D&D 4E The still "complete" list of official 4E products, now with 2011!

[Nikosandros]

- Wrath of Ashardalon (February 15, 2011)

This one is still listed as a November release on WotC catalog. I wonder if they decided to space out the releases of the two boardgames, in order to give Castle Ravenloft some more breathing space.

 

[Mercurius]

- The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought and Beyond (May 17, 2011)

Complete with CHOKING HAZARD WARNING.

 

[Mercurius]

On a serious note, I'm still waiting for and wondering if WotC is going to flesh out that sparse December-February span, which is now four months without a D&D book, from the release of Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms and Monster Vault in mid-November to Heroes of Shadow in mid-March. That just can't be right.

I suppose they might put Nentir Vale Gazetteer back in February--which I'm guessing got pushed back, maybe into a hardcover format--it is still three months.

But I'm still wondering about that now four-month gap. What is that about? Could it simply be to see how Essentials does so that they can re-work their 2011 strategy as needed? Or what?

 

[thalmin]

This one is still listed as a November release on WotC catalog. I wonder if they decided to space out the releases of the two boardgames, in order to give Castle Ravenloft some more breathing space.

According to the email we got from WotC, production delays forced them to move the date to mid-Feb.

 

[ggroy]

But I'm still wondering about that now four-month gap. What is that about?

No idea what the purpose of the four month gap is for.

Could it simply be to see how Essentials does so that they can re-work their 2011 strategy as needed? Or what?

At this point in time, it's probably too late to drastically change the 2011 schedule announced so far. By January 2011, the titles scheduled for release for September and October 2011 should start showing up on amazon.

If past precedent holds, most likely the confirmed 2011 titles (announced at Gencon 2010) are already finished the development phase, and are now in the editing phase. For example, the 4E Dark Sun manuscripts from development were already finished in October 2009 and sent off to editing. (The 4E Dark Sun books were eventually released in August 2010).

At the present time, it would not be surprising if the 4E Ravenloft manuscript is almost finished development, and ready to be handed off to editing soon.

What exactly they are doing after 4E Ravenloft, is probably being proposed and planned right now and over the next two months. (Nothing ever gets done in December). It will probably be highly influenced by how good the sales of the 4E Essentials titles are over September->November 2010. By now, they probably have a very good idea how well the two 4E Essentials books sold initially (Rules Compendium, Heroes of the Fallen Lands). How well the 4E Essentials box sets and "Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms" sell over the next two months, will most likely confirm what they already know.

 

[ggroy]

Just noticed this. Quite a few 2011 4E D&D titles have freelancers as primary authors.

- Heroes of Shadow (Mike Mearls, Robert Schwalb)

- Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium (Travis Allison?, Scott Fitzgerald Gray, Jeff Tidball?)

- The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought and Beyond (Andy Clautice, Erik Scott De Bie, Matt Goetz)

- Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale (Brian R. James, Matt James, Sterling Hershey, Steve Townshend)

- Neverwinter Campaign Setting (Matt Sernett, Erik Scott De Bie, Ari Marmell)


(2011 4E D&D titles by WotC staff)

- Madness of Gardmore Abbey (James Wyatt?)

- Player's Handbook: Champions of the Heroic Tier (Mike Mearls?)

- Hero Builder's Handbook (Mike Mearls?)

- Conquest of Nerath (board game) (Rich Baker?)

- Ravenloft (?)

(These authors were mentioned in the WotC new products seminar podcast at Gencon 2010).

 

[Camelot]

Maybe their having the four-month gap so they can pour all their effort into making a super awesome secret for 2012.

=)

 

[ggroy]

In principle, whatever hypothetical 4E D&D splatbooks which could have been released in early-2011, would have first been designed and developed a year or so earlier (ie. late 2009).

So what events back in late 2009 cause a significant diversion in labor from producing 4E D&D splatbooks?

Possible candidates are:

1 - Firing of several D&D designers/developers back in December 2009 (ie. Heinsoo, Bonner, Sims, etc ...).
2 - Planning and designing of 4E Essentials.

With the firing of staff, they could have just hired some freelancers to do the work.

The planning, design and development of 4E Essentials, doesn't completely explain why there's a four month gap in 4E splatbook releases during late-2010/early-2011.

Somebody with a more conspiratorial mindset, may argue that Mearls has a secret project going on over the last year or so, such as revised set of 4E D&D core books remade to Mearls' vision. Instead of updating the 4E core books just with errata, they could be rewritten and reorganized more along the lines of Mearls' preferences and whatever new knowledge which has been accumulated over the last several years. (Most likely it will not be marketed as 4.5E D&D).

 

[Jhaelen]

- The Witchlight Fens - Dungeon Tiles (June 21, 2011)

Oooh! this reads like I might finally get my swamp/marsh tiles

Cool, now the only thing missing are rocky wilderness terrain tiles

 

[ggroy]

In terms of revised 4E core books, the only one I can see them doing is the 4E PHB1.

If the 4E Essentials DM kit box set is comprehensive enough, there is probably very little need for a revised 4E DMG1.

If the 4E Essentials "Monster Vault" and "Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale" box sets have enough revised monsters from 4E MM1 and MM2, then there is probably very little need to do a revised 4E MM1.