D&D 5E My ideal D&D product model

[Morrus]

I'm not saying this would work for WotC, or that it would be popular or liked by anybody but me. But this is what I would love.

2 adventure paths a year. Each set in a different setting. One is an old, classic setting, one is a new setting. Each takes characters up to about 20th level and are designed for 6months to a year's play. Most DMs will buy one a year.

Each AP has a shortish setting guide which introduces it and adds any specific character options. Not too long - you want to hand this to players and expect them to look at it.

Each setting/AP is visited once, then move on. There's Ravenloft, and Spelljammer, and Eberron, and all that cool stuff, plus a brand new setting each year. The new settings can be high fantasy, low fantasy, horror, magitech, steampunk, gritty, dinosaurs, ninjas, whatever.

The ones that are really popular? Revisit 'em with a second AP and another setting guide with more info.

 

[Remathilis]

So basically, what Pathfinder does with its Player Guides to their APs? (A 20 page pdf booklet with info on the region of Golarion it takes place in, some PC traits and other options) and then the AP itself (Only, replace "region of Golarion" with "D&D world").

 

[Morrus]

So basically, what Pathfinder does with its Player Guides to their APs? (A 20 page pdf booklet with info on the region of Golarion it takes place in, some PC traits and other options) and then the AP itself (Only, replace "region of Golarion" with "D&D world").

But more so. Each is either a classic setting, or a brand new one. Completely independent from each other.

 

[Remathilis]

But more so. Each is either a classic setting, or a brand new one. Completely independent from each other.

I can imagine what havoc that'd play on the Adventurer's League and Factions scenario.

With that in mind, how about one Realm's based/generic adventure, one based on an older (or new) setting? Since characters have a story origin, the non Faerun APs would require specific (non Faerun) story origins. Some could even allow importing (Ravenloft, Spelljammer, and Planescape for sure) of previous PCs.

 

[pedr]

I think you could have an OP campaign with this model - you'd just have to accept that it was world-hopping and make all the campaign PCs characters with access to ways to move back and fore between worlds. It would be different from anything that had gone before, but it could work.

The difficulty with this model, I think, is that it doesn't allow the development of a strong story which could support video games, novels, comics, etc. Well - you could, but WotC would have to heavily invest in Planescape or similar multi-world stories and even then it's be a harder sell, I think, than being able to point to all the novels on the bestseller lists that FR has.

 

[epithet]

I can imagine what havoc that'd play on the Adventurer's League and Factions scenario.

With that in mind, how about one Realm's based/generic adventure, one based on an older (or new) setting? Since characters have a story origin, the non Faerun APs would require specific (non Faerun) story origins. Some could even allow importing (Ravenloft, Spelljammer, and Planescape for sure) of previous PCs.

In each of their adventure paths, WotC is adding an appendix describing how the adventure can be adapted to other settings. It stands to reason that if a hardcover adventure were set in, for example, Athas (Dark Sun,) there would be a page or so in the back talking about using the adventure in the Forgotten Realms. If the Adventurer's League stuff needs to be in the FR, those guidelines should be adequate, right? The AL packets could easily incorporate that material.

Might be more difficult with Spelljammer, but...

 

[pedr]

My post was probably a little too negative for this thread, as I would really like the model Morrus suggests! I wonder if a new setting each year would be too much - many would get very little play and - for D&D at least - learning to run a game in a particular setting can be quite a task. But some new settings would be good.

 

[GX.Sigma]

My ideal D&D product model:

#1: Produce a large quantity of cheap or free micro-content (small dungeons, feats, spells, class options, setting elements) that can be modified, expanded, and easily incorporated into an existing campaign, on a weekly or monthly basis. Unearthed Arcana is doing a fine job with crunch, but I mostly just want good little dungeons. This has apparently been outsourced to the blogosphere.

#2: Release a high-quality hardcover every several months that goes deep on a certain subject, providing both player and DM content. Princes of the Apocalypse is a decent archetype, even though the subject (elemental cults) is probably the most boring thing they could've possibly chosen. It would be awesome if they could use these to introduce old and new settings, but they seem very committed to jamming everything into the Realms for whatever reason.

 

[Morrus]

With that in mind, how about one Realm's based/generic adventure, one based on an older (or new) setting?

That would not be my ideal product model.

 

[Zardnaar]

I would like some more generic stan alone adventures 32 page or 64 page and some similar to the old Dungeon magazines. I can live without AP/Megaadventures. 1-2 splat books of some options not tied to a setting would be nice as well.