WotC WotC will do what you say for 5 years. What are your instructions?

Bitbrain · Sep 7, 2019

If they had to listen to whatever I told them to do from 2020 to 2024?

Here goes. Keep in mind, this is just off the top of my head, and in no way a complete list of what I would ask of them.

UNEARTHED ARCANA
- UA variant Sorcerer that uses sorcery points for spellcasting, has five extra spells for each subclass, recharges sorcery points on short rest, and has metamagic cost no sorcery points.
Also give the Draconic Bloodline the ability to change the damage type of their spells to match their ancestry, but only if the spell originally deals fire damage.

- UA variant Dragonborn that uses its breath weapon as a bonus action.

- UA Psionic Dark Sun-compatible subclasses for every class. Except the Wizard.

CAMPAIGN SETTINGS (all titled as __’s Guide to __)
- The Wanderer’s Guide to Athas (Dark Sun)

- Raistlin’s Guide to Krynn (Dragonlance)

- Bargle’s Guide to Mystara — the in-universe idea is that he is documenting each part of the world as he flees across it, all the while pursued relentlessly by the forces of justice

- [famous NPC]’s Guide to Wildspace (Spelljammer)

ADVENTURE PATHS
- Forgotten Realms adventure path based on the Great Modron March. Maybe call it Lantan: March of the Modrons?

- Forgotten Realms adventure path dealing with Zakhara and focusing on the genies. Call it [famous Al-Qadim city]: Land of Fate.

- Spelljammer/Planescape adventure path focusing on the Githyanki and Mind Flayers. No idea what to call it.

- Dark Sun adventure path based on Scourge of the Slave Lords. Call it Tyr: Sand and Blood.

- Mystara adventure path based on the Hollow World. No idea what to call it.

Parmandur · Sep 7, 2019

As a more detailed, serious bit of fun:

- move big hardcover releases to Quarterly, one per Quarter hence four big books a year

- One being a big setting book a year, along the lines of Ravnica and Eberron: old , new, licensed, just make it big and juicy.

- Have another one be a major general supplement, along the lines of Volo's or Xanathar's Guide, varying by year: a Draconomican equivalent would be a priority.

- One big storyline centered AP per year, pulling out the stops to do something big and new, useable as is or as a toolbox.

- Finally, one book of reprinted and recontextualized old material along the lines of Ghosts of Saltmarsh

That's what would make me happy, at any rate.

Campbell · Sep 7, 2019

Honestly keep doing what they are doing. Fifth Edition is far from my favorite game, but is a damn good one that serves its audience well. I am well served by the games I like and would not want them to try to serve those same needs.

doctorbadwolf · Sep 7, 2019

Work on a book similar to Eberron: RFTLW, but make it Chandra’s Guide to The Multiverse. It’s a book that delves into Dragonlance, Mystara, Spelljammer, and a few MtG worlds, using them as examples and templates for expanding on the world building advice in the DMG, with chapters of player content to fill it out.

Open up fiction on DMsGuild, or invest in actually paying authors to make it.

Experiment in UA with spells to boost companions, and strongly consider errata to give rangers more spells known, and add bonus spells to Hunter and Beast Master. Also experiment with an optional variant that summons the pet via a buffed up Find Familiar.

Test the waters for multiclassing feats, some that let you “dip” into classes without taking levels, others that smooth out MC kludgeyness. Try some out and see if people dig it.

Also try out more feats that dig into space that could have been a PrC or 4e Theme/PP/ED, including level requirement feats.

FlyingChihuahua · Sep 7, 2019

Oh, another thing, retest those Skill feats and add more Race feats, because those are interesting and I want to be able to do say that everyone can get a feat at first level (disallow V.Human for this), but they have to take a Skill or Race feat.

Didn't put that in the main list because I was thinking from an all tables perspective, and not just my table.

Parmandur · Sep 7, 2019

FlyingChihuahua said:
Oh, another thing, retest those Skill feats and add more Race feats, because those are interesting and I want to be able to do say that everyone can get a feat at first level (disallow V.Human for this), but they have to take a Skill or Race feat.

Didn't put that in the main list because I was thinking from an all tables perspective, and not just my table.

They got voted down fair and square, testing them again is unlikely to move them into publishable territory.

Zardnaar · Sep 7, 2019

Make 1 campaign setting a year and make some smaller adventures even if they're a loss leader.

Even if those smaller adventures are two or 3 DMGuild ones bundled up and made official.

One if them level 5 to 10 sequal to LMoP.

By smaller I mean 32 pages or so.

If you can't make them profitable a slight loss is fine just budget a reasonably small amount of money to make them, I don't expect them to gamble the company.

Recycled art for the cover is fine, black and white interiors are also fine. They can even use old TSR trade dress and market them as classics. 2-4 a year, sound a dozen or 20 total.

FlyingChihuahua · Sep 7, 2019

Parmandur said:
They got voted down fair and square, testing them again is unlikely to move them into publishable territory.

I got total control over it, so do what I say.
(I guess I meant redo them)

Giltonio_Santos · Sep 7, 2019

2020: this is my first year, and I expect to just continue with a lot of what they've been doing in the last five. This means 2020 gets a setting book, a crunch book, and a new storyline. The overarching theme is psionics, so we get Dark Sun as the setting book, psionic races, class options, and psionic monsters in the crunch book. For my storyline, I want Githyanki as the main threat.

2021: I'd direct some of my resources to begin the exploratory design of a second RPG line, a Sci-Fi game, probably. I always wanted to see WotC use their top talent to create a non-D&D RPG, free from the natural constraints of their chief product. Since my rules team is focused on this new game, I'd settle for a TftYP-style product as the spring product and a new storyline in the fall. Night Below would be the inspiration for this new storyline.

2022: I expect my Sci-Fi game to release in the fall. For the spring release, I'd like to return to Ravenloft. My inspiration would be the Grim Harvest Trilogy, giving me a good excuse to put some wanted crunch in an adventure book (in this case, rules for playing undead characters).

2023: It's been a long time since our last real Forgotten Realms product, and we know people enjoy the Realms, so we're returning there for an Inner Sea storyline that brings court intrigue to the center of the D&D game, taking the PCs from Cormyr to Sembia and Westgate, maybe even as far as the Old Empires. Also, the Sci-Fi game gets its own storyline in the spring and a rules expansion in the fall. I'm four years in the future, so don't ask for a lot of details about that!

2024: If my Sci-Fi game succeeds, it gets a second storyline, but I never intended it to be an evergreen product in the first place, so I'm fine if it never gets another book after 2023. This is my last year and I expect WotC to start working on 6e by 2025, so I want a big rules expansion before that. The Book of Nine Swords would by my inspiration, and I'd want "Journey to Kara-Tur" storyline to go along with it. For the fall product, I'd consider a book like Ghost of Saltmarsh, but with a different overarching theme (desert adventures would be my first choice since it doubles as a good excuse for new desert-related crunch).

I don't know if D&D would thrive under my leadership, but those five years would give me enough stuff to keep my group busy for at least another five!