D&D 5E WotC Delays New D&D Book Announcement

This from WotC — “Get the quasits out of our office! Our plan to make a D&D book announcement on Thursday has been changed. Adventurers, mark your calendars for Monday, January 13.”

The book was due to be announced on Thursday 9th January after a mysterious entry appeared on Amazon with a product title of "Dungeons & Dragons March Release Book (Title announced January 9th)" and a release date of March 17th, 2020. See the original news item here:

D&D 5E - March's D&D Book To Be Announced On January 9th

A mysterious entry has appeared on Amazon! With a product title of "Dungeons & Dragons March Release Book (Title announced January 9th)" and a release date of March 17th, 2020, this $49.95 hardcover release will be revealed in under a week! The description reads "Your first look at the next...

www.enworld.org

They haven't given a reason; back in November WotC delayed the launch of the sapphire D&D anniversary dice at the last minute, too.

D&D General - $300 D&D Dice Delayed

WotC has delayed the sale of the $300 dice. They haven’t said why.

www.enworld.org

 

[Parmandur]

It appears to have been updated (h/t to folks on reddit: )

Amazon.com

So the critical role campaign setting!

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

 

[Azzy]

Odd, the cost of the book changed too. It was$ 49.95 and is now $29.95. I wonder what that is about?

The list price is still $49.95, the $29.95 is the discounted price (par for the other D&D books on Amazon).

 

[generic]

I'm getting a sense this book will be a lot like the Acq. Inc. book, as it really didn't require too much work from the staff of Wizard's and is almost entirely 3rd-party effort.

Since there are four adventures in this, I'm guessing this is also the module compilation with Deborah Ann Woll and Marisha Ray.

I don't think this book "steals" a spot from Dark Sun or Planescape, which require a lot more internal development than this... I still would have preferred Greyhawk though.

Depending on the quality of art and player's content (it will include things like new subclasses) I may pick it up, but probably not.

This is my assessment as well.

The addition of this book likely costs very little for Wizards, does not harm their brand image, and is an additional source of profit with far less R&D than usual require don the part of WotC designers. I'm not a fan of Exandria, but, then again, I dislike the Forgotten Realms in most of its capacities, and I find Greyhawk, albeit much better than both FR and Exandria in my eyes, still somewhat vague in its fantasy.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

@gyor is going to be p*ssed...

I will say that my little knowledge of CR (I've listened to a little of campaign 2) does point to Wildemount being the more interesting of the two continents, being more like Russian/Romanian culture.

 

[Parmandur]

@gyor is going to be p*ssed...

I will say that my little knowledge of CR (I've listened to a little of campaign 2) does point to Wildemount being the more interesting of the two continents, being more like Russian/Romanian culture.

Maybe not, @gyor is a Critter, I believe, and this format could bode well for the future of the Forgotten Realms, frankly.

 

[generic]

Oh @gyor, we may be enemies, and I may be a heathen, but on this we can unite.

 

[dave2008]

So between the price chance, the delayed announcement and the FR dice/map set that folks had assumed as tied to the release, is it possible they initially planned to announce a different product but decided it needed more work and switched the release order of it and this?

FYI, I was wrong about the price change. I was looking at the discounted price when they update the Amazon entry - my mistake.

 

[Parmandur]

So between the price chance, the delayed announcement and the FR dice/map set that folks had assumed as tied to the release, is it possible they initially planned to announce a different product but decided it needed more work and switched the release order of it and this?

Extremely doubtful: Greg Tito dropped hints that the dice set was unrelated earlier this week, but we dismissed that as improbable (though they share the "Explorer's" link).

 

[darjr]

My advice? Buy the other CR book ASAP

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

After the hype of the last days this book now.... how you say? this isn't my cup of tea.

Is Exandria canon in D&D now? OK, no problem, maybe a little retcon would be necessary. And what about Tal'Dorei book published by Green Ronin? Will be now all the (comingsoon) CR fiction on WotC/Hasbro's hands? Will be in the DM Guild as new setting?

I wonder about the revival of old settins may be linked to some media projects as videogames or streaming series. Maybe new tittles after Vox Machina cartoon.

* Wildemounts sounds as a good place for gothic horror adventures.