Though my own personal setting is top of the list what I would realy like to see is a well done series of books focusing on different cultures around the world (Such as a book on mythic India or Persia) and books on different time periods (the Bronze Age, or the Crusades, or the Age of Sail). If done well I would buy them all ('ell I've been tempted to just go out and write them).
What types of D&D books do you want to see?
- Thread starter MerricB
- Start date
Buzzardo
First Post
Alert! Shameless Plug coming up:
Several on this thread have mentioned a 1-20 adventure path campaign as something they would like to see. It just so happens that a co-author and I are almost done writing exactly that. It has been a 3 year project.
It is called the Cult of Yex Campaign, and is scheduled for release from Troll Lord Games ( www.trolllord.com) in December '04.
It will be a single hardcover book with a full epic campaign taking characters from 1st to 20th level. It contains:
- A drop in regional desert setting suitable for insertion in any campaign world.
- Two drop in city settings
- 8 full length modules
- Tons of maps and player handouts
- dozens and dozens of new monsters, spells, magic items, etc...
The modules can be played in series in a really tight cohesive epic story. Or... as stand alones. Each module has it's own self contained story arc, and can be played as a complete standalone. The average cost for the eight modules in the book will make the cost of each module competitive with even Dungeon Mag.
Several on this thread have mentioned a 1-20 adventure path campaign as something they would like to see. It just so happens that a co-author and I are almost done writing exactly that. It has been a 3 year project.
It is called the Cult of Yex Campaign, and is scheduled for release from Troll Lord Games ( www.trolllord.com) in December '04.
It will be a single hardcover book with a full epic campaign taking characters from 1st to 20th level. It contains:
- A drop in regional desert setting suitable for insertion in any campaign world.
- Two drop in city settings
- 8 full length modules
- Tons of maps and player handouts
- dozens and dozens of new monsters, spells, magic items, etc...
The modules can be played in series in a really tight cohesive epic story. Or... as stand alones. Each module has it's own self contained story arc, and can be played as a complete standalone. The average cost for the eight modules in the book will make the cost of each module competitive with even Dungeon Mag.
KB9JMQ
First Post
Well in a perfect world I don't want to write the book but I would love to own one which helps a DM find and keep players and grow the hobby. 
I would also create lots of modules. Since it is a perfect world I don't have to worry about sales. I like modules they are a huge time saver to me since I never seem to have time or inclination to flesh out my own world.
I would also create lots of modules. Since it is a perfect world I don't have to worry about sales. I like modules they are a huge time saver to me since I never seem to have time or inclination to flesh out my own world.
Katerek
Iconic Gnoll
Perfect world eh?
Well after building my gated community and quitting any real jobs, I would like to see...
A collector "tomes" series wherein the PHB and various Complete books plus a tone of new stuff are compiled into a single 600+ page massive tome; the DMG and various follow up material from several sources would be the same, and MM1-3 + the FF would also be collected into a single tome. Each book would have new material, be leather bound with a slipcase, oversized and probably as a result rather expensive. Think Folio Editions here.
Also, as for normal stuff...
Book of Artifacts (3.5)
Of Ships and the Sea (3.5)
Greyhawk Mega Collection (A single harbound with all of the RPGA Living Greyhawk Modules collected in it, along with the Living Greyhawk articles, and of course new stuff)
Deities and Demigods 2 with 4 or 5 wholly new pantheons designed to be dropped and inserted into a campaign, complete with creation argots (abreviated of course) and any necessary "rules changes" that go with them.
Manual of the Planes 2 with a few different alternative planes arangements that can be used in stead of the Great Wheel, and a bunch of new planes.
A book of NPC's. 20 Prestatted NPCs of each of the core classes, plus 20 multiclassed guys, and 20 or so that use prestige classes. Literally a book of 500+ NPC's.
And finally, a complete setting designed primarily by Bruce Cordell based upon all of the snippets of 2nd edtion material that he wrote that hinted at the "Cordelliverse". I want Dargashaad!
Well after building my gated community and quitting any real jobs, I would like to see...
A collector "tomes" series wherein the PHB and various Complete books plus a tone of new stuff are compiled into a single 600+ page massive tome; the DMG and various follow up material from several sources would be the same, and MM1-3 + the FF would also be collected into a single tome. Each book would have new material, be leather bound with a slipcase, oversized and probably as a result rather expensive. Think Folio Editions here.
Also, as for normal stuff...
