[5e] Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

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Voros

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So Mearls announced on Twatter that the next 5e book will be Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, looks from the little that we know that it will be dedicated to the planes, which I think is cool. They had hinted at a planes release and I'm a fan of Planescape (as my avatar indicates). But I am a 5e fanboy by grognard standards.

They had Mordenkainen appear in Curse of Strahd which I saw some people complain about as they somehow read that as an attempt to integrate him into FR (in Ravenloft?) but they mention in CoS that he is from Greyhawk and they continue that even in the blurb on the book. Mearls has said that they intend to feature non-FR settings in the future so perhaps we will get a Greyhawk and Dark Sun book one day?

The amount of attention, hype and speculation each 5e book announcement gets seems like confirmation that the slower releases schedule some others hate is working, in my opinion.

Here's the blurb:


Discover the truth about the great conflicts of the D&D multiverse in this supplement for the world's greatest roleplaying game.

This tome is built on the writings of the renowned wizard from the world of Greyhawk, gathered over a lifetime of research and scholarship. In his travels to other realms and other planes of existence, he has made many friends, and has risked his life an equal number of times, to amass the knowledge contained herein. In addition to Mordenkainen's musings on the endless wars of the multiverse, the book contains game statistics for dozens of monsters: new demons and devils, several varieties of elves and duergar, and a vast array of other creatures from throughout the planes of existence.



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Oh illI be pre-ordering this.
 
They had Mordenkainen appear in Curse of Strahd which I saw some people complain about as they somehow read that as an attempt to integrate him into FR (in Ravenloft?) but they mention in CoS that he is from Greyhawk and they continue that even in the blurb on the book. Mearls has said that they intend to feature non-FR settings in the future so perhaps we will get a Greyhawk and Dark Sun book one day?

Yeah, given that the only mention of FR is in the sample pre-Ravenloft setting hooks and the Ravenloft setting itself has pulled from the multiverse by nature, people freaking out about that is stupid.

Plus, Mordenkainen was long established as a planes traveler along with Elminster and Dalamar, as they used to meet up in Dragon Magazine articles, but those were written by Greenwood and not Gygax so they must be forbidden text or something.
 
Most intriguing.

I've always been skeptical of Planescape but when D&D4's cosmology mashed it up with Spelljammer (the "Astral Sea" thing) I immediately desired an Astral Sea campaign, Traveller style, complete with randomly generated worlds.
 
I always loved The Great Wheel, but I never had a desire to run a Planescape campaign, just use it as a backdrop for the rest of our adventures.
 
WotC goes on about how important it is to encourage and mentor new DMs, but they publish very little material with that aim. Do new DMs really need a third monster manual more than they need NPCs, lairs, adventure hooks, caravans, inns, and all the other material a DM needs to create their own adventures or campaign? They trumpet the three pillars of play, but offer very little to support roleplaying and exploration.

The material they're putting out is good. But four years in I think it might be time to move beyond new monsters and classes, and broaden their support for the people running the game.
 
I dunno...after all the campaigns and Adventurer's League support, surely any DM that "gets it" could start pulling inspiration from what's been put out there? I honestly don't know. I started DMing 25 years ago with the 2e core borrowed from a friend and figured it out from there.
 
Sounds very cool. I would love to play in a game using this stuff. Maybe a group of adventurers on a plane-hopping airship. I'm a big fan of the Deathgate books, after all. And also of Amber, and potentially of LoGaS.
 
I dunno...after all the campaigns and Adventurer's League support, surely any DM that "gets it" could start pulling inspiration from what's been put out there? I honestly don't know. I started DMing 25 years ago with the 2e core borrowed from a friend and figured it out from there.

They could. They could also make up their own monsters and their own adventure campaigns.

But WotC is in the business of publishing game books, and one of the aims of those books is to make the jobs of new or busy DMs easier. I'm just questioning why one type of DM aid - new monsters - gets far more attention from WotC than all the other ways they could be helping DMs in their published game books.
 
They could. They could also make up their own monsters and their own adventure campaigns.

But WotC is in the business of publishing game books, and one of the aims of those books is to make the jobs of new or busy DMs easier. I'm just questioning why one type of DM aid - new monsters - gets far more attention from WotC than all the other ways they could be helping DMs in their published game books.

I admit to not following 5E for a while. But is helping make the DM's job easier one of WotC's goals? I remember when 5E came out that WotC wanted to have stories for D&D across multiple platforms. They seem to still be doing that (live YouTube adventures that tie to adventure path books that tie to board games for example).

The home page for D&D seems to be for experienced gamers looking for a variety of options. I see board games, video games, TT RPGs, digital mags, and subclasses to test out. The New to D&D button takes you to Digital Games, Adventurer's League, the PDF of the basic rules, and the starter set. Of the four options there, only one would involve making your own campaign or adventures.

Looks like WotC is providing stories for D&D. One small option is running your own campaign and adventures but the largest level of investment they are making seems to be for experiened gamers for the TT as well as board game and digital options. Maybe the League is designed to help the starting DM more than the brand itself?
 
