D&D will increase it's Cadence of Releases

[Gyor]

Not ending soon, just a mid edition update like 3e and 4e did. For 5e it seems like an ideology shift it seems and I could see a bit more of 3e/4e's customization ideology coming to 5e (about time) due to a ramp up of production.

This is something that was expected since before the playtest.

It's the end of an era and I'm so glad to see it.

We've already seen some of that with Supernatural Gifts & Peity System in MOoT and Guilds in GMGtR, Dark Gifts in Ravenloft. So far its been very setting specific, especially to MtG settings.

So far the only setting specific customization that has been redone for general use is the Patron system, which is more Party then Character customization, but I could see Supernatural Gifts, Dark Gifts, Guild/Faction systems and Piety System (among others) getting generic setting neutral versions in a future *blanks* Guide to Everything books.

[Gyor]

Now I'm wondering what Faerun's special customization mechanic will be. Perhaps culture based or the return of Epic Destinies, or a Stronghold.

Or maybe they will just focus more on lore, which lets be honest would take up more space in an Faerun Campaign World Guide Book. Maybe alot of lineages plus a few subclasses, but otherwise lore intensive.

[Gyor]

Here are my guesses for the Future releases post Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. Some of these guesses are inspired and influenced by folks on this forum.

1. July A Campaign World Book specifically on Faerun. Its big "theme" will be Dragons, I know alot of folks think Dragonlance when they think Dragon focused, because of the name and main plot of Dragonlance, but FR has way more diversity of Dragons (Gem Dragons, Lung Dragons, Song Dragons, Feathered Dragons, and more), Dragon Gods, Dragon kin races like Kobolds and Dragonborn (2 types), Dragon themed magics then Dragonlance. If they do a Dragonlance themed book in the future its central theme with be having a central story, perhaps even Romantic Fantasy or something.

2. September Feywild AP

3. November Spelljammer Campaign Book

4. March 2022 Another Adventure Anthology

5. May 2022 Kara Tur World Campaign Book

6. July 2022 Darksun Campaign World Book and MtG tie in card set.

7. Septmember 2022 another AP book.

8. November a Monster/Lineages book that feels like the love child of VGTEM and TCoE (basically Tasha's style Lineages in a Volo's style book). Or a MtG D&D crossover book for Dominaria.

[Telok]

Avoiding content bloat (the thing most responsible for killing just about every edition before this) IS a core 5e design principle. Or at least it was.

I dunno. I bought AD&D stuff up until that ended, and a few used bits since, and some OSR stuff, and considering getting more OSR content. I bought less 3e stuff but was still willing to buy until the ToB errata screw-up. 4e had pc feature bloat issues and needed digital tools for sorting powers, paragon/epic classes, & feats. Given WotCs history of digital tool support, bad indexes/organization, and their use of silverlight code framework I skipped all that. But it wasn't because of the bloat, it was the lack of useability to find the useful bits. As a system 5e doesn't do anything new or interesting so I don't need it for mechanics. I'm potentially willing to buy settings but have zero use for FR and not much more for Eberron. And I know a couple other people, in meat space and who don't post on forums, who are the same way.

So I'm pretty sure there's money out there waiting for decent settings & setting specific content. But the focus on fan service retreads and not putting real effort into anything beyond FR (personal perception & opinion there, not intended as argument), plus the anemic output just keeps making WotC less and less relevant to gaming & spending money among the people I know.

[Theodoxus]

I don't understand this desire for lore books. Are you all just curious how WotC sees the development of each setting? Like how the Spell Plague ruined Aber-Toril or how Athas has fared since the rise and demise of Tythian?

3E had a massive, and in my opinion, well done FR World Book that is perfectly usable for lore, plot hooks, and general descriptions. Are you miffed because 4th and 5th editions have nullified a fraction of that lore through plot development? Or is it that you've run through all the plot hooks and need new fluff to get by?

The thing I think is most hilarious is all WotC has basically done is taken ancient modules, updated them to 5E mechanics without even really trying to make the story/plot better, and bundling them into hardback books for profit. Same thing I've been doing (sans profit) since I first ran LMoP as a way to solidify the rules differences between 5E and prior editions for myself.

I really don't need more lore. And these kinds of threads are making me wary of more crunch... maybe I've officially moved into grognard-hood (ship?) I want interesting and novel mechanics I can plug and play into my own homebrew. Psychic Dice are a nice new feature. A bit tame from the UA presentation, but functional. The reliance of PB as a limiting usage factor for abilities, while it would be nice if they had included an optional 'backwards compatibility' list of PHB and XGtE features that could safely use that mechanic, I can do that leg work myself.

[Tanarii]

I don't understand this desire for lore books.

The thing I think is most hilarious is all WotC has basically done is taken ancient modules, updated them to 5E mechanics without even really trying to make the story/plot better, and bundling them into hardback books for profit.

Because 2e and 3e is very out of date. In most cases, the timeline has moved on. In all cases, world specific mechanics aren't easily adaptable. But unless you've got lots of money, spending big bucks for what's effectively a one-time read through on the lore portions doesn't appeal to me personally. I learned that with SCAG.

for adventures, changes apply with spades for mechanics. Paying someone else to adapt them is a huge time saver, and well worth spending money. For example there are several very well done conversions of the B-series modules out there.

One unfortunate side effect of running old modules is figuring out how to handle 5e PC's incredibly rapid level advancement.

[Vegan Squirrel]

Here are my guesses for the Future releases post Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. Some of these guesses are inspired and influenced by folks on this forum.

1. July A Campaign World Book specifically on Faerun. Its big "theme" will be Dragons, I know alot of folks think Dragonlance when they think Dragon focused, because of the name and main plot of Dragonlance, but FR has way more diversity of Dragons (Gem Dragons, Lung Dragons, Song Dragons, Feathered Dragons, and more), Dragon Gods, Dragon kin races like Kobolds and Dragonborn (2 types), Dragon themed magics then Dragonlance. If they do a Dragonlance themed book in the future its central theme with be having a central story, perhaps even Romantic Fantasy or something.

2. September Feywild AP

3. November Spelljammer Campaign Book

4. March 2022 Another Adventure Anthology

5. May 2022 Kara Tur World Campaign Book

6. July 2022 Darksun Campaign World Book and MtG tie in card set.

7. Septmember 2022 another AP book.

8. November a Monster/Lineages book that feels like the love child of VGTEM and TCoE (basically Tasha's style Lineages in a Volo's style book). Or a MtG D&D crossover book for Dominaria.

