D&D 5E Which Non-Classic/Magic Settings Would You like to see WotC Publish?


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Mind of tempest

(he/him)advocate for 5e psionics
Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light. It was a regrettably short-lived '80s post-apocalyptic science-fantasy show and toyline. It's basically about knights turning into holographic animal totems. In addition, each had either single-use magic staffs or vehicles powered by magic. They would go on quests for powerful wizards to recharge their magic.

It also had a pretty catchy intro:

yeah, I am going to cut that up for my setting idea as my idea is ideally supposed to be nuts.
 

Aldarc

Legend
yeah, I am going to cut that up for my setting idea as my idea is ideally supposed to be nuts.
The '80s was a golden era of gonzo science fantasy: e.g., Thundarr, He-Man, Thundercats, Visionaries, etc. It was the product of toy marketers throwing random ideas against the wall and seeing what sticks. I can't deny that it was a massive influence on a lot of my own tastes.

And the history of the lines is one of the funniest things ever:
 

Mind of tempest

(he/him)advocate for 5e psionics
The '80s was a golden era of gonzo science fantasy: e.g., Thundarr, He-Man, Thundercats, Visionaries, etc. It was the product of toy marketers throwing random ideas against the wall and seeing what sticks. I can't deny that it was a massive influence on a lot of my own tastes.

And the history of the lines is one of the funniest things ever:
that is gold right there.
 

Fortnite: Save the World! (it is a joke!)

Hasbro has got a partnership deal with Renegade Games for a d20 version of Transformers, G.I.Joe, Power Rangers and My Little Pony.

Gamma World is possible, but it needs a lot of playtesting for a right power balance of melee-combat vs firearms.

Aliens from d20 Future (Star*Drive and Star Frontiers) could be added to Spelljammer. The fraals were canon in AD&D.

* Games Workshop acquired by Hasbro? I don't say it could be impossible. Hasbro and Asmodee merging? Pure speculation and nobody can safe that. If Hasbro becomes the next Disney in the future, I wouldn't be too surprised with an aquisition of Chaosium and White Wolf/Onyx Path, be we can agree these are only conjectures.

* I wish long a long live for the 3PPs that create cool new settings, but if any one doesn't survive enough, the IP being bought by WotC shouldn't be so horrible.

* It is very hard to create a d20 Superheroes with a right power balance to avoid possible abuses by munchkins. Do you remember defeating Doomday as boss in DC-Online? Or Galactus as final Boss in Marvel vs Capcom (hard, but not totally impossible). We would need a mash-up with nerfed version of most powerful characters if we want adaptations of famous franchises.

* Blizzard's Diablo and Warcraft by WotC? I am very opened-mind about that idea. It is possible, more if there is agreement to produce toys and figures.

* My wish is a setting based in the cultures from Far East, China, Korea, Japan and others, with new PC races (or updated version) but enough politically right for the different Asian audences. My fear Asian communities suffer predjudices against their own neighbours, and even against people from the same country but different regions. (Sang-Chi's movie has been banned in China). Asians should understand this setting may be a great opportunity to introduce their titles in the western audence.
 


Azuresun

Adventurer
Runeterra, the setting for League of Legends.

No, I'm completely serious! Riot have really expanded on the lore for their world beyond "goofy fantasy mashup setting", making it into a coherent whole and giving the different factions depth and development. Considering the actual game barely uses the lore, it's surely a perfect candidate for some kind of RPG.
 

TwoSix

Dirty, realism-hating munchkin powergamer
Runeterra, the setting for League of Legends.

No, I'm completely serious! Riot have really expanded on the lore for their world beyond "goofy fantasy mashup setting", making it into a coherent whole and giving the different factions depth and development. Considering the actual game barely uses the lore, it's surely a perfect candidate for some kind of RPG.
This actually makes a ton of sense. I can't think of a specifically fantasy property that has more inroads with a Gen Z audience. And like you said, they're really worked on fleshing out the world via Legends of Runeterra.
 

Steampunkette

Rules Tinkerer and Freelance Writer
Supporter
Steamfantasy. C'mon. Were you really expecting something else, from me?

Full on Victoriana. Urban Adventures, Ingenuity Systems, Airships and Flying Combat...

Could also explore different Steampunk themes. And there -are- different steampunk themes people don't really think about too terribly much.

Gaslamp Romance: Urban Adventures, Wealth and Power, New Technology, Polite Society. The pains and changes to society through advancement and the inevitable backlash against that advancement. Fear of the Future collides with Horrors of the Past. This is where your Jekyll and Hyde, Phantom of the Opera, and Penny Dreadfuls happen. But it's also where political intrigues, secret societies, and detectives seeking terrible truths exist.

Weird West: Wide open Prairies, Small Towns, Edge of Expansion. Where modern technology is crashing into ancient myth. Where old cultures and new cultures clash and colonialist intentions can be examined through a lens of allegory. Where Legends roam and fall and rise anew. Folk Tales and Ghost Stories told around the campfire.

Adventurism: King Solomon's Mines, Indiana Jones, the Mummy franchise with Brendan Frasier at his height. Safari and Exploration, pressing the edges of the map to find out what lies beyond the frayed edge. Airships and Pirates, Lost Worlds, Insane Depths of the Sea or the World itself.

Because the core of Steampunk, the most central tenet of that idea, that genre, is that humans are inventive. We may not be the strongest or the fastest, may not even be the smartest. But we are -creative-. We build new devices, we formulate complex plans, and we overcome strange forces and terrible plots by innovating our way around the obstacle to achieve our goal.

But it's also a double edged sword. In fighting against cosmic forces with our ingenuity, we can sometimes create terrible things because we've transgressed. Whether it's waking the Mummy, creating Frankenstein, or far worse things... we can become our own monsters.

I'd love to see D&D give a Steampunk world the same level of narrative attention that they're applying to Ravenloft, now.
 

Runeterra would be possible, but Hasbro should talk with Tecent. Adaptations of famous fantasy videogames is possible. Even also maybe one based in Hyrule (Legend of Zelda).
 

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