WotC So, when do the announce the July book? Guesses on what it'll be? 🤔

[hopeless]

There was a DMG 2 for 3rd edition as I remember, was there one for 4e?

 

[teitan]

DMG 2? What book is supposed to be that?

None.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Xanathar's Guide to Everything, then Tasha's is DMG 3. They also pull double duty as PHB 2 & 3. The closest they will ever come to either, at any rate.

Oh... I don't own Tasha's yet so won't speak on it, but I definitely don't feel Xanathar's is a DMG 2. I know one of the three chapters is for DMs, but a 1/3 of a book doesn't really make it a "DM book" to me. Comparatively, those setting books (or monster books) are more DM-useful.

 

[teitan]

Hasbro risk averse in storylines? Have you looked at transformers in the last 20 years? Decepticons are portrayed as socialists who rose to up lift the downtrodden and lost their way and Autobots are the fascists who oppressed the Decepticons and are now reaping the fruits of that dynamic in the war for Cybertron. While true that the recent Bumblebee animated series were less risky the core lore for modern transformers has been generated in the comic books from IDW and it’s definitely not sanitized. Same with GI Joe. They’re risk averse in their animation but the rest of the product line not so much. Not even the WFC animated series is that risk averse.

 

[teitan]

There was a DMG 2 for 3rd edition as I remember, was there one for 4e?

Yes. They were supposed to do a DMG3 in 4e as well. They were designed to cover the 3 tiers of play. The 3.5 DMG2 was more general advice and such than a continuation. They also had a PHB2 in 3.5 and I think that it sold well enough that it “justified” the model for 4e.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Hasbro risk averse in storylines? Have you looked at transformers in the last 20 years? Decepticons are portrayed as socialists who rose to up lift the downtrodden and lost their way and Autobots are the fascists who oppressed the Decepticons and are now reaping the fruits of that dynamic in the war for Cybertron. While true that the recent Bumblebee animated series were less risky the core lore for modern transformers has been generated in the comic books from IDW and it’s definitely not sanitized. Same with GI Joe. They’re risk averse in their animation but the rest of the product line not so much. Not even the WFC animated series is that risk averse.

If you look at the Dev Blog, Winninger says that Hasbro has essentially no influence on what WotC publishes. What Transformers does has zero meaning on what D&D will do.

 

[teitan]

If you look at the Dev Blog, Winninger says that Hasbro has essentially no influence on what WotC publishes. What Transformers does has zero meaning on what D&D will do.

Yeah but what I am referencing is a poster saying Hasbro is risk averse. I am addressing Hasbro specifically not WOTC, in that regard. WOTC is gun shy about a lot.

 

[teitan]

This quote from the new dev blog also says to me the Amy Hamon project isn’t the adventure anthology because it lays out what the “studio” means and has been completely ignored in this thread.

"The D&D Studio itself is organized into four departments: Game Design, Art, Production, and Product Management, each led by a department head. Game Design is responsible for the developing game mechanics and stories. Art establishes the “look and feel” of Dungeons & Dragons by creating visual concepts, directing our freelance illustrators, and creating innovative graphic designs. The Production department manages our project schedules, interfaces with manufacturing experts, and generally handles administrative matters for the studio. The Product Management department interfaces with sales, marketing, and market research. They also own our long-term product roadmap and look after the D&D business."

So it sounds to me like a new product that they conceived of together that is something new. Maybe a new dragon and fey themed setting?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Err, the guy just said the July book was an adventure - ye'all miss that?

 

[Parmandur]

Oh... I don't own Tasha's yet so won't speak on it, but I definitely don't feel Xanathar's is a DMG 2. I know one of the three chapters is for DMs, but a 1/3 of a book doesn't really make it a "DM book" to me. Comparatively, those setting books (or monster books) are more DM-useful.

Well, they've specifically disavowed doing books aimed specifically at either players or DMs, and that has worked out for them. The content that would be in a DMG 2/3 and PHB 2/3 is in Xanathar's and Tasha's, however, so it is as close as they will ever be to that specifically.

I have argued that the Setting books in the style of Ravnica are a combo PHB/DMG/MM set, too, which follows from 2E box sets which had a players book, a DM book, and monster cards.