D&D 5E Old settings coming back?

[Morrus]

So Mearls briefly touched on a list of top five settings recently, and AICN's latest tabletop column revisits a rumour that's been circling a bit.

A rumor has been going around that WotC is approaching the various creators of their most iconic game worlds to bring them back in some capacity as the worlds are re-created or re-imagined for the next edition of D&D. Ed Greenwood’s firmly on board, as he’s writing a monthly column on Forgotten Realms. In a Q&A on the #RPGnet IRC chatroom, Margaret Weis has stated she would be willing to work with Wizards of the Coast again (Kender are a subrace of Halfling that only exist in the Dragonlance world), while Keith Baker (creator of Eberron) has stated that he has been in talks with WotC but “they haven't decided what form setting support is going to take yet”.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/63941

 

[vagabundo]

So the list would be:
Forgotten Realms
Dragonlance
Eberron

Maybe
Greyhawk
Dark Sun
or Ravenloft

Maybe Greyhawk will be given a bullet becuase it doesn't have a strong hook.

 

[Nellisir]

Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Dragonlance, Dark Sun, and .... ?

I can see Planescape & Ravenloft support being integrated into core materials as background rather than discrete settings. That leaves...Spelljammer, AQ, Kara Tur, Greyhawk, and...what? I can't think of another setting associated with an (living) creator. Planescape would probably be the best bet, I guess.

 

[delericho]

Sorry, I can't see it happening. WotC know the folly of trying to support too many settings; that's how they came to own D&D in the first place. They also know that their success with any non-FR setting in 4e was... limited.

Unless they're now willing to go down the route of licensing out settings again, I really can't see any non-FR setting getting any support outside of the e-magazines.

 

[Plaguescarred]

Glad to hear that WoTC may be approaching other setting designers!

In addition to the Forgotten Realms, The 5 setting i'd like to see would be;

Greyhawk
Dragonlance
Eberron
Dark Sun
Mystara


With expansion options including;

Nentir Vale (as default setting)
Planescape (as Manuals of the Plane supplement)
Spelljammer (as Manuals of the Plane supplement)
Ravenloft (as Shadowfell supplement)
Maztica (as Forgotten Realms supplement)
Kara-Tur (as Forgotten Realms supplement)
Al-Quadim (as Forgotten Realms supplement)

 

[Dice4Hire]

I hope and pray for a new setting. The others have all been done enough.

 

[frankthedm]

Dark Sun I would Doubt since Its Creator is working on a setting called Dragon Kings, which will supposedly be a "spiritual successor" to Dark Sun. Somehow I don't think WOTC will be working with someone trying to file the serial numbers off of WOTC IP.

Timothy Brown today announced that he intends to create a whole new role-playing game world titled Dragon Kings, the ‘spiritual successor’ to his popular design Dark Sun. This new world will be envisioned not only in fiction and art, but in music, as well.

“Dark Sun was innovative because we created the game world and its art simultaneously,” says Brown. “We imagined concepts and asked Brom to draw them, and Brom painted those concepts that we later described in game terms. I’m so pleased that he is collaborating with us on my new Dragon Kings universe. His first cover painting is already finished!”

 

[Nikosandros]

Dark Sun I would Doubt since Its Creator is working on a setting called Dragon Kings, which will supposedly be a "spiritual successor" to Dark Sun. Somehow I don't think WOTC will be working with someone trying to file the serial numbers off of WOTC IP.

That's likely true, but they might have contacted Troy Denning instead. Also, even if they are contacting some original authors, they might consider supporting some settings even without the participation of the authors.

 

[Jester David]

As we saw Dark Sun and Eberron in 4e it'd be nice to focus on worlds that haven't been seen in awhile.

Greyhawk first and foremost as that's been absent since 2e. Dragonlance and Ravenloft had 2nd Party support in 3e but it would be nice to have official versions. (For Ravenloft so long as they can actually reference and make use of the licensed material, I'd rather not have a conflicting edition.)
Dragonlance especially needs a new campaign guide as the 3e one doesn't reflect the many changes of the novels that followed.

Others like Planescape or Spelljammer don't have many locales that need description and could be handled via online support. Just dedicate a month of the magazine to them detailing the crunch in Dragon and much of the world lore or monsters in Dungen and pair that with classic accessories being released on DnDClassics.com. The same could be done for Dark Sun and Eberron.