See, I'd be happy with that release schedule. A bunch of adventures and setting books I can safely not spend money on, and another monster book to consider with a few player options but not too many.

But the one setting supplement I'd really, really like to see (although there are plenty of 3rd party takes already), is the Feywild. Not an adventure, and nothing too rooted into place as one setting's concept of the Feywild, but a more generic and malleable, widely applicable supplement for designing faerie adventures and settings. Even most homebrewed settings are going to have some kind of land of faeries, so that kind of "setting" book would probably have wider appeal to the DMs who build their own worlds. And fey-specific player options in one place would be nice, too.

[OldTrees1]

I don't understand this desire for lore books. Are you all just curious how WotC sees the development of each setting? Like how the Spell Plague ruined Aber-Toril or how Athas has fared since the rise and demise of Tythian?

In 3E there were 2 books (Lords of Madness and Draconomicon) I bought for Lore.

I wanted a deeper understanding of certain creatures. For Dragons I did have plenty of options outside D&D, but always found room for at least 1 more. They each had new takes or expanded on existing lore to flesh out this iconic creature. For Aberrations, many of them were invented by D&D, so there were no sources outside D&D. I learned a lot about Illithids from Lords Of Madness.

Campaign Setting lore books on the other hand had to sell me on the additional mechanics. I only gained some appreciation for a setting after it had hooked me with some other bait. That said, I became interested in Sigil enough that a sufficient up to date lore book on that might tempt me. Sigil has always been a place of shallow sources using contradicting theories, so a modern summary would be nice.

[Theodoxus]

Because 2e and 3e is very out of date. In most cases, the timeline has moved on. In all cases, world specific mechanics aren't easily adaptable. But unless you've got lots of money, spending big bucks for what's effectively a one-time read through on the lore portions doesn't appeal to me personally. I learned that with SCAG.

for adventures, changes apply with spades for mechanics. Paying someone else to adapt them is a huge time saver, and well worth spending money. For example there are several very well done conversions of the B-series modules out there.

One unfortunate side effect of running old modules is figuring out how to handle 5e PC's incredibly rapid level advancement.

In 3E there were 2 books (Lords of Madness and Draconomicon) I bought for Lore.

I wanted a deeper understanding of certain creatures. For Dragons I did have plenty of options outside D&D, but always found room for at least 1 more. They each had new takes or expanded on existing lore to flesh out this iconic creature. For Aberrations, many of them were invented by D&D, so there were no sources outside D&D. I learned a lot about Illithids from Lords Of Madness.

Campaign Setting lore books on the other hand had to sell me on the additional mechanics. I only gained some appreciation for a setting after it had hooked me with some other bait. That said, I became interested in Sigil enough that a sufficient up to date lore book on that might tempt me. Sigil has always been a place of shallow sources using contradicting theories, so a modern summary would be nice.

In both these cases, you're following someone else's lore though. Not even the original creator of said lore in most (all?) cases. Just a ghost writer who said "I think this is cool."

Now, I get if you're rushed for time, or don't have the inclination (for whatever myriad reasons) to update old lore to new for your take on the setting... so reading someone else's work and then culling it of ideas that don't mesh with your take makes sense, especially if you can afford to dish out the cash for it. But take this excerpt for example. It's 3E lore. How much change has happened in 2 editions? What can't be run straight out of the FRCS book? (and before a claim of cherry picking, please know I literally just picked a random page that would copy/paste well...)

Spoiler: The Moonsea - Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting

Show

The Moonsea
Capital: None
Population: 1,745,280 (humans 69%, orcs 10%, half-orcs 6%, halflings
5%, dwarves 5%, ogres 2%, gnomes 2%)
Government: Independent city-states usually under oligarchic rule
Religions: Bane, Cyric, Loviatar, Mask, Talos, Talona, Umberlee
Imports: Food, textiles
Exports: Forged metal, furs, gems, lumber, raw minerals, slaves
Alignment: N, LE, LN
The Moonsea proper is a deep natural lake located north of the Dalelands and west of the Vast, connected to Sea of Fallen Stars by the shallow, swampy River Lis. The name “Moonsea” applies to both the lake and its environs, which stretch south as far as the mouth of the Lis where the river flows into the Dragon Reach, west to the Dragonspine Mountains, north to the frigid steppes of the Ride, Thar, and the Tortured Land, and east to the Galena and Earthspur Mountains.

The Moonsea region holds a huge amount of mineral wealth for those hardy enough to brave peril to win it. The area is infamous for its bleak landscapes, harsh winters, ravaging dragons, pirates, and rapacious local governments. Some of the most aggressive cities in Faerûn rise from the Moonsea’s shores: Hillsfar, Mulmaster, and Zhentil Keep. Wherever a government exists in the Moonsea, it rules with an iron grip. Tombs, ruins, and monster lairs abound in the Moonsea, as do complex intrigues and double dealing tyrants. The battle cry of the area is well chosen: “Dare and Beware!”

LIFE AND SOCIETY
The Moonsea is a frontier, with a frontier mentality. The area stands as a buffer between the elven lands to the south and the darker, more sinister lands of the Ride and Thar, home of dragons,
giants, and ogres. Cities rise quickly, built on nerve and wealth, only to fall in wars or raids and then to be rebuilt once more. Only the strongest and most savage prosper in the lands of the
Moonsea. Evil folk who ruthlessly control their lands rule the greatest cities. The people of Hillsfar, Melvaunt, Mulmaster, and Zhentil Keep are accustomed to cruel lords, for this is a cruel land. Better
to support the devil one knows than confront one of even more deadly and fell power. The lesser cities of Elventree, Phlan, and Thentia are less overtly evil but have a strong, independent, almost
chaotic nature.

The people of the Moonsea view the rest of world and even the other Moonsea cities with suspicion and distrust. In return, the rest of Faerûn sees the people of the Moonsea as unfriendly, sullen, dispirited, crafty, and most of all dangerous. In truth, they are no more universally evil than the well-respected Dalesfolk to the south are universally good. But travelers here are best forewarned to
remain wary nonetheless.

MAJOR GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES
The Moonsea itself is the dominant feature in the Moonsea area, along with the fast, cold rivers that feed and drain it and the mountains that border it. North and west of the Moonsea, the intrigues
of the cities fall away to the brutal dangers of the environment and native inhabitants who don’t care for having their lands invaded.

