D&D 5E What 3 Settings did you pick in the Survey

[Jacob Lewis]

Let's see... I took the survey a few days ago...

Dark Sun, and then two more that weren't Dark Sun.

Now here's the thing. I don't think a Dark Sun campaign will work well for me in 5e. 5e is very basic, mild, and working hard to appeal to the general audience. These are not the qualities of what a Dark Sun campaign should be. My feeling is that if/when we see this made, it will be presented like everything else: a dressed-up (or dressed down) version of your standard D&D.

For me, Dark Sun has always been something special. It does more than just dial things up to hard mode. It changes the focus of how the game is played, or at least it tries to. You're not waltzing into the next dungeon to find all the goodies waiting for you to collect inside. You are in full-survival mode where food, water, shade, and basic equipment are short and long-term goals. Magic helps the bad guys more than they do you.

To present this setting properly within 5e rules, there are a number of issues that need to be addressed. Magic (i.e. spells) needs to be less accessible to most classes. Likewise, martial classes need a significant boost to make them the primary choice for players. Psionics should be introduced as an alternative system, not just another spell slot. Exploration pillar needs much more attention, with particular focus on resource management, survival, and equipment damage. All of this can be done, of course. My expectation is that it won't.

The one thing I truly hope to see out of this is that the setting becomes part of the open license to allow contributions and development for this setting beyond what I expect will be no more than 1 or 2 hardcovers from WotC, and that's it.

 

[Muso]

I lost count of how many survey I compiled with the request of the old settings... what a waste of time for what? They never listen to us... Ravenloft came out only this year and we are still waiting for Planescape and others. Uff

 

[Rikka66]

We should remember now not only the geography of complete globe has to be designed, but also the "crystal sphere". This is important because we will need in the future some reason to explain where new classes, races and creatures come from.

I would not use the word "need." I'm sure that WoTC themselves doesn't see a "need" for an explanation.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

But it would be recommendable because it is better with a explanation if there are future changes and these aren't wellcome because they look a litle "jumping the shark" effect.

WotC wants the return of those lines because they are brands, a hook to sell more products. An old brand is easier to sell than a new IP starting from zero.

 

[Yaarel]

@RobJN and @Azzy

It is easy for me to go from Arneson developing Blackmoor during to 1970s and Mystara doing Blackmoor in the 1980s.

I appreciate your clarifications of how that happened.

 

[Yaarel]

We should remember now not only the geography of complete globe has to be designed, but also the "crystal sphere". This is important because we will need in the future some reason to explain where new classes, races and creatures come from.

And we should think about the cultural and economic impact if the interglobal travel if this is possible, for example kenders exploring Nentir Vale, or a (secret) colony of dromites (race from Expanded Psionic Handbook) in Greyhawk, or Jackandor receiveng refugees (fugitive slaves) from Kalidnay (dread domain based in Athas/Dark Sun).

I guess now to publish a spiritual succesor of Mystara/Blackmoor is easier than a updated rerun of the original.

Having players travel to farflung locations via the Astral Plane already makes sense in D&D.

We more have the concept of the "Astral Sea" and the planar domains accessible within it.

Personally I hope there are no "crystal spheres" or "phlogiston" in D&D 5e.

 

[blaqueandstuff]

Dark Sun, Eberron, Ravenloft.

 

[Doctor Futurity]

Homebrew, Ravenloft and Spelljammer. "The good old days" as I remember those two.

 

[Staffan]

The romans did not wear pants either...

As shown in the documentaries.

 

[humble minion]

Now here's the thing. I don't think a Dark Sun campaign will work well for me in 5e. 5e is very basic, mild, and working hard to appeal to the general audience. These are not the qualities of what a Dark Sun campaign should be. My feeling is that if/when we see this made, it will be presented like everything else: a dressed-up (or dressed down) version of your standard D&D.

We'll see.

A couple of options in the Dark Sun specific survey page were about this in particular. One was about whether people liked it because it was a 'gritty' world, and another was about whether people liked it because it 'explored more mature and serious themes' or something like that. Which I personally took as code-language for 'includes slavery as a setting element'.

That tells me WotC is well aware of the viewpoint you're discussing, and is probably trying to work out internally how to handle it, rather than just offhandedly dismissing it and releasing 'Dark Sun: Saturday Morning Cartoon edition'.