D&D 5E Seriously, why no setting support?

[hawkeyefan]

I really like the idea of tossing a bunch of different setting-specific elements into one big pot and putting it out as a big book of crunch.

Cram artificers and factions and psionics and thri-kreen and warforged and bariaur and mix it up with stuff like New Rangers and other assorted class and race options...yeah, sounds neat.

It does sound good, I agree. But what's the likelihood that is the sort of book that will be put out? Would such a book have the mass appeal that their other releases have had? If not, then from a business standpoint, they'd be better off releasing another adventure book.

 

[DEFCON 1]

In my opinion, the answer comes down to this...

If you want to play 5E in a particular setting bad enough... you'll put in the work to do so. Just like if you want to be a Dungeon Master at all at a level you yourself are comfortable with and proud of... you'll put in the work to do so.

And if you don't have that desire bad enough, you won't. Which is completely fine. You either keep playing the game version that requires only a more minimal amount of work that you're willing to give it, or you play in a setting you might not like as much, but which again you can do so with a more minimal amount of work on your part. Both of those answers are absolutely okay.

And in the mean time, if you want to express your dismay on the EN World boards, that's cool too. Your only payment for doing so is possibly reading a bunch of other people coming into the thread to give you "suggestions" to solve your issue, or tell you your desires aren't going to be met any time soon and to deal with it. Which ALSO is absolutely okay, because that's the reason for having a message board in the first place.

You have to choose what is most important to you... whether that's playing a particular setting, or just expressing your disappointment on the internet. And both expect a payment from you-- either your time and energy for the former, or a bunch of people unwilling to make you feel better about your disappointment in the latter.

And that's the eternal struggle for a player who has certain desires about how to play D&D the way they want.

 

[Jester David]

Dragonlance Adventures is now available in POD; latter developments are irrelevant, based on what the DMG has to say on the topic of Dragonlance. How many pages of race/subclass info are needed to make that fully useable?

We have tinkerer gnomes in the PHB and minotaurs in a UA.
Kender would be nice. But that's mostly a reflavoured halfling.
A knight of Solamnia subclass for fighters would be keen. But fighter subclasses could already be knights. And IIRC there was a cavalier option in a UA.
Moon magic would be cool, but the existing rules for 1e/3e could be translated.

So... draconians. A few other monsters would be keen, but mostly draconians. And preferably racial stats for a couple as well.

 

[delericho]

Slight quibble- 5e has support for all the canonical D&D settings. You can play 5e in any prior setting.

I disagree that "you can play 5e in" a setting means that "5e has support" for doing so. In the case of Dark Sun, in particular, a very significant part of that campaign setting (psionics) is simply missing* from the ruleset of the game (for now).

Yes, there are ways to work around that gap. But the user having to work around something isn't them being supported.

* In case of pedantry: psionics above 10th level.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Jester David]

Would it be rude to badger Mike on twitter about following up on that "expect an update by the end of this year" line?

Given they're focused on playtesting the big book of mechancial options and have doubled up on UA just to get those out on time... yes.

It's annoying they haven't updated the Eberron article, done other worlds, or revised other articles like the Battlesystem rules. I imagine updating the ranger and getting psionics out the door is higher priority.

 

[delericho]

You can disagree all you want- as I wrote, you can play Darksun in 5e using legacy material, 3PP, free web materials, and DIY. And people do.

People can and do use it to play Star Wars. Doesn't mean it supports it.

Also- it's odd that you would think someone is a pedant for already noting that psionics has received not one, but two releases by WoTC,

It's pedantry because if I hadn't noted that then with tedious inevitability someone would immediately have said "what about Unearthed Arcana? There's your psionics right there!"

When WotC put out their full-blown psionics support (and I don't doubt that it's 'when', not 'if') they'll have plugged that gap in the support for Dark Sun.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[delericho]

At this point, I just think you're arguing without understanding what I wrote.

No, I understood. I just think you're utterly wrong.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*