D&D 5E With the release of each new setting book, the SCAG looks worse and worse...

[Demetrios1453]

I was around during 2e. The support was crap. Mostly tiny supplements and what they did provide were things like magic item books and adventures. Nothing like the 2e FR support. Not even remotely close.

TSR was starting to do regional suppliments for Greyhawk in the WGR series - WGR3 covered Nyrond and Furyondy, and WGR4 covered the Lands of Iuz. WGR6 was to have covered the Great Kingdom, but that's when TSR started to run into financial trouble and a whole bunch of things, not just Greyhawk regional accessories, were dropped. In the end, years later, they actually published the completed WGR6, Ivid the Undying, online. So it looks like TSR was attempting to do the same with Greyhawk, but all that got swept away with the downfall of the company...

 

[Maxperson]

It could be structured something this.

Old Empires Region

Brief regional over view

Nations:

Mulhorand:

Basic Overview of Mulhorand and it's themes.

Capital City (population, major imports/exports), a less detailed list of other important cities/locations in Mulhorand for adventurers.

Religion/Government/Demographics.

After the Sundering detailing how the Sundering changed things.

Plot hooks

Unther

Capital City (population, major imports/exports), a less detailed list of other important cities/locations in Mulhorand for adventurers.

Religion/Government/Demographics.

After the Sundering detailing how the Sundering changed things.

Plot hook

Chessenta

Capital City (population, major imports/exports), a less detailed list of other important cities/locations in Mulhorand for adventurers.

Religion/Government/Demographics.

After the Sundering detailing how the Sundering changed things.

Plot hook

Tymanther

Capital City (population, major imports/exports), a less detailed list of other important cities/locations in Mulhorand for adventurers.

Religion/Government/Demographics.

After the Sundering detailing how the Sundering changed things.

Plot hook

Akanul

Capital City (population, major imports/exports), a less detailed list of other important cities/locations in Mulhorand for adventurers.

Religion/Government/Demographics. Side table for Mulhorand Pantheon listing it's Gods and key details for their clerics (worshippers).

After the Sundering detailing how the Sundering changed things.

Plot hook

Minor powers.

Then rinse and repeat with the Cold Lands, Shining South, Lands of Intrigue, Heartlands, Shaar, Chult, Lake of Steam, Sea of Fallen Stars, Turmish, Halruua, Unapproachable East, ect...

It's actually pretty easy, most of the work is figuring out how has this region changed by the Sundering a the events thay followed it, and adding fresh new plot hooks.

Later in the book they can put whatever Player options, DM rules, and Monsters they want in it, even very optionally an intro adventure, although in FRs case with all the APs and other adventures, I'd focus on the rest instead.

If the DMs Guild is sufficient for Greyhawk, it's sufficient for the Forgotten Realms as well. Look at old stuff and write it up for 5e, then publish it on the site.

 

[Maxperson]

TSR was starting to do regional suppliments for Greyhawk in the WGR series - WGR3 covered Nyrond and Furyondy, and WGR4 covered the Lands of Iuz. WGR6 was to have covered the Great Kingdom, but that's when TSR started to run into financial trouble and a whole bunch of things, not just Greyhawk regional accessories, were dropped. In the end, years later, they actually published the completed WGR6, Ivid the Undying, online. So it looks like TSR was attempting to do the same with Greyhawk, but all that got swept away with the downfall of the company...

Adventures don't make the grade, though. While there is some information there, it pales in comparison to the FR products of the time that were put out for the Realms, which focused entirely on lore of its regions. A lot less space is devoted to details inside of modules.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Adventures don't make the grade, though. While there is some information there, it pales in comparison to the FR products of the time that were put out for the Realms, which focused entirely on lore of its regions. A lot less space is devoted to details inside of modules.

Those weren't adventures, but actual accessories covering the lore of those regions, just the same as any of the FR line for the Forgotten Realms.

And I was off by one number, they were WGR4 The Marklands, WGR5 Iuz the Evil, and (never published) WGR7 Ivid the Undying.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

That is hardly a scientific poll or even a good source of information, most FR fans aren't on Enworld.

And the SCAG was published away back in 2015, of course its not selling as well as newer books, none of the rest are even 2 years old! That its still beating Ravnica even with its age, small size, lack of support for regions outside the Swordcoast, and mechanical flaws it a testament to the settubg that its still competitive with the rest, all of which came out after D&D 5e exploded in popularity compared to when the SCAG was released.

And the huge popularity of Wildemount actually proves my point, its not the volume of marketing or lore that dictates the popularity of a setting, its the quality and the ability to connect with an audience that does.

Exandia could eventually be a rival to FR, but both of its main continents already have 5e setting books, and the rest aren't ready for a book yet until season 3 of critical role, which has been delayed.

This leaves plenty of room for a FRCG 5e book, after which more niche and less popular (but still popular settings), can get their campaign books.

Ok, it is more than a little ironic that your disputing my poll (I'll admit it's flawed) when you're making pretty authoritative statements with no evidence at all.

There is only one piece of solid evidence, this monthly survey done by D&D itself, which polled setting popularity.

D&D Monthly Survey | Dungeons & Dragons

dnd.wizards.com

The popularity of settings in the survey fell into three distinct clusters. Not surprisingly, our most popular settings from prior editions landed at the top of the rankings, with Eberron, Ravenloft, Dark Sun, Planescape, and the Forgotten Realms all proving equally popular. Greyhawk, Dragonlance, and Spelljammer all shared a similar level of second-tier popularity, followed by a fairly steep drop-off to the rest of the settings. My sense is that Spelljammer has often lagged behind the broad popularity of other settings, falling into love-it-or-hate-it status depending on personal tastes. Greyhawk and Dragonlance hew fairly close to the assumptions we used in creating the fifth edition rulebooks, making them much easier to run with material from past editions. Of the top five settings, four require significant new material to function and the fifth is by far our most popular world.

