D&D 5E Planescape, Bigby, Phandelver and the Deck of Many Things: Covers & Details Revealed!

The covers of the upcoming D&D books — including Planescape, Glory of the Giants, and the Deck of Many Things have been revealed.

• August 15th -- Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants ($59.95)
• August 15th -- The Practically Complete Guide to Dragons ($39.95)
• September 19th -- Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk ($59.95)
• October 16th -- Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse ($TBA)
• November 14th -- Book of Many Things ($TBA)

Coming August 15th with two variants. Lore about giants, 76 stat blocks, feats, and a giant subclass.

3 hardcovers in a boxed set-- 96 page guide to Sigil, 64-page bestiary, and 96-page adventure, along with a poster map and DM screen. Coming October 16th.

224-page adventure for levels 1-12, poster map, 16 new monsters. Coming September 19th.

66 illustrated cards, 192-page book with lore, character options, magic items, and monsters, 80-page card reference guide, all in a slipcase. Coming November 14th.​

These Are Dungeons & Dragons' New Products For 2023

New books for the fantasy role-playing game include Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants, and a look at the legendary Deck of Many Things.

themessenger.com

 

[Irlo]

Do we? The vast majority of D&D players started with 5e. I doubt they have the whole world on their bookshelves. And if they've only purchased 5e settings, for the most part they have no world on their bookshelves.

They can't be expected to buy older edition settings to get a good one, and even if they do, that they have to go to another edition for a good setting means that 5e fails at settings.

I’ll ask the question in another way, because I’m sincerely curious. What would distinguish a 5e FR from previous iterations that would make it valuable to you as a game resource?

I’m asking from the perspective of an old gamer who never latched onto expansive published settings, novels, and meta-plots. I actually like the setting materials presented in the 5e adventure books.

 

[Maxperson]

No, they have pit out a ton of Setting material, and it has sold well. Just because you, personally, haven't bought doesn't mean it isn't there.

Not of much use to me, though, as I want a good world setting, not the nth detail of some towns or whatever. If I want apples, you can't tell me that the adventures have oranges which means that they have what a setting book would have. They don't according to @dave2008.

 

[Maxperson]

I’ll ask the question in another way, because I’m sincerely curious. What would distinguish a 5e FR from previous iterations that would make it valuable to you as a game resource?

Every FR setting released has had some different lore in it. That's useful to me. And then there are the metric craptons of new players who don't have the old stuff. They should have access to a 5e version for their 5e game.

I’m asking from the perspective of an old gamer who never latched onto expansive published settings, novels, and meta-plots. I actually like the setting materials presented in the 5e adventure books.

To date there is no FR setting. There is only a sliver of it called the Sword Coast. There is virtually no Spelljammer setting, like at all. There are 2 pages of setting material talking about the Astral Sea and 5 pages of The Rock of Bral. That's it. The rest of the "setting book" consists of races and backgrounds, which are things that go in a setting, but are not setting themselves, rules on space combat and movement which are also not setting, and a bunch of ships which are not setting.

As for adventure details, I don't really know about that since I'm not going to waste money on one.

 

[Parmandur]

Not of much use to me, though, as I want a good world setting, not the nth detail of some towns or whatever. If I want apples, you can't tell me that the adventures have oranges which means that they have what a setting book would have. They don't according to @dave2008.

They haven't produced the kind of product that you would prefer, bit they have produced the information. The regions involved are as large as Oregon (Princes of the Apocalypse) or Europe (Storm King's Thunder), so we are talki

Admittedly, they haven't pit the information in the presentation that you have a personal preference for: but they have put it in products, and it exists.

 

[Parmandur]

To date there is no FR setting. There is only a sliver of it called the Sword Coast.

The area covered in the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide is larger than Europe. Would a book about Medieval Europe.only be a sliver of a Setting because it doesn't cover the Tang dynasty...?

As for adventure details, I don't really know about that since I'm not going to waste money on one.

If you want to judge them as Setting supplements and compare them to 2E products, they are available at libraries.

 

[Maxperson]

They haven't produced the kind of product that you would prefer, bit they have produced the information. The regions involved are as large as Oregon (Princes of the Apocalypse) or Europe (Storm King's Thunder), so we are talki

So tiny portions of the Realms which is huge. That's not "the information." It's just small bits of the Realms.

 

[Maxperson]

The area covered in the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide is larger than Europe. Would a book about Medieval Europe.only be a sliver of a Setting because it doesn't cover the Tang dynasty...?

Have you seen the map of the Realms? The whole thing? The Sword Coast is a fraction of the size of the world.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Don't blame WOTC. Blame all the people complaining that all the Forgotten Realms lore were smothering their improv.

 

[Parmandur]

So tiny portions of the Realms which is huge. That's not "the information." It's just small bits of the Realms.

Entire regions that can provide way more Adventuring than programmed in the Campaign. The same info got independent books in 2E with similar page count of Setting info and information, in little softcover books. It's a format difference.

 

[Maxperson]

Don't blame WOTC. Blame all the people complaining that all the Forgotten Realms lore were smothering their improv.

That argument, like the one that said all the high level NPCs invalidated PCs, never flew with me. Both arguments are dead wrong. There are holes in the lore large enough to drive semis through. You can improve lots of places and things.

 

[Maxperson]

Entire regions that can provide way more Adventuring than programmed in the Campaign. The same info got independent books in 2E with similar page count of Setting info and information, in little softcover books. It's a format difference.

