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.