Two New Settings For D&D This Year

if it comes out this year i would agree with you. Possibly published by a third party company that has a good reputation (Green Ronin etc)

However if it’s coming next year I would stake all the money in my pockets that it will be a Curse of Strahd style book. Campaign with background and new monsters etc. Curse of Strahd was too successful not to repeat!

 

[kenmarable]

I begining to think people have not actually read the 4e books.

Yeah, 4e did used the World Axis as the "default" cosmology (you can blame that to Forgotten Realms, BTW; read certain interview in Dragon 370), but they did offered alternatives. A Great Wheel conversion to 4e is right there in that edition's Manual of the Planes, and the World Axis was created to be compatible with Planescape.

So, yeah, the World Axis was the default, but not the only one cosmology in 4e.

I do agree with you in the other points. But, we have to take into account the new selling philosophy of WotC.

I stand corrected. I was remembering how much it permeated and redefinied a lot of the monsters as well, but 4e is certainly a weaker area for me. Thanks for the correction!

 

[Jester David]

The D&D World of Blackmoor (was retconned into the ancient past of Mystara, but, as originally printed in OD&D, was not a part of Mystara, and as presented in the 3E Blackmoor line, was not part of Mystara either. So Blackmoor exists in two different WotC continuities. Gygax said that he only borrowed the name for the Blackmoor of Oerth.)

I think Arneson took the rights for Blackmoor to another company during the 3e era...

 

[Jester David]

So, trawling the thread on the Giant in the Playground forums about the same article, somebody reported on "good authority" that he heard the next thing is a full-blown Magic: The Gathering RPG product. He wasn't happy about this, but add that to the rumor pile.

It's highly unlikely. But probably just as valid as any of the other rumours going around...

 

[Zeromaru X]

Yeah. That company did created new Blackmoor's products under the official licenses, though.

There is a whole d20 Blackmoor line, including a living campaign, and 4e did got a Blackmoor campaign book (I loved that book).

Sadly, the 4e line got cancelled after Arnesson died, and the rights got so convoluted that technically no one can use Blackmoor anymore. We will not get a 5e Blackmoor, and that is sad, seeing Blackmoor's relevance in D&D history.

 

[Jester David]

Caveat: I know a LOT about Eberron, less so about Krynn. Forgive me if my details a bit sketchy...

The Wizards of High Sorcery is a wizard subclass with three variants based on the moons. Each variant controls various elements of the caster's magic (not unlike Circle of the Land for druids). A dragonlance can simply be a legendary magic item that deals massive damage to dragons (not sure player hp to damage is or was ever balanced, but numbers can be modified as needed.) A dragon mount could be represented with a simple variant rule or feat. Kender is a subrace of halfling (I mean, since 3e halflings have basically been more kender than hobbit anyway), minotaur was done in UA already. Knights of Solomnia/Takhisis could be fighter and/or paladin subclasses; dragonborn could be a variant of draconian (as insinuated in the PHB.

Moreover, what are you *cutting* from the PHB to make Dragonlance work? Half-orcs? Forcing all halflings to take the Kender subrace? Maybe tieflings? (I'm not sure you couldn't find a place for them, what with how often the Abyss is mentioned). You easily have room for all twelve classes (Wiess's 3e Dragonlance found room for the 11 PHB ones, and warlocks work as renegade mages easily enough.

I think if there's room to fit in a class, it's probably a good idea. If not...
Dragonlance really added a lot of flavour to the existing classes. Warlocks and sorcerers fit less well in the classic era. That's something they can include in a sidebar and leave for individual DMs to allow or ban. Ditto dragonborn, tieflings, goliaths, catfolk, etc.

The three orders of High Sorcerery in Dragonlance are less subclasses and more an organization. Each of the eight schools of magic are associated with a colour of robes and pushed to one alignment or another. It's an additive mechanic, as it ties into the phase of the moon, which increases or decreases spellcasting power. Not sure how that would work in 5e...

Really, what Dragonlance needs is an expansion of the organisation and faction rules. Examples of bonuses for gaining renown with the Orders of High Sorcerer, the Knights of Solamnia, the Legion of Steel, or other groups.
After all, Knight of Solamnia is probably closer to a prestige class than a subclass. It's something you could do if you're a fighter or paladin or ranger or even a valor bard. Making it into something else added overtop of classes works.

 

[Parmandur]

It's highly unlikely. But probably just as valid as any of the other rumours going around...

Don't see as it is all that unlikely, given that they have been dipping their toes in the M:tG waters bit by bit for two years now, and have been surveying M:tG fans for their reactions and what they would like to see in a paid product almost as long. 5E M:tG sooner or latter is probable, we'll see soon enough if that related to their 3018 product plans.

 

[Hussar]

Old examples: Dark Sun, Birthright, Jakandar, Spelljammer (sorta), Night of the Comet.

