D&D 5E The case for (and against) a new Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book

[JiffyPopTart]

One of WotC problems is that they can't assume that people are playing in a "5E era" per se: too many tables are playing FR in every "era" now. The Sword Coast has the advantage of not having radically changed since 1E. It's trivial to take any of the Adventures and transplant them into 2E or 3E time-frames. And I think that is a genuine strength of their current approach.

Well, I was talking about the "5e is the current edition of Dungeons and Dragons and lots of new young players aren't intersted in old stuff" era, not the "Yet another big change and now everything is different again 5e Forgotten Realms era"....but your take on it is actually a very good (maybe even better) one as to one of the barriers of producing more 5e sourcebooks.

My headcannon FR usually post Time of Troubles and doesn't really incorporate the spellplague OR the moondrop. Having never read the SCAG i'm not even sure what changed for 5e other than the moondrop disappeared for some reason.

I'm interested in the semi-official DMGuild FR books released recently but i'm not willing to buy them without flipping through the entire book first. Its interesting they have barely been mentioned in this discussion.

*fixed the marketplace

 

[Guest 6801328]

What I want is a whole setting with the feel of Ravenloft, but without the limitations of having it be a "plane of punishment" for one evil dude. Like Barovia, but 50x larger.

 

[Xenonnonex]

Tyranny of Dragons is just Hoard and Rise combined into one book, with a handful of revisions and new concept art. If you think that is what people are asking for when they're demanding an entirely new setting book, then you've lost the argument.

You seem to be missing the point if you think SCAG cannot receive similar treatment.
More importantly the point you also seem to be missing is that Wizards devoted attention to something that did not necessarily need to be released again.

 

[Mercurius]

What I want is a whole setting with the feel of Ravenloft, but without the limitations of having it be a "plane of punishment" for one evil dude. Like Barovia, but 50x larger.

My guess is that you’ll get Innistrad.

 

[Xenonnonex]

Then it can be made up as needed. The book can't cover everything, but it provides a total sandbox mini-Setting. The Death Curse can simply be left out, and not much changes.

If a book mentions something then leaves it out it cannot be a total sandbox mini-setting. You are giving them the choice of going somewhere where there is no information
You have to homebrew.
As was mentioned in another post the adventure needs extensive modification to be run without the Death Curse. Otherwise you are still running it with the Death Curse.

 

[Magister Ludorum]

I would buy 10 box sets if they came out with one for each region. I could see something in Cormyr, Dales, Tethyr, Impilter, etc. Take a town in each of these and make a book with the updated region and another with a starter adventure. They can throw in fun things like dice and handouts. I may not buy some set in areas such as Mulhorand, Chessenta, or Dambrath

I could also just as well see more boxed set like this for other towns around the Sword Coast. Port Last, Nesme, Beliard all could work fine for my games.

I don't run anything in the Realms, and I would also buy these products. Not just because I have a pathological need to own it all, but because I enjoy reading them. I also don't run in Wildemount, Ravnica, Midgard or Theros, but I will find useful ideas in all of them.

 

[Guest 6801328]

My guess is that you’ll get Innistrad.

Oh! I don't play MtG so wasn't familiar with it, but I just looked it up and it sounds great.

Then again, if WotC does it, I imagine it will go something like this:

"Well, we're almost done with the Innistrad setting. We've got werewolves and vampires and zombies, and creepy castles, and witches covens, and fearful villagers. All the elements. Early playtesters love it."

"It looks good...uh...sort of. Where are the evil demigods?"

"What?"

"This isn't nearly gonzo enough. We are going to need at least one world-shattering crisis, maybe more, that threaten to destroy the plane, and some epic clashes with demon lords, and some interplanar invasions. Maybe something like the Spellplague, but bigger and more cataclysmic. Also some new playable races. Gotta have new playable races."

"Well, um, we didn't think that was necessary for this setting."

"Look, you did nice work, really. It just needs a little, you know, 'polishing.' Why don't you go take your lunch break, and I'll just add the finishing touches...."

 

[Fenris-77]

What I want is a whole setting with the feel of Ravenloft, but without the limitations of having it be a "plane of punishment" for one evil dude. Like Barovia, but 50x larger.

I think that WotC would be well served to do a Gothic Horror type setting, in some way. That's another genre with a built in audience, and the the horror part overlays quite nicely with the variety of fantasy D&D deals in (as we've seen). Or it could be taken as an opportunity to edge the coverage of D&D a little closer to Georgian/Victorian. Also, another set of mechanics than can be taken and used elsewhere. It seems a pretty solid choice.

 

[Guest 6801328]

I think that WotC would be well served to do a Gothic Horror type setting, in some way. That's another genre with a built in audience, and the the horror part overlays quite nicely with the variety of fantasy D&D deals in (as we've seen). Or it could be taken as an opportunity to edge the coverage of D&D a little closer to Georgian/Victorian. Also, another set of mechanics than can be taken and used elsewhere. It seems a pretty solid choice.

I'd be perfectly happy with a well done 3rd party version of it, too.

Hmm. Maybe I should do that. Kickstarter....

 

[Fenris-77]

I'd be perfectly happy with a well done 3rd party version of it, too.

Hmm. Maybe I should do that. Kickstarter....

5th Edition Horror, by Fat Goblin Games, is worth a look. As is Sandy' Petersen's 5E Cthulhu book.