D&D (2024) "The Future of D&D" (New Core Books in 2024!)

The online D&D Celebration event, which has been running all weekend, comes to a close with The Future of D&D, a panel featuring WotC's Ray Winninger, Liz Schuh, Chris Perkins, and Jeremy Crawford, hosted by Elle Osili-Wood. https://www.enworld.org/threads/a-closer-look-at-januarys-rules-expansion-gift-set.682894/ Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse A treasure trove of...

The online D&D Celebration event, which has been running all weekend, comes to a close with The Future of D&D, a panel featuring WotC's Ray Winninger, Liz Schuh, Chris Perkins, and Jeremy Crawford, hosted by Elle Osili-Wood.

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D&D is exploring the multiverse
Revisiting classic settings. 1st of 3 settings (Ravenloft) released this year. Next year, the other two major classic D&D settings come out. Both in formats they've never published products before.

Plus a "little peek" at a third classic D&D setting - a cameo.

In 2023, yet another classic setting is coming out.

Evolving D&D
Because of new players, they're always listening. Exploring new styles of play (like no combat needed in Wild Beyond the Witchlight). Also presentation of monsters and spells. New product formats. More adventure anthologies.

Making products easier to use. Ways to create the best experience. Experimenting and looking into technology.

Approaches to Design
Wild Beyond the Witchlight has interior design and tools to make running the adventure easier. Story tracker, guidance.

Beyond the books, they want to make different and varied products - packaging and form factor. Things different to hardcovers and boxed sets.

A blog post is coming soon detailing some of the changes, with more to come in future posts.

50th Anniversary in 2024
They've begun work on new versions of the core rulebooks. Recent surveys tie into that. They're still making plans, but expect more surveys. More will be said next year.

They will be completely compatible!

New experiences in the digital arena.

January Gift Set
Rules Expansion Gift Set -- Xanathar, Tasha, and a new book: Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse. All in a slipcase. Was intended for the Holidays, but global production issues mean January instead. There's also an alternate cover version.

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Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse
A treasure trove of creature related material from previous products compiled into one book and updated.

Opportunity to update material with a feel for how the 50th Anniversary books will be.

Improvements based on feedback, rebalancing, new and old art.

Over 250 monsters, and 30 playable races. All of the setting agnostic races that have been published outside the Player's Handbook.

Some content from Witchlight, Fizban's, and Strixhaven was influenced by Mordenkainen's.

Available first in the gift set, but separately later in the year.

Monsters alphabetized throughout rather than using subsections.

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Stat block changes --

Spellcasting trait is gone. Spellcasting action, slimmed down. Spellcasting monsters need less prep.

Spell slots are gone for NPCs. Regular actions that would have once been spells.

It was too easy for a DM to use spells which result in the monster having a too low effective CR.

Monsters can be friends or foes, and some magic will help rather than hinder PCs.

Where are we going?
More adventure anthologies. Another classic setting fairly soon.

Two all-new settings. Completely new. In development stage, an 'exploration' phase, testing the viability of them. They might not see the light of day.

Retooling nostalgia and blending it with new concepts. A blend of things that you know, and things that they have never done before.

In the short term -- more news next month about a new product for 2022 which goes into a new scary place we've never been before.

Boo the miniature giant space hamster
Below is an sketch from Hydro74's alt cover, which features Boo the miniature giant space hamster.

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Matt S1

Villager
Hey, you guys can love and have fun with silly. D&D sales are doing great so whatever it takes to keep D&D going works for me. Just saying it's taken a serious turn.
 




Levistus's_Leviathan

5e Freelancer
Exactly my point. 5 years isn't even pre 5E.
So, since I've never played any previous editions, I can't have opinions on them or know that settings like Planescape, Spelljammer, and adventures like Expedition to the Barrier Peaks have been a core part of D&D for decades?

Sorry, but you don't get to gatekeep opinions or knowledge based on age or experience in the game. D&D has been silly for basically forever. The Wild Beyond the Witchlight and Strixhaven don't make it any sillier than it already was.
 
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overgeeked

B/X Known World
Hey, you guys can love and have fun with silly. D&D sales are doing great so whatever it takes to keep D&D going works for me. Just saying it's taken a serious turn.
So you're mad that modern D&D has silly bits...but admit that old-school D&D had silly bits. So it's more that you dislike WotC or D&D's new popularity rather than the silliness per se. Weird argument to make.
 

Urriak Uruk

Gaming is fun, and fun is for everyone
Listening to the panel again, and interestingly on the two new settings is that Perkins specifically says that the last time they made entirely new setting like this was Eberron. Meaning, in this definition Strixhaven is not really an "entirely new setting." So the new settings are not Magic the Gathering related at all, even if they are new to that (like say New Capenna).

The book being announced will "goes into a place we've never been to before" that is "wonderful, scary, players will be absolutely terrified when they go into it, setting." Not sure if Spelljammer counts for that, as its not entirely new.

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And on the topic of this alt-cover... now that I've looked at it closer, that background behind Boo is definitely an eye (probably surrounded by more eyes). It's got veins, and a little reflection much like how eyes are typically drawn. Another thing is how Boo is mentioned so prominently, and that he is a miniature-giant-space-hammer, but his owner Minsc is not mentioned at all.

Anyway, it's really hard to think this cover is anything but Spelljammer. With Boo (and the comment specifically on how he's a Spelljammer creature), and likely a Beholder or Beholder-Craft Spelljammer looming behind him, this alt-cover SCREAMS Spelljamming.

That said, I doubt the book announced next month will be this one. If the alt-cover is only just a sketch so recently, I'd be surprised if they announce it so soon (it would need both cover and alt-cover ready for announcing). But this book does nicely fit as the Annual Big Adventure for 2022.
 


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