Dragonspine Mountains: The western end of this high mountain range marks the western extent of the Moonsea area. Red and white dragons lair among the higher peaks. Goblins, orcs, and giants
occupy the lower peaks and the valleys. Mines in the western half supply minerals to Zhentil Keep, while the cities of Melvaunt and Hillsfar draw resources from the eastern half.

The Flooded Forest: This fetid swamp surrounded by boggy woodland lies between the river Lis and the Earthspur Mountains. Once an arm of Cormanthor, the area has sunk into a low bowl over the course of the past hundred years or so. The trees of the forest still stand, but have been dead for more than a century. Many are ready to fall at the slightest touch. Explorers face as much danger from falling trees as from wandering monsters. Hanging mosses and mushrooms are everywhere.

Denizens of the swamp include lizardfolk, black dragons, a number of fungus creatures, and carnivorous plants. Some of these creatures are not native to the area, giving rise to claims that someone or something is stocking the swamp to keep others away. The depths of the swamp hold the hidden lairs of brigands and pirates (especially near the southern end). Rumor has it that the
swamp also hides ruined temples of Gruumsh, Moander, and Bane. With the return of Bane, it’s a good bet that any temple to that deity hidden in the swamp has been secretly repaired and reopened, perhaps with an eye toward extending Bane’s influence south into the Vast.

The Moonsea: The depths of the Moonsea’s cold, clear, and purplish waters are said to have connections to underground seas and to the Elemental Plane of Water. No permanent islands break its surface, but rumors persist of isles that rise from the deeps on certain nights of the year.

[Unoriginal]

In both these cases, you're following someone else's lore though. Not even the original creator of said lore in most (all?) cases. Just a ghost writer who said "I think this is cool."

Have you considered the concept that maybe some of we the consumers also said "I think this is cool" while reading the 5e lore, and as a result would enjoy more of it?

[OldTrees1]

In both these cases, you're following someone else's lore though. Not even the original creator of said lore in most (all?) cases. Just a ghost writer who said "I think this is cool."

Now, I get if you're rushed for time, or don't have the inclination (for whatever myriad reasons) to update old lore to new for your take on the setting... so reading someone else's work and then culling it of ideas that don't mesh with your take makes sense, especially if you can afford to dish out the cash for it. But take this excerpt for example. It's 3E lore. How much change has happened in 2 editions? What can't be run straight out of the FRCS book? (and before a claim of cherry picking, please know I literally just picked a random page that would copy/paste well...)

Well 2 of my examples was someone expanding on old lore. I can do that myself, but I can do that AND benefit from someone else's work.

My 3rd example (Sigil) is a case where 1) Most of my sources are shallow, so it is another case of expanding rather than updating. and 2) Given how much of Sigil lore was conjecture, a lot of it could have changed in 25 years of theories.

So yes, reading someone else's work and then culling it of ideas that don't mesh with my take makes sense. That seems to be the model for Lore books. And explains why some do well and some do poorly.

Of course, if I were WotC I would continue to make splat books that satisfy multiple objectives. The Draconomicon was mostly edition compatible mechanics centered around Dragons.

[jmberry]

In both these cases, you're following someone else's lore though. Not even the original creator of said lore in most (all?) cases. Just a ghost writer who said "I think this is cool."

Now, I get if you're rushed for time, or don't have the inclination (for whatever myriad reasons) to update old lore to new for your take on the setting... so reading someone else's work and then culling it of ideas that don't mesh with your take makes sense, especially if you can afford to dish out the cash for it. But take this excerpt for example. It's 3E lore. How much change has happened in 2 editions? What can't be run straight out of the FRCS book? (and before a claim of cherry picking, please know I literally just picked a random page that would copy/paste well...)

Spoiler: The Moonsea - Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting

Show

The Moonsea
Capital: None
Population: 1,745,280 (humans 69%, orcs 10%, half-orcs 6%, halflings
5%, dwarves 5%, ogres 2%, gnomes 2%)
Government: Independent city-states usually under oligarchic rule
Religions: Bane, Cyric, Loviatar, Mask, Talos, Talona, Umberlee
Imports: Food, textiles
Exports: Forged metal, furs, gems, lumber, raw minerals, slaves
Alignment: N, LE, LN
The Moonsea proper is a deep natural lake located north of the Dalelands and west of the Vast, connected to Sea of Fallen Stars by the shallow, swampy River Lis. The name “Moonsea” applies to both the lake and its environs, which stretch south as far as the mouth of the Lis where the river flows into the Dragon Reach, west to the Dragonspine Mountains, north to the frigid steppes of the Ride, Thar, and the Tortured Land, and east to the Galena and Earthspur Mountains.

The Moonsea region holds a huge amount of mineral wealth for those hardy enough to brave peril to win it. The area is infamous for its bleak landscapes, harsh winters, ravaging dragons, pirates, and rapacious local governments. Some of the most aggressive cities in Faerûn rise from the Moonsea’s shores: Hillsfar, Mulmaster, and Zhentil Keep. Wherever a government exists in the Moonsea, it rules with an iron grip. Tombs, ruins, and monster lairs abound in the Moonsea, as do complex intrigues and double dealing tyrants. The battle cry of the area is well chosen: “Dare and Beware!”

LIFE AND SOCIETY
The Moonsea is a frontier, with a frontier mentality. The area stands as a buffer between the elven lands to the south and the darker, more sinister lands of the Ride and Thar, home of dragons,
giants, and ogres. Cities rise quickly, built on nerve and wealth, only to fall in wars or raids and then to be rebuilt once more. Only the strongest and most savage prosper in the lands of the
Moonsea. Evil folk who ruthlessly control their lands rule the greatest cities. The people of Hillsfar, Melvaunt, Mulmaster, and Zhentil Keep are accustomed to cruel lords, for this is a cruel land. Better
to support the devil one knows than confront one of even more deadly and fell power. The lesser cities of Elventree, Phlan, and Thentia are less overtly evil but have a strong, independent, almost
chaotic nature.

The people of the Moonsea view the rest of world and even the other Moonsea cities with suspicion and distrust. In return, the rest of Faerûn sees the people of the Moonsea as unfriendly, sullen, dispirited, crafty, and most of all dangerous. In truth, they are no more universally evil than the well-respected Dalesfolk to the south are universally good. But travelers here are best forewarned to
remain wary nonetheless.