Book of Artifacts (3.5)
Of Ships and the Sea (3.5)
Greyhawk Mega Collection (A single harbound with all of the RPGA Living Greyhawk Modules collected in it, along with the Living Greyhawk articles, and of course new stuff)
Deities and Demigods 2 with 4 or 5 wholly new pantheons designed to be dropped and inserted into a campaign, complete with creation argots (abreviated of course) and any necessary "rules changes" that go with them.
Manual of the Planes 2 with a few different alternative planes arangements that can be used in stead of the Great Wheel, and a bunch of new planes.
A book of NPC's. 20 Prestatted NPCs of each of the core classes, plus 20 multiclassed guys, and 20 or so that use prestige classes. Literally a book of 500+ NPC's.
And finally, a complete setting designed primarily by Bruce Cordell based upon all of the snippets of 2nd edtion material that he wrote that hinted at the "Cordelliverse". I want Dargashaad!
I'll echo d20 fantasy. It would be SD&D (S is for Super). It would generalize the idea of d20 and balance.
For a start, each level of character creation would be balanced with one another. So a low magic campaign OR a high magic campaign would all be balanced with the same set of rules. In other words, I would discard magic items as a balancing factor and add it as a "optionnal" feature. Basically, a relatively minor class, skills, feats, magic items revamp and a major spells revamp.
There would be optional rules for a classless system. Easily obtainable due to balance factors fixed above.
The system would be a little less abstract to allow easier judgement calls during the game.
Then, everything would be general. Ever wondered why a fighter was to one rolling the dice (instead of the target) when it's the other way around for spellcasters? Damaging spells would be treated like weapons instead of spells to make everything more similar and easier to balance. Think of such spells like the 2E psionic attacks and defenses (I'm not familiar with the 3E psion).
Then there's other things to add on such a project, but it would take too long to enumerate. Imagine the rest. In a perfect world, the system would be perfect and nobody would complain right
For a start, each level of character creation would be balanced with one another. So a low magic campaign OR a high magic campaign would all be balanced with the same set of rules. In other words, I would discard magic items as a balancing factor and add it as a "optionnal" feature. Basically, a relatively minor class, skills, feats, magic items revamp and a major spells revamp.
There would be optional rules for a classless system. Easily obtainable due to balance factors fixed above.
The system would be a little less abstract to allow easier judgement calls during the game.
Then, everything would be general. Ever wondered why a fighter was to one rolling the dice (instead of the target) when it's the other way around for spellcasters? Damaging spells would be treated like weapons instead of spells to make everything more similar and easier to balance. Think of such spells like the 2E psionic attacks and defenses (I'm not familiar with the 3E psion).
Then there's other things to add on such a project, but it would take too long to enumerate. Imagine the rest. In a perfect world, the system would be perfect and nobody would complain right
buzz
Adventurer
The Book I Want Most of All
I'd put out a book called the d20 Annotated Designer's Guidebook or something like that. It would be a combination of explanatory rules info a la Skip's current "Rules of the Game" Web column, combined with all of the "hidden math" that lay underneath the d20 framework, i.e., all the stuff that Tweet and Cook know but aren't telling us.
The Books That Are Just Me Being Whimsical
Then I'd put out a fat, comprehensive Greyhawk CS hardback, and *then* turn the setting over to the RPGA.
Then (digressing a bit) I'd revise d20 Modern, mainly pulling out all of the D&D material, and adding in relevant rules from d20 Future, d20 Past, and the Psychic's Handbook, and then I'd call it Alternity d20.
Fat hardcover setting books for Urban Arcana, Dark*Matter, Pulp Heroes, and Firefly would soon follow.
Then I'd come out with a new edition of D&D that cut out a lot of the filler text (does *every* spellcasting class need to epxlain at length how ability scores affect the max level of spell you can cast?), clarified the rules, added in Action Pionts, and contained a comprehensive set of examples of play throughout the text.
Then I'd produce a series of "annuals" that would serve as a venue for all of the cool mini-games that no longer have a home now that Poly is dead.
Then, of course, would come the LOTR campaign setting...
I'd put out a book called the d20 Annotated Designer's Guidebook or something like that. It would be a combination of explanatory rules info a la Skip's current "Rules of the Game" Web column, combined with all of the "hidden math" that lay underneath the d20 framework, i.e., all the stuff that Tweet and Cook know but aren't telling us.
The Books That Are Just Me Being Whimsical
Then I'd put out a fat, comprehensive Greyhawk CS hardback, and *then* turn the setting over to the RPGA.