If I were at WotC I'd start with Forgotten Realms and then update the worlds that can be handled via the magazines, the worlds where there's already recently published support available in stores. Let the Realms be the focus for a little more than a year-and-a-half and have a new world receive e-attention every six months. Then Greyhawk and a new world receiving a single large hardcover release every year or so.

 

[Atomo]

Even if I doubt that it is in the priority list of Wizards, I would love to see Birthright again

 

[keterys]

Greyhawk first and foremost as that's been absent since 2e.

Greyhawk was the default setting for 3rd edition, with several gamebooks and a _massive_ number of adventures available through Living Greyhawk, for reference.

 

[Jester David]

Greyhawk was the default setting for 3rd edition, with several gamebooks and a _massive_ number of adventures available through Living Greyhawk, for reference.

It was the default setting in name only. Some of the crunch matched, but much did not. Likewise, the modules were only loosly set in Greyhawk. And LG adventures are no longer available and far from official.

There were two Greyhawk products published. The Gazetteer published by the RPGA (also known as the driest campaign setting book ever released). And Expedition to Castle Greyhawk at the end of 3e.

I had forgotten the Greyhawk Gaz, but that was only tenatively official and hardly widespread.

 

[Nellisir]

Even if I doubt that it is in the priority list of Wizards, I would love to see Birthright again

Oh, I knew I had forgotten one. Yeah, I'd love to see Birthright again too.

I was trying to think of settings with a strong theme and active creators. Birthright qualifies. Greyhawk and Mystara are both amalgam settings, and the man most associated with Mystara, Bruce Heard, has been discouraged from doing any sort of official Mystara work (check out his blog for more information). Gary Gygax is, of course, dead.

 

[keterys]

It was the default setting in name only. Some of the crunch matched, but much did not. Likewise, the modules were only loosly set in Greyhawk. And LG adventures are no longer available and far from official.

Ah. That sounds a lot like someone who says there's been no Forgotten Realms support, because they don't like anything after (Time of Troubles, Spellplague, Sundering, etc).

That is to say, there's no indication to suggest that D&D Next support for Greyhawk would match the One True Greyhawk criteria.

 

[TarionzCousin]

That is to say, there's no indication to suggest that D&D Next support for Greyhawk would match the One True Greyhawk criteria.

With Mearls' love of old D&D, it gives me hope that there will be some new Greyhawk material.

Also, who here wouldn't want to enter a contest to create a new setting (as how Eberron was created)?

 

[Jester David]

Ah. That sounds a lot like someone who says there's been no Forgotten Realms support, because they don't like anything after (Time of Troubles, Spellplague, Sundering, etc).

That is to say, there's no indication to suggest that D&D Next support for Greyhawk would match the One True Greyhawk criteria.

3e was really a generic in terms of content with Greyhawk naming conventions. There was three or four really Greyhawk specific Prestige Classes and most of the lore was "Greyhawk" in the same way that 1e was "Greyhawk". Ditto the adventures.

I loved my time playing LG and did some writing but I'm under no delusions that my content should be official. LG was only loosly approved and while some of the larger effects of that campaign could be taken as canon I think the campaign as a whole is pretty darn unofficial.

 

[ArcaneSpringboard]

Sorry, I can't see it happening. WotC know the folly of trying to support too many settings; that's how they came to own D&D in the first place. They also know that their success with any non-FR setting in 4e was... limited.

Unless they're now willing to go down the route of licensing out settings again, I really can't see any non-FR setting getting any support outside of the e-magazines.

Here's the thing though. Those settings are the core of D&D IP. There are a lot of 'D&D' players who no longer play D&D, but would be served and serve as a market for those sorts of products.

That way they could support Pathfinder, Old Schoolers, and 13th Age folks as well as those sticking with various editions of D&D.

 

[Klaus]

Greyhawk [/I]first and foremost as that's been absent since 2e.

I'd love to see Greyhawk make a return. I do have to mention that Greyhawk *did* show up in 3e (the Living Greyhawk Gazeteer, plus much stuff through Dragon magazine), and I wrote a 4e Greyhawk backdrop for Dragon last year.

 

[Plaguescarred]

I'd love to see Greyhawk make a return. I do have to mention that Greyhawk *did* show up in 3e (the Living Greyhawk Gazeteer, plus much stuff through Dragon magazine), and I wrote a 4e Greyhawk backdrop for Dragon last year.

Which was a pure delicacy to read

Knowing Greyhawk is Mike Mearls fave setting, i can only hope it will see print during Next life.

 

[Gundark]

Mystara and Birthright for me please