D&D 5E Quests From The Infinite Staircase Coming July 2024

An adventure collection coming next summer with updated versions of classic adventures.

Update--WotC has taken down the promo image and replaced it with one without a release date. See more here.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm not familiar with the original Isle of Dread, but i DMed its Savage Tide iteration, and in that it was very colonialist. If (and I'm speaking from legit igorance here, please someone correct me if I'm wrong...) the original module shares that, WotC will either steer well clear, or possibly do a complete rewrite/update.

The original doesn't feature colonialism per se (beyond pirates being camped on a smaller island off shore), but is very informed by "Skull Island"/"Monster Island" stuff, which is informed by a colonialist worldview, with even the most capable of natives hiding from the monsters waiting, essentially, for outsider adventurers to arrive and pacify their island for them.

 

[KoolMoDaddy-O]

The original doesn't feature colonialism per se (beyond pirates being camped on a smaller island off shore), but is very informed by "Skull Island"/"Monster Island" stuff, which is informed by a colonialist worldview, with even the most capable of natives hiding from the monsters waiting, essentially, for outsider adventurers to arrive and pacify their island for them.

Also the Savage Tide version of the Isle of Dread (which is set after a band of adventurers have explored it) adds a trading colony called Farshore on one of the southern islands that in the original is home to a hermit. It doesn't bother me but it would definitely make some audiences see red.

 

[michaeljpastor]

So - uninformed and wild speculation about what modules they’ll be redoing for this? If Yawning Portal sets any precedent, they’ll look for a selection of classic adventures with name recognition, from all eras and edition of D&D, but probably with a bit of a lean towards more generic fantasy rather than more specialty settings like Dark Sun or Ravenloft (so no When The Black Roses Bloom, or Assassin Mountain, booo…). Maybe with a slight planar bent given the Staircase is the framing device.

Gardmore Abbey? Great Modron March? Dead Gods?

Im really struggling for options from the 3rd ed era. Yawning Portal covered a lot of that ground, then the remaining classics from the era were Red Hand Of Doon, which is an entire campaign in itself, or the APs from the Paizo Dungeon era.

A lot of the all time classics have already been 5e-ified in some form, or were tightly tied to a specific campaign setting, or will contain cultural stuff modern WotC won’t want to touch, or were in Dungeon and therefore in a dubious position re rights.

I think if you look at what adventures they focused on in the retrospective panel, you might find clues. I don't think that they were randomly chosen.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I think if you look at what adventures they focused on in the retrospective panel, you might find clues. I don't think that they were randomly chosen.

Do you recall which they were?

 

[Parmandur]

Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga

Oooooh, interesting choice, that does tie in woth their IP purposes, such as with Tasha. That could go multiple ways, as well, with the Dungeon article and S5 versions.

Now, since I already suspect S3 and S4 (even with Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth OP release of a paired down version, I think the full S4 us stillcplausivle here), if we throw S5 into the mix...how about S6, Monte Cook's Labyrinth of Madness?

Based on what they were laying down about types of Adventures in their overview of their history, amd what Eve of Ruin is going to be (long-form story based Adventure with callbacks to stuff like Ravenloft), and the comparison of this to Yawning Portal, makes me think this will be a collection of non-story focused more Dungeon-y modules.

 

[Parmandur]

Do you recall which they were?

I posted them upthread.

 

[Parmandur]

Between Goodman already doing a great update to it and Wizards own Tomb of Annihilation, I doubt they’ll touch it. Same goes for Forbidden City.

Again on both points:

• Goodman Games doesn't have the license anymore, and those excellent OAR books are out of print. That won impact any decision making for WotC.
• Tomb off Annihilation came out a full 7 years prior to this collection, as opposed to Storm King Thunder coming out 9 months prior to Yawning Portal with the G series, and S1 being in Yawning Portal less than six months before Tomb of Annhilation.

I think I1 is a very strong contender for this, actually.

 

[caudor]

I think whatever complete setting they put in the DM's Guide might impact some of the choices. If Greyhawk, maybe we get Village of Homlett or Cult of the Reptile God. If Nentir Vale, maybe Keep on the Shadowfell. I don't know, maybe I'm reaching here.

 

[Parmandur]

I think whatever complete setting they put in the DM's Guide might impact some of the choices. If Greyhawk, maybe we get Village of Homlett or Cult of the Reptile God. If Nentir Vale, maybe Keep on the Shadowfell. I don't know, maybe I'm reaching here.

Also what Adventures are in the DMG, since apparently it will have a "bunch" of Adventures.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Between Goodman already doing a great update to it and Wizards own Tomb of Annihilation, I doubt they’ll touch it. Same goes for Forbidden City.

Besides @Parmandur listing quite a few modules being re-published despite erstwhile replacements already existing (or soon to exist), there are things like Ravnica and Radiant Citadel supposedly blocking Sigil and Planescape from ever being published. As we have seen, WotC certainly does not play by any "If we've done something similar, we can't re-publish the original" rule.