As you can see, FR, Eberron, Ravenloft, Dark Sun, and Planescape are all EQUALLY popular. Of these, FR and Eberron have a setting book, and Ravenloft has Curse of Strahd which is not-quite a setting but a good guide to a piece of Ravenloft (Barovia). Dark Sun has literally nothing, and Planescape has an adventure to 1/9th of one plane (Avernus).

If we were to rank the level of content of these five equally popular settings, Forgotten Realms has by far the most so far. Eberron has a solid setting book, but no other content except from what is found on the DMsGuild. Ravenloft has Curse of Strahd, but FR of course has ELEVEN published adventures. Planescape has one adventure, which it actually shares with FR, and Dark Sun has squat.

If we were to rank who should get a setting book, it would thus be;

1. Dark Sun
2. Planescape
3. Ravenloft
4. Forgotten Realms

I actually find that a pretty fair release schedule.

 

[Prakriti]

If we were to rank who should get a setting book, it would thus be;

1. Dark Sun
2. Planescape
3. Ravenloft
4. Forgotten Realms

I actually find that a pretty fair release schedule.

I'm game.

(And if Wizards had left out the M:tG abominations and Wildemount, we would be up to #3 by now...)

 

[Parmandur]

Ok, it is more than a little ironic that your disputing my poll (I'll admit it's flawed) when you're making pretty authoritative statements with no evidence at all.

There is only one piece of solid evidence, this monthly survey done by D&D itself, which polled setting popularity.

The popularity of settings in the survey fell into three distinct clusters. Not surprisingly, our most popular settings from prior editions landed at the top of the rankings, with Eberron, Ravenloft, Dark Sun, Planescape, and the Forgotten Realms all proving equally popular. Greyhawk, Dragonlance, and Spelljammer all shared a similar level of second-tier popularity, followed by a fairly steep drop-off to the rest of the settings. My sense is that Spelljammer has often lagged behind the broad popularity of other settings, falling into love-it-or-hate-it status depending on personal tastes. Greyhawk and Dragonlance hew fairly close to the assumptions we used in creating the fifth edition rulebooks, making them much easier to run with material from past editions. Of the top five settings, four require significant new material to function and the fifth is by far our most popular world.

As you can see, FR, Eberron, Ravenloft, Dark Sun, and Planescape are all EQUALLY popular. Of these, FR and Eberron have a setting book, and Ravenloft has Curse of Strahd which is not-quite a setting but a good guide to a piece of Ravenloft (Barovia). Dark Sun has literally nothing, and Planescape has an adventure to 1/9th of one plane (Avernus).

If we were to rank the level of content of these five equally popular settings, Forgotten Realms has by far the most so far. Eberron has a solid setting book, but no other content except from what is found on the DMsGuild. Ravenloft has Curse of Strahd, but FR of course has ELEVEN published adventures. Planescape has one adventure, which it actually shares with FR, and Dark Sun has squat.

If we were to rank who should get a setting book, it would thus be;

1. Dark Sun
2. Planescape
3. Ravenloft
4. Forgotten Realms

I actually find that a pretty fair release schedule.

Those Settings are all the same Tier, but we know from other WotC statements elsewhere that the gap between the Forgotten Realms and the next most popular is large, even moreso since one of the main draws of the FR to WotC for product purposes is Homebrew compatibility. Publishing adventures in the FR allows them to provide content for their most popular Setting and for Homebrewers who hew close to standard High Fantasy tropes, just as the FR does.

Following from that, I see three principle reasons that there isn't likely to be a new FR Setting book anytime soon, despite being far and away the most popular prefab Setting:

1. SCAG continues to sell well after five years. Paradoxically, by being well received and evergreen, there isn't a strong motivation to do another for the FR.

2. The FR is strictly in line with the standard genre assumptions of D&D, as outlined in detail early in the DMG. The other Setting books are genre booster packs, providing information for playing a different style of game than is assumed by the core books. Any additional FR book isn't going to provide that sort of difference to play style, as Ravnica or Eberron do.

3. It would step on the toes of the Adventure book releases, which include significant yet focused Gazeeters to specific areas in the Forgotten Realms. Descent into Avernus has a very detailed take on the city of Baldurs Gate, enough that a DM can use it to set a whole campaign in and forget going to Hell even, but not too enough to make it difficult to file off the serial numbers and put in a Homebrew world.

 

[Parmandur]

I'm game.

(And if Wizards had left out the M:tG abominations and Wildemount, we would be up to #3 by now...)

The Ravnica book is one of the best D&D products ever made, and Theros looks very promising. Pretty strange in retrospect that it took so long to make that happen, but people have been asking for it since the 90's.

 

[Maxperson]

The Ravnica book is one of the best D&D products ever made, and Theros looks very promising. Pretty strange in retrospect that it took so long to make that happen, but people have been asking for it since the 90's.

I agree! It's the best book they've made for wiping my rear with. Well, that's not true. They also made the Magic of Incarnum.

"Best" is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[Parmandur]

I agree! It's the best book they've made for wiping my rear with. Well, that's not true. They also made the Magic of Incarnum.

"Best" is in the eye of the beholder.

Well, I mean, if you want to buy a bunch and encourage WotC to make more books of a similar quality, I heartily encourage whatever you have to do., though I think that will give you a rash.