Either it's the whole Realms or it's not. If it's not, then it doesn't matter what it contains, it's not the Forgotten Realms setting.

 

[Parmandur]

Have you seen the map of the Realms? The whole thing? The Sword Coast is a fraction of the size of the world.

Yes, and so Europe is a fraction of Eurasia, let alone the whole world. I have, in fact studied many maps of the Realms: fictional geography is about as exciting to me as real geography, that's the kind of weirdo that I am. The Sword Coaat region covered in SCAG is the size of Europe. Baldur's Gate : Luskan as San Diego : Vancouver and there's plenty north of Luskan, and the map stretches hundreds of miles East to West. That there is a lot of world outside the Sword Coast area doesn't negate that it is very, very big on the scale of adventuring D&D characters.

I will note that I am referring to the 5E Sword Coast, which restored the original al Greenwoodian map scale from 1E/2E. 3E and 4E had a randomly shrunken Faerûn, but thatbeen retconned back to the accurate geographical scale.

 

[Parmandur]

Either it's the whole Realms or it's not. If it's not, then it doesn't matter what it contains, it's not the Forgotten Realms setting.

Setting material is setting.aterial: The FR books were Setting supplements, zoomed in on focused regions. That’s what we have seen with the big Campaign books: the Desserin Valley or Chult are very large, and the information for them can be used to build a lot of further material. I get that you do like thar format, but it exists.

 

[Maxperson]

Yes, and so Europe is a fraction of Eurasia, let alone the whole world. I have, in fact studied many maps of the Realms: fictional geography is about as exciting to me as real geography, that's the kind of weirdo that I am. The Sword Coaat region covered in SCAG is the size of Europe. Baldur's Gate : Luskan as San Diego : Vancouver Ed, and there's plenty north of Luskan, and the map stretches hundreds of miles East to West. That there is a lot of world outside the Sword Coast area doesnnegate that it is very, very big on the scale of adventuring D&D characters.

I get that. It's not what a FR setting is, though. It doesn't matter that it's the size of Europe, because the players will want to go to Cormyr, Halruua or Kara Tur. I need ALL the world in a setting or it's simply not going to cut it. I don't railroad my players into staying in one or even more than one region.

I will note that I am referring to the 5E Sword Coast, which restored the original al Greenwoodian map scale from 1E/2E. 3E and 4E had a randomly shrunken Faerûn, but thatbeen retconned back to the accurate geographical scale.

Yeah. I unshrunk it for 3e.

 

[Maxperson]

Setting material is setting.aterial: The FR books were Setting supplements, zoomed in on focused regions. That’s what we have seen with the big Campaign books: the Desserin Valley or Chult are very large, and the information for them can be used to build a lot of further material. I get that you do like thar format, but it exists.

The thing with the 3e FR books is that they came out AFTER I got the entire world in one big book.

 

[Parmandur]

I get that. It's not what a FR setting is, though. It doesn't matter that it's the size of Europe, because the players will want to go to Cormyr, Halruua or Kara Tur. I need ALL the world in a setting or it's simply not going to cut it. I don't railroad my players into staying in one or even more than one region.

Kara Tur is about as well covered in SCAG as it is the FRCS or any box set.

My experience running the FR is with people who haven't digested a lot of FR media from back in the day, so Advneturing in an area the size of Europe has not in fact, felt restrictive at any point. And of they wanted to leave the region, I have the FRCS and a ton of Wikis.

Yeah. I unshrunk it for 3e.

As is only appropriate: the one big "what were they thinking?" in the 3E FRCS.

 

[Parmandur]

The thing with the 3e FR books is that they came out AFTER I got the entire world in one big book.

Sure, and that was a cool book: but consider thar SCAG has been in print longer than the FRCS was, or 3.5 as an Edition, and is still ranking well on Amazon. It is meeting a lot of user's needs as a game product,as are the regional focused Advebture books.

 

[Maxperson]

Kara Tur is about as well covered in SCAG as it is the FRCS or any box set.

Well, no. There's a rather extensive 2e boxed set that covers it quite well. In any case, that misses the point. The point is that I need everything covered to a decent(not extensive, though that's good, too) degree, because my players roam the world.

My experience running the FR is with people who haven't digested a lot of FR media from back in the day, so Advneturing in an area the size of Europe has not in fact, felt restrictive at any point. And of they wanted to leave the region, I have the FRCS and a ton of Wikis.

We just have different kinds of players I guess. Mine will suddenly be like, "Wait! We might be able to find this herb in the desert of Mulhorand. We should go there and see." even though all I said is that it can be found in desert regions and they are right next to the Anauroch.

As is only appropriate: the one big "what were they thinking?" in the 3E FRCS.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

My reaction when people think 5E Planescape is going to be a lush, comprehensive and faithful iteration of the setting.

 

[Parmandur]

Well, no. There's a rather extensive 2e boxed set that covers it quite well. In any case, that misses the point. The point is that I need everything covered to a decent(not extensive, though that's good, too) degree, because my players roam the world.

Sure, a boxed set...but not in the main box set. And it never did get any attention in 3E or 4E.

We just have different kinds of players I guess. Mine will suddenly be like, "Wait! We might be able to find this herb in the desert of Mulhorand. We should go there and see." even though all I said is that it can be found in desert regions and they are right next to the Anauroch.

See,I'm the onlyone in my player circles who has much mental space invested in FR stuff, so they don't think like that. They do all sorts of crazy stuff, but wanting to do a full tour of Faerûn just doesn't occur to them.