D&D 5E Tales from the Yawning Portal: A better title would be "Nezram's tales of adventure".

[BookBarbarian]

An author I like, Michael J, Sullivan, recently talked about why he changed a book title from "Rhune" to "Age of Myth". While Rhune is certainly more fitting with the contents of the book, if you haven't read the book before buying it, you won't understand the context. This is terrible for moving books off of the shelves, which means the product fails, which leads to less products in the future. A book title should make a book seem to leap off the shelf, because you can't be successful without moving product. I don't care what industry you're in.

So no, naming it after an obscure wizard or a less well known inn or tavern does not a better title make.

 

[Corpsetaker]

An author I like, Michael J, Sullivan, recently talked about why he changed a book title from "Rhune" to "Age of Myth". While Rhune is certainly more fitting with the contents of the book, if you haven't read the book before buying it, you won't understand the context. This is terrible for moving books off of the shelves, which means the product fails, which leads to less products in the future. A book title should make a book seem to leap off the shelf, because you can't be successful without moving product. I don't care what industry you're in.

So no, naming it after an obscure wizard or a less well known inn or tavern does not a better title make.

But naming a book after something that has established lore for a long time and not really sticking to that lore is not a great way to sell it to existing fans either. I could understand if the Yawning Portal didn't already have a history but unfortunately it does.

Since this book seems to be for new players and DM's, using a famed wizard who is a World Walker actually makes more sense. Could even base him in Skullport where it's known to have Spelljammer ships and portals to the inner and outer planes. Not sure if Spelljammer is considered cannon in 5th edition but it's a start and it actually makes sense as to why adventurers would be discussing dungeons on other worlds.

 

[Jer]

Because The Yawning Portal sees more foot-traffic than those inns as a result of there being more people (both locals and visitors) in Waterdeep than in Skullport.

I think it's more likely that Wizards assumes that people will have heard of the Yawning Portal and connect it nostalgically to something in their past. Either because they played in an Undermountain campaign back in the 90s, or maybe because they remember it from Neverwinter Nights, or from one of the Forgotten Realms novels.

There's a crux of a legitimate complaint in there in that "special" Forgotten Realms locations are being treated like "generic" locations under this newest D&D edition. Greyhawk fans have been screaming about that for going on 3 editions now. It's no different from the complaint that The Temple of Elemental Evil should only be located outside of Nulb or similar. But really the Realms has always been about being Wizards big cash cow of a setting, and it's there to be milked.

Along those lines, I would not be surprised to discover that they are building up longer term to release an Undermountain AP and assocated AL content. It certainly would fit with the general nostalgia-driven model of the AP books they've been releasing. If that's the case then introducing the Yawning Portal as a background element now is just setting the pieces into place to be in position when they release whatever they're doing for Undermountain. It would be a "brand building" exercise. (It's honestly the only real reason from a branding standpoint to name it after the Yawning Portal in the first place. It has the word YAWN right there in the name. Anyone not in the know on seeing the title would be forgiven for thinking "why should I buy this book when even the people publishing it think its boring?")

 

[DEFCON 1]

Anyone got $2.50 for some masking tape? I'll be able to rename everyone's book for them next fall without any problems!

 

[BookBarbarian]

But naming a book after something that has established lore for a long time and not really sticking to that lore is not a great way to sell it to existing fans either.

This is only true if those existing fans that dislike the title outnumber those that recognize it and will buy the book because of it.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

But naming a book after something that has established lore for a long time and not really sticking to that lore is not a great way to sell it to existing fans either.

The established lore has been adhered to to an acceptable degree according to the majority of the existing fans present in this thread. I doubt there will be a difference among the existing fans not present in this thread.

It has the word YAWN right there in the name.

"Yawn" is a verb. There are no verbs in the title of the book.

 

[Cyrinishad]

Why not just split the difference and rationalize to yourself that Nezram is the one regaling his tales while at the Yawning Portal?

Nezram: "All you adventurers have it easy these days! You think that Undermountain is the ultimate dungeon?! You just kick back have a few brews and hop down a hole in the floor! Back in my day I had Walk between Worlds, Uphill, Both Ways to find a decent Dungeon! There was this one dungeon on a world called Oerth..."

Adventurer: "Earth? I've never heard of it..."

Nezram: "I said Oerth not Earth! Don't distract me or I'll start ranting about the Imaskari abducting Egyptians and Babylonians through Portals..."

Adventurer: "What the heck is a Baby Loon?"

Nezram: "Oh, to the Nine-Hells with it! I'm tired of this nonsense, I'm going up to room to go to sleep..."

Adventurer: "Phew, any more wizard ramblings and I was going to fall asleep in my Mead-Mug... Maybe that's why they call this place the Yawning Portal..."

 

[darjr]

There are extra planar portals within undermountain and there is a hint that the propieter has traveled the planes. One of his grandsons have, right on to Greyhawk. In fact the current owner impersonated his grandson for a while.... Or maybe it's the other way round?!?!?

An extra planar mystery involving Greyhawk and the very propieter serving your drinks. Sounds like a great place to me.

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

How about "Legendary Dungeons of the Multiverse"?

I hadn't previously heard of the Yawning Portal, but it is evocative of a dungeon entrance, so at least there's that.

 

[Parmandur]

Then why aren't they sitting in "The Burning Troll Inn" or "The Drowned Buoy Inn" in Skullport where it would make a lot more sense?

Because movie tie-in, really; more canonically, because PCs are more likely to be there, and the stories will get thru from Skullport.

Speculation is that the AL season will be Undermountain focused; so these dungeons are sidelined to that.