D&D 5E WotC: 5 D&D Settings In Development?

WotC's Ray Winninger spoke a little about some upcoming D&D settings -- two classic settings are coming in 2022 in formats we haven't seen before, and two brand new (not Magic: the Gathering) settings are also in development, as well as return to a setting they've already covered in 5E. He does note, however, that of the last three, there's a chance of one or more not making it to release, as they develop more than they use.

Two classic settings? What could they be?​

So that's:

• 2 classic settings in 2022 (in a brand new format)
• 2 brand new settings
• 1 returning setting

So the big questions -- what are the two classic settings, and what do they mean by a format we haven't seen before? Winninger has clarified on Twitter that "Each of these products is pursuing a different format you've never seen before. And neither is "digital only;" these are new print formats."

As I've mentioned on a couple of occasions, there are two more products that revive "classic" settings in production right now.

The manuscript for the first, overseen by [Chris Perkins], is nearly complete. Work on the second, led by [F. Wesley Schneider] with an assist from [Ari Levitch], is just ramping up in earnest. Both are targeting 2022 and formats you've never seen before.

In addition to these two titles, we have two brand new [D&D] settings in early development, as well as a return to a setting we've already covered. (No, these are not M:tG worlds.)

As I mentioned in the dev blog, we develop more material than we publish, so it's possible one or more of these last three won't reach production. But as of right now, they're all looking great.

Of course the phrase "two more products that revive 'classic' settings" could be interpreted in different ways. It might not be two individual setting books.

 

[Faolyn]

I'm honestly surprised more people aren't commenting on how WotC is finally producing a new setting for D&D. Eberron was via a contest...and that's it. And the MTG settings are, of course MTG settings. They haven't actually produced a new setting for D&D in the 24 years they've owned the game. That's kinda amazing.

They kinda did, with Ghostwalk. But that only got a single book (which Wikipedia claims was all that was planned) and nothing else.

 

[Parmandur]

I'm honestly surprised more people aren't commenting on how WotC is finally producing a new setting for D&D. Eberron was via a contest...and that's it. And the MTG settings are, of course MTG settings. They haven't actually produced a new setting for D&D in the 24 years they've owned the game. That's kinda amazing.

It is genuinely exciting...but not much to say so far. The reinvention of Setting products as genre boosters has given the idea new life, as far as product planning goes.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

D&D is the product line: Settings are now one-off plug & play products, though we do have Curse of Strahd & Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft...but that is hardly a product line. I think that idea is over.

You might get Anthology adventures set in different settings, apparently the writers of Candlekeep Mysteries didn't actually have to set their adventure in FR, despite the core concept being Candlekeep. You also might get some Summer Adventures not set in Forgotten Realms, like Witchlight.

 

[Minigiant]

I'm honestly surprised more people aren't commenting on how WotC is finally producing a new setting for D&D. Eberron was via a contest...and that's it. And the MTG settings are, of course MTG settings. They haven't actually produced a new setting for D&D in the 24 years they've owned the game. That's kinda amazing.

Yeah I am 1000times more hyped about a new setting that returning settings.

Classic settings already have books and 5e is one of the easiest editions to adapt on the setting level and the extent WOTC is adding rules for them.

Time for the new baby.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Yeah I am 1000times more hyped about a new setting that returning settings.

Classic settings already have books and 5e is one of the easiest editions to adapt on the setting level and the extent WOTC is adding rules for them.

Time for the new baby.

I'm more curious then excited because I don't know enough to be excited.

 

[vecna00]

Here's a quote from another product that pretty much nails what I want out of Planejammer/Spelljammer:

Think The Little Prince told by Miyazaki. Think Flash Gordon by way of Guillermo del Toro. Picture tiny planets ruled
by backyard despots, intelligent stars burning like capricious gods, ships made from leather gasbags or metal rockets
or wooden hulls or dragonfly wings, all sailing the skies together. Think begoggled freedom fighters, bumbling alchemists, winged clerics; think spherical lakes filled with copper fish. Think lost kingdoms and zero-g castles and trash gyres swirling with the wreckage of a thousand cities, a million forgotten empires.

Totally not trying to campaign shame, and I apologize if that's how it sounds, but that just sounds like Spelljammer to me. Planar travel not needed.

And I would play in that game.

 

[vecna00]

Here's something else I've considered in my reading of the thread: Someone else pointed out a board game as a new format. I don't remember who it was, but shout out to you for sparking my thought process.

What if they did Heroquest as its own campaign setting?

It has the potential to be bland and boring or pretty amazing with enough fleshing out. With the new version of the board game dropping this year, I could see them wanting to try capitalizing on it.

 

[Steampunkette]

Here's something else I've considered in my reading of the thread: Someone else pointed out a board game as a new format. I don't remember who it was, but shout out to you for sparking my thought process.

What if they did Heroquest as its own campaign setting?

It has the potential to be bland and boring or pretty amazing with enough fleshing out. With the new version of the board game dropping this year, I could see them wanting to try capitalizing on it.

It was meeeee...