MAJOR GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES
The Moonsea itself is the dominant feature in the Moonsea area, along with the fast, cold rivers that feed and drain it and the mountains that border it. North and west of the Moonsea, the intrigues
of the cities fall away to the brutal dangers of the environment and native inhabitants who don’t care for having their lands invaded.

Dragonspine Mountains: The western end of this high mountain range marks the western extent of the Moonsea area. Red and white dragons lair among the higher peaks. Goblins, orcs, and giants
occupy the lower peaks and the valleys. Mines in the western half supply minerals to Zhentil Keep, while the cities of Melvaunt and Hillsfar draw resources from the eastern half.

The Flooded Forest: This fetid swamp surrounded by boggy woodland lies between the river Lis and the Earthspur Mountains. Once an arm of Cormanthor, the area has sunk into a low bowl over the course of the past hundred years or so. The trees of the forest still stand, but have been dead for more than a century. Many are ready to fall at the slightest touch. Explorers face as much danger from falling trees as from wandering monsters. Hanging mosses and mushrooms are everywhere.

Denizens of the swamp include lizardfolk, black dragons, a number of fungus creatures, and carnivorous plants. Some of these creatures are not native to the area, giving rise to claims that someone or something is stocking the swamp to keep others away. The depths of the swamp hold the hidden lairs of brigands and pirates (especially near the southern end). Rumor has it that the
swamp also hides ruined temples of Gruumsh, Moander, and Bane. With the return of Bane, it’s a good bet that any temple to that deity hidden in the swamp has been secretly repaired and reopened, perhaps with an eye toward extending Bane’s influence south into the Vast.

The Moonsea: The depths of the Moonsea’s cold, clear, and purplish waters are said to have connections to underground seas and to the Elemental Plane of Water. No permanent islands break its surface, but rumors persist of isles that rise from the deeps on certain nights of the year.

How much change happened to the Moonsea in 2 editions? For starters, in 4E the primary power structure in the region, the Zhentarim, was almost completely destroyed, and the Netherese took their place as the big antagonists of the region. In 5E, we know the Zhentarim rebuilt and the Netherese were destroyed or banished, but we don't know the details (unless its come up in a novel I haven't read). We also don't know if the defeat of Netheril and the return of the Zhentarim has changed the dynamics of Hillsfar's relations with Myth Drannor.

[Gyor]

I dunno. I bought AD&D stuff up until that ended, and a few used bits since, and some OSR stuff, and considering getting more OSR content. I bought less 3e stuff but was still willing to buy until the ToB errata screw-up. 4e had pc feature bloat issues and needed digital tools for sorting powers, paragon/epic classes, & feats. Given WotCs history of digital tool support, bad indexes/organization, and their use of silverlight code framework I skipped all that. But it wasn't because of the bloat, it was the lack of useability to find the useful bits. As a system 5e doesn't do anything new or interesting so I don't need it for mechanics. I'm potentially willing to buy settings but have zero use for FR and not much more for Eberron. And I know a couple other people, in meat space and who don't post on forums, who are the same way.

So I'm pretty sure there's money out there waiting for decent settings & setting specific content. But the focus on fan service retreads and not putting real effort into anything beyond FR (personal perception & opinion there, not intended as argument), plus the anemic output just keeps making WotC less and less relevant to gaming & spending money among the people I know.

Well it sounds like the out put rate won't stay anemic for long.

[Gyor]

I don't understand this desire for lore books. Are you all just curious how WotC sees the development of each setting? Like how the Spell Plague ruined Aber-Toril or how Athas has fared since the rise and demise of Tythian?

3E had a massive, and in my opinion, well done FR World Book that is perfectly usable for lore, plot hooks, and general descriptions. Are you miffed because 4th and 5th editions have nullified a fraction of that lore through plot development? Or is it that you've run through all the plot hooks and need new fluff to get by?

The thing I think is most hilarious is all WotC has basically done is taken ancient modules, updated them to 5E mechanics without even really trying to make the story/plot better, and bundling them into hardback books for profit. Same thing I've been doing (sans profit) since I first ran LMoP as a way to solidify the rules differences between 5E and prior editions for myself.

I really don't need more lore. And these kinds of threads are making me wary of more crunch... maybe I've officially moved into grognard-hood (ship?) I want interesting and novel mechanics I can plug and play into my own homebrew. Psychic Dice are a nice new feature. A bit tame from the UA presentation, but functional. The reliance of PB as a limiting usage factor for abilities, while it would be nice if they had included an optional 'backwards compatibility' list of PHB and XGtE features that could safely use that mechanic, I can do that leg work myself.

4e and 5e didm't nullify the old lore, it just made it part of the settings history, its still happened.

Its that even the SCAG is out of date now with so much happening, not to mention the 4e FR world book and FR 3e world book, and so much that hasn't been covered by the SCAG to begin with. They maginuked the setting with the Spellplague, rebuilt the setting with the Sundering, then a bunch of things happened like Descent into Avernus after the Sundering. And the timeline was bumped more then 100 years since 3e. So the 3e FR world cook is useful for history of the setting, but not useful for the present at all.

[Gyor]

In both these cases, you're following someone else's lore though. Not even the original creator of said lore in most (all?) cases. Just a ghost writer who said "I think this is cool."

Now, I get if you're rushed for time, or don't have the inclination (for whatever myriad reasons) to update old lore to new for your take on the setting... so reading someone else's work and then culling it of ideas that don't mesh with your take makes sense, especially if you can afford to dish out the cash for it. But take this excerpt for example. It's 3E lore. How much change has happened in 2 editions? What can't be run straight out of the FRCS book? (and before a claim of cherry picking, please know I literally just picked a random page that would copy/paste well...)

Spoiler: The Moonsea - Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting

Show

The Moonsea
Capital: None
Population: 1,745,280 (humans 69%, orcs 10%, half-orcs 6%, halflings
5%, dwarves 5%, ogres 2%, gnomes 2%)
Government: Independent city-states usually under oligarchic rule
Religions: Bane, Cyric, Loviatar, Mask, Talos, Talona, Umberlee
Imports: Food, textiles
Exports: Forged metal, furs, gems, lumber, raw minerals, slaves
Alignment: N, LE, LN
The Moonsea proper is a deep natural lake located north of the Dalelands and west of the Vast, connected to Sea of Fallen Stars by the shallow, swampy River Lis. The name “Moonsea” applies to both the lake and its environs, which stretch south as far as the mouth of the Lis where the river flows into the Dragon Reach, west to the Dragonspine Mountains, north to the frigid steppes of the Ride, Thar, and the Tortured Land, and east to the Galena and Earthspur Mountains.

