D&D 5E What's your ideal product release schedule over the next few years?

[Mercurius]

Lots of speculation as to what might be coming down the pike, with bits of hopes and dreams sprinkled in. But I thought I'd tease out the latter: What's your ideal product release schedule, both in terms of quantity and specific books? Dream biggish, but with some semblance of what-actually-good-be-ism. Meaning, what would be your ideal reasonable scenario?

Feel free to go as far into the future as you'd like, but I'd suggest the next five years. You could break it into three parts:

1. What would you like to see WotC do over the next two and a half years (2021-23) leading up to the anniversary? In other words, how do you want to see them flesh out the first decade of 5E?
2. What do you want to see for the anniversary (2024)?
3. What direction do you want to see them take after the anniversary (2025+)?

Speaking for myself, I could see a number of different directions, but what comes to mind is something like this:

Product quantity: Five hardcovers is fine, but I'd also be happy to see them go up to six (although no more, due to glut/overwhelm issues) - or one every two months. Plus 2-3 extras such as special box sets, media tie-ins, luxury products, pocket compilations of themes for handy table reference (e.g. monsters, rules reference, spells, equipment, etc), and maybe a stray short module every so often.

Product type distribution: It could change yearly, but something like this would be ideal (which is about what it seems they're doing): At least two settings a year; two adventures, one story arc and one anthology; one (and only one) splat, with no more than one new players options expansion (e.g. Xanathar and Tasha) every two or even three years. Plus the extras mentioned above.

Also, more general theme books not tied to specific settings, but guidelines or "micro-settings" within them (see "Sylvan Adventures" in 2021 below for an example). I kind of like the approach of introducing new thematic rules in specific setting books, but I also miss books like the 1st edition Survival Guides and Manual of the Planes.

Year-by-Year:

2021: Extrapolating on What We "Know." With (at least) one more setting this year, I'd be happy with either a Magic, second classic, or new setting, perhaps the hypothetical fey sylvan setting with dragon overlords that I mentioned in another thread. Or maybe a Sylvan Adventures, with rules, new creatures, and several examples of different sylvan settings with starting adventures. Alternately (or in addition), a Ruins of Myth Drannor story arc to expand the Realms into the Dalelands and involving Anauroch, Cormanthyr, etc. Either this year or the next (or across both) I'd like to see a Dragonlance conversion, although have a hard time seeing it done in one product - ideally it would be either two hardcovers (world and adventure path) or a huge box set with bookets for Ansalon, Taladas, Rules, and Adventures - that would be pretty massive (see 2024: Greyhawk Deluxe).

2022: Year of the Planes. It is (past) time, WotC. I'd like to see a big Manual of the Planes that covers planar rules, an overview of the planes, monsters, and variant cosmologies and means of planar travel (including Spelljammer!). Then I'd like to see an adventure that starts in Sigil, with setting material on Sigil and the Outlands - perhaps strongly githyanki related. If Sigil is integrated in an adventure, they could slot in Dragonlance as the classic setting of the year. For Magic, I'd like to see one of the more unique/gonzo planes - perhaps Zendikar, Alara, New Phyrexia, or Ikoria.

2023: Completing the (Sub-Edition) Cycle. Round off the first ten years of 5E with a true Faerun setting guide, using the 3E FRCS as a model. Also, Dark Sun (with a new take on psionics) and a second "Dark Sun adventures" book. Another Magic (or new) setting. I'm indifferent on Exandria, but this would be a likely slot for an expansion. Also, either in 2022 or, to go with the desert them, a revival of Desert of Desolation.

2024: The 50th Anniversary Extravaganza! Go big. Revised core rulebooks akin to a 5.5 (or so). Backwards compatible, but ironing out some of the tricky parts and with new art. Emphasize changes to lore as flexibility, maintaining options for traditional style D&D (e.g. orcs as monsters) but also a wider range of options for a customizable game (e.g. orcs as a PC race). A Deluxe Greyhawk box set for the classic setting, with four booklets: World, City, Castle Greyhawk adventure, and Rules, as well as a cloth reprint of the Darlene map, the City of Greyhawk map from the old box set, and a new map by Anna B Meyer. Also, a commemorative Worlds of D&D big book with overviews, art, map, and behind-the-scenes for every D&D world published by TSR or WotC for D&D.