Then (digressing a bit) I'd revise d20 Modern, mainly pulling out all of the D&D material, and adding in relevant rules from d20 Future, d20 Past, and the Psychic's Handbook, and then I'd call it Alternity d20.
Fat hardcover setting books for Urban Arcana, Dark*Matter, Pulp Heroes, and Firefly would soon follow.Then I'd come out with a new edition of D&D that cut out a lot of the filler text (does *every* spellcasting class need to epxlain at length how ability scores affect the max level of spell you can cast?), clarified the rules, added in Action Pionts, and contained a comprehensive set of examples of play throughout the text.
Then I'd produce a series of "annuals" that would serve as a venue for all of the cool mini-games that no longer have a home now that Poly is dead.
Then, of course, would come the LOTR campaign setting...
Arnwyn
First Post
This quote doesn't match the thread's title. So which is it?MerricB said:Alternatively (and probably more to the point), you are the project manager at Wizards. You decide which products will be made. Which products do you want to see? (You have the world's perfect designer to work on them
If the question is the above quote, then I'll get books made that will likely be bought by the greatest number of consumers, based on the most current market research the people down in marketing will make available to me. This will ensure that I continue in my position, live comfortably, and be able to help support my family (and maybe get a nice promotion and job security). Because I, arnwyn, am not privy to this information, I can't tell you what that is (but, based on WotC's current releases, it seems to be "lots of feats, PrCs, spells, and magic items").
However, that has absolutely nothing to do with the thread's title, which is "What types of D&D books do you want to see?" - because, as a consumer, I couldn't care less what the masses want. I want what's useful to me, of course.
And that is something that I can tell you:
- FR books that cover the untouched areas of the Realms: Nimbral, Lantan, Sossal, Murghom, Semphar, Almorel/Lake of Mists. After that, some heavy detail on Impiltur, Damara, Vaasa, and Narfell. Then, "Volo's Guide" type books that cover everywhere not touched by previous Volo's Guides. (Ie. FR-specific books that are geography-heavy and rules-light.)
- Adventures: all levels, but the majority being level 13+. Generic (not FR, since I've been unimpressed with FR-specific adventures). A good mix of long and short.
- Undermountain continued/completed (Levels 4-9, + sublevels)
- Some form of "trading and merchant" guide, that gives full rules for PCs running inns, taverns, caravans, shipping, etc. (profit/loss, taxes, hired help costs for when the PCs go adventuring, etc.)
- City maps (with only very light detail on what's located there)
- Town maps (again, with only very light detail on what's located there)
That's all I'm interested in, nowadays. (And I'm sure that they won't sell, blah blah blah blah blah - but that's what I, personally, want for my game.)
Kalendraf
Explorer
Given the perfect world, working for WotC setup, I don't think I'd spend my effort trying to write just another book. Instead, I'd look at producing a software product, which would serve as a "DM-in-a-box". My reasoning - the biggest hurdle to expanding the game is finding enough quality DM's to run gaming sessions. Eliminate that hurdle, and the game can grow like wildfire. That's the theory at least.
This product would not be some NWN-clone for the computer. Instead, it would be a tabletop companion that would either have basic AI to interract with human players, or barring that, a simple, yet fully featured interface to make using it nearly as easy as dealing with a human DM. New adventures for it would be produced on DVDs which the table-top DM-in-a-box would read. Upgrades for new rules (complete series, etc) would also come on CD's or DVD's and it would also have the ability to accept custom/homebrew rules. In play, the DVDs could easily include both visual & sound effects, dialogue from NPCs and read descriptions of rooms. The product would come with an electronic battelmap which would function similar to how electronic chess boards function, tracking miniature movement, etc.
IMHO, this is the kind of killer product that could change the industry.
This product would not be some NWN-clone for the computer. Instead, it would be a tabletop companion that would either have basic AI to interract with human players, or barring that, a simple, yet fully featured interface to make using it nearly as easy as dealing with a human DM. New adventures for it would be produced on DVDs which the table-top DM-in-a-box would read. Upgrades for new rules (complete series, etc) would also come on CD's or DVD's and it would also have the ability to accept custom/homebrew rules. In play, the DVDs could easily include both visual & sound effects, dialogue from NPCs and read descriptions of rooms. The product would come with an electronic battelmap which would function similar to how electronic chess boards function, tracking miniature movement, etc.
IMHO, this is the kind of killer product that could change the industry.
