Planescape Planescape to languish in purgatory?

[cbwjm]

I think updating the setting (as well as others) would go over quite well with the playerbase. Nowadays you don't need a box set and endless supplements, they could do a single hardcover to go over the factions, the planes, the setting tropes, and a monstrous compendium. That's all you'd need to play in it much like people are happy to play in Ravnica or Eberron with only a single book (technically 2 for Eberron, but no one cares about Wayfarer's Guide).

 

[MarkB]

If there is a Planescape Torment enchaded edition there are possibilities of a sequel, at least because it's a powerful brand, it's very origintal when today there are too many generic fantasy videogames.

So, you're hoping for the Planescape campaign setting to be revitalised on the strength of Planescape Torment, which you are in turn hoping to see revitalised on the strength of the Planescape campaign setting.

 

[Einlanzer0]

I prefer new things personally, rather than recycling old stuff over and over again.

Also see: Hollywood. And the television.

That's a massive false equivalence. For one, TV and moves are passive entertainment, so there's not really a huge driver to update them outside of making more money. For two, you could equate seasons of a single TV show to multiple editions of a campaign setting.

The reality is people invest in campaign settings, and they practically benefit from periodic updates to keep them aligned with more modern rulesets so players can use them without creating a ton of work and/or cognitive dissonance.

 

[Morrus]

That's a massive false equivalence. For one, TV and moves are passive entertainment, so there's not really a huge driver to update them outside of making more money. For two, you could equate seasons of a single TV show to multiple editions of a campaign setting.

The reality is people invest in campaign settings, and they practically benefit from periodic updates to keep them aligned with more modern rulesets so players can use them without creating a ton of work and/or cognitive dissonance.

No, I still prefer new stuff.

 

[Shiroiken]

This bring me to a tangential but related point: the problem with producing new editions of old classics is that it may be tricky to get the right tone, and if you get the right tone for the classic feel, is it the right tone for now? For instance, how to A) Capture the original feeling of Gygax's Greyhawk (without Gary) and B) make it feel relevant and fresh in today's context? Would it resonate with younger players?

Get Luke or Rob to write it, since they can probably bring back most of Gygax's vision. The tone of the setting should be a low magic swords & sorcery style, but I'm aware that style is passe. I think the primary selling point would be "see where it all began," which is the exact same selling point they had for the folio and boxed set. I can't really see it being as successful as their setting books so far.

IMO if they want to explore Greyhawk, they should simply create an AP or two for it. Ghosts of Saltmarsh wasn't bad, but only 3 of the adventures were originally from Greyhawk. I could see an updated version of the Temple of Elemental Evil as an AP, as it's heavily rooted in the Greyhawk setting. Part of the problem with doing APs with Greyhawk is that the classic stuff would need a higher starting level than 1, and WotC is loathe to do that. If they did, the Queen of Spiders would be amazing as a high level AP (I did this as part of my 1st 5E campaign), and the Slave Lords series could be expanded into a mid-level AP.

 

[TheSword]

Wait, haven’t we just had a campaign set in Avernus? I thought that had a fairly Planescape like feeling. I will certainly be inserting a few mercy-killers and the rule of three into the re-run

 

[Mercurius]

I prefer new things personally, rather than recycling old stuff over and over again.

Also see: Hollywood. And the television.

I'll echo this. If given a choice, I'd rather see a new franchise or world created. In film, I'd rather seem take on a new property (even if a book) than yet another remake. There are so many great books out there just waiting for film treatment. While a lot would be lost in translation, I'd love to see a well-made Earthsea (Le Guin) or Riddle-Master (McKillip) or Morgaine (Cherryh) or Revelation Space (Reynolds) or Culture (Banks) series or film(s). On that note, I'm looking forward to the Wheel of Time series.

I tend more towards old than new school, but I'm glad to see the Magic settings. That said, I'd also like to see a deluxe Greyhawk box and a re-working of Planescape. Given the approach WotC is taking with 4-5 books per year, it doesn't have to be all or nothing.

 

[Tyler Do'Urden]

Yes, there's the faction war, but since factions are what people know about the setting it's really bizarre to suggest moving forward with a totally different set. It'd be a totally unrecognizable setting to the majority of players familiar with the original setting or the video game.

They already did this... it's called Ravnica.

 

[Tyler Do'Urden]

I'd also add a fourth problem, one shared by Spelljammer. Both benefited from an expansive product line (20-30 products apiece). That's sort of sprawling product line isn't really 5e's business model, and both settings become a little less when there isn't somewhere for you to go.

Well, given that it's 2020 there's a really easy fix to that problem - the DMs Guild. The books could do a better job tying in DMs Guild content though, and making new content accessible (for instance, elsewhere I theorized about a Mystara revival as the "Airship" setting - the core book could include a page on every region, and refer to the existing gazetteer for details - which is already up on DMs Guild. Then modules could be plugged in as "missions" approved by a committee in charge of the setting. It would be possible to go even further and just tie things to setting Wikis as well.

We have better ways of doing things today - why aren't we using them to their fullest extent?

 

[Quickleaf]

If there is another thread that discusses this which anyone knows of, I'd be grateful for a link.

There are a lot of treasured past tense D&D campaign worlds that are being (as far as I am able to see) ignored by WotC. They have come out with several other settings, Ravnica, Wildermont, Theros, and even updated others (Eberron) but the settings we remember and love atrophy. Certainly we can take the 2e lore and import it into the 5e ruleset, but wouldn't it be wonderful to have 5e material in these universes? I thought that perhaps someone in the community here might have an inside view, or just a generally more educated understanding on these old settings (Planescape, Hollow World, Darksun, Spelljammer, Greyhawk, etc) and the plans for them in WotC, if any? Why invent new settings when the old ones are so beloved and playable if updated?

I titled the thread Planescape only because it was my favorite next to FR.

I used to DM Planescape a lot when I ran 2e, had a 3-4 year long Planescape campaign, read Pages of Pain, was a contributor to some articles on Mimir.net and Planewalker.com (like the Bytopia Planar Renovation Project & Gehenna Planar Renovation Project), played Planescape: Torment probably too much, and started a Planescape 5e conversion thread here on ENWorld. Love the setting.

However, it wasn't without problems. One of the big ones was that there was a lot of high concept stuff that sounded good on paper, but it turned out to be paper-thin when it came to game-able details. Another was that the adventures often involved a significant amount of railroading. Basically, the setting was great about being vague and evocative, promising great ideas (shifting gatetowns to new planes? angels and fiends rubbing shoulders? cool!), but really falling short on following through on those when it came to specifics a DM could use at his or her table.

When I read through the Avernus chapters of Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus, when you got beyond the Mad Max vehicle stuff, much of the locations and NPCs felt inspired by Planescape themes. That encounter with Jandar Sunstar (sp?) felt like a parallel to the Pillar of Skulls in Planescape: Torment. The art & concept of the hag Mad Maggie (?) and her minions felt torn from Diterlizzi's head. And the multiple endings, including the possibility of redeeming the main villain, was pure Planescape. Once you're beyond the rather linear Dead Three dungeon and leaving aside the Mad Max influences, Avernus as it's depicted in that new hardcover adventure really feels like a homage to Planescape to me.

Don't get me wrong – I'd love to see a full-blown Planescape setting done for 5e – but I think the designers were very astute in recognizing some of the flaws in how Planescape was originally presented, and instead designing an adventure with imminently useful stuff based in the design ethos of Planescape.