2025 and Beyond: Expanding the D&D Multiverse. An sf or science fiction setting, perhaps Gamma World for the 21st century D&D player. More settings and adventures, perhaps expanding the Realms (would love to see Anchorome, Katashaka, and Osse), and more Magic planes converted. I'd also love to see them do a conversion for Malazan and maybe other fictional worlds.

Any time: Surprises! I like it when WotC does comes out with something completely unexpected (like Ravnica...at least to many). Follow the tried-and-tried template of 2 settings, 2 adventures, and 1 splat, but every once in awhile mix in something different. For example, I'd love to see the Iomadra setting, perhaps with Council of Wyrms elements. How about "cosmic D&D," bringing back something akin to Everway? And so on.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

I'm not going to lie... 6 seems like too many books. I could see maybe 5 books and one box set, but 6 books seems like more than any reasonable person would ever buy.

To get to 6... you would do I assume 2 settings, 2 adventure books, 1 monster book, 1 rules book? Seems like honestly too much material. Now, if it was 5 books and a box set, that makes a bit more sense to me.

 

[delericho]

2 books a year, but they have to match whatever I happen to think I want at the given time. (Or, more sensibly, a few books a year, 2 of which appeal to me.)

6e is 2024. That anniversary is too big to pass up.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

6e is 2024. That anniversary is too big to pass up.

I doubt they're even considering 6E. Why kill the golden goose when they clearly have plenty of runway (plenty of both classic and MTG settings to make, and there's always more adventures to make or remake).

They're certainly not going to make 6E just because it happens to be an anniversary.

 

[ART!]

It's weird, because I'm likely to buy only one - maybe 2 - hardback 5E books per year. The rest I might buy piecemeal bits of on D&D Beyond, or someone in our group is bound to buy it on DDB and then use the Content Sharing feature.

The one I keep thinking of buying in hardback is Theros, which is a setting book based on a MtG setting, but also inspired by a real-world historical culture, mythology, etc. I'm a big fan of the latter, and the most likely way we'll see more of those is if they're based on MtG design "blocks", so I'm all for more 5E books of that sort - one per year would be fine.

I'm guessing we get a revised starter boxed set on the anniversary, and...revised core rulebooks? Those run the risk of reducing sales on existing books that have content that would most likely be included in revised core books, but maybe it's worth it? Hard to say - publishing is a risky game.

 

[Mercurius]

I'm not going to lie... 6 seems like too many books. I could see maybe 5 books and one box set, but 6 books seems like more than any reasonable person would ever buy.

To get to 6... you would do I assume 2 settings, 2 adventure books, 1 monster book, 1 rules book? Seems like honestly too much material. Now, if it was 5 books and a box set, that makes a bit more sense to me.

Yeah, when I was writing that I was thinking "six major products" - so five hardcovers and one box set. That sounds ideal. Six books only if there's no box set, and I'd rather there be a box set.

2 books a year, but they have to match whatever I happen to think I want at the given time. (Or, more sensibly, a few books a year, 2 of which appeal to me.)

6e is 2024. That anniversary is too big to pass up.

Out of curiosity, why not the 5-6 major products, 2 of which appeal to you? Why only 3? ("a few") What's the difference?

 

[delericho]

Out of curiosity, why not the 5-6 major products, 2 of which appeal to you? Why only 3? ("a few") What's the difference?

"A few" as in "more than 2, but not many". Though, in all honesty, it's the "2 of which appeal" which is the important bit - I don't really care how many excess books (that don't appeal) there are above that.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I don't think I can go year by year or anything, but here are some of the things I'd love to see.

1) Planesjammer - Taking the most fun stuff from PS and Spelljammer so Sigil is still the hub of the universe, but the Factions have spelljammers now and so do the Neogi and the Giff and so and use them as well as (rarer) portals to get around and glorious chaos ensues.

2) Mechanics book including a full Psionic class. Stars Without Number may have a good model, just fantasy it up. No need for huge subsystems.

3) Dark Sun, either close to the 2E original or a real reboot refocusing on the ever more relevant themes of environmental destruction and autocracies and oligarchies and people being used up to further the ends of uncaring powerful beings. I don't think WotC have the stones for the latter so I'll take the former.

4) A big-ass sandboxy campaign like The Night Below, I mean, could be a remake, doesn't have to be.

5) Experimental/risky mechanics book in 2022 or 2023 before 6E to try stuff out.

6) 6E in 2024. Rebuild all the classes and player-side mechanics but retain broad compatibility with 5E adventures. Re-envision a lot of stuff and include Psionics from either the get go or an early book.

