Ok, so what's the 2011 setting...?

[ggroy]

I find it extremely hard to imagine that WOTC would spend 4e’s entire run just recycling old settings. The only way that makes sense to me is if they are just marking time until 5e, which in that scenario would now be the focus of most of their efforts.

Hopefully they are not just "marking time" until 5E.

This would make a lot of people very angry, if it turns out in hindsight that they were just "marking time".



I suspect there probably also won't be a 4.5E this time around to revive "slow" sales of books, considering that they have been adding the rules changes to the yearly PHBs (and maybe DMGs).

 

[doctorhook]

Hopefully they are not just "marking time" until 5E.

This would make a lot of people very angry, if it turns out in hindsight that they were just "marking time".

WotC staff have indicated that they want to "revisit" a lot of older properties, so that their ownership doesn't expire. (Someone used the "Disney vault" analogy to explain it.) On that basis, I expect to see a solid handful of settings (7 to 10) published during 4E's total run, but probably not more than a quarter of them totally new.

I suspect there probably also won't be a 4.5E this time around to revive "slow" sales of books, considering that they have been adding the rules changes to the yearly PHBs (and maybe DMGs).

That, and WotC said they won't have a 4.5E. (".5" was a bloody stupid way to brand a revision anyway.) That said, I do think there will be a "revised" set of core books published in a few years, but that the change will be much more integrated and gradual than 3E->3.5E was. Part of the reason I expect this to happen is that it will extend the lifespan of 4E, allowing them to continue publishing settings without having to totally republish earlier 4E settings like FR and Eberron. As well, in a few years lots of players are going to be looking to buy a new copy of their worn-out core books, and this will give WotC a chance to "update" both the look and the rules.

AFAIK, every single edition of D&D has been revised at least once, so it's not unprecedented, and it's not bad either -- it just needs to be better than the transition to 3.5E was.

 

[Reigan]

I predict it will be...

World of Warcraft

Oh the irony.

 

[Jack99]

IMO.

FR was the first 4e setting for the obvious reason that it is the RPGA setting du jour for 4e.

Eberron was next because it had barely gotten going in 3.5 when 4e debuted.

Dark Sun was this year because it sincs up with the psionics rules coming out and provides some synergy on paper (we’ll see about store shelves).

Given what I believe I know about 4e sales, strong but no 3E, I imagine the 2010 setting is one of two things, just depending:

A – Given the 4e sales numbers described above, 2010 will see a totally new totally 4e setting that aims to correct the 4e sales numbers to 3E levels, or

B – If that process is taking a bit more time to get ready for release, there will be a “marking time” setting until a HUGE 2011 release (my bet). What the “placeholder” setting will be? I’d guess a minor setting that they don’t mind “wasting” as it holds everything in place while waiting for the big 2011 event. Birthright matches this description best, IMO. Or something like Ghostwalk etc. Something that had a limited run but still had potential.

I find it extremely hard to imagine that WOTC would spend 4e’s entire run just recycling old settings. The only way that makes sense to me is if they are just marking time until 5e, which in that scenario would now be the focus of most of their efforts.

My guess would be Birthright 2010 then BIG NEW 2011 SETTING (announced/hinted) Gencon 2010 (even as Birthright debuts) and delivered 2011 after a full year of hints and hype.

Or it could be Greyhawk or Dragonlance. ;-) YAWN!!!

I think you grossly overestimate how much WotC makes from their campaign settings. And if 4e sales are inferior to 3e sales, I can garantee you that it wont be a new setting that makes 4e close the difference. But it is a very funny notion though.

 

[ggroy]

WotC staff have indicated that they want to "revisit" a lot of older properties, so that their ownership doesn't expire. (Someone used the "Disney vault" analogy to explain it.)

Do you have a link or reference where they explained this?

If this is indeed one of the main strategies they are pursuing for the 4E D&D settings, then this may possibly put settings like Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Oriental Adventures, Gamma World, Spelljammer, and Ravenloft on the lower priority backburner for the following reasons:

- Dragonlance novels are still being published.
- A d20 version of Gamma World was published back in 3E/3.5E era.
- A d20 version of Ravenloft was published back in the 3E/3.5E era.
- A 3E Oriental Adventures book was done back in 2001.
- Spelljammer was mentioned in the 4E Manual of the Planes.
- An "Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk" book was released two years ago.