And I still think it's a good, albeit bonkers, idea.

Heroquest would probably be pretty bland, in the end. Most of it's concepts are encapsulated on the covers of the revised 2e PHB and DMG.

 

[Parmandur]

Totally not trying to campaign shame, and I apologize if that's how it sounds, but that just sounds like Spelljammer to me. Planar travel not needed.

And I would play in that game.

That's what I'm saying: that didn't read like a Mashup at all, just Spelljammer.

 

[darjr]

Wait… bouncing around the board game idea.
War Game? Along with the war fare and domain rules? A world at war?

 

[overgeeked]

Wait… bouncing around the board game idea.
War Game? Along with the war fare and domain rules? A world at war?

A map for Diplomacy. The Forgotten Realms as a Diplomacy map, perhaps?

 

[Hatmatter]

Wait… bouncing around the board game idea.
War Game? Along with the war fare and domain rules? A world at war?

How awesome would a well-developed war game compliment to a D&D campaign setting be?

 

[Steampunkette]

Forgotten Realms as a pseudo-Risk would be a lot of fun on it's own...

I was mostly going for the idea of using the board game elements (Rolls for movement, special effects on the board, alternate paths, randomized cards) as a way to handle Travel, since D&D doesn't really -have- much Journey to it.

But you could play Lords of Waterdeep style while doing standard D&D as well, for sure, to add in a political aspect to it.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Spelljammer had some interesting elements like lore on a timeline of ancient races and empires in significance around the material plane, with the Juna (a mysterious trilaterial race), Reigar (a race inspired by Ziggy Stardust) and the Kreen Imperium. And the idea that there's Illithid, Beholder and Neogi empires out there, along with things like the K'r'r'r and a Werewolf Empire known as the Vodoni. Those are elements of Spelljammer that should be kept.

There probably would need to be some revision to the Elven Imperial Navy and the so-called Inhuman Wars. A more critical look at least into both the Elven and Goblinoid/Orcish nations going to war. Was it because of Elven imperialism and aggression?

Things very specific to certain other established campaign settings should be retconned. Therefore dropping the idea that it's only Tinker Gnomes from Krynn out there (5e Rock Gnomes are sort of Tinker Gnomes anyways), or that Shou Lung from Faerun has a significant presence beyond Torilspace. In fact they should just downplay Greyspace, Torilspace and Krynnspace anyways. Spelljammer needs to stand on it's own without referencing those parts of other campaign settings.

The Rock of Bral I remember served as an introduction point to the setting, it needs to be in its own solar system away from all those other systems.

 

[overgeeked]

A map for Diplomacy. The Forgotten Realms as a Diplomacy map, perhaps?

Better yet, Eberron as a Diplomacy map.

Or finally getting some warfare and mass combat rules for D&D.

Combine the two. Board game as mass combat rules for D&D.

 

[Fenris-77]

That's what I'm saying: that didn't read like a Mashup at all, just Spelljammer.

Sigh, sorry. Yes, it does read like Spelljammer, that was the point. I think it would be awesome mixed into Sigil/Planescape. I should have been more specific I guess. Also, it's a little bit less, um, goofy than Spelljammer feels sometimes to me. I'd prefer odd to goofy.

 

[Parmandur]

Sigh, sorry. Yes, it does read like Spelljammer, that was the point. I think it would be awesome mixed into Sigil/Planescape. I should have been more specific I guess. Also, it's a little bit less, um, goofy than Spelljammer feels sometimes to me. I'd prefer odd to goofy.

Ah, I see. I thought it was a pitch for what distinct genre a "Planesjammer" would cover. It doesn't seem terribly less goofy than Spelljammer to me (nothing is less goofy than Flash Gordan), but goofy would be one of the selling points.

 

[Aldarc]

I'm honestly surprised more people aren't commenting on how WotC is finally producing a new setting for D&D. Eberron was via a contest...and that's it. And the MTG settings are, of course MTG settings. They haven't actually produced a new setting for D&D in the 24 years they've owned the game. That's kinda amazing.

They kinda did, with Ghostwalk. But that only got a single book (which Wikipedia claims was all that was planned) and nothing else.

::cries in Nentir Vale::

 

[grimslade]

Ah, I see. I thought it was a pitch for what distinct genre a "Planesjammer" would cover. It doesn't seem terribly less goofy than Spelljammer to me (nothing is less goofy than Flash Gordan), but goofy would be one of the selling points.

I imagine it would include less tinker gnome and giant space hamster stuff. Play up the fantastical that can be had in zero-g environs as opposed to traditional settings. The Astral Plane has always been the most space-like of the planes, right down to the silver air tubes for astronauts, I mean, astral projections. Moving the Spelljammer to a planar setting would change little but could file off the kludgey Ptolemaic Astronomy and gravity planes/ air bubbles. Gravity is what you think it is in the Astral. The Phlogiston could be like the hyperspace analog it was supposed to be, flows within the Astral speeding travel.

 

[Minigiant]

::cries in Nentir Vale::

Best dang cosmology this game ever saw, man. Ever saw!

::spills vodka::