D&D 5E What's Next for D&D's Campaign Settings? (And an idea/suggestion for WotC!)

[Klaus]

It certainly is. However, too much information provided can actually increase the amount of time it takes a DM to complete his/her prep-work. It might only take me five minutes to come up with some notes on how to join the Knights of the Hart or fifteen minutes to dig out the source book, look up and read through the information provided, and then determine how it relates to the specific situation the PCs are in. That's not a decrease in my prep work; it's an increase!

I learned this lesson a few years ago as I prepped a Forgotten Realms campaign set in-and-around Silverymoon. The time spent reading and rereading through the 3.0 Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (~300 pages excluding the index) and the Silver Marches Campaign Accessory (~150 pages excluding the index) was rather significant. It should me just how ingenious the Greyhawk Folio and boxed set were! Enough information to inspire me and whet my appetite, without being so onerous to get through.

Most FR presentations go the opposite direction for me: too much detail of every little thing. There's a lot of room for a balanced approach between those two extremes.

 

[Jester David]

There's a ton of outdated information in the 83 boxed set: mostly having to do with the make-up of humanoid patrols, groups and armies, but also including details of the gods and whoch spells they can use (while having very little on what it means to be a cleric or a follower of those gods). Conversely, a lot of important information was left out: what does it mean to be a Knight of the Hart, or a Watcher, and how do you become one. Even if Greyhawk were to be rolled back to a pre-Greyhawk Wars status quo, the presentation and detailing could be very much improved.

Greyhawk was always the campaign setting for people who wanted to make their own campaign setting. It's the campaign setting for people who have no idea how to draw maps or think of fun names but are happy creating almost everything else.

 

[SkidAce]

The players always find out in play. But does the DM have to make it during play? Isn't the purpose of a campaign setting to reduce the ammount of prep-work the DM has to make?

For all I love the original boxed set (and I do), it is far too sketchy. And the Greyhawk Adventures hardback, instead of filling in these gaps, went overboard with dozens of pages of "named" spells of limited appeal and extensive backstories for NPCs of limited utility. So yeah, I still stand by my original assertation that Greyhawk could be re-released, with a better presentation.

And I disagree. The original set is just right. For the very reasons that you find it to be flawed.

And I am glad there is variety in dm/player preferences.

Release a new one like you describe. I'm all for it, although I won't use it. That way we both have cake.

However, a very small concern of mine would be when players start contradicting the direction "my greyhawk" went with page cites. But I can deal with that as always.

Game on!

 

[Mercurius]

I've never understood why some find too much information in a campaign setting - I mean, if you don't want to use it, don't use it. I suppose "TMI" can be distracting, but that's why you start with a core product that is just broad sketches, and then you flesh it out with more detail. In this sense, the original Realms gray box is the "perfect" starter set. I love the 3e book, but it would be a good second product after a gray box-like product or a gazetteer.

 

[dwayne]

The forgotten realms is so overdone and suffers from information overload, greyhawk is still more or less untouched. Some books like a overview of the world and touching on the high and low points leaving parts open for GM's to fill in. A monster book for those creatures that came from greyhawk, maybe some hints to make some of your own, then a player book with races and maybe a few classes or prestige classes and suggestions on how to integrate into a campaign. I would love a world overview map saw one once the part where the greyhawk setting was is very small so plenty of room.

 

[Shemeska]

Most FR presentations go the opposite direction for me: too much detail of every little thing.

I find that approach especially in 2e/3e FR to be both a feature and a selling point. The more to inspire me in my own campaigns the better my money is spent.

 

[YRUSirius]

Going forward I think we will see a continuation of the current trend: A combination of a 32 page adventure and a 32 page setting book detailing the location of the adventure placed in the Forgotten Realms.

Look at "Murder in Baldur's Gate": You get an adventure and in addition a small setting (a small region in the Forgotten Realms) for future custom adventures. The Icewind Dale adventure is structured the same, and all future Sundering adventures will look like that. WotC is already testing the waters.

So I will expect one campaign book and then a steady supply of those combipackets af adventures + settings. WotC already stated that they will focus more on story and this means they will focus on adventures (like Paizo) to make money.

Btw it's good to see them focus on the story because that's what making D&D so special in contrast to other forms of media. It's especially smart if you look at the current biggest fantasy franchise in media (Game of Thrones). All drama, not so much special effects.

It's pretty smart to combine adventures with mini-settings, because you can steadily expand a setting by describing many, many small parts of the setting. And you can sell those mini-settings by bundling them with adventures, and you can sell adventures by providing mini-settings in the packet. It seems like a win-win situation. Everyone can pick their favorite mini-settings and can incorporate it into their home worlds or their Forgotten Realms.

It's modular story content, so to speak. Fits a modular rules system.

-YRUSirius

 

[Brock Landers]

I would like campaign settings to be static, no meta-setting world changing modules and busybody writers changing what you bought with that first boxed set, let DMs mould the world.

Another reason Al-Qadim rocks.

 

[ForeverSlayer]

I think they should make Lankhmar (Nehwon) a campaign setting. I was looking through the old supplement the other day and thought it would be cool to have this as an updated campaign setting.

 

[ForeverSlayer]

The reason I pay companies like WoTc is to have a fully fleshed out campaign setting so I don't "have" to do it. If I have to do it then why should I give them any money? The Forgotten Realms, for instance, is not my idea. It is the idea of many many people and I want to read up on, and use, their ideas. Now if I want to change or add or take away then I could do that, but I don't always want to do that. I want a very thick campaign guide that gives me the scoop on everything. I hate that crap ass philosophy that 4th edition adhered too that it was my job as a DM to come up with most everything.