xenophobic hatred for them to be tiresome and unimaginative, to be honest.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Isn't a "good chance" a 1 in 20 chance of blowing up when you roll on the mishap table - and that probably won't kill the entire party unless you're really unlucky with positioning, especially as the GM is told to be funny rather than go for the kill with mishaps? No it's not great - but comes up very very rarely rather than every session.

Yeah the comparison is not accurate.

Most sessions people playing Tinker Gnomes don't even get to make an invention. It's rare that they do, and as you say, it's only a 1 in 20 chance of an explosion, and even then, why isn't everyone standing back? They know what could happen! Realistically I suspect most campaigns with Tinker gnome PCs in end with zero party fatalities caused by Tinker gnomes.

Also, what's the next most-disliked race in D&D after Kender? Maybe even before them? Oh, Tinker Gnomes! And after that? Gully Dwarves. It's kind of impressive Hickman and Weis came up with three of the most enduringly hate-able and irksome races in all of D&D history in just one setting in a relatively short period of time. They were on a roll.

If D&D had any more short races, back then perhaps we could have seen more Hickman and Weis "short bastard" races;

1) Fart Kobolds, kobolds with uncontrolled - and literally deadly - flatulence. But their cheerful and upbeat natures mean you just can't hate them, right? Even though the Cleric is literally dead because they let one rip in a tunnel and they couldn't clear out in time.

2) Rage Goblins, Goblins who have a total inability to stop being SO ANGRY 24/7, and at any moment might just go berserk and kill some people. Though the text clearly says it's not their fault. They're just normal goblins. Just innocent goblins.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

xenophobic

That is not what that word means. There is absolutely no legitimate way to use that word about Kender, given their behaviour is identical to that of terrible children from Western cultures, not people from other cultures.

 

[Raunalyn]

That is not what that word means. There is absolutely no legitimate way to use that word about Kender, given their behaviour is identical to that of terrible children from Western cultures, not people from other cultures.

Uh, it's is literally the fear and hatred of another culture. But, ok then....

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Uh, it's is literally the fear and hatred of another culture. But, ok then....

Behaving like a bad child is not "a culture", and we've already had it argued that their thievery is innate, not cultural (Marak Kender still doing it supports this). So you're going to have to step it up to "racism" if you really want to go there lol. Are you going to call us "racist against Kender"? I am begging you to call me an anti-Kender racist.