What's left are TSR settings which have not been published for many years since the 2E AD&D days.

- Al-Qadim
- Birthright
- Council of Wyrms
- Jakandor
- Maztica
- Planescape

- Mystara, Hollow World, Savage Coasts

- Kara-Tur, Mahasarpa, Rokugan

 

[Aldarc]

Hmmmm...

That's EXACTLY what I was envisioning (and hoping) out of the next setting.

 

[Prodigal_Sun]

Not a perfect fit, but for those of you talking about ocean based adventures, have you looked at Chris Perkins' blog? His homebrew world called Dragon Sea is bitchin, and I would pay cash money to buy the book.

Christopher Perkins - Wizards Community

I stole part of it for a oneshot. I'd like to be able to take the whole thing apart and make it mine.

Jay

Exactly what I thought when reading this thread!
New, Ocean based and made for 4th edition

 

[ssampier]

I have a personal preference for Birthright. BR is medieval and similar to Greyhawk, et al. You do get to run your own regency.

[Mad scientist mode]

Unless we mix it with something else in an unholy alliance

Right-Qadim.

Birth-a-tur.

Abominations and dragons

Right-Steel
[/Mad scientist]

 

[ggroy]

Elaborating on my last post on the premise that WotC may be reviving old D&D settings for reasons of preserving their trademarks on their settings (ie. "Disney Vault analogy"), here are some of my guesses for what they could do.

Kara-Tur, Mazitca, Zakhara (Al-Qadim)
- Write up several articles on each of these regions as Dungeon Magazine articles and compile them later into a 4E Dungeon Magazine Annual type book, or as a "Beyond Faerun" campaign setting book.

Jakandor
- Write up several Dungeon magazine articles on this setting.

Planescape, Spelljammer
- Incorporate Spelljammer and Planescape into the 4E planar books like Plane Below, Plane Above, Manual of the Planes, and maybe the DMG2 and DMG3.

Council of Wyrms
- This setting could be used for a 4E "Dragonomicon 3" book.

Mystara, Hollow World, Savage Coasts, Red Steel
- These settings based around Mystara could be viable for a unified treatment as a 4E Mystara campaign guide + player's guide + module.

Birthright
- This could be made into a viable setting, similar to the 4E Dark Sun treatment.

Kara-Tur, Mahasarpa
- These could be viable for a 4E Oriental Adventures setting book.

Rokugan, Lankhmar
- I understand that WotC does not have the rights anymore to these settings.

From these observations, perhaps Mystara and Birthright start to look like viable candidates for the 2011 or 2012 settings if WotC's strategy is to preserve their trademarks on their older settings. The last time these two settings published anything, was back in the mid-late 1990's.

In principle they could even do two settings per year for 2011 or 2012, where only a campaign setting book is done for each setting and no player's guides.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I could easily see an OA style book. It's only a matter of time before 4e does it and with the Monk out to test the waters next year, adding ninjaes and samurai and hengyokai and whatnot is kind of a no-brainer. Despite all the message board grousing about anime influences, this is one place where anime influences can be embraced, and anime influence makes good marketing sense, 'cuz kids love it. Add in the Avatar movie out next year...

And I could see an OA style book being kind of an "eastern hodge-podge" kind of setting. Something new, though harkening back to the L5R material and the Kara-tur material. We'd have Korea, southeast asia (Ankgor Wat! Jungle ruins! Veitnam and Singapore), China (Metropoli!), Japan (Island nation with a warrior caste!), Polynesia (diverse island chain! Pirates and tribes!), India (Warlords and ancient gods!), Tibet (Mountain monks and yakmen!), Mongolia (nomads and horse-riders!), and various other "non-Western" sources all tossed together, mixed around in a pot, and popped out as delicious.

This straddles the new and the old. While it wouldn't be new for D&D to have an OA style setting, this could be an in-house developed setting rather than an FR mini-setting or a setting on loan from another company. It lets them embrace 4e tropes (which they're probably going to want to do after being conservative with Dark Sun) without ruining anyone's beloved pet setting.

I'm crazy spitballing, but I think I'd be excited about such a thing. I'm ready to see what these guys can do when the outline is no more than broad strokes. Let 'em off the reigns, and let 'em go wild on the better part of the continent that core 4e more or less ignores.

I want my katana, homes.