WotC's Irwin, Tanji, and Crawford on Tales from the Yawning Portal's Art Direction

The YouTube channel Dungeon Life has posted a video featuring WotC's Kate Irwin (senior art director), Emi Tanji (senior graphic designer), and Jeremy Crawford (managing editor). It talks about designing Tales from the Yawning Portal. One of the themes discussed it how the adventures in the book were kept the same at the core, updating the stats and wording to make them feel like 5th Edition - "What would you do if you redesigned the adventures to be more like a modern D&D design? And the answer is, we didn't. What we did is we took Tomb of Horrors, and it's still Tomb of Horrors that Gary Gygax wrote..." Tales from the Yawning Portal hits preferred game stores tomorrow (ask your local store!) and everywhere else 11 days later.

[video=youtube;6-rif5ag9bY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-rif5ag9bY[/video]

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[Mr. Flibble]

A collection of new-to-5e monsters might be the only reason I'd consider picking this one up. I haven't been particularly interested in what I see as a book of reprints of material I could convert on my own if I felt the urge.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Looks like it might come with a fold-out map of the Tomb of Horrors!

Where'd you find that?

Someone posted the table of contents on Reddit.

I'm wondering if "siren" = "sirine". That's what's printed in the table of contents; is it something new or was the creature renamed?

Nice to see other creatures like the kelpie and vampiric mist updated. As for the nereid, as we discussed in a previous thread, I wonder how they will update the shawl...

Sent from my VS987 using EN World mobile app

 

[wildboar]

I'm sure Kate Irwin is a talented person but I really dislike the art direction of 5E. It's the only edition with art I haven't liked and I was hoping for something different in the Yawning Portal. I guess I'm stuck with it throughout this edition.

 

[machineelf]

I've always pronounced it TA-MO-A-KAN, with a hard "k" sound, and I like it better that way. I think I'm going to stick with it.

 

[EthanSental]

I'm the opposite, enjoying the art style of 5e...grabbing my FLGS pre order copy tomorrow.

 

[SunGold]

I'm the opposite, enjoying the art style of 5e...grabbing my FLGS pre order copy tomorrow.

Likewise. 3 & 3.5 were good but after how ugly 4E was I assumed I'd dislike 5E even more. Was pleasantly shocked when I opened the PHB.

 

[Onslaught]

Likewise. 3 & 3.5 were good but after how ugly 4E was I assumed I'd dislike 5E even more. Was pleasantly shocked when I opened the PHB.

I agree with you!
Well, except for halflings... those are preeety fugly...

 

[SunGold]

I agree with you!
Well, except for halflings... those are preeety fugly...

Fair dues. 5E halflings are a bit...creepy? But I'm willing to deal with it considering how beautiful everything else is.

 

[pukunui]

I much prefer 5e's art, with the exception of the top-heavy halflings, to that of 3e and 4e. I got my start with 2e, though, so I'm still partial to Elmore, Easley, and Caldwell's art.

I've always pronounced it TA-MO-A-KAN, with a hard "k" sound, and I like it better that way. I think I'm going to stick with it.

Same here.

 

[CAFRedblade]

Looks like it might come with a fold-out map of the Tomb of Horrors!

Where'd you find that?

I looked up my copy sitting on the shelf at the store that I'm currently working at. Got them in today, all ready for selling Friday.

And sorry to burst the bubble, but no pull out/fold out map. Just nicely done pages.

One of the copies we got in has a odd print/binding issue at the front where it mis-folded a small section and several of the first few pages together
causing a weird tear. I'll see if I can upload a photo tomorrow. Hope it's a one off goof.