7) A setting book specifically for 6E, new, and preferably from younger (I. E. 30s or under, like the ages of everyone when the great settings were made) and with a strong vision, which isn't bound to the past of D&D though obviously takes the best from it.

I'd loved to have seen one for 5E, every other edition got original settings, even if Nentir Vale/World Axis neve got an actual book, but alas I unless there's no 6E in 2024 I think we are too late in history for that.

 

[Bacon Bits]

I don't think I can go year by year or anything, but here are some of the things I'd love to see.

1) Planesjammer - Taking the most fun stuff from PS and Spelljammer so Sigil is still the hub of the universe, but the Factions have spelljammers now and so do the Neogi and the Giff and so and use them as well as (rarer) portals to get around and glorious chaos ensues.

This is actually pretty good.

Planescape's difficulty is figuring out what to do because it feels so static. There's a billion factions, especially if you use the ones everyone actually remembers, and they're all built on embodiment of a philosophy so they don't really have goals. Portals just then make the setting confusing because who knows what's going on? It's like taking the World Serpent Inn and expanding it to a city. It's an idea, but in play it feels chaotic and like it's impossible to go backwards.

Spelljammer's difficulty is having this mode of transportation and then... kind of not really having a well-defined place to go. Spelljamming through the Astral Sea to reach other planes could be really interesting. Making planar travel require a special vehicle is a really interesting concept.

2) Mechanics book including a full Psionic class. Stars Without Number may have a good model, just fantasy it up. No need for huge subsystems.

3) Dark Sun, either close to the 2E original or a real reboot refocusing on the ever more relevant themes of environmental destruction and autocracies and oligarchies and people being used up to further the ends of uncaring powerful beings. I don't think WotC have the stones for the latter so I'll take the former.

Honestly, I just want Psionics for Dark Sun. It's integral for that setting. I just want a set of rules to make psionics work for Dark Sun. That means I want something like a psionic background so that every character can start with a minor psionic power, a full psionicist class, a gladiator class, thri-kreen and muls. Oh, and half-giants need to not be just reskinned goliaths. I want DS to limit itself to the classes that were available in the 2e books, too. Indeed, I'd be happy if they dropped clerics entirely, too. The only reason they existed in 2e was because that game falls apart without certain divine magics, but they're not restricted to clerics anymore. However, I'm perfectly willing to just take the races and classes I want and make DS the way I want to run it.

7) A setting book specifically for 6E, new, and preferably from younger (I. E. 30s or under, like the ages of everyone when the great settings were made) and with a strong vision, which isn't bound to the past of D&D though obviously takes the best from it.

I'd loved to have seen one for 5E, every other edition got original settings, even if Nentir Vale/World Axis neve got an actual book, but alas I unless there's no 6E in 2024 I think we are too late in history for that.

I don't think they're going to go for 6e any time soon. Unless Hasbro pushes for higher D&D revenue -- which seems like a ridiculous idea since I believe 2020 has been the best year for D&D since the early 80s -- I don't imagine it will happen. I just don't think there's a business reason to do it, and new editions have always been created for business reasons.

I'd like to see:

1. I'd like to see a campaign setting nuts-and-bolts type of book that talks about how to design your own setting, what you really need, why points of light is an important style for classic D&D and the basic rules for that setting (#1 Post apocalyptic, #2 Vast untamed wilderness, #3 Weak NPC authorities), etc.

2. A races book that re-designs all the races from the PHB to bring them in line with the new designs. I'm half convinced that's the book the Feywild and Draconic races from UA are for.

3. Two adventures a year, not designed primarily for the AL space. Current adventures seem to be designed with the idea that you'll get magic items from the AL rules... so they don't put them into the adventure. And then the adventure itself doesn't tell DMs about that. The game is not fun without rewards, and I'm really dissatisfied with this "you don't need magic items" thing that the younger community has run with. Like if AL wants to take a existing modules and shape them for their market, they can do that themselves. The books need to be complete adventures, and that includes proper player rewards.

4. Here's what I want in 2024 for an anniversary: A compendium book with the custom monsters and magic items from the first 10 years of adventures. There's a lot of content there that's difficult to find unless you bought all those things on D&D Beyond. They could even have new content in it, too.

 

[Marc_C]

A Spelljammer setting+campaign book combo, deck maps of ships and miniatures of the ships by Wizkids so we can do space chases and battles.