Personally, I can go on for a bit of time with which settings I would like to see revived or made.
09- Eberon (Actually I could go for pushing this back many years, but its officially announced)
10- Dark Sun (always sounded sweet, never got to play it while it was new though)
11- Arabian Knights (Could be Al-Quadim, or not, I generally love middle eastern myths, and a source book for playing in the settings would be cool)
12- "Asia" as in Mythic China or maybe Japan. (my second love for myths has always been mythic china, but I recognize a mythic japan setting would sell better)
13- Africa (Has some really cool tribal potential)
14- Myan, Aztec, Incan, or generally South American themed. (The asthetics of these cultures all please me greatly. They coud even loosely veil the three civs as nearby kingdoms with different cultures from one another in a made up world)
15- Steampunk (Long time fan, and guilty pleasure)
16- Spelljammer (Looks like fun and a totally different angle to take the game from the other settings I suggested)
Obviously for my continental themed settings, you would have to rework them so they were only influenced by existing cultures and did not attempt to mirror any real world cultures.
Anyone else want to share their hopes for future setting releases? Who knows maybe the devs will hit this thread and harvest some ideas or take some opinion polls from it.
- 09 - Eberron: While I may not run in the actual game setting I like lots of its elements so will be grabbing lots of stuff for it.
- 10 - Planescape: Well... All I really care about is Sigil (yes, yes I know it is in DMG2) since well you can't have enough Sigil. But I don't see this happening.
- 11 - Steampunk: I adore my Steampunk and would take it over Magitech in Eberron. To have a Steampunk setting would be something wonderful to see, so much you could do with it. Plus if not in AV2 it would hopefully mean official firearms.
- 12 - Dark Sun: Tons of good fluff, and I love the harsh environment, plus Psionics!
- 13 - Pseudoscience: This could fit into a Steampunk one too. But one based around lots of Pseudoscience, would fit well with Psionics. Could bring in aether (perhaps could be alternative Spelljammer), etc.
- 14 - Ghostwalk: With Primal, Shadowfell, Shadow Power Source, Psionics, etc. It be interesting to see what could be done with Ghostwalk. I love spirits/ghosts in general too.
- 15 - Spelljammer: Mainly since it will bring lots of good weirdness. It would be another grab stuff from book.
I wouldn't mind seeing "Setting Builder" books instead of actual settings. Since well I don't play in settings and just rip crunch from them. These books would give high amounts of crunch, with plot hooks being the only fluff. These books would be themed, so Cities, Arabian, Steampunk, Pseudoscience, etc.
11- Arabian Knights (Could be Al-Quadim, or not, I generally love middle eastern myths, and a source book for playing in the settings would be cool)
12- "Asia" as in Mythic China or maybe Japan. (my second love for myths has always been mythic china, but I recognize a mythic japan setting would sell better)
13- Africa (Has some really cool tribal potential)
14- Myan, Aztec, Incan, or generally South American themed. (The asthetics of these cultures all please me greatly. They coud even loosely veil the three civs as nearby kingdoms with different cultures from one another in a made up world)
The preview books made it sound very unlikely that we will see settings based directly off of real-world analogs. The developers seemed pretty down on simply mimicking historical cultures with a fantasy twist.
I wouldn't mind seeing "Setting Builder" books instead of actual settings. Since well I don't play in settings and just rip crunch from them. These books would give high amounts of crunch, with plot hooks being the only fluff. These books would be themed, so Cities, Arabian, Steampunk, Pseudoscience, etc.
That would be pretty cool. Sort of "mini-settings" that you could stick into any setting or "mega-themes" that you could super-impose on a setting to give it a distinct flavor.
That would be pretty cool. Sort of "mini-settings" that you could stick into any setting or "mega-themes" that you could super-impose on a setting to give it a distinct flavor.
Yup, I would so like to see WoTC do this. The biggies for me is Cities and a Technology (including or not Steampunk either do, if not obviously would like to see another Steampunk one :P )
The preview books made it sound very unlikely that we will see settings based directly off of real-world analogs. The developers seemed pretty down on simply mimicking historical cultures with a fantasy twist.
A mythic china setting in the same vein that points of light or forgotten realms is a mythic european setting. I wouldn't want them based directly off of real world cultures, but I would like settings influenced by them over other influences.
EX: Arabian Knights- djinns, sultans instead of kings, mostly desert with a few oasis(plural?) camel just as common as a horse. Main weapon is the scimitar over the longsword. Palaces and architecture are taken from saudi arabia instead of France. Heavy armor is discouraged (or in 4e mode, not encouraged)
EX: Mythic China- Lots of wu-shu, spears are the big weapon, dragons are drawn in traditional chinese style, elemental powers, family spirits, ect.
