D&D General New Summary and Release Date for 'Dragons of Deceit'

There's a new Amazon Kindle page for Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's new Dragonlance novel, Dragons of Deceit with a release date of August 9, 2022.

There has been an older Amazon page for the book for a while, with a now-expired release date of July 2021. The existence of the new trilogy from the Dragonlance Chronicles authors was revealed in 2020 when they initiated a lawsuit against WotC for breach of contract.

The book description reads as follows (typos are on the actual Kindle page):

The first new Dragonlance novel from Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman in over a decade, and featuring fan-favorite characters from the iconic first two trilogies, Dragonlance Chronicles and Dragonlance Legends--books that brought a generation of readers into the fantasy fold.

Destina Rosethorn--as her name implies--believes herself to be very much a favored child of destiny. But when her father dis in the War of the Lance, her carefully-constructed world comes crashing down. Not only does she lost her beloved father, but the legacy he has left her: a wealthy fiance, and rule over the family lands and castle. With nothing left in the world to support her but wits and determination, she hatches a bold plan: to secure the Device of Time Journeying she read about in one of her father's books and prevent her father's death.

The last known holder of the Device was one of the Heroes of the Lance: the free-spirited kender, Tasselhoff Burrfoot. BUt when Destina arrives in Solace--home not only to Tas, but to fellow heroes Caramon and Tika Majere--she sets into motion a chain of events more deadly than she had ever anticipated: one that could change not only her personal history, but the fate of the entire world, allowing a previously-defeated evil to once again gain ascendancy.

Dragonlance - Dragonlance's Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman Are Suing WotC for Breach of Contract

For fans of the Dragonlance D&D setting, there's some mixed news which has just hit a court in Washington State: it seems that there's a new Dragonlance trilogy of books which was (until recently) being written; but we may never see them. On 16th October 2020, a lawsuit was filed in the US...

www.enworld.org

 

[Urriak Uruk]

The sypnosis talks about time travel and altered timeline. This may mean the possibility of uchronies or parallel worlds in the D&D multiverse, and this is very important for me because it would allow us a lot of creative freedom for our own games and fan fiction.

Flint the dwarf and Kas the kender will be skins in Fortnite thanks about a special gadget with size-shifter effects. (one of them to become a large kaiju or mecha).

So, you've always had the creative freedom for your own game and fan fiction. That's literally what your own game and fan fiction is for.

WotC shouldn't be making creative decisions on that basis.

 

[Dire Bare]

WotC isn't involved with branding this novel, Weiss & Hickman have licensed the IP from WotC.

Not quite.

Dragonlance is owned and controlled by WotC, the story, the characters, the logos, all of it. In the past, all Dragonlance novels and game books were published by WotC directly, or under partnership with Random House. This time it is different, Weis & Hickman, in partnership with (a publisher, I forget which), are licensing Dragonlance from WotC to write these novels.

WotC still controls the property. WotC retains editorial control, W&H needed WotC's okay before the novels can be published. WotC retains control over the logo, and allowed W&H to use it . . . . as opposed to the more recent logo with the red dragon wrapped around the Dragonlance title . . . . as a part of the licensing arrangement. Sounds like W&H specifically asked if they could use the older logo . . . but WotC had to give the okay.

Not to downplay W&H's contribution, they are the authors after all . . . . but this isn't far from the work-for-hire relationship from previous years.

 

[Morrus]

WotC still controls the property. WotC retains editorial control, W&H needed WotC's okay before the novels can be published.

When it came down to it, when WotC tried to assert that control after licensing the IP out, a lawsuit arose, which got settled. In practical terms, we don’t know how much influence they have over the content of these novels, who backed down, or what the settlement was. But it’s clearly not a clear-cut “WotC has all the power” situation. And the logo differentiation might suggest that the two parties have gone their own separate ways with the IP.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

When it came down to it, when WotC tried to assert that control after licensing the IP out, a lawsuit arose, which got settled. In practical terms, we don’t know how much influence they have over the content of these novels, who backed down, or what the settlement was. But it’s clearly not a clear-cut “WotC has all the power” situation. And the logo differentiation might suggest that the two parties have gone their own separate ways with the IP.

Considering how D&D 5E has done away with most logos save for the Ampersand and MTG Logo, if they ever make a 5E Dragonlance book it's likely to be the same font as every other 5E book and ignore the old (and now classic) Dragonlance logo.

 

[Dire Bare]

When it came down to it, when WotC tried to assert that control after licensing the IP out, a lawsuit arose, which got settled. In practical terms, we don’t know how much influence they have over the content of these novels, who backed down, or what the settlement was. But it’s clearly not a clear-cut “WotC has all the power” situation. And the logo differentiation might suggest that the two parties have gone their own separate ways with the IP.

As I recall, WotC was contractually obligated to continue the process, they couldn't say "the novels are canceled" without backing out of the contract. The problem arose when WotC decided to stop the editorial process on their end from going forward, putting the books in limbo. The options WotC had, as I understand it . . . . 1) continue with the back-and-forth with W&H until both authors and owners were satisfied, 2) cancel the books, but pay W&H based on the terms of the contract, or 3) lighten up on editorial demands to get the books published and done with, even if they don't line up with WotC's current vision for D&D and Dragonlance.

The lawsuit could have been settled with a big pile of money, which was based on the terms of the contract. WotC had the option to say, "Okay, here's your money, but the books are dead in the water." WotC instead decided to restart the publication process and allow the books to move forward.

 

[darjr]

WotC has buried things before.

 

[Dire Bare]

Considering how D&D 5E has done away with most logos save for the Ampersand and MTG Logo, if they ever make a 5E Dragonlance book it's likely to be the same font as every other 5E book and ignore the old (and now classic) Dragonlance logo.

That wouldn't surprise me!

What I personally hope for . . . . one game-rules book, one adventure book . . . and that's it! With a new logo based on the classic logo but with some updating, and definitely without that awful red dragon hugging it! Instead of just "Dragonlance" the new logo would be for the "Dragonlance Chronicles".

 

[darjr]

If there is a Dragonlance book I wonder what the special edition cover will be like?

 

[darjr]

Also will the book be an adventure first or a setting book first?

 

[Dire Bare]

If there is a Dragonlance book I wonder what the special edition cover will be like?

The obvious answer would be a stylized Takhisis, but we already got this for the special edition Tyranny of Dragons.

Maybe an image of the three moons over the Tower of High Sorcery? There has to be a dragon on the cover, with a rider, and a dragonlance! It's fun to imagine what the cover could be!