The Moonsea region holds a huge amount of mineral wealth for those hardy enough to brave peril to win it. The area is infamous for its bleak landscapes, harsh winters, ravaging dragons, pirates, and rapacious local governments. Some of the most aggressive cities in Faerûn rise from the Moonsea’s shores: Hillsfar, Mulmaster, and Zhentil Keep. Wherever a government exists in the Moonsea, it rules with an iron grip. Tombs, ruins, and monster lairs abound in the Moonsea, as do complex intrigues and double dealing tyrants. The battle cry of the area is well chosen: “Dare and Beware!”

LIFE AND SOCIETY
The Moonsea is a frontier, with a frontier mentality. The area stands as a buffer between the elven lands to the south and the darker, more sinister lands of the Ride and Thar, home of dragons,
giants, and ogres. Cities rise quickly, built on nerve and wealth, only to fall in wars or raids and then to be rebuilt once more. Only the strongest and most savage prosper in the lands of the
Moonsea. Evil folk who ruthlessly control their lands rule the greatest cities. The people of Hillsfar, Melvaunt, Mulmaster, and Zhentil Keep are accustomed to cruel lords, for this is a cruel land. Better
to support the devil one knows than confront one of even more deadly and fell power. The lesser cities of Elventree, Phlan, and Thentia are less overtly evil but have a strong, independent, almost
chaotic nature.

The people of the Moonsea view the rest of world and even the other Moonsea cities with suspicion and distrust. In return, the rest of Faerûn sees the people of the Moonsea as unfriendly, sullen, dispirited, crafty, and most of all dangerous. In truth, they are no more universally evil than the well-respected Dalesfolk to the south are universally good. But travelers here are best forewarned to
remain wary nonetheless.

MAJOR GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES
The Moonsea itself is the dominant feature in the Moonsea area, along with the fast, cold rivers that feed and drain it and the mountains that border it. North and west of the Moonsea, the intrigues
of the cities fall away to the brutal dangers of the environment and native inhabitants who don’t care for having their lands invaded.

Dragonspine Mountains: The western end of this high mountain range marks the western extent of the Moonsea area. Red and white dragons lair among the higher peaks. Goblins, orcs, and giants
occupy the lower peaks and the valleys. Mines in the western half supply minerals to Zhentil Keep, while the cities of Melvaunt and Hillsfar draw resources from the eastern half.

The Flooded Forest: This fetid swamp surrounded by boggy woodland lies between the river Lis and the Earthspur Mountains. Once an arm of Cormanthor, the area has sunk into a low bowl over the course of the past hundred years or so. The trees of the forest still stand, but have been dead for more than a century. Many are ready to fall at the slightest touch. Explorers face as much danger from falling trees as from wandering monsters. Hanging mosses and mushrooms are everywhere.

Denizens of the swamp include lizardfolk, black dragons, a number of fungus creatures, and carnivorous plants. Some of these creatures are not native to the area, giving rise to claims that someone or something is stocking the swamp to keep others away. The depths of the swamp hold the hidden lairs of brigands and pirates (especially near the southern end). Rumor has it that the
swamp also hides ruined temples of Gruumsh, Moander, and Bane. With the return of Bane, it’s a good bet that any temple to that deity hidden in the swamp has been secretly repaired and reopened, perhaps with an eye toward extending Bane’s influence south into the Vast.

The Moonsea: The depths of the Moonsea’s cold, clear, and purplish waters are said to have connections to underground seas and to the Elemental Plane of Water. No permanent islands break its surface, but rumors persist of isles that rise from the deeps on certain nights of the year.

Well for one thing Zhentil Keep is now in ruins and unhabited, so that is one big change. That is just off the top of my head for showing how out of date that page is. If I dig deeper I could come up more, that was just a quick example.

[Gyor]

@GYOR
Wildemount has Hollow Ones which they consider a supernatural gift. Rime of the Frostmaiden also has some extras for starting characters that include things like being a doppelganger. I hope any new Forgotten Realm setting material includes Clockworks/Gondsmen/Nimblewrights.




I agree with a few of these of course since they line up with my own. I don't see them coming out with a Faerun book based on Dragons in July. Of course a new UA could come out this month and change my mind, but as it stands, I don't think so. That much dragon diversity would be better suited to a Draconomicon type of book. 2e, 3e, and 4e, had a Draconomicon, so methinks we'll definitely see one for 5e at some point.

I think WotC should have made a 5e compatible derivative game and came out with a Planeswalker PHB etc. Then released all those setting books to tie it all in. Since we have what we have though, and Theros came out last year in June/July, I don't see them waiting 2 1/2 years to put out another Planescape book. We've had something M:TG related for D&D every year for the past 5 years, covering 8 settings. My own thoughts are a July 2021 release, but should they release another Classic setting or Forgotten Realms book in July this year, then methinks that November release becomes a M:TG setting book. A year and a half has been the longest between released M:TG related material. And they are increasing the cadence after all.

Concerning Forgotten and also Adventure books, I can see them coming out with a Kar-Tur or Al-Qadim type book, but I can also see them coming out with a desert adventure based around Mulhorand in the style of Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. Learn a lot about the area and an adventure too. Call it Mulhorand: Desert of Desolation...

5e Adventure books more often than not seem to be based around a land type or creature type. Tyranny of Dragon (Dragons), Princes of the Apocalypse (Elementals), Out of the Abyss (Underdark), Curse of Strahd (Undead), Storm King's Thunder (Giants), Tomb of Annihilation (Jungles), Ghosts of Saltmarsh (Coastal), Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (Fiend), Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden (Artic), and so on.

Gondman/Nimblewrights would be cool.

They don't do specialized focus books like Dracomicon in 5e, especially recycling titles post core books.

This is why they are shifting focus to Setting books, they can be so many different things and appeal to different types of interests.

Remember by July the Forgotten Realms WILL be an MtG book at least in some sense. Hence why I think a July Faerun Campaign World Book is coming, SYNERGY!

And they like to create MtG D&D books to tie into current sets, which by November will be Innistrad, which is way too much over lap with Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. Plus there is already a Planeshift Article.