Newer Examples: Eberron, 4E's PoL Cosmology, 4E Dark Sun, a billion 3PP products

Current Examples: I agree, current D&D is focused on Forgotten Realms, and arguably the default cosmology is the Planescape cosmology, but this is an issue of limited releases and tighter focus. If you're looking for "D&D without the Realms/Planescape cosmology" then there are hundreds of 3PP out there, the majority of which do not touch upon canonical Planescape.

Now, you will be tempted to denigrate the 3PP products, because you're on a high horse here and the point is not to be convinced you might be narrow in your vision but to convince others that your vision is unassailable...that's fine. But I've been running this game since 1980 weekly and I have barely ever used Planescape or the default cosmology as is, except when I feel like it, and some of my own settings aren't even remotely close to the "core." So I get where you're coming from: you want official WotC product that came out today or tomorrow that specifically removes the Planescape/Manual of the Planes components of the core setting from sight and somehow then bestows upon you an entirely new and different cosmology that you can use whole cloth (because it's in a module, see; if you were looking to do your own thing those tools have already been provided countless times) and that it meets your specific desires. This is an impossibly tall order with WotC's focus on prodividing carefully curated product that caters to a lineage of D&D experience right now, and is ironic anyway since this is a game that provides all the tools you need to do whatever you want, your own way, as you see fit.

But I am not trying to convince you, I know that's not what you want. I will merely state that I feel your pain, and maybe one day you'll find what you're looking for and can stop being angry at D&D.

Oh, I agree with all of this. I run Primeval Thule currently. I ran Scarred Lands in the past. I have pretty much abandoned all WotC settings except for mining stuff for my own games. Which means, at the end of the day, a lot of books just get left by the wayside because, well, they just aren't to my taste.

I don't see why it's such a tall order. There's no particular reason that Planescape/Great Wheel has to completely dominate all planar stuff. There's a reason I have no real beef with Spelljammer, for example. SJ is a pretty much self contained setting that doesn't really impact any other settings. It's not like we're bombing in Giff into Eberron. But, we are given books filled with Tieflings, Assimar etc. that are indelibly linked to Planescape/Great Wheel.

I guess, at the end of the day, I just don't understand. We have a bajillion settings out there. But, again, one Plane Shift spell and poof, we're dead center of Great Wheel/Planescape. You can argue Eberron all you like, but, again, if it exists in D&D, it exists in Eberron. Isn't that the tagline? So, yup, we've got Orcus and Teneberous and everything else shoehorned into the setting even when it makes zero sense.

My Planar guide would be an actual guide. Here's half a dozen different cosmologies you can use as baselines and off you go - create a cosmology that fits with your setting. So, maybe demons are from the Abyss. Maybe Demons are from the Gray. Maybe they're from another planet and they aren't actually "demons" at all, just aliens. Whatever. But, if I want anything from WotC, I have to accept that it's Planescape uber alles.

 

[Jester David]

Don't see as it is all that unlikely, given that they have been dipping their toes in the M:tG waters bit by bit for two years now, and have been surveying M:tG fans for their reactions and what they would like to see in a paid product almost as long. 5E M:tG sooner or latter is probable, we'll see soon enough if that related to their 3018 product plans.

People have been predicting a crossover of MtG and D&D pretty much since WotC bought the company. They've done the fun little PDFs (which likely exist because a former D&D team member got moved to MtG and got creative). I can't imagine the fan reaction will be positive if they do a MtG campaign setting hardcover in place of any of the other classic settings...

 

[kenmarable]

(Snipped because there’s no point in arguing to prove what’s already clearly printed in the books)

So in other news, a Magic setting would be interesting to me for the novelty of it especially since I know little about it. And as for unhappy fans, no matter what is released, there will be a lot of unhappy and happy fans. What’s perfect for some is absolute garbage for others.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

the rights got so convoluted that technically no one can use Blackmoor anymore. We will not get a 5e Blackmoor, and that is sad, seeing Blackmoor's relevance in D&D history.

What's your source for this?

Though I haven't followed all the details, my basic understanding is that Arneson sold the TSR the rights to Blackmoor when he left TSR, like Gygax sold Greyhawk. And that WotC holds the name "Blackmoor", plus the material published in the few TSR products. Basically, my understanding is WotC owns the Blackmoor IP. In order to publish the 3E and 4E Blackmoor texts, he (and his partners at Zeitgeist Games) had to have a license from WotC.

If he (now his Estate) wanted to publish Blackmoor stuff without a license, he would've had to have filed off the "Product Identity" (proper names), like Gygax did with Castle Zagyg.

Blackmoor is mentioned in the 5E PHB (or is it the DMG?). Unless you know differently, I see no reason why WotC couldn't freely use all of the material in the TSR Blackmoor books and also the material in the Zeitgeist books.