D&D 5E Which MTG Setting would you want as an official D&D Setting?

[overgeeked]

no more MTG

No more please. I’d rather they provide D&D products for D&D settings. There’s a dozen or more settings, metasettings, and subsettings for D&D that 5E hasn’t touched. After they run out of old D&D content to re-release, then they can focus on new D&D content to release. Once they’ve run out of that...they can release a new edition of the game and start the cycle over. At no point do I want MTG to merge with D&D. I know it’s already too late. I don’t care. Get off my lawn.

 

[Mercurius]

Ugh. I just don't get it. People want the same thing, again and again, edition cycle after edition cycle?

Haven't new settings enriched the game, offering different play experiences? Don't we want new worlds to explore, new flavors and experiences, if only to draw from for ideas for our own world?

Here's the best part: They can do both, at least to some extent. They can publish classic settings and new (Magic) settings -- which is exactly what they're doing. It isn't perfect for those who want only old stuff or those who only want new, but it does give everyone something.

I mean, what else should they do? Only regurgitate old settings to please traditionalists and older players? Only publish new stuff to please those that want it? Or, just maybe, do their best to offer some of both?

Or how about this: Publish one classic setting and one new setting each year, be it Magic or something else (e.g. Exandria).

Seems like a no-brainer to me.

 

[Tonguez]

That said, my guess would be Strixhaven, which looks like it would have appeal to the younger demographic and is also upcoming. It wouldn't be my top choice, and would prefer something like Zendikar, New Phyrexia, Tarkir, Kamigawa, or even Dominaria.

I feel that Phyrexia would work better in Spelljammer or Planescape. So I may change my vote to adapting the Weatherlight Saga as a PlanesJammer mash-up

I dont think Kamigawa is a good pick due to the prevalence of Kami (and because it misses out on the also flavours of the rest of Asia).

Ikoria is unbalanced by the Kaiju and the Eldrazi need to be entirely removed to make Zendikar useful

and I agree that as cool as Innistrad is, its probably better to just add Innistrad as a Ravenloft Domain than have two settings covering similar territory

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I am afraid they are too inspired in the Hispanophobic stereotypes of the Spanish black legend. And it is even more annoying when I remember Spanish empire really made a serious effort to be the least evil. How are you going to explain Natives American they should be happy because English arrived to the East Coast before the Spanishs who explored and conquered California?

The...what on earth are they teaching in Spain!?

Look, I’m descended from both sides of Spanish colonialism, and no, the Spanish were not anywhere close to the “least evil”. The conquistadores were monsters, full stop. The missions were slave work camps built by the blood and bone of Native people. The “black legend” is just history, I’m afraid.

 

[Mercurius]

I feel that Phyrexia would work better in Spelljammer or Planescape. So I may change my vote to adapting the Weatherlight Saga as a PlanesJammer mash-up

I dont think Kamigawa is a good pick due to the prevalence of Kami (and because it misses out on the also flavours of the rest of Asia).

Ikoria is unbalanced by the Kaiju and the Eldrazi need to be entirely removed to make Zendikar useful

and I agree that as cool as Innistrad is, its probably better to just add Innistrad as a Ravenloft Domain than have two settings covering similar territory

Given that I don't know much about the setting, some questions.

What's wrong with the "prevalence of the Kami?" That sounds like a great opportunity to offer a different kind of play experience.

Simillarly with the kaiju and eldrazi...in fact, maybe it would be an opportunity to create an epic/gonzo sub-set of rules?

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Amon khet would be awesome, but its pretty small and with the demise of Nicol Bolas, the plane lacks a certain raison d'être (or maybe the new vacuum of power could be the exploited to add to the setting, a little mix of GoT and Egyptian themes, why not?)

Zendikar and Dominaria are pretty much already D&D settinga in all of their glory.

For my part, I'd go for Tarkir, Amon Khet, Kaldheim and Eldraine. Why?

Because they could used individually or be used as setting books for the other-than-the-Sword-Coast in Faerun. (Hordeland + Shou, Mulrohand, Ruathym and Moonshea)

 

[doctorbadwolf]

ones seem pretty poor fits for D&D (Zendikar)

How? Zen diktat is a perfect fit for a dnd setting.

Ikoria is unbalanced by the Kaiju and the Eldrazi need to be entirely removed to make Zendikar useful

Um...no? Kaiju are a perfect opportunity to get creative with monster rules where an epic monster is also terrain, and is essentially its own moving lair.

Eldrazi are an opportunity to explore “monsters” that cannot just be fought, and must be entrapped, subjected to ritual magic to bind and diminish them, etc.

