Why Is Chris Perkins Tweeting Page Snippets Of Mongrelfolk?

I didn't see that either. Do mongrelfolk appear in one of the adventures they've released, or is this a possible hint of the Monster Manual 2?

 

[the Jester]

I could see them forgoing the "Monster Manual 2" name and instead calling it something like the "Monster Compendium". Just like if they ever do decide to do a splatbook it will be the Adventurers Handbook instead of the Players Handbook 2. I actually think this is smart marketing.

I agree, Creature Catalog and Fiend Folio seem to be likely names they would use instead.

Monster Vault!

 

[Kramodlog]

True enough. So the question then comes down to whether the theme of all these bosses from the game are connected to the upcoming AP, the AP after that (if WotC wanted to give a bit more cushion for development), or just as-is in order to get the base game released (before adding in the AP stuff as part of the first DLC). No idea how it's gonna go. Although if it's me and the AP, MMO, board game and wiz kids minis are all on schedule but SCL was iffy (and we're talking possibly 6 to 12 month delay)... I dunno I'd want to either hold back all the RPG stuff to wait for the computer game, or tie the computer game so close to the RPG story that you had to release it without that necesary 6 to 12 month delay just for the synergy.

But perhaps SCL is so far along and polished that they already know they don't need to delay it? If they are that strong on the release, then perhaps a day-and-date with the next AP for the RPG is going to work fine? I'll be curious to see.

I think they are ready for a potential delay. Nathan Stewart saying we might just see one AP a year might have been such an indicater.

We'll see. All might go well after all. Doing cross-brand releases is a very good idea, but you highlighted the drawback; what do you do when one product is 6 to 12 months late? And it isn't something minor like spellcards, video games seem very important to WotC.

 

[Trickster Spirit]

I think they are ready for a potential delay. Nathan Stewart saying we might just see one AP a year might have been such an indicater.

We'll see. All might go well after all. Doing cross-brand releases is a very good idea, but you highlighted the drawback; what do you do when one product is 6 to 12 months late? And it isn't something minor like spellcards, video games seem very important to WotC.

I agree with you, in that they are trying to minimize expectations a little bit by saying we might only see one a year. I think, if faced with unavoidable delays in one arena, they are comfortable postponing an AP until they are ready to launch across all platforms.

Looking at those plot details for Sword Coast Legends though, I'm not convinced it ties into an AP at all. The two APs we've been given crumbs about are the Feywild / Alice in Wonderland-y themed AP that's next in the pipeline, and "Shakespearean Giants" scheduled to come after that. SCL is aiming for a 2015 release date, so that means if they are tying it into a AP, it has to be the Wonderland one. Doesn't really sound like anything we've heard about the video game so far - that feels far more "generic D&D".

That leaves MMO expansions and tie-in boardgames as vulnerabilities that could delay an AP, as well as delays writing the AP itself, of course. But they've managed to get all the planned components of the ToD and PotA releases out on schedule as far as we know, so I'm not really expecting the next one will suddenly be skipped. It's a possibility to be aware of, but until I hear otherwise I'm going to assume they'll be able to manage it.

 

[Kramodlog]

The two APs we've been given crumbs about are the Feywild / Alice in Wonderland-y themed AP that's next in the pipeline, and "Shakespearean Giants" scheduled to come after that.

We'd need to read the actual quote again, but from what I remember that was just brainstorming. No concrete AP. I would be surprised to see an Alice AP in the FR. Alustriel in the Demiplane of Wonder? Follow a chronomany obsess wererabbit into an hole?

But they've managed to get all the planned components of the ToD and PotA releases out on schedule as far as we know, so I'm not really expecting the next one will suddenly be skipped.

Well, the Adventurer's Handbook for PotA was dropped. We do not know why, but it is a skip.

It's a possibility to be aware of, but until I hear otherwise I'm going to assume they'll be able to manage it.

I'm sure SCL will come out. And other APs too. It is just the when. Potential delays might explain why we do not have a release date yet. Althought WotC seems to be in the surprise announcements now (e.g. Fantasy Ground, Dragon+). That we know about SCL makes me believe it is a very important project for them. Nathan Stewart comments about video games certainly points to that. The interiew in Dragon+ too.

 

[Trickster Spirit]

We'd need to read the actual quote again, but from what I remember that was just brainstorming. No concrete AP. I would be surprised to see an Alice AP in the FR. Alustriel in the Demiplane of Wonder? Follow a chronomany obsess wererabbit into an hole?

Did some digging through Twitter for the very first mention of it, from a series of Tweets transcribing Chris Perkins' panel at Gamehole Con. It's absolutely a concrete AP, but clearly it's "inspired by" rather than a literal adaptation of "Alice in Wonderland". In any case, "The Alice in Wonderland" inspired AP is literally all we have been given so far, so it was perhaps inevitable that people (myself included) would begin to associate the name with it more closely and assume it's more tightly tied to the source material than it actually will end up being.

I believe elsewhere someone from Wizards mentioned the Feywild, though I'm not 100% it was in relation to this AP. That would provide a good branching off point from the Forgotten Realms, however, by moving from the Sword Coast in the opening chapters to the Feywild for the meat of the actual campaign. That's pure speculation on my part, mind you.

