WotC What Official 5E non-D&D Game Do You Want To See from WotC?

[Ruin Explorer]

I thinkntheybwould work if they are presented as D&D Settings with a good number of variant rules. So, Boot Hill is a Western setpiece, but Wizards and Dragons can enter the picture at any time. Zany? Yes. But it would fit with the Spelljammery miltiverse approach.

I think a D&D setting with a vaguely Western theme, a Gunslinger class, and so on would work fine, but that's rather different than say, going for an actual Weird West setting that purports to stand alone and not be D&D.

 

[Parmandur]

I think a D&D setting with a vaguely Western theme, a Gunslinger class, and so on would work fine, but that's rather different than say, going for an actual Weird West setting that purports to stand alone and not be D&D.

Yeah, I don't think k they would do that latter thing, but the former using the Boot Hill name seems quite possible. As does Gamma World as D&D, or Star Frontiers going full Star Wars space fantasy (it wasn't that hard boiled to begin with).

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Yeah, I don't think k they would do that latter thing, but the former using the Boot Hill name seems quite possible. As does Gamma World as D&D, or Star Frontiers going full Star Wars space fantasy (it wasn't that hard boiled to begin with).

I think people would get mad if Star Frontiers didn't have its own entire separate set of classes/races, though. Even though 90% of the people getting mad would never have played any version of Star Frontiers.

 

[Parmandur]

I think people would get mad if Star Frontiers didn't have its own entire separate set of classes/races, though. Even though 90% of the people getting mad would never have played any version of Star Frontiers.

Well, I could see some very divergent rules on offer, maybe new Classes and such. All of the Star Frontiers Races are actually getting 5E versions in August as it is, though.

The last rumble that we had about anyone at WotC thinking about these was Mearls running some Con games with a 5E version of Gamma World and Star Frontiers (when he was still in charge). This Gamma World was a classless variant of 5E, and the Star Frontiers had different Classes. So it's something that WotC R&D has considered.

 

[Reynard]

Well, I could see some very divergent rules on offer, maybe new Classes and such. All of the Star Frontiers Races are actually getting 5E versions in August as it is, though.

The lat rubber thst we had about anyone at WotC thinking about these was Mearls running some Con games with a 5E version of Gamma World and Star Frontiers (when he was still in charge). This Gamma World was a classless variant of 5E, and the Star Frontiers had different Classes. So it's something that WotC R&D has considered.

I would be very surprised if at least Gamma World did not come up fairly regularly at strategy meetings, trying to figure out whether it would be worth their time and effort and if so how they would go about it. It is the only non-D&D TSR game to continue to get editions under WotC, after all. But I think you are right that it would probably be a "Gamma World Campaign Setting" (or slipcase!) rather than a whole new line.

Relatedly: wasn't there supposed to be a sci-fi game from WotC related to a video game they were making? Have we heard anything about that?

 

[Parmandur]

I would be very surprised if at least Gamma World did not come up fairly regularly at strategy meetings, trying to figure out whether it would be worth their time and effort and if so how they would go about it. It is the only non-D&D TSR game to continue to get editions under WotC, after all. But I think you are right that it would probably be a "Gamma World Campaign Setting" (or slipcase!) rather than a whole new line.

Relatedly: wasn't there supposed to be a sci-fi game from WotC related to a video game they were making? Have we heard anything about that?

Their Austin office is making a Sci-Fi video game that is a new property. Dunno if there has been anything more about that, and nothin on a tabletop tie-in to my knowledge.

Gamma World as a highly divergent D&D Setting fits pretty well: different set of Races, lots of high tech shenanigans, but that can fit in pretty well with the rules as is.

 

[Parmandur]

Not many details on what they are working on, but some concept art and job calls. I mean, if the video game is a hit, they could revive Star Frontiers as a TTRPG adaptation.... Sounds like they are trying to make a successor to Mass Effect in the video game space:

Archetype Entertainment

Archetype Entertainment is a video game studio located in Austin, TX. We build epic story-driven roleplaying games.

www.archetype-entertainment.com

 

[ART!]

Gamma World and a generic sci-fi game would provide lots of new monsters and character options for a D&D game. They might also make it easier for exclusively-D&D players to discover other gaming options.

I think my group would play a Star Wars game built from 5E. We tried FFG's game, but it didn't take.

So, those were my three votes.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Not many details on what they are working on, but some concept art and job calls. I mean, if the video game is a hit, they could revive Star Frontiers as a TTRPG adaptation.... Sounds like they are trying to make a successor to Mass Effect in the video game space:

I think it's more likely they'd come out with a TTRPG adaptation of the new IP. Star Frontiers is a totally forgotten/unknown IP outside the nerdiest of nerds (soz everyone including me).

Whereas the new IP, if the game is good/popular, will have an audience of millions who've played it, and tens of millions who are aware of it through advertising, reviews, people talking about the game, etc. And yes they are explicitly trying to make an ME spiritual successor - many of them worked on ME and they have the writer people (somewhat inaccurately, but that doesn't matter) think is responsible for a lot of the best stuff in ME.

But that game is a VERY long way out. Why do I say that? Because you can go to Archetype Entertainment's LinkedIn, and see that they still only have 66 employees, and are hiring a bunch of employees. And the positions they're hiring for are the kinds of positions you'd hire if you were about to go from pre-production into actual production. Which is good, because I thought the game was dead, but with a bunch of positions being looked for in the last month, it probably isn't, but also means, even assuming they get and onboard say, 100 more people (really the minimum they'd need to add to make an AAA CRPG which is their stated goal) pretty quickly, we're probably looking at 3-5 years of development before the game actually releases. So towards the end of this current console generation (or at least around the "Playstation 5 Pro" and so on).

 

[Parmandur]

..

I think it's more likely they'd come out with a TTRPG adaptation of the new IP. Star Frontiers is a totally forgotten/unknown IP outside the nerdiest of nerds (soz everyone including me).

Whereas the new IP, if the game is good/popular, will have an audience of millions who've played it, and tens of millions who are aware of it through advertising, reviews, people talking about the game, etc. And yes they are explicitly trying to make an ME spiritual successor - many of them worked on ME and they have the writer people (somewhat inaccurately, but that doesn't matter) think is responsible for a lot of the best stuff in ME.

But that game is a VERY long way out. Why do I say that? Because you can go to Archetype Entertainment's LinkedIn, and see that they still only have 66 employees, and are hiring a bunch of employees. And the positions they're hiring for are the kinds of positions you'd hire if you were about to go from pre-production into actual production. Which is good, because I thought the game was dead, but with a bunch of positions being looked for in the last month, it probably isn't, but also means, even assuming they get and onboard say, 100 more people (really the minimum they'd need to add to make an AAA CRPG which is their stated goal) pretty quickly, we're probably looking at 3-5 years of development before the game actually releases. So towards the end of this current console generation (or at least around the "Playstation 5 Pro" and so on).

Yup, for sure: the fact that WotC gave them three years to set up a studio and do pre-production before really going into high gear is a pretty good sign for the seriousness of the endeavor, to boot. Given that a TTRPG product from WotC has about a 13-14 month design span, they have time to address this with a tie in way, way in the future.

Very few people remember Star Frontiers, probably, but it was sold in major American chains for years, and being retro can be a marketing pivot even for younger people if handled well (see also, Spelljammer). I could still see it being a thing. Heck, they emphasized that the video game is an ew property, but they could well decide to name it "star Frontiers" because they own the trademark and copyright for the name, and use it as an opportunity to radically reboot it. All sorts of possibilities.