But it’s not like you can’t have a game in Zendikar wherein you avoid Eldrazi and try to find the artifacts to imprison or banish them, or just a small scale game where you don’t ever deal with them except as soemthing to run and hide from.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

How? Zen diktat is a perfect fit for a dnd setting.

Not at all imho.

It's a setting so MtG that it can only be done in MtG or perhaps a game derived specifically for the purpose of making MtG into an RPG. That's not true of most MtG settings, which are pretty standard fantasy with the MtG elements almost being an aside or overlay. I get that you probably think it's a "perfect fit" because it has a lot of dungeons (in theory, though I think their resemblance to D&D dungeons is questionable), but dungeons are meaningless without context, and it's a terrible setting for giving context to them - it works best as part of a trans-planar MtG setting, and standing on it's own it doesn't really make sense - that's very unlike other MtG settings again. Plus there's the fact that it's sky-centric. And the Eldrazi stuff also obviously doesn't work with D&D, which is not a game built to support that kind of thing.

I think your problem here, also with Ikoria is you're just looking at how a specific thing could be done, and totally failing to see the whole, where neither setting looks great for D&D, which is a very specific game, not a generic one.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Not at all imho.

It's a setting so MtG that it can only be done in MtG or perhaps a game derived specifically for the purpose of making MtG into an RPG. That's not true of most MtG settings, which are pretty standard fantasy with the MtG elements almost being an aside or overlay. I get that you probably think it's a "perfect fit" because it has a lot of dungeons (in theory, though I think their resemblance to D&D dungeons is questionable), but dungeons are meaningless without context, and it's a terrible setting for giving context to them - it works best as part of a trans-planar MtG setting, and standing on it's own it doesn't really make sense - that's very unlike other MtG settings again. Plus there's the fact that it's sky-centric. And the Eldrazi stuff also obviously doesn't work with D&D, which is not a game built to support that kind of thing.

I think your problem here, also with Ikoria is you're just looking at how a specific thing could be done, and totally failing to see the whole, where neither setting looks great for D&D, which is a very specific game, not a generic one.

What a load of self-important condescending nonsense.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

It's a setting so MtG that it can only be done in MtG or perhaps a game derived specifically for the purpose of making MtG into an RPG.

Show your work. Explain why you think this. It isn’t at all obvious, and comes across as a pretty wild claim.

That's not true of most MtG settings, which are pretty standard fantasy with the MtG elements almost being an aside or overlay. I get that you probably think it's a "perfect fit" because it has a lot of dungeons (in theory, though I think their resemblance to D&D dungeons is questionable), but dungeons are meaningless without context, and it's a terrible setting for giving context to them - it works best as part of a trans-planar MtG setting, and standing on it's own it doesn't really make sense - that's very unlike other MtG settings again.

God the amount of “well actually” hubris in this post. It’s really wild. An world of incredibly dangerous wilderness made up of extreme geography is...prime D&D adventure time. And I don’t even use dungeons in most campaigns.

Plus there's the fact that it's sky-centric.

Not really. It’s got earth motes, but you can run a whole game in one mega-forest.

And the Eldrazi stuff also obviously doesn't work with D&D, which is not a game built to support that kind of thing.

What about the Eldrazi do you think D&D isnt built for? I’ve used them just fine, when running Zendikar in D&D .

I think your problem here, also with Ikoria is you're just looking at how a specific thing could be done, and totally failing to see the whole, where neither setting looks great for D&D, which is a very specific game, not a generic one.

D&D is far from “very specific”. It absolutely has room for more than one Kaiju (the Terrasque is a kaiju), and more interesting monster mechanics for truly colossal monsters. The rest of the setting is completely compatible with how a lot of people already play D&D. Same deal with Zendikar.

 

[Bacon Bits]

I genuinely don't see why people want Eldraine. It's... it's like Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, and Mother Goose made a setting. It's so close to camp you have to walk around the tent stakes.

It's also not a particularly well-liked set looking back because it's power level was way too high and disruptive. The absolute last thing I would want to do is spend time in that setting after enduring what Standard has been while it's been legal.

I'd be okay with Kaldheim, Khans (not Dragons) of Tarkir, original Amonkhet, or original Innistrad.

 

[Umbran]

Show your work. Explain why you think this. It isn’t at all obvious, and comes across as a pretty wild claim.

Mod Note:

Dude, cool your jets. People are allowed to have opinions that they don't prove to you. Your aggression here is not supported by the weight of the topic.

 

[Parmandur]

I genuinely don't see why people want Eldraine. It's... it's like Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, and Mother Goose made a setting. It's so close to camp you have to walk around the tent stakes.