Well, the Adventurer's Handbook for PotA was dropped. We do not know why, but it is a skip.

You know, that occurred to me as I typed it, but I decided to leave it as is because we don't have any idea how far along those plans ever got internally. We know they came up with the name, and slapped a title on some pre-existing artwork, but we may never know whether it was cancelled because of difficulties with delays (was it cancelled before or after they realized a key team member was going to be pulled for jury duty?), or if it was quality concerns (having to fill the book with uninspired "padding" options to meet page count), or simply a decision to change direction away from unnecessary splatbook releases.

I'm sure SCL will come out. And other APs too. It is just the when. Potential delays might explain why we do not have a release date yet. Althought WotC seems to be in the surprise announcements now (e.g. Fantasy Ground, Dragon+). That we know about SCL makes me believe it is a very important project for them. Nathan Stewart comments about video games certainly points to that. The interiew in Dragon+ too.

Yep, I'm positive SCL will get released to, barring some truly unpredictable calamity. It's absolutely an important project for them, especially given that a successful AAA video game is going to be a way bigger earner for D&D than years' worth of pen-and-paper products. I'm just not convinced it's going to be so closely mirrored by an AP yet - it's possible that's what the plot of the "Alice" AP is about but until we know more about that it's impossible to say.

 

[Kramodlog]

Did some digging through Twitter for the very first mention of it, from a series of Tweets transcribing Chris Perkins' panel at Gamehole Con. It's absolutely a concrete AP, but clearly it's "inspired by" rather than a literal adaptation of "Alice in Wonderland". In any case, "The Alice in Wonderland" inspired AP is literally all we have been given so far, so it was perhaps inevitable that people (myself included) would begin to associate the name with it more closely and assume it's more tightly tied to the source material than it actually will end up being.

Do you have the actual quote? All I have is what Morrus posted on ENworld.

You know, that occurred to me as I typed it, but I decided to leave it as is because we don't have any idea how far along those plans ever got internally.

They sent the final cover art work to a distributor around January the 2nd. PotA was officially announced on January the 23rd. Pretty close. I'm dying to know what happened.

Yep, I'm positive SCL will get released to, barring some truly unpredictable calamity. It's absolutely an important project for them, especially given that a successful AAA video game is going to be a way bigger earner for D&D than years' worth of pen-and-paper products. I'm just not convinced it's going to be so closely mirrored by an AP yet - it's possible that's what the plot of the "Alice" AP is about but until we know more about that it's impossible to say.

I'm not sure mirrored is the right word. Complete seems better. Like the AL and the comics go with the AP, they do not mirror it. The minis do mirror it, but those are different products. Minis can carry less story with them.

But what convinces me the AP will be linked to the video game's story (or vice versa), is their cross-branding strategy. It would be a wasted opportunity not to.

 

[Trickster Spirit]

Do you have the actual quote? All I have is what Morrus posted on ENworld.

Oh, sorry! Thought I had included the link in that post!

Here you go.

Also dove back into the scroll-fest that is Twitter on a mobile browser to retrieve this for you. Seems like they were telegraphing back in November their interest in only focusing on one smaller region of the Realms at a time, as opposed to providing a single all-encompassing update.

 

[Kramodlog]

Oh, sorry! Thought I had included the link in that post!

Here you go.

Also dove back into the scroll-fest that is Twitter on a mobile browser to retrieve this for you. Seems like they were telegraphing back in November their interest in only focusing on one smaller region of the Realms at a time, as opposed to providing a single all-encompassing update.

A book detailing the Sword Coast would make a lot of sense. But it would contradict what we know about their game plan.

As for Alice, I'm not that convinced. Unless Belaphoss is the Red Queen. That would be funny.

 

[Trickster Spirit]

A book detailing the Sword Coast would make a lot of sense. But it would contradict what we know about their game plan.

See, what I think they're actually talking about is the setting components of the adventures and APs. Legacy of the Crystal Shard covered the Ten Towns, PotA focuses on the Sumber Hills, a future urban AP set in Waterdeep could thoroughly cover that city... two or three years from now they'd have enough material to compile everything and put out a complete Sword Coast sourcebook. That obviously doesn't track with the 2015 release date for Sword Coast Legends, though.

As for Alice, I'm not that convinced. Unless Belaphoss is the Red Queen. That would be funny.

Those Gamehole Con tweets are 140-character paraphrasings of what Chris Perkins was saying during his panel. I'm confident that he actually said something to the effect of "the AP after Princes of the Apocalypse takes Alice in Wonderland as one of its inspirations." Plans change, but we've heard nothing since then to contradict it, so I'm going to continue operating under the assumption that that is true.

It's possible that Sword Coast Legends is complementary to said AP, but we're all still just speculating - probably more reasonable for me to say "I don't know yet" rather than set my expectations for one or the other.

 

[Michael McGuire]

There's another possibility, it could be used in a MANUAL OF THE PLANES. The PHB and DMG have a lot of well fleshed-out teases on The Wheel but it doesn't feel like it's intended to stand alone for long. That seems like the kind of book that would be in development parallel to the other books but not depend on them.