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.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

It sounds like the two classic settings will be in a format those two settings have never been seen in before, not a format brand new to anything D&D. That means no boxed set or big campaign source book for either. They could get the Eberron/MtG book treatment, as none of the classic settings would have had a book like that before. Other than that, I am not sure what format it could be.

As for the two new settings, one will get cancelled and the other will be the setting for the D&D movie.

And the returning to a setting that was not called out as being a classic setting. That feels like something that was introduced with 3E, or maybe 4E.

 

[Laurefindel]

I'm hoping it'll be in the format of interpretive dance.

dancing not dances is the underlying philosophy...

 

[grimslade]

It sounds like the two classic settings will be in a format those two settings have never been seen in before, not a format brand new to anything D&D. That means no boxed set or big campaign source book for either. They could get the Eberron/MtG book treatment, as none of the classic settings would have had a book like that before. Other than that, I am not sure what format it could be.

As for the two new settings, one will get cancelled and the other will be the setting for the D&D movie.

And the returning to a setting that was not called out as being a classic setting. That feels like something that was introduced with 3E, or maybe 4E.

D&D movie is set in Forgotten Realms specifically Neverwinter.

 

[Bacon Bits]

Classic Settings:
Desperately want it to be Dark Sun (With a full Psionic Class) and Planesjammer. I know Planescape is its own beloved thing and so is Spelljammer but, really, with the way they're often used at the table, and even in videogames look at the Baldur's Gate 3 premise, it just feels -so- right to have them together.

I'd be all for using Spelljammers to cross the Astral Sea. Interplanetary or intersetting adventures don't always make a ton of sense.

It also kind of solves the portal problem with Planescape, namely that the PCs tend to get shuffled around rather than choosing to go where they want.

However, it doesn't solve the Planescape problem that the factions are like nation-states that are interested in ideology and have no actual goals. That is more of a "this setting is eternal" thing, however.

The new format thing is interesting as well. I suspect that it could mean we'll see an Adventure-Path-Setting-Thing for Dark Sun, specifically. Due to the way the setting is written and the smaller quantity of places to visit you could really put most of what is Dark Sun in a handful of pages of the adventure and flesh out just specific bits as the story progresses.

I think it makes sense to have a boxed set with two books or a book split between the adventure and the player content. The Elemental Evil Player's Companion was a good idea, but I don't think it the format they chose did well.

 

[teitan]

A proper FRCS in the offing.

 

[darjr]

I wonder if he means a format we’ve not seen in 5e? Or not seen for these particular settings? Or not ever seen?

 

[Zaukrie]

D&D movie is set in Forgotten Realms specifically Neverwinter.

Buy the book, get a free movie ticket....a format we've never seen*

*not a real guess....

 

[lkj]

I think Morrus is right that 'format' could mean a couple of pretty disparate things. If it does refer to 'physical' format, I think it's probably worth not being so dismissive of a potential digital format. First, it's possible that we're more likely to get certain settings if they aren't required to sell a lot of physical product. In other words, maybe more opportunities for settings that some of us love but are considered niche. Secondly, it would be pretty fascinating to see what could be done with a setting if it was not constrained to the limitations of a physical book. You wouldn't have to trim material just for space. You could take advantage of media that can't be incorporated into a book. You could update and enhance material through time, making it a 'living' product. And other things that I'm not clever enough to think of.

I guess I'm just saying that we shouldn't assume that digital=pdf or a simple webpage with walls of text. It could be something much, much cooler than that.

AD

 

[Henadic Theologian]

While I really thought Wyatt's book was a Faerun Campaign book, I knew the one other possiblity was a Volo's Style Dragon Book. There is still enough revealed that I still hold out hope for 2022. I mean I waited for what seemed like forever for a turned based 5e game preferably in FR when folks across the internet told me it would NEVER happen, TB games just don't sell, then BAM BG3, and bonus Solasta. Same with a new Star Trek series, then BAM Discovery.

I comfort myself with the hilarious fact that Ray's twitter account mangered to eciplse both Week of Legend Lore and Dragon Talks 300th episode for actually D&D news .

Depending if WotC counts the SCAG as a setting book or not, FR could be one of the 2022 setting books with new formats (WTF are these new Formats?) or the Setting revisit (alternate they might view the Domains of Delight as an expansion of Ravenloft into the Feywild instead of seperate setting). I don't think the revisit will be Ravnica or Theros, so the only 3rd possiblity is Eberron.

So now we have a host of new mysteries, perhaps some of the answers will be at D&D Celebration.

 

[Rikka66]

We've had Greyhawk (Saltmarsh) and Ravenloft (Curse of Strahd) in adventures but not in a setting book.

You'll be very excited to hear about the recently released Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft...