D&D (2024) The D&D Direct 2024 Watch Thread

Watch D&D Direct 2024 live today (Tuesday August 27th) at 10am PDT (5pm BST)!

We can’t wait to share all the exciting updates coming soon to Dungeons & Dragons! Hear from our game design team about what’s new in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide, and the 2024 Monster Manual. Learn more about building new adventures with Project Sigil, explore our exciting new partnerships, and get a sneak peek at upcoming releases in 2025 by tuning in to this year’s D&D Direct.

 

[SlyFlourish]

I never understood the criticism that WOTC isn’t putting out new settings. Why do we count on them for this? Dozens of awesome publishers have put out dozens of awesome settings I bet many have never considered. WOTC doesn’t have a monopoly on good setting design.

Examples:

• Midgard by Kobold Press
• Southlands by Kobold Press
• Planebreaker by Monte Cook Games
• Ptolus by Monte Cook Games
• Domenwood by Necrotic Games (not 5e but easily converted)
• Thrones and Bones by Lazy Wolf Studio
• Voidrunner by EN World
• Iskandar by MT Black
• Drakkenheim by the Dungeon Dudes
• Arora by Ghostfire Games

I can keep going but I’ll stop there. Many of these may not be your cup of tea. The same is true whenever WOtC puts out a new book.

Don’t let WOTC determine your happiness with RPGs. Try some other stuff out.

Adding: Whenever I say stuff like this, people assume I'm bashing WOTC. I'm not. WOTC releases some outstanding products and has the best art direction in the industry (MCG, for me, comes really close and surpasses it often). Radiant Citadel, Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, Ravnica, Theros, Eberron Rising from the Last War, Wild Beyond the Witchlight – these are outstanding products. There are also lots of outstanding products for 5e and D&D coming out from other publishers, products with designers who often used to work at WOTC themselves.

I love some of the books WOTC has put out and I love many of the books put out by other publishers. For me, from a design perspective, WOTC isn't oceans better than everyone else.

If you wish WOTC would do something new, do something new yourself by taking a look at some of the best settings put out by other publishers.

 

[Oofta]

I never understood the criticism that WOTC isn’t putting out new settings. Why do we count on them for this? Dozens of awesome publishers have put out dozens of awesome settings I bet many have never considered. WOTC doesn’t have a monopoly on good setting design.

Examples:

• Midgard by Kobold Press
• Southlands by Kobold Press
• Planebreaker by Monte Cook Games
• Ptolus by Monte Cook Games
• Domenwood by Necrotic Games (not 5e but easily converted)
• Thrones and Bones by Lazy Wolf Studio
• Voidrunner by EN World
• Iskandar by MT Black
• Drakkenheim by the Dungeon Dudes
• Arora by Ghostfire Games

I can keep going but I’ll stop there. Many of these may not be your cup of tea. The same is true whenever WOtC puts out a new book.

Don’t let WOTC determine your happiness with RPGs. Try some other stuff out.

Adding: Whenever I say stuff like this, people assume I'm bashing WOTC. I'm not. WOTC releases some outstanding products and has the best art direction in the industry (MCG, for me, comes really close and surpasses it often). Radiant Citadel, Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, Ravnica, Theros, Eberron Rising from the Last War, Wild Beyond the Witchlight – these are outstanding products. There are also lots of outstanding products for 5e and D&D coming out from other publishers, products with designers who often used to work at WOTC themselves.

I love some of the books WOTC has put out and I love many of the books put out by other publishers. For me, from a design perspective, WOTC isn't oceans better than everyone else.

If you wish WOTC would do something new, do something new yourself by taking a look at some of the best settings put out by other publishers.

If you're going to share your IP, it makes a lot of sense to focus on your core and let other companies take the risk of a variety of settings. I've also found other 3PP tools useful like MMs and other world building resources.

I think it's great that they're allowing stuff like this on DDB. Of course part of it is profit motive because they get money as a storefront, but it also helps the overall brand expand in ways that may not be profitable for WotC.

 

[Valetudo]

I kinda agree with sly. I would like more ebberon.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I kinda agree with sly. I would like more ebberon.

Have you picked up the new Eberron books that Keith Baker has written and published on DMs Guild? Exploring Eberron and Chronicles of Eberron are already out, and his new book Frontiers of Eberron: Quickstone (a gazeteer, bestiary, and adventure in Droaam on the Breland border) is about to be released in late September.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I find the bit where Crawford seems so happy that they "worked with the team at Beyond to make sure your characters can use weapon masteries" to be both funny and a little troubling. I mean, "Duh. Can you imagine the backlash if you DIDN'T!?"

 

[Nikosandros]

I find the bit where Crawford seems so happy that they "worked with the team at beyond to make sure your characters can use weapon masteries" to be both funny and a little troubling. I mean, "Duh. Can you imagine the backlash if you DIDN'T!?"

I also found it a bit funny that they seemed to imply that giving martials some tactical round-to-round choices was this unheard-of novelty in D&D, like 4e never happened...

 

[Parmandur]

I also found it a bit funny that they seemed to imply that giving martials some tactical round-to-round choices was this unheard-of novelty in D&D, like 4e never happened...

The core audience at this point are people who weren't born when 4E went out of print (barely exaggerating here, 2012 is a loooong time ago now)

 

[Nikosandros]

The core audience at this point are people who weren't born when 4E went out of print (barely exaggerating here, 2012 is a loooong time ago now)

Indeed. All the more a reason for acknowledging the past, instead of covering it up.

To be clear: I'm jesting because I don't particularly care about what they say in promotional videos, nor I think most new players care very much about the game history; I know I didn't , back when I began. On the other hand, it is funny to me because it matches a bit the idea that 5e took several ideas from 4e, but takes pains not to acknowledge it...

 

[EthanSental]

To piggyback of Mikes post above…..Golarion from Paizo is a fun world for settings. It was alway one of their strong points that appealed to me when we were playing PF.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

To piggyback of Mikes post above…..Golarion from Paizo is a fun world for settings. It was alway one of their strong points that appealed to me when we were playing PF.

It'll be interesting to see what Greyhawk looks like in the 2024 DMG and if it is able to fully embrace that kind of kitchen sink aesthetic in what is likely to be much fewer pages than Paizo allots even in their most zoomed-out books.