WotC Why WotC SHOULD Make A New Setting

[Nobleshield]

I feel that a new setting is one of the most time and labor-intensive design projects there is. Having to design an entirely new world and make it a cohesive whole is not something you can just pass off casually to a bunch of other freelance writers like you can an adventure anthology. You need to create it, design it, come up with original art and artistic styles for it, figure out what is unique about it and what is standard about it. And all without any previous design work ever having been done previously that you can adapt or draw from (like you can with classic D&D or MtG settings).

All of that work merely in the hopes that people like or care about it. And also for just the one or two singular products they invariably produce for it-- a setting book and maybe an adventure. To me... there is just not enough bang for the buck. Sure they could do it... but why would they? Far easier to just adapt another MtG setting where the world-building and tons of art assets have already been made. And for a whole heap of the player base might as well be a completely new setting.

They wouldn't need a fully fleshed-out world, IMHO, just enough of a starter to let DMs flesh things out. Think what they did with Nentir Vale in 4e or the Expert set that fleshed out some stuff about Karameikos and the surrounding areas of the Known World (or the original Greyhawk, for that matter; the folio, not the boxed set, where it gave you just brief info and didn't even give classes/levels to the rulers, nor have a pantheon).

Give a solid starting point, with advice and suggestions for DMs to take that and make it their own, rather than follow the Forgotten Realms style of having everything mapped out. I find it quite telling that as far as I can see the 5.5e DMG has little or no advice on actually building a campaign, while the 5e (2014) one talks about it at length.

 

[Koloth]

Maybe step 1 is to list all the current and past settings and the box(es) that each checks. Asking WOTC/Hasbro to spend time on making a 'new' setting that largely replicates an existing one will be a hard sell. What hasn't been covered by one or more existing settings?

 

[Azzy]

I'd support it, but only if it were distinct from the existing settings (like Eberron was from what came before when it first arrived). It'd be a great chance to give the new (to the PHB) species a chance to feel fully integrated to a setting rather than tacked-on additions.

 

[Scribe]

Without a doubt they should be creating new things, especially if they feel they need to change the preexisting settings.

 

[DEFCON 1]

They wouldn't need a fully fleshed-out world, IMHO, just enough of a starter to let DMs flesh things out. Think what they did with Nentir Vale in 4e or the Expert set that fleshed out some stuff about Karameikos and the surrounding areas of the Known World (or the original Greyhawk, for that matter; the folio, not the boxed set, where it gave you just brief info and didn't even give classes/levels to the rulers, nor have a pantheon).

Give a solid starting point, with advice and suggestions for DMs to take that and make it their own, rather than follow the Forgotten Realms style of having everything mapped out. I find it quite telling that as far as I can see the 5.5e DMG has little or no advice on actually building a campaign, while the 5e (2014) one talks about it at length.

A starting area is not a campaign setting (at least not as I expect Reynard is thinking it as.) Making a generic starting area is one thing and certainly doable... but a whole entire world is something much different.

 

[Reynard]

Maybe step 1 is to list all the current and past settings and the box(es) that each checks. Asking WOTC/Hasbro to spend time on making a 'new' setting that largely replicates an existing one will be a hard sell. What hasn't been covered by one or more existing settings?

One big hole they could fill in the lineup that I think would sell really well is something that really embraces Urban Fantasy. It doesn't have to be "modern" per se (although it could be) but a setting built on Hidden Fantasy and Secret Wars and the tension between magic and technology feels like a perfect niche D&D has never really explored (outside of d20 Modern).

 

[DEFCON 1]

Without a doubt they should be creating new things, especially if they feel they need to change the preexisting settings.

I suspect their desire to change pre-existing settings is because a lot of the stuff in those settings is 1970s and early 80s cultural design baggage and baloney.

 

[Tigris]

A starting area is not a campaign setting (at least not as I expect Reynard is thinking it as.) Making a generic starting area is one thing and certainly doable... but a whole entire world is something much different.

But you will not see the whole world anyway. Just make it point of lights, only define keystone elements thats enough. Else it will just be filled with lot of boring areas and or contradictions.


You could even release it as a monster manual, like Monster Vault: Threats to Nentir Vale does. Just with a map added location names some bit of info, and the enemies placed on the map.

One big hole they could fill in the lineup that I think would sell really well is something that really embraces Urban Fantasy. It doesn't have to be "modern" per se (although it could be) but a setting built on Hidden Fantasy and Secret Wars and the tension between magic and technology feels like a perfect niche D&D has never really explored (outside of d20 Modern).

Well Harry Potter (but actual harry potter not pseudo harry potter). Would also draw in lots of potential new fans (yes and it would also generate hate of course, but HP is still one of the biggest franchises existing).

 

[ZeshinX]

One big hole they could fill in the lineup that I think would sell really well is something that really embraces Urban Fantasy. It doesn't have to be "modern" per se (although it could be) but a setting built on Hidden Fantasy and Secret Wars and the tension between magic and technology feels like a perfect niche D&D has never really explored (outside of d20 Modern).

So 1e's Lankhmar basically.

 

[SkidAce]

The last new setting they had, they dumped despite it actually being quite good, because 4e wasn't well-received. I will die on the hill that Nentir Vale was a great setting, actually had Dragonborn and Tieflings that fit in seamlessly (unlike how Tieflings kept their 4e look in 5e instead of going back to the 3.x style), had a pantheon that was so interesting Matt Mercer took it whole cloth for his own world, and had a nice traditional sword & sorcery feel to it ("points of light").

They should 100% IMHO have done a brand new setting for 5e and kept Forgotten Realms the classic style that people knew and loved, instead of making it the default and shoehorning in almost everything there.

Nentir Vale was/is indeed a great setting.