I do think there will be an MtG campaign setting book next year, but not this, next year. FR is this years D&D MtG crossover.

[Gyor]

How much change happened to the Moonsea in 2 editions? For starters, in 4E the primary power structure in the region, the Zhentarim, was almost completely destroyed, and the Netherese took their place as the big antagonists of the region. In 5E, we know the Zhentarim rebuilt and the Netherese were destroyed or banished, but we don't know the details (unless its come up in a novel I haven't read). We also don't know if the defeat of Netheril and the return of the Zhentarim has changed the dynamics of Hillsfar's relations with Myth Drannor.

You ninja'd me on Zhentil Keep. Good work.

He picked a page at random thinking nothing major happened to that location, not realizing how much happened and change since.

But what relations with Myth Drannor, Myth Drannor stands destroyed after its war with Netheril?

[rlc]

Gondman/Nimblewrights would be cool.

They don't do specialized focus books like Dracomicon in 5e, especially recycling titles post core books.

This is why they are shifting focus to Setting books, they can be so many different things and appeal to different types of interests.

Remember by July the Forgotten Realms WILL be an MtG book at least in some sense. Hence why I think a July Faerun Campaign World Book is coming, SYNERGY!

And they like to create MtG D&D books to tie into current sets, which by November will be Innistrad, which is way too much over lap with Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. Plus there is already a Planeshift Article.

I do think there will be an MtG campaign setting book next year, but not this, next year. FR is this years D&D MtG crossover.

So they’ll probably have some cameos in both grimdark settings

[Gyor]

Well they haven't up to this point. That doesn't mean they won't now that production is increasing. At least for something concerning Dragons in a Dungeons and Dragons game, it would make sense methinks. Or maybe they turn it into something like Volo's/Mord's, with a major theme being Dragons, their minions, races, subclasses and whatnot. Or just go full blown Council of Wyrms with lots of extras hehe. As for a title it could easily be something like Draconomicon: Elminster's Guide to Dragons or whoever's name you wanna stick in there. Who are the great dragon hunters in D&D anyway?

They certainly recycle adventures and art. Wildemount still makes my eyes glaze over when it comes to the interior art, especially in the races section.





I'm looking at it from a little bit of a different direction. Yes, there's a M:TG crossover with the Forgotten Realms in July. But those sets aren't considered cannon for the M:TG multiverse. Theros and Ravnica settings aren't AL legal after the dissolution of the PHB+1 rule. So what does the M:TG/FR crossover really mean? I believe it's just going one way, FR magic cards will be released as their first new Universes Beyond set. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a M:TG crossover with D&D to be a setting already in D&D. Nothing for M:TG players to get excited about and crossover to buy. They want you, the D&D FR fan to crossover and buy Magic cards. You might not, but many people will.

Another thing to consider when thinking about new Forgotten Realms' setting books is that everything is still concentrated around the Sword Coast for 5e. MMOs like Neverwinter, Computer Games like Baldur's Gate 3 and Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance coming out this year (located in Icewind Dale and you play Drizzt and company), all the Adventure books in recent memory, the few novels that get released nowadays, and on and on. They might not want to draw attention away from the Sword Coast area just yet. Especially when they have so much other non-FR setting material.

The Dragonlance novel comes out in July too, so a case could be made for a Dragonlance Setting book. I don't think it's going to happen then, if it ever does. I think WotC will wait and see how it's received before proceeding down that road.

What isn't getting serviced yet this year that we've been getting a dose of for the past 5 years is a M:TG setting under D&Ds banner. The M:TG card set in the case of Ravnica and Theros came before the setting books, so I don't see any setting book coming before a set is released. And a lot of M:TG players will buy it.

Thanks for the discussion Gyor. The coming months should shine more light on what's in store for us. ;)

Not everything anymore, some of the adventures in Mysteries of Candlekeep visit other parts of the Forgotten Realms.

And MtG FR set is a huge investiment in art, so they will want to do a FRCG type book to make the most of it.

Either way they won't have the right setting for MtG canon MtG D&D crossover until next year. Plus they have a back log of D&D settings to update.

Honestly alot of MtG settings don't convert to D&D well. A Dominaria, Kaldheim, Eldraine, or Alara could, but those are too new and untested (Kaldheim), or not releasing this year.

As for Camoes, yeah I could see an Innistrad side bar in VRGtR and a Secret Lair adding Ravenloft Art and Creature and characters to Innistrad cards like the Godzilla Secret Lair for Ikoria.

Also Guildmasters Guide To Ravnica, the first MtG D&D book, has only been out for less then 3 years, it came out November 2018. There was no MtG D&D crossover book in 2019. Theros was early 2020, May I think. Planeshift articles are all unofficial, created by James Wyatt and his daughter on their own time and dime, with permission of WotC.

I agree, I don't think Dragonlance will be getting a hardcover D&D world book this year, WotC had to be forced to even let the trilogy be published. Popularity wise its a second tier setting at best, without the boost that fellow second Tier setting Spelljammer got from BG3 and so on.

In case your curious the Top Tier most popular settings are Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Ravenloft, Planescape and Darksun.

Second Tier was Spelljammer, Dragonlance, and Greyhawk. The rest were vastly below this.

For alot of MtG fans, Dungeons and Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms might be their first experience of the Forgotten Realms, a chance to sell books to MtG fans unfamiliar with traditional D&D settings. And the door is still open to merging the settings, wizards confirmed its something they are concidering for the future if they can do it in a fun way.

And I too am enjoying this conservation.

[Gyor]

So they’ll probably have some cameos in both grimdark settings

Yeah, maybe a side bar in Van Richton's Guide to Ravenloft for Innistrad and/or a Secret Lair with Ravenloft art/characters/monsters on Innistrad cards ala Godzilla Secret Lair connected to Ikoria cards.

[Gyor]

Thanks for that, haven't delved too deep into the Candlekeep anthology. I do dislike that it doesn't have an appendix in the back, and all the new monster stat blocks and new magic items are printed in the section of the story itself. I foresee lots of page flipping.




That Kaldheim card art is pretty awesome too ;) I am pretty sure that Tony DiTerlizzi will be doing some of the M:TG Adventures in the Forgotten Realms card art. He's shown up a lot in the past year drawing stuff, and when Planescape fans asked him if it was for a new Planescape setting he confided it was for a M:TG card set crossover with D&D. Makes sense since he's done M:TG card art and worked on D&D projects before.





