WotC release schedule thru 2005

[MerricB]

I'm disappointed not to see any more environment or monster series books. Surely the good ideas aren't all exhausted. I'd pay for big books of mountains, jungles, giants, fey, elemental/genies, goblinoids and more.

I'm sure they're not. They're just spacing the books out.

This is very, very good news. Why? Because it means 4e is far away.

One of the prime things I look at is how "played out" the current edition is. Wizards are being inventive and brave with their new releases.

The Genre series (Heroes of Battle, Heroes of Horror) is new, and can do several more books.
The Magic series (Weapons of Legacy, Magic of Incarnum) is new, and surely won't be exhausted by just two books.
The Fantastic Locations series (Fane of Lolth, Hellspike Prison) is new, and is greatly expandable - and a great alternative to classic adventures, if it means what I think it means.

Four Eberron books, Four Forgotten Realms books (not counting DM screens and adventures).

There's a new FR adventure path. Surely, other adventures will also follow for Eberron...

Good news for D&D. And if you don't like anything here, there's always the 3rd party publishers - thanks to the generosity of the Wizards d20 License and OGL.

It's a great time to be playing D&D!

Cheers!

 

[Vecna]

Edit: I was going to say that this was the closest guess so far, but that's misleading, because really none of the guesses, including this one, have been close. All I can say is, the Magic of Incarnum is very cool.

I co-authored the book. I really don't think I'm allowed to say any more until it appears in the WOTC catalog, but... well, like I said, the book rocks! I personally can't wait until it's released and I can use it in my home game.

Incarnum should derive from the latin Incarnare: to make flesh.

So it could be spirit possession of a body, but we already have Ghostwalk about ghosts and it wouldn't be related to magic items.

In an old Dragon there was an article about Prestige Races, a way to give a creature abilities of magical items.

We could have gods incarnate too (avatars), but again they are definitely not magic items...

So it's a book of botany: Geranium incarnum, Trifolium incarnum, Solanum incarnum

 

[Felon]

I'm sure they're not. They're just spacing the books out.

The monster book well may be dry, but I hope this is not the case with the environment series. The second is just now coming out, so they probably lack a sufficient index of their success to warrant announcing more for now.

The Genre series (Heroes of Battle, Heroes of Horror) is new, and can do several more books.
The Magic series (Weapons of Legacy, Magic of Incarnum) is new, and surely won't be exhausted by just two books.
The Fantastic Locations series (Fane of Lolth, Hellspike Prison) is new, and is greatly expandable - and a great alternative to classic adventures, if it means what I think it means.

Pray tell. What do you think it means?

The new series are a bit more on the eclectic side, certainly moreso than race or class books. Hopefully, some of them at least will be a bit more player-oriented than the initial impressions give.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Since Codex Anathema got changed so that bookstores would know what it was, I predict "Magic of Incarnum" will be retitled before release

I also am annoyed by Spell Compendium (particulalrly if it is Spell Compendium I). How many times will WOTC sell the same stuff to us (Builder Books, Complete Books, and then put all the spells in a much more convenient compnedium)? I predict they will do this with feats and prestige classes too

In many ways, they're just following the market trends. Both Green Ronin and Mongoose have made compilation products of OGC material and WoTC is the only company able to do it with 'official' material.

 

[MerricB]

Pray tell. What do you think it means?

I rather hope that they are adventure locations - rather than have a particular adventure, they provide the location that you then build an adventure, or many adventures, around.

Cheers!

 

[diaglo]

I rather hope that they are adventure locations - rather than have a particular adventure, they provide the location that you then build an adventure, or many adventures, around.

Cheers!

my guesses...

Heroes series... update of NPCs to 3.11ed for workgroups ala enemies & allies. including prc examples, core classes, and new fluff. to help insert the NPC anywhere into an existing campaign.

Adventure series... maps, descriptions, new construction features to update older places to 3.11ed for WOrkgroups. like Maure Castle was done in DUngeon. but you can insert these anywhere into an existing campaign. fluff for reasons why to use these. and to provide hooks in campaign building

Magic series.. similar ... update to 3.11ed for workgroups for spells and age old items.. like the HEad of Vecna. or the Great Dreaded Gazebo... again more fluff for item history and use into an existing campaign.

 

[diaglo]

WOtC policy is to spoonfeed the masses.

the DM too lazy to do the work.
the 6th grader not bright enough to grasp Rule 0.
the munchkin looking for ways to ruin the campaign
the monty haul DM looking to add more over the top items for free.

 

[Felon]

WOtC policy is to spoonfeed the masses.

the DM too lazy to do the work.
the 6th grader not bright enough to grasp Rule 0.
the munchkin looking for ways to ruin the campaign
the monty haul DM looking to add more over the top items for free.

Well, that's pretty damned cynical.

I suspect selling products to the masses is some crazy new plan WotC came up with for turning a profit. It's possible that trying to peddlie their products to a select few elitists was a losing business strategy.

My personal fave is probably "the DM too lazy to do the work". I wasn't aware DMing is supposed to be a grueling chore. So exactly how much work is DMing supposed to be, and what constitutes a lazy DM?

 

[diaglo]

Well, that's pretty damned cynical.

I suspect selling products to the masses is some crazy new business plan WotC came up with. It's possible that peddling their products to a select few elitists who snub their products was a losing strategy.

My personal fave is probably "the DM too lazy to do the work". I wasn't aware DMing is supposed to be a grueling chore. Exactly how much work is DMing supposed to be, and what constitutes a lazy DM?

regurgitating the same thing from previous editions into the new one isn't necessary for most good DMs. they can do the conversions themselves.

however, the lazy DM or the one pressed for time will benefit most from the WotC policy

edit: if you want me to be real cynical or tell you what i really think, email me.

 

[Dinkeldog]

regurgitating the same thing from previous editions into the new one isn't necessary for most good DMs. they can do the conversions themselves.

however, the lazy DM or the one pressed for time will benefit most from the WotC policy

edit: if you want me to be real cynical or tell you what i really think, email me.

Diaglo, please tone things down.

First, believe it or not, it is possible for someone to be pressed for time because of real world matters. That doesn't make one lazy, as you imply; it just gives them other priorities. Many good DMs simply don't have time and don't want to do conversions themselves.

Second, developmentally 6th graders look at rules as something you follow, period. Somewhere during 6th grade, as a rule, they start looking at all rules as arbitrarily imposed, so they tend to rebel against everything unless you can show a good reason for it to be there.

Third, if someone's in a power-gaming, even munchkin game and it works for their group, so what? Don't play with them.

Fourth, if someone's group gets enjoyment over "Monty Haul" stuff and having "over-powered" items for their level, so what? Don't play with them.

Seriously, dude, you seem to go in cycles where you get really cynical and other people having fun seems to drive you insane. We're all playing basically the same game, but no one ever plays the exact same game. Let people have fun the way they choose, and try not to throw off the cuff statements around quite so much that are really kind of harsh and demeaning toward people that don't choose to play the exact same game you do.

Lest anyone think that diaglo is the only one guilty of this, think again.