D&D 5E WotC to increase releases per year?

[Urriak Uruk]

I'll admit it is tenuous, and quite possibly wrong: but a Strixhaven Setting book is the most plausible hypothesis for a book that would combine the decidedly odd Draconic Monk and Ranger Subclasses with the equally odd Fay Lineages, which do seem to be connected. No Monster book has had Subclasses, and the only books other than the PHB/DMG that have both Subclasses and Lineages are Setting books. The flavor for both UA is...odd...and they do seem to be for the same product, based on timing.

One way or another, whatever this is seems to be a break from precedent...another WotC specialty.

I mean, I could be maybe convinced the fey stuff is renamed things actually meant for Strixhaven... but that the Dragon subclasses are also for Strixhaven seems like an even bigger leap. I know each dean of the Strixhaven schools is a dragon, but that's a very big jump to assuming that the subclasses fit that setting, which they definitely do not.

So here are the arguments I'll make against Strixhaven;

1. It is brand new for MtG, unlike both Ravnica and Theros (which have had multiple sets and are established popular planes).
2. Strixhaven has a weak tie to dragons, and beyond having Elder Dragons is not dragon-themed.
3. Besides owlfolk, there is no evidence the other Fey subraces exist in Strixhaven (including renamed boggarts). Strixhaven is also more "Hogwarts Magic School" themed than Fey-themed.
4. If this release is in July, this would be back-to-back releases of settings, which would be unusual for two mainline WotC releases (I do not consider Wildemount a minaline release as it was made mostly by non-WotC writers).

Overall, I find that people have seen that Owlfolk are in Strixhaven and are jumping at the coincidence. Owlfolk in Strixhaven makes sense; there is a perceptions owls are "wise" and it is a plane entirely based around a school. Beyond that however, there is almost nothing connecting these subclasses to that plane, and people are overestimating the chance of WotC demanding cross-promotion.

 

[Parmandur]

I mean, I could be maybe convinced the fey stuff is renamed things actually meant for Strixhaven... but that the Dragon subclasses are also for Strixhaven seems like an even bigger leap. I know each dean of the Strixhaven schools is a dragon, but that's a very big jump to assuming that the subclasses fit that setting, which they definitely do not.

So here are the arguments I'll make against Strixhaven;

1. It is brand new for MtG, unlike both Ravnica and Theros (which have had multiple sets and are established popular planes).
2. Strixhaven has a weak tie to dragons, and beyond having Elder Dragons is not dragon-themed.
3. Besides owlfolk, there is no evidence the other Fey subraces exist in Strixhaven (including renamed boggarts). Strixhaven is also more "Hogwarts Magic School" themed than Fey-themed.
4. If this release is in July, this would be back-to-back releases of settings, which would be unusual for two mainline WotC releases (I do not consider Wildemount a minaline release as it was made mostly by non-WotC writers).

Overall, I find that people have seen that Owlfolk are in Strixhaven and are jumping at the coincidence. Owlfolk in Strixhaven makes sense; there is a perceptions owls are "wise" and it is a plane entirely based around a school. Beyond that however, there is almost nothing connecting these subclasses to that plane, and people are overestimating the chance of WotC demanding cross-promotion.

All excellent points, and I honestly agree with them. Strixhaven would be an odd move. It is hard to say what does or does not fit with Strixhaven, as all that is known about the Setting right now is a press release and a small handful of art pieces. There is draconic involvement, so Monks and Rangers with Dragon ties might fit very precisely: school security?

Of the five Houses, two are partly Green: the art for those two House's Command cards does seem to imply Fey involvement and, notably, some Goblinoid presence. The Fey level of the flavor for these options might be a distraction, as well, since the Centaur & Minotaur UA for Ravnica was billed as "Hellenistic Options" (though I guess they did end up in a Hellenistic Setting, eventually).

While Wildemount was an outside co-production, that does at least introduce a precedent for back to back Setting books within the past year. That the two past Magic tie-ins were from established Settings does not mean that is the only thing they might do. I'm curious to see where this is going.

 

[Parmandur]

Absolutely. I think the "Think Magic First" attitude has come from the overall desire for something like Planescape, only to be let down (twice now!) by the reveal of yet-another-Magic book. Or maybe that's just me? (I doubt it). Still, I've been pleasantly surprised by the Magic settings so far (I wouldn't have thought that I'd have any interest at all in them, and they've been pretty okay so far). I'd welcome Kamigawa in place of Kara Tur at this point, and I'd be fine if the Dragon book was Tarkir. I can play magic well enough, but I've never paid attention to the lore until now (now that they've crossed it into D&D, where the lore actually means something to me!)

I doubt that this stuff is for Strixhaven (more likely a younger-skewing feywild setting, which I think would be great - I've got a lot of parents trying to teach their kids D&D that I could sell that too!) but it wouldn't surprise me either, if some suit got it in their head that they need "synergy"...

It's worth noting that at this point in time, the "suits" at WotC grew up playing Dungeons & Dragons as well as Magic: the Gathering.

 

[Parmandur]

Strixhaven art pieces in the spoilers below, for reference: Owlfolk, Fey and Goblinoid elements at least seem to be present, and we know Elder Dragons who teach knowledge (maybe to Monks and Rangers) play a major role:

 

[Parmandur]

There is also a Blue Mana Rabbitfolk Wizard that appeared in a Magic product within the past few months...so I wouldn't be surprised if Rabbits appear in this here Magic School, same as Owlfolk and Goblinoids...

 

[FitzTheRuke]

It's worth noting that at this point in time, the "suits" at WotC grew up playing Dungeons & Dragons as well as Magic: the Gathering.

Maybe the ones at WotC did, but probably not the ones at Hasbro. (I'm a little jaded - as a comic and game retailer, I've had to put up with the evil-suit-shenanigans of AT&T/Warner/DC lately, and the antics of the same at Marvel for years. Most of the suits at the big comic publishers actively hate comics. (This happened at many game companies in the past too - maybe not so much these days!) Still, I'm jaded about it.

 

[Parmandur]

Maybe the ones at WotC did, but probably not the ones at Hasbro. (I'm a little jaded - as a comic and game retailer, I've had to put up with the evil-suit-shenanigans of AT&T/Warner/DC lately, and the antics of the same at Marvel for years. Most of the suits at the big comic publishers actively hate comics. (This happened at many game companies in the past too - maybe not so much these days!) Still, I'm jaded about it.

Probably, but they don't care what WotC makes specifically as long as the money rolls in. The people making decisions now grew up with the games, and care.

 

[Parmandur]

Alternative strong possiblity: D&D will do a crossover with the next Magic Setting: The Forgotten Realms.