I doubt they'll convert every D&D setting to 5e. I think the ones that have the best shot are the ones that get constantly mentioned in the Core books and Adventure books on where to place those adventures. And even then I think some might get left out depending on how long 5e lasts. At some point they're probably going to churn out a lot of Forgotten Realms sub-settings.

Dominaria was converted already with the other Planeshift entries. But yeah, I agree a lot of their settings probably have difficulty crossing over. Why I mentioned it would have been cool if they had a D&D derivative game for the M:TG settings. Come out with a Planeswalker core book and have Dominaria be the first setting since it's the nexus of that multiverse.

I'm still leaning towards a Kaldheim book. I know it's new and untested, but no other settings make sense for awhile in M:TG and since Kaldheim is based on Norse mythology (like Theros was based on Greek mythology) I don't see having to make up that much ground. The card art is spot on for that Viking vibe. Theros was released in hardback last year in July... increased cadence, I can see them releasing a July hardback for M:TG every July from now on.

In regards to James Wyatt and Planeshift, yup, unofficial for D&D, but he was working on the M:TG side of the house at that time after he left the D&D team. Those years (2016, 2017, 2018 first half of the year) were all the Planeshift releases. And James Wyatt was the author of those associated "The Art of Magic: The Gathering - (Setting Name)" books. He came back to D&D in 2018. And since then it's been one D&D book a year from him as a Lead Designer. Here, I'll spell out exactly why I see Kaldheim coming down the pipeline:


2018 Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica ==> Lead Designers: James Wyatt, Jeremy Crawford
Associated UA: Races of Ravnica by James Wyatt, Ari Levitch, Jeremy Crawford

2019 Eberron: Rising From The Last War ==> Lead Designers: Jeremy Crawford, James Wyatt, Keith Baker
Associated UA1: The Artificer Revisited by Jeremy Crawford, Keith Baker, Mike Mearls, Ben Petrisor, James Wyatt
Associated UA2: The Artificer Returns by Jeremy Crawford, Keith Baker, Mike Mearls, Ben Petrisor, James Wyatt

2020 Mythic Odysseys of Theros ==> Lead Designers: F. Wesley Schneider, James Wyatt
Associated UA: Centaurs and Minotaurs by Jeremy Crawford, Mike Mearls, James Wyatt

So I'm thinking something gets released with James Wyatt as a Lead Designer in 2021. He worked on the original Eberron Campaign setting so makes sense he was in on this one too. I'm expecting 2021 to look like this:

2021 *Epic Sojourns of KALDHEIM* ==> Lead Designers: Dan Dillon, James Wyatt
Associated UA: 2020: Subclasses, Part 5 by Dan Dillon, with Jeremy Crawford, Ben Petrisor, Taymoor Rehman, and James Wyatt

The above 5 UAs are the only UAs associated with James Wyatt. He's been a Lead Designer on all those projects for the first 4 UAs listed. Now, he's also worked on a lot of other D&D Settings, but the telling thing with the Subclasses UA is that Dan Dillon is listed as primary author. Dan Dillon previously worked at Kobold Press and worked heavily on various titles in their Norse setting, Midgard. The Theros card set was released in January last year with a book in July, so since Kaldheim's card set was released back in January and early February I think July might be the release date. I'll admit that the Dan Dillon entry and James Wyatt's previous releases play a big part on why I think it'll be Kaldheim. But not the only reasons. Taymoor Rehman's blurb in the latest Dragon+ reads "Taymoor works with the creative teams behind D&D and Magic: The Gathering." There's that M:TG thing again. Ben Petrisor also worked on the UA "Spells and Magic Tattoos" so I'm hoping maybe there will be more of the tattooed flavor magic and runes. Finally, a 2009 James Wyatt interview sticks in my mind where he says he wants to work on new settings. He goes on to say he likes Ravenloft, but not as a setting. Spelljammer he has no great love for. He never got into Mystara. Greyhawk is not a huge personal favorite. And so on. All which leads me to think Kaldheim is the only thing that fits here and checks all the boxes.





Yeah, the BG3 thing and the other Spelljammer pointers make me think it's going to come out at some point as one of those Classic Setting entries. Maybe they wait on Dragonlance until all the books are released as some have been saying. The 40th anniversary of the creation of Dragonlance is coming up next year (1982-2022). Might be a good time to release something end of year.

Interesting list of rankings. It does amaze me how many cool things came out during 2nd edition. I can see Greyhawk just get mentions in other 5e works like characters, spell names, adventures and whatnot without ever being released as a setting again since Gygax passed. I still have my doubts Dark Sun gets released as a setting for 5e. It's just so different with races and classes that it might be a turnoff when someone wants to play a race and/or class combination that doesn't fit in Dark Sun. It's also meant to be harsh and deadly, and I don't see 5e's rules gelling so well with it. I love the setting and still have fun with the second edition version, but I can see a lot of players, especially newer ones maybe not receiving it so well. I would hate to see them release a watered down version.





Would a Kara-Tur or Al-Qadim or larger Forgotten Realms setting book surprise me? Nope, not really. I just think it might be a little later down the road, early next year, maybe even November this year. Especially since the M:TG crossovers came out months before the hardback. FR M:TG crossover comes out in July, so the timing would add up.

Of course jaappleton did say his guess was Kara-Tur. So I'm probably just flat out wrong and we'll see it in July, lol.




It is fun to speculate, look around for clues, and discuss upcoming releases.

Darksun is no worse then Theros or Ravnica for race restrictions and its art style would look great on MtG cards. Preserving and Defiling would make very interesting keyword mechanics. I could see Defiling tapping an enemies land. And Preserving might reduce mana costs.

You've actually convinced me even more that there will be an FR book in July.

1. James Wyatt has written major FR books before, Player's Guide to the Forgotten Realms in 2004, and Monster Compendium: Monsters of the Forgotten Realms, as well as FR articles for Dragon Magazine.

2. Subclasses part 5 does not fit Kaldheim at all, the subclasses lore does fit FR to a T. Kaldheim does have beautiful Dragons, but they are a minor Kaldheim race, not one of the big 10 races. There are 2 Kaldheim dragon cards, the Innersturm Dragon and Goldspan Dragon (which btw I got in a $7cad Red Theme Booster, its worth $32cad), and one human Bezerker (Barbarian in D&D terms) that makes Dragon tokens. If the Dragon subclasses were for Kaldheim one of them would have been a Barbarian.

