Upcoming products will "touch on cultures that don't usually get exposure."

[jasper]

How about something that isn't a real world culture at all?

There have been hints about Lantan around for a while.

101 ways to save your pie. By Orville Orc.

 

[gyor]

Since they have yet to do anything major with a desert theme, I feel one of these 2020 books will have a Middle-Eastern/North Africa feel, covering the matching parts of the Realms. Next most likely is the whole Asian theme because that seems to be popular in every edition of D&D. Then, of course, there is the Indian sub-continent theme that others have mentioned.

FR kind of has several India influence regions that are very different. The Durpuri worship the Faerun Pantheon mostly, although perhaps not exclusively, but with quasi Hindu theology. Durpari are shown to have a kind of Indian culture. Then there Kuong Kingdom in Kara Tur which seems to be a mix of Indian and South East Asian culture that were Indian influenced. They actually worship the Vedic Pantheon, but seemingly in a pre modern Hindu sort of way. They called the Pantheon, the Lords of Creation. The Kuong Kingdom's culture does not come originally from Kara Tur, the immigrated there from some place South West, but where I'm not sure, perhaps the Mars of the the Utter East who are inspired by India too, but not well detailed, or perhaps from an unnamed land mass, FR has a few of those.

Then there is an Island in Zakhara who used to worship an Elephant headed God, who was likely inspired by, Ganesh.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Maybe it's the long neglected gnomish culture that will finally get some attention?

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Quickleaf]

From Benign Neglect to Deserved Extinction: The Gnome Story.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I would love a Roman or Greek book.

I just hope they don't make a "get woke, go broke move".

That isn't a thing

I think that if they do a Middle Eastern themed product such as Al-Quadim, I think it's highly likely that Saladin Ahmed will be involved.

That would be rad, though he is very busy right now. His fantasy and sci fi works are excellent, though, so I hope that happens.

 

[Eltab]

The 'other Indians' cultures (Native American) could be the base for quality material, also. Aztecs, Inca, Yanomamo, and Sioux / Dakotah cover only a part of the ground available.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Canadian.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The 'other Indians' cultures (Native American) could be the base for quality material, also. Aztecs, Inca, Yanomamo, and Sioux / Dakotah cover only a part of the ground available.

Native American would certainly qualify as something touched a little (1st edition Deities and Demigods, 3.5 Spirit Shaman), but not a lot, and not recently.

However, Native Americans where not known for their seafaring, and I'm pretty sure the culture touched on will tie in with the "ship book" in some way.

 

[GreyLord]

There are many ways they could go.

There are many cultures out there, even with European.

Russian or Eastern European cultures are some that have not been touched upon much in the West.

Siberia, those from the Northern Americas (Eskimos, etc), and other cultures from the Far North of the Asian and NA continents.

The Polynesian cultures.

Even the Middle East has a wide range of cultures...not every culture is like an Arabian type culture, there are other ME cultures out there.

There are a LOT of different Native American cultures from North and South America and there are a TON of cultures from the African Continent that have never been explored in D&D.

Of course there are also the South Asia nations (as some have mentioned Indian, there is also Nepal, and various other cultures).

Let's not forget the cultures of Australia Aborigines or New Zealand and various others out there as well.

There is a vast array of possibilities that they could explore.

Even if they go with something such as East Asia, China, Japan, or the Arabian cultures...that's still new for 5e and it's been a pretty good while since any D&D has visited most of those.