You would need to have something else to make it more then just a fantasy Asian setting. As such if you just had crunch and such to make the game such you could add it to any setting with whatever sets it apart from just "fantasy *culture*".
Your setting books would be a cool idea. I think I'd rather have them than normal settings, because I usually just rip ideas from settings as well.
For the various settings that got absorbed into PoL (Greyhawk, Ravenloft, Spelljammer, Planescape), I kind of hope for adventure modules that highlight those settings. Maybe just official updates to old adventures set within those settings. I'd definitely pick up a 4e 'Expedition to Castle Ravenloft' or 'Temple of Elemental Evil' module.
). Problem: business decisions do not always follow logic.I think the next three years are going to be Dragonlance in 2010 (especially with some Dragonlance press @ GenCon d/t it being 25 yrs since setting released), followed by DarkSun and one of the other settings from the design contest that spawned Eberron (in either order). But then again, they've already done some DarkSun stuff in the online mags, so it might not see official print but rather get some stuff steadily brought out on line, the same way it seems they're planning on doing Ravenloft. I don't really see much focus on other old settings yet.
Considering the hints towards Darksun, well I suspect that it will be next years setting. Dragonlance could be 2011, but I don't think it'll be 2010, I really do think now that will be Darksun.
We wont see Spelljammer, Ravenloft or Planescape, since they have been wrapped into core. Birthright's unique mechanics can be stripped out and made into a Dragon article, but I don't think you need the whole setting - its not unique enough without the mechanics.
The only thing Greyhawk and Dragonlance have going for them is nostalgia. In Dragonlance's case, you've also got the associated novel lines.
PoL functions better if it isn't fleshed out with too much detail beyond individual locations that can be slotted in as the DM desires.
We need some new settings, to add variety beyond traditional fantasy...you've already got Forgotten Realms for that.
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Ravenloft could be done in a series of Dragon & Dungeon articles. This setting may get more PR when the PHx that introduces the Shadow power source is revealed.
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I believe the Domains of Dread series is doing just that. We'll get another one on the 18th of May. I agree that we may see more emphasis about the time the Shadow source is released, or the Shadowfell book hits the shelf.
A multi-conglomerate corporate setting where adventurers travel from job to job, cubicle to cubicle, scratching out a living in order to buy more mass produced magic items from third world countries in order to reach level 30 and be "retired" due to budget cutbacks, then purchase a used Spelljammer to vacation in the various planes of existence.
Vilnias, you have a twisted imagination.
Why, thank you.
Steampunk as a setting might actually get me to buy the campaign setting book, instead of my current plan of grapping the HBs for the settings, and ignoring the rest of the setting.
I would like Greyhawk and Dragonlance to be done as they are two of the classics. I would like dragonlance to have both pre and post cataclysm. so you could play in either timeline.
And I would add RavenLoft....some horror type in this vein, maybe even a Cthulu type of horror.
I would love to see a reset for the DragonLance setting, and the complete obviation of the Fifth Age. Kender can be a reflavored Halfling, and the Draconians can be a nemesis for the Dragonborn.
Dark Sun would need some serious changes for this new edition, starting with the elimination of the Dragon Kings.
I think there is more than enough material to warrant a Planescape setting, though I doubt that Wizards is interested in this setting.
As for more traditional settings, I'd love to see Dragonlance re-done, more or less because I love Knights and few WotC owned settings do knights as well as Dragonlance.
Lets all put the Dark Sun stuff to rest. You will not get Dark Sun till Psionics are out. Just because you can do Psychic damage doesn't mean it is the same thing.
Ummm current speculation is heavily favoring psionics for PHB3 which will come out before the 2010 campaign setting. So assumuing what your saying is right, and one could make an argument that they can release it without psionics, that doesn't dismiss the possibility of Dark Sun as the 2010 setting.
IMO, Lovecraftian Horror doesn't really fit Ravenloft. The horror that goes there is more the old school gothic stuff.
I agree, it was not meant to mean Lovecraft=Ravenloft. I just think Lovecraft type horror could be a cool concept, if done right. I suppose this could be more of a supported material in Dungeon/Dragon, since Lovecraft is more of a campaign flavor than an actual setting.
I agree, it was not meant to mean Lovecraft=Ravenloft. I just think Lovecraft type horror could be a cool concept, if done right. I suppose this could be more of a supported material in Dungeon/Dragon, since Lovecraft is more of a campaign flavor than an actual setting.
Good point.