3. I do believe Kaldheim was designed to be turned into a D&D setting someday, but not on its first release. I think Kaldheim was first MtG setting created with an eye toward eventually converting it to D&D, Mark Rosewater has said Kaldheim that new settings no longer get multiple sets until WotC can see how folks respond to the setting, so I think that logic applies to a D&D hardcover. Next time we visit Kaldheim, that will give them a chance to fill the Setting out more now that its been tested.

4. James Wyatt will absolutely be helping with the D&D Forgotten Realms MtG set, he has experience in D&D, The Forgotten Realms Lore, and MtG, and the MtG and D&D teams have worked together on this project, like they did in previous crossovers. No way James Wyatt isn't apart of that.

You add 1 and 4 together it adds up to James Wyatt helping to make an FR world book.

As for Tony DiTerlizzi, MtG sets art gets commissioned roughly a year before the set actually comes out from what I hear, so depending on when he posted that it could be for the FR set OR it could be confirmation of an MtG Planescape set in 2022 (Planescape would have been my second choice for the next D&D MtG set, its got alot of distinctive art styles and weird creatures and monster types that would fit into MtG, like Demogorgan). When was the tweet?

[Gyor]

1. He has indeed. Oriental Adventures for 3rd edition, although it was the world of Rokugan that time around. He's had a mini campaign for Mahasarpa. Also Draconomicon for 3e.

2. I disagree. Yes the Dragonkin Berserker makes token dragons. There's also Magda the Brazen Outlaw (Dwarf Berserker) that makes Treasure tokens and 5 of those Treasures can be sacrificed to summon a Dragon or Artifact in your library. Get that Goldspan Dragon or Immersturm Predator out in play. Or Hellkites that are also found in Kaldheim. Drakewardens can summon their Drake from level 3 onward. Seems pretty same same to me. There's also an Ascendant Spirit card to become a Spirit Warrior. Yeah, Way of the Ascendant Dragon is much cooler, but still similar stuff is happening. Ravnica had Order Domain Clerics and Spore Druids. Didn't exactly scream Ravnica themed book either. They could easily add more totem types to Totem Barbarian... or maybe even add a Berserker lineage. Make it hereditary and occurring later in life like those Gothic lineages. There are so many kinds of Berserkers running around Kaldheim. Maybe a Draugr (similar to Reborn) and/or Valkyrie lineages as well. Need to see if there's gonna be another UA released here in the next month or so, might be a better indication for us. Or maybe even a few more subclasses. I hate waiting lol.

3. It might be another 5 years before Kaldheim gets another release. Doubt they'd wait that long for a hardback crossover setting. But yeah, it does seem like it was created for just that purpose... Meanwhile, there's already Kaldheim workups like "Adventures in Kaldheim" for playing it as a D&D setting. Youtube channels like Captain RoBear are playing D&D using Kaldheim as the setting. All kinds of discussions on a possible crossover taking place on various forums like Reddit. Might be a missed opportunity if they don't strike while the iron is hot.

4. Yup. But most of that was awhile ago. He's said he wants to work on new D&D worlds. He left D&D and converted a bunch from M:TG settings to D&D because he has a passion for it. He came back to D&D and immediately released Ravnica. Helped Eberron come to 5e with work on Artificers, one of the 2 newest settings that existed before 5e started releasing new ones. The other newer one? Nentir Vale in 4e's DMG. Yup, James Wyatt again. Even got the cosmology included in 5e's DMG. Then Theros last July. Know what isn't new? Forgotten Realms. It's already the default setting and it's going to be there for as long as there is D&D. Plenty of time to do more books. ;)~

TD was working on a Tiefling in March of last year as I recall. I'll have to go dig for when he stated it was for a M:TG related thing. Gott run for the moment though. Thanks again for the back and forth discussion. Pretty sure one of us is right. I hope so anyway.

James Wyatt doesn't just get to pick the projects he works on now that is back on the D&D team. Those choices are up to Ray Winnger, who decides what projects get done and whose assigned to what.

They had no idea for sure how Kaldheim would be received, hence why it only got one set, these books are started before WotC had any market data.

Kaldheim's D&D day will come, but I just don't see it being this year. Its just too new.

[Gyor]

Um, James Wyatt just tweeted yesterday “Well, I’m back.” He just got put back on the WotC D&D Tabletop Team under the Design Department. His Twitter now has him listed as a Writer for Both D&D and M:TG.

https://twitter.com/aquelajames/stat...81126252871681

He wasn't under Ray Winninger (who just took over last year) on any of the previous work either. He was working across the aisle so to speak. I imagine they asked him to work on those previous projects since he was over at M:TG and knew a lot about the subject matter. He wasn't assigned to them as he didn't work for D&D. And whatever is coming out the rest of the year has been in the works for awhile. He wasn't assigned those either, though he may be put on those teams now that he's back working for them.


I did notice one weird thing for those subclasses. They shy away from tying a dragon color to the subclass abilities. It's pick a damage type and that determines immunity and such.

"You can determine the cosmetic characteristics of the drake such as its color, scale texture, or any visible effect of its Draconic Essence; your choice has no effect on its game statistics." I guess everything gets the Tasha's treatment these days...

Anywho, I'm gonna start looking for a UA the week or so after Candlekeep Mysteries comes out.

I'm looking for UAs every month! But if there are any races, then I don't know if we will get any UAs for them because prior to the Gothic Lineages we stopped getting them. GL was likely done because they are Tasha's style and very different from any previous races, so they wanted to know if the public would races done this different way, and they now know they will so we might not get more races UAs. Or I could be wrong.

If they did a Kaldheim book, I think Hagi Trolls might be a race. Angels/Valkyries have flight and are unlikely, Elves/Humans/Dwarves are already core races. Demons are well Demons. Gladewalkers and Covewalkers are too powerful. Spirits don't makes sense as a PC race. Giants are too big to be a PC race. That just leaves Hagi and a reprint of Reborn for the Zombies.

Side note I'm hearing there might be Box sets too. But how many more Starter type sets make sense, I mean you have Essentials, Starter Box, Stranger Things, and Rick and Morty. Maybe box sets for none starter games? Box sets for smaller setting perhaps.

Or maybe FR will be a giant box set with a book for Faerun, a Book for Kara Tur, and a Book for Zakhara and a Book for Maztica.