Planescape 3E by WotC

[Shemeska]

Andy, (if you're still following)

this question doesn't involve Planescape (my above comments should clearly illustrate why), but rather most of the other ex-settings. instead of attempting to revive product lines, have you considered going more of the Ghostwalk-type route? you know, release a single all-inclusive package book that details a particular campaign setting and what differentiates it from the norm. this would give DMs and players enough to start building on, and if they wanted more stuff they could seek out older edition product. this reintroduces the material without a large commitment from the publisher. if the demand proved to be great enough, you could consider providing additional material. Ravenloft (AFAIK) is still licensed out, but you could publish such a book for Spelljammer, Mystara, etc this way.

That would be a very sweet idea were it to come to pass. A Planescape book like that couldn't do worse than Ghostwalk itself did.

 

[Clueless]

Instead of attempting to revive product lines, have you considered going more of the Ghostwalk-type route? you know, release a single all-inclusive package book that details a particular campaign setting and what differentiates it from the norm.

Oh! I like this idea!
It would certianly be a way to acknowledge the old fanbases for these settings, give them some love and respect, but letting them down gently not to expect more. (Sounds like breaking up with your SO - but I suppose that principle applies - you want to do it without ticking people off.)

And at the same time it provides a bit of a testing ground - stick your toe in the water and see if the waters too cold. If it turns out to be a blast and catch up with new people? Then wow - you just landed yourself a money making product again. If not - then you've sold enough to the old fans, and kept their good will for future products.

Sounds like a win-win to me.

 

[Alzrius]

Andy, (if you're still following)

this question doesn't involve Planescape (my above comments should clearly illustrate why), but rather most of the other ex-settings. instead of attempting to revive product lines, have you considered going more of the Ghostwalk-type route? you know, release a single all-inclusive package book that details a particular campaign setting and what differentiates it from the norm. this would give DMs and players enough to start building on, and if they wanted more stuff they could seek out older edition product. this reintroduces the material without a large commitment from the publisher. if the demand proved to be great enough, you could consider providing additional material. Ravenloft (AFAIK) is still licensed out, but you could publish such a book for Spelljammer, Mystara, etc this way.

Now this is a good idea! What better way to give the fans what they want, test the waters for an extension of the campaign line, and minimize risk, all at once? Honestly, all of the old campaigns could benefit from something like this.

 

[Incenjucar]

I agree that the idea of a Ghostwalk-esque book (sorta like the Grayhawk Gazateer, eh?) for each of the old settings would be a great idea. If they give us that, and do it RIGHT for once, they can test the waters for future monies, and if nothing else, gather valuable information on the gamers.

--

A note, I don't like PS because I can't do it myself, I enjoy it because it's actually something I wouldn't fall asleep at. 99% of books, movies, etc. that I run in to bore the heck out of me, not because I don't love reading, but because I hate repeat performances. I almost never watch anything twice, even if I love it, because it's all in there. PS was actually something newly stimulating, which is a -very- hard thing for anyone, anywhere, in any medium, to pull off. That said, D&D is part of why I'm an english major, again, thanks to PS.

--

Gold Digger d20 has been talked about on the Fred Perry Fan Club website, as has a more general AP d20 book. I'm thinking that, if they're still planning on it, they're waiting for d20 Future and d20 Past, since the comic pulls on soooo many things at once. But that's another topic, heh.

 

[Nisarg]

Things like turning a single multiverse into many (why? Why was that done?), the almost-total ignoring of modrons, having several planar layers get their names changed for no apparent reason, nixing several inner planes altogether, it goes on and on. It wasn't just that the product line ended...WotC seems (for some reason) to be actively trying to escape from the feeling of Planescape whenever anything planar does come up.

And that is the saddest thing of all.

Well, I don't see anything that expands choice as sad. I think the effort on the part of WoTC is in recognition that not everyone liked the "planespunk" style of Planescape, and instead of pushing it as THE way to run the planes, the "planescape" style becomes one of many possible ways to present the planes within the cosmology of D&D. They practically admitted as much in the Planar Handbook.

I see that as a good thing: the Planescape fans can continue to use the material WoTC is putting out, while primarily working with the "ambiance" of the earlier books; while on the other hand those of us for whom Planescape didn't feel right can feel free to ignore that stuff, and create a planar setting more to our own flavour.

Nisarg

 

[tetsujin28]

Is a 3E Planescape produced by WotC at all feasible?

As much as I love it, no. Next question.

 

[BOZ]

i'm surprised more people hadn't thought of that idea.

 

[Gez]

I think I have already seen it before. Maybe I even pushed it myself.

A one-book deal like Ghostwalk, or two-book deal like Wheel of Time, for most discontinued settings would be very interesting.

They would concentrate on description and details over rules, the rationnal being that the rules are already all around, in the various core books and sourcebooks. Only very specific rule material would need to be printed.

 

[johnsemlak]

I think the problem with this idea is this:

If you really want to play one of classic settings (Planescape, or Mystara, AlQuadim, Birthright, etc), you can.

Just aquire the OoP materials (ebay and www.rpg.now are two options), and apply 3e rules to them. Also, all the popular classics settings have sites devoted to updating the settings to 3e. That, combined with relavent books and Dragon/Dungoen articles (e.g. the Dark Sun stuff in the Mags combined with the ExPsHb; or MotP/Plhb for Planescape).

Bottom line--anyone who really wants to play the settings can.

Sure, in theory, some poeple would love to have a 3e-update book, but would anyone outside the settings' (relatively small) hardcore fan base be interested in buying it?

One answer to this question might be to see how the 3rd edition version of Dragonlance did last year.

Now, I pray to Pelor that I'm wrong. I'd love a Full color hardback 3.5 book of Mystara, and Greyhawk.

 

[reanjr]

Is a 3E Planescape produced by WotC at all feasible? It seems that with WotC's new take on cosmologies (ie. each Material Plane has its own cosmology), that Planescape could no longer have the same feel it used to have. Yes, yes, I know the Plane of Shadow connects alternate Material Planes, but this isn't just the same as ALL material planes sharing the Great Wheel with Sigil in the centre.

I'd say no. Wizards does not want to dump money into more settings. They want to focus on what they've got (whether it makes socioeconomic sense or not).

Also, the connectivity between Krynn, Toril, Oerth, etc. is unlikely to ever happen again even with the Plane of Shadow.

What do others think?

And if Planescape was handled by another publisher, what Material Planes would they include? They certainly would have trouble adding Oerth, Krynn, and Toril due to copyright issues. They'd only be able to get away with adding the Mythical-Earth-type gods and Material Planes (as featured in Legends & Lore and On Hallowed Ground).

If Wizards did it, they might be tempted to drop the references to those other worlds for the most part, but they would probably give a short synopsis on how to integrate them.

As for a third party, I can guarentee there would be no Tymora, Paladine, etc. This isn't so much a big deal, though, as long as they can use the Monster deities, Demon Princes, Lords of the Nine, etc. (which unfortunately is probably also unlikely as they are probably seen as Greyhawk IP). Alot (well, a significant minority) of FR deities are stolen from human pantheons anyway (Tyr, Sharess [I've heard she is Bast], etc).

But, they wouldn't be necessary for Planescape anyway. Sure, there would be some difficult workarounds. But it wouldn't ruin the setting.

Anyway, it's not going to happen.