Ravenloft: The Horrors Within Announced, Release Date Scheduled for June 2026

[GarrettKP]

I doubt it is DL, but not for your reasons


they held it back so the buzz is closer to the release date rather than now and by the time it actually arrives no one is talking about it


pretty arbitrary timeline, I grant you FR and Eberron for those years.

Planescape had one release, just like DL, and I am not sure it did any better. Dark Sun was a blip under 4e that everyone forgot about by now. Ravenloft had two releases, its saving grace is that the adventure is pretty popular.

I still think Dark Sun is much more likely than DL, due to the UAs we had, and because timing wise DL makes more sense in 2027/28 from a tie-in perspective (assuming that the DL announcement this year is about the TV series)

Dark Sun consistently ranks in the Top 5 of their setting surveys. It’s one of their most popular settings, regardless of its absence from published materials recently.

The common trope among all of the most popular settings are their diversity in terms of genre. They all are different, unlike Greyhawk and Dragonlance that present more traditional fantasy. But Forgotten Realms eats up so much of that space that DL and GH can’t break through the way the weirder stuff like Eberron, Dark Sun, and Ravenloft can.

And sure, maybe they held back the announcement to give it a better runway. But that doesn’t feel likely to me, since you could argue the same strategy should be utilized for Arcana Unleashed, but they did not employ it there.

Either way, they usually save their biggest release for the end of the year, like they planned on doing with the FR duology. I suspect the same treatment for the December book, whatever it ends up being.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I still think Dark Sun is much more likely than DL, due to the UAs we had, and because timing wise DL makes more sense in 2027/28 from a tie-in perspective (assuming that the DL announcement this year is about the TV series)

DL TV series is still in development hell, however, there are novels this year, this time with the writers and WotC on the same page. And at least one computer game of course.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

And while Dark Sun isn’t a heroic fantasy setting, that doesn’t preclude them from using the phrase “Champions” in relation to the setting. Often times gladiators are referred to as “champions” when their oppressors want to glorify their captivity or to disconnect the horrors of their position with their games in the eyes of the public

This is a good example of discarding all logic to make the facts fit what you want to believe. WotC are not going to choose a title that glorifies slavery, not even being ironically postmodern. Season of Horror, Season of magic - dead on the nose, not remotely cryptic, elliptical or misleading.

Occam’s Razor says Dark Sun is next year. Wait a couple of months longer.

 

[Remathilis]

Dark Sun isn’t about champions and heroes, the whole point is it is not heroic fantasy..

Exactly. Dark Sun is about blood and death and war crimes and genocide and killing Dragon Kings to take their place as an even crueler tyrant. It's about PVP and treating consent forms as adventure checklists. Where a party will TPK themselves over a +1 sword.

They will sell you the whole book, but you only need the Xtreme Edge of it....

/S

 

[GarrettKP]

This is a good example of discarding all logic to make the facts fit what you want to believe. WotC are not going to choose a title that glorifies slavery, not even being ironically postmodern. Season of Horror, Season of magic - dead on the nose, not remotely cryptic, elliptical or misleading.

Occam’s Razor says Dark Sun is next year. Wait a couple of months longer.

Sure, they won’t pick a title that glorifies slavery. That is 100% on point. But they absolutely would pick a title that’s catchy and can refer to the heroes of the story.

Dark Sun isn’t “about”
Heroes. But D&D is. And as far as Dark Sun goes, the best stories to tell are the ones of people overcoming the harsh oppressions they face in the setting and becoming heroes, one way or another.

In Ravenloft, the setting isn’t about heroes either. But the stories have heroes.

Maybe Dark Sun isn’t this year. But it certainly feels more likely than Dragonlance or anything else being thrown around right now.

 

[Remathilis]

Maybe Dark Sun isn’t this year. But it certainly feels more likely than Dragonlance or anything else being thrown around right now.

I'll be honest. If Champions isn't about Dark Sun, it's going to be a product that has no player options since there isn't enough stuff in the UA pipeline to fill a player book. And I don't imagine they would hold off announcing another adventure anthology for buzz.

 

[Kurotowa]

Dark Sun isn’t “about” Heroes. But D&D is. And as far as Dark Sun goes, the best stories to tell are the ones of people overcoming the harsh oppressions they face in the setting and becoming heroes, one way or another.

I'll confess, I don't think I ever owned any of the Dark Sun TTRPG books back in the 90's. Maybe one random supplement, but not any of the box sets. What I mostly had was the first novel and the two CRPG games. And "Champions fighting to save a dying world" is definitely a valid take on the Dark Sun that I knew from those.

 

[bedir than]

DL TV series is still in development hell, however, there are novels this year, this time with the writers and WotC on the same page. And at least one computer game of course.

Dragonlance TV series isn't in development hell. It isn't in development at all.

https://www.imdb.com/find/?q=dragonlance&ref_=nm_nv_srb_sm

It's a fan creation by someone with lots of money, but outside of Joe, Tracy and Margaret it's not a thing, at all. There's nothing on Deadline. There's nothing on IMDB. It's not a thing!

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0542133/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_1_nm_7_in_0_q_joe mang

Joe hasn't finished his contracted documentary yet.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I'll be honest. If Champions isn't about Dark Sun, it's going to be a product that has no player options since there isn't enough stuff in the UA pipeline to fill a player book. And I don't imagine they would hold off announcing another adventure anthology for buzz.

Not all player options are put through UA - backgrounds, species, most feats aren’t. And they don’t really need to do it for subclasses either. But you are right, WotC aim for a balanced range of different products over the year, so having produced two books with a lot of player options they are not going to produce another.