So why didn't WotC release a setting based on Magic the Gathering?

[Ranger REG]

As opposed to Ravenloft which is too horror for D&D, Spelljammer which is too spacey for D&D, Planescape which is too spikey and weird for D&D. Not too mention FR which is too 'high fantasy' for D&D and Dark Sun which is too grim for D&D.

IMO, D&D is pretty much what you make of it.

See, you're already confused about D&D. That's what you get for embracing political correctness.

 

[Solarious]

Sweet

I'll put it in one of the Monster forums in the future. Gotta fine tune the beast... I will let you know that it has 666 hp exactly. No, it wasn't by design. Yes, it is completely appropiate.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

At the time this transpired, I was playing neither D&D nor Magic, and was still very, very disappointed when the two didn't come together. Both a Magic setting for D&D and D&D icons like beholders in Magic.

Nowadays, I recognize the mechanical problems of running the Magic settings using D&D. Interestingly enough, the newer, non-Dominaria settings like Kamigawa and Ravnica would actually be quite workable (and both would be very fun settings to play in), but Dominaria's power brokers are simply too powerful - and too numerous.

In Dominaria (or in the wider scheme of Magic's planes) I'd much rather use systems that are designed to handle a higher power level and have the PCs as Planeswalkers. Exalted would be a solid choice, although a planeswalker is arguably beyond even the level of the Solars. HERO could probably handle the planeswalkers power even at modest point totals. Other than that, a custom system, perhaps one making use of the cards, would have worked better.

D&D in Magic, on the other hand, is a set I'd still love to see. Especially beholders and mind flayers in all their glory.

 

[frankthedm]

At the time this transpired, I was playing neither D&D nor Magic, and was still very, very disappointed when the two didn't come together.

Look how long it took for wotc to use hasbro's manufacturing arm to make small prepainted toys.

 

[frankthedm]

*nearly chokes on his daikon*

No one should be OA but Kara-Tur. And yes, I vocally disagreed with WotC's business and design decision to use Rokugan d20 to promote the new OA.

Mythic Japan was nicely divorced from Japan’s history in Kamigawa. For China I would desire a more Iron Heroes-esque Romance of the 3 kingdoms set up.

 

[TGryph]

I wonder if it had something to do with the M:TG Role-playing game Wizards was working on. I was one of the playtesters for it, and while it had some good points and clever ideas, it was actually pretty bad in play...a LOT of little problems and a few big ones. I dug out all of the rules and playtest notes recently to look them over, figuring my memory may have been jaded...but not so.
Of course, the game was to be set in Dominaria, so that may be the reason nothing was done for D&D. Also, as a side note, in response to my recent query to WOTC about the length of the NDA, I was told it is still in effect..so maybe something long term is in the works?

TGryph

 

[Pbartender]

Consider...

A single card game of M:TG as an entire adventure, rather than a single battle.

The Planeswalkers (the card players) become the "patrons" (as the DM) of the heroes (the PCs and friendly NPCs) and the villains (the BBEG and his mooks). They are the ones who gives the PCs the quest, and offer advice and help,when necessary. They are the ones who grant the BBEG all of his demonic power and hordes of minions.

Thus, having the Planeswalkers "summon" the characters to fight the bad guys is more akin to simply asking the PCs to go on a quest and having the PCs accept. One card killing another is equivalent to an ordinary D&D combat. Other spells might be a little more akin to plot developments. Dealing damage to the opponent player simply equates to advancing the plot closer to a resolution that favors your side.

Start from there and it's much less difficult to turn the Dominaria setting into an RPG setting.

 

[BlueBlackRed]

It is beyond me to believe someone would stop playing a game they like just because the company that made it produced a supplement that person didn't like. It just doesn't happen.

I mean, you actually think that there are people that stopped playing D&D because Eberron was released? How does someone come to that line of thought? Explain.

I stopped playing D&D for a long time during 2nd edition when the only groups I could find were either changing campaigns every other month because one person wanted to play Dark Sun, then Al-Qadim, and so on.

If WotC were to create Dominaria as a campaign setting then the already dropping public opinion of WotC would be even further damaged.

When Eberron was released nearly my entire gaming group saw it as a bad sign that D&D was no longer going to be the D&D we grew up playing. Ever since then we have viewed every single book that WotC has released with near suspicion rather than the hope we had when 3E was still new.

 

[Crothian]

When Eberron was released nearly my entire gaming group saw it as a bad sign that D&D was no longer going to be the D&D we grew up playing. Ever since then we have viewed every single book that WotC has released with near suspicion rather than the hope we had when 3E was still new.

Wow, that's pessimisitc. I've found that once I know what I like about D&D I find it very easy to do that even in an Eberron game. I'm not as old school as Diaglo, but I run first edition games with 3.x rules. The content of the books doesn't stop the way you game.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

What do you mean? Eberron is a good setting, and more to the point, it's more D&D than most of the older settings.

I don't like Eberron. I don't buy it, I don't play it. I don't associate it with D&D, but it can work. A lot of things work with D&D. I think MtG would, too.

No one should be OA but Kara-Tur. And yes, I vocally disagreed with WotC's business and design decision to use Rokugan d20 to promote the new OA.

I am so grateful that they used Rokugan. Without that, I'd probably never have found out about Rokugan, which is one of my favourite campaign settings and roleplaying games, too.

Witty snipe! But you may be mistaking me for someone else; I love 1e and (to a lesser extent) 2e. If you're looking for old D&D hate, you aren't going to find it with me.

I think he meant me. I hate older editions. In the case of 1e, there's no special reason, I hate it just because. 2e I hate because of the idiots I was forced to play with.

I imagine it's because the setting for MtG isn't conducive to a conventional roleplaying game.

I don't know. They turned the Legend of the Five Rings trading card game into a Roleplaying Game, and it rocks. Big time.

They did. It's called "3rd Edition".

"Oooh, boost my power strike feat by stacking with my metamagi..."Zzzzz...

You should read those rules, you seem to have no idea what you're talking about. How would you apply a metamagic feat to a feat? Its metamagic, not metafeat.

A lot of hatred for things stems from not knowing it properly. Well-known fact. Sometimes its also just the wrong people, like old 2e players who lived under the tyranny of the restriction-based AD&D 2e-ruleset too long and then were released into the choice-based 3e ruleset, and immediately go powergamer. I saw that happen a couple of times. Try to get hold of some players who use, rather than misuse, the choice-driven rules in order to create the character they want.

It's all about branding. There was a article recently on magicthegathering.com the mentioned that although both properties contain fantasy tropes, they don't want to dilute the two brands my intermixing them.

Do they have a whole department responsible for coming up with crap like this, or is it just a couple of guys? Or do other people there do that sort of thing during lunch break.

You, me, and hundreds or thousands might think it's fun, but they don't want to take the risk. Michael Morris did a ffine take on a Magic-themed fantasy world some time back (DUSK)

And they wanted to draw and quarter him for it. I think I still have a scan of their want ad for "4 strong horses, for quartering a RPG/TDG heretic with".


Really, take a look at L5R. It was made into a roleplaying game (into its 3rd edition now), and also ported it to d20. I don't know whether it angried too many D&D players (other than those who'd rather have had Kara-Tur), or many trading card gamers, but it did pretty much corner the Wuxia RPG market.

They should make it D20 Magic: The Gathering, rather than the Magic: The Gathering Campaign setting - so it's not really D&D - and see whether they can manage to get a small percentage of the vast MtG community to play RPGs. Could be that they actually get thousands of Magic people to try out the new "spin-off game" and BAM! Next generation of roleplayers is recruited.