It's also not a particularly well-liked set looking back because it's power level was way too high and disruptive. The absolute last thing I would want to do is spend time in that setting after enduring what Standard has been while it's been legal.

I'd be okay with Kaldheim, Khans (not Dragons) of Tarkir, original Amonkhet, or original Innistrad.

Make up your mind, do you see why people want Eldraine or not?

My understanding is that it is not Eldraine that is overpowered, but the previous Standard that was underpowered, and Eldraine is the new normal...at least that's WotC story. The Kaldheim cards play nice with Eldraine, at any rate (MMmmmm, Dwarf Tribal).

 

[Tonguez]

I genuinely don't see why people want Eldraine. It's... it's like Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, and Mother Goose made a setting. It's so close to camp you have to walk around the tent stakes

Dude where have you been - Once upon a time, in a land Far far away is the most enduring settings ever created!

How? Zen diktat is a perfect fit for a dnd setting.

Um...no? Kaiju are a perfect opportunity to get creative with monster rules where an epic monster is also terrain, and is essentially its own moving lair.

Eldrazi are an opportunity to explore “monsters” that cannot just be fought, and must be entrapped, subjected to ritual magic to bind and diminish them, etc.

But it’s not like you can’t have a game in Zendikar wherein you avoid Eldrazi and try to find the artifacts to imprison or banish them, or just a small scale game where you don’t ever deal with them except as soemthing to run and hide from.

Yeah I suppose it is a preference issue - while I can see how the ruins exploring of Zendikar could work as something similar to visiting the City of Spiders, I just dont want Eldritch Lovecraftian Horror to dominate my DnD fantasy setting.

And while I agree that developing rules to address Kaiju ”Monster zones” would be cool, that doesnt mean an entire setting needs to be built around those rules.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I genuinely don't see why people want Eldraine. It's... it's like Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, and Mother Goose made a setting. It's so close to camp you have to walk around the tent stakes./

You say that like its a bad thing!

 

[Mind of tempest]

if we must have more I want tarkir lots of things I think are cool and some really big dragons to slay sounds like a fun one to me and I could cut it up for useful stuff.

 

[Dausuul]

Lots of good options, but Tarkir would be my pick--the khans version, specifically, which is far deeper and more interesting IMO. Tarkir is such a big, sweeping setting with mountains of untapped potential.

 

[Bacon Bits]

Make up your mind, do you see why people want Eldraine or not?

Oh I would believe some people absolutely want a campy setting. I just don't think WotC would ever publish one. Gamma World and Spelljammer are both arguably campy, and I think that's why they're fairly divisive.

My understanding is that it is not Eldraine that is overpowered, but the previous Standard that was underpowered, and Eldraine is the new normal...at least that's WotC story. The Kaldheim cards play nice with Eldraine, at any rate (MMmmmm, Dwarf Tribal).

That was the official line when the sets came out, yeah. But Standard hasn't really been underpowered, it's just that they pushed rares and mythics so hard that commons were stone unplayable. I don't think they've repeated the F.I.R.E. line since Oko, Uro, and Omnath. There have been more Standard bannings in the last ~20 months than there have been in the previous 20+ years. That's a garbage fire. It might sell a lot of cards, but it's short sighted and damaging to the game because it makes people quit. Kaldheim and it looks like Strixhaven are both lower power than the previous 5-6 sets, and the only complaint I remember is people wanting Eldraine to rotate out of Standard faster when Kaldheim released.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Dude where have you been - Once upon a time, in a land Far far away is the most enduring settings ever created!


Yeah I suppose it is a preference issue - while I can see how the ruins exploring of Zendikar could work as something similar to visiting the City of Spiders, I just dont want Eldritch Lovecraftian Horror ti dominate my DnD fantasy setting.

I’m more there for the insane wilderness landscapes and megafauna and such, but yeah Eldrazi worshipping cults, whose members turn slowly into abberations, leading eventually to quests to find rituals to bind and diminish their masters, is a pretty good campaign premise. Not for everyone, but definitely something that can work very well.

And while I agree that developing rules to address Kaiju ”Monster zones” would be cool, that doesnt mean an entire setting needs to be built around those rules.

I mean, okay, but that in turn doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t be fun to have such a setting.

 

[Parmandur]

Oh I would believe some people absolutely want a campy setting. I just don't think WotC would ever publish one. Gamma World and Spelljammer are both arguably campy, and I think that's why they're fairly divisive.

On the other hand, WotC did release Eldraine itself as a Magic Setting, and Gamma World just a decade ago, and constantly tease more Spelljammer.

Chris Perkins plus Eldraine makes a lot of sense to me.