The 5e DMG is the best one I've ever read for new DMs and Volo's Guides monsters came with loads of background and adventure hooks, they were a lot more than what you usually see in a MM, they came with a full complement of material for DMs to create encounters, adventures, even campaigns with.

But I do think it would be cool for them to release something like the old GM aid blue books for 2e.
 
I admit to not following 5E for a while. But is helping make the DM's job easier one of WotC's goals? I remember when 5E came out that WotC wanted to have stories for D&D across multiple platforms. They seem to still be doing that (live YouTube adventures that tie to adventure path books that tie to board games for example).

The home page for D&D seems to be for experienced gamers looking for a variety of options. I see board games, video games, TT RPGs, digital mags, and subclasses to test out. The New to D&D button takes you to Digital Games, Adventurer's League, the PDF of the basic rules, and the starter set. Of the four options there, only one would involve making your own campaign or adventures.

Looks like WotC is providing stories for D&D. One small option is running your own campaign and adventures but the largest level of investment they are making seems to be for experiened gamers for the TT as well as board game and digital options. Maybe the League is designed to help the starting DM more than the brand itself?

That's kinda my read. Feels like, for better or for worse, they're more into handholding new DMs who need it and letting the rest figure it out.
 
Adveture League, just like Org Play throughout, is mostly for exposure, to remind people the current game still exists. :money: It also doubles as gaming of last resort for social maladepts, particularly at Cons. :hehe::crap: (Just kidding! :clown: But not really! :wink:)

The rest is an acknowledgement that RPGs don't so much make money as become feeders of new content for other media and platforms, like you say Charles D. :money: :shade:

Though I kinda wish small adventures get released. I think using the pulp comics format might be nice for quick and dirty DM Guild conversions. That said, they'd really have to learn the art of brevity to squeeze an adventure back into comic format. DCC seems to have got it almost to a science. I'd totally dig a $4 cheapo one-shot adventure printed on pulp with cartoony art. :grin:
 
I'm in two minds about this. I tend to get the supplements that provide player options for the most part. Setting details are secondary, as you can be creative yourself as a DM.
 
I'm in two minds about this. I tend to get the supplements that provide player options for the most part. Setting details are secondary, as you can be creative yourself as a DM.
Ditto. It helps that most of the setting stufft is geared towards the Realms which I am not that interested in.
 
Though I kinda wish small adventures get released. I think using the pulp comics format might be nice for quick and dirty DM Guild conversions. That said, they'd really have to learn the art of brevity to squeeze an adventure back into comic format. DCC seems to have got it almost to a science. I'd totally dig a $4 cheapo one-shot adventure printed on pulp with cartoony art. :grin:

When I ran D&D Next and then 5E I just used all the adventures. 1E through 5E and OSR and DCC RPG. And now with the DM Guild there are even more. It actually makes sense to me that WotC (and Paizo) aren't big on making cheap modules. There are so many options out there it would be hard to compete!:grin: So they go for the big splashy stories instead.
 
I'm in two minds about this. I tend to get the supplements that provide player options for the most part. Setting details are secondary, as you can be creative yourself as a DM.

I don't like "player options" books. I prefer a self-contained game without all those loose ends that come about when someone shows up desperately wanting to play something from an optional rule. But clearly the market has spoken and people are enjoying all the additional stuff, so who am I to stand in their way? Just not in my games! :gunslinger:

For me, I have never bought a setting and likely never will just because for me (1) that's a lot of the fun as a ref, (2) haven't really seen any I liked or that didn't have annoying aspects for my taste, and (3) haven't really seen any for the games I play most.

Now, for Boot Hill you could argue that El Dorado County and Promise City are settings, but there's pretty much no information in the game except a couple of sentences naming ranches and what not, and they aren't even placed on the county map as each ref is assumed to do that himself. Promise City is just a generic Old West town with numerous buildings not even included on the map. For me a lot of the fun is filling in the blanks and then seeing what the players do. :pizza::cake::present::drink:

I would be interested in good modules, especially ones that you can drop in pretty much anywhere in a setting.
 
I don't like "player options" books. I prefer a self-contained game without all those loose ends that come about when someone shows up desperately wanting to play something from an optional rule. But clearly the market has spoken and people are enjoying all the additional stuff, so who am I to stand in their way? Just not in my games! :gunslinger:

It used to come up in older groups, but in my current group I'm the one who spends all the money on gaming shit, so it's not even a question. And even if it is, I'm not afraid to say "No" and mean it. :smile:
 
Has this anything to do with Greyhawk, are they plundering GH for ideas, or is this just "Slap a well-known name on a current D&D product and watch it sell"?
 
Has this anything to do with Greyhawk, are they plundering GH for ideas, or is this just "Slap a well-known name on a current D&D product and watch it sell"?

How dare you! No business would be so cynical! :money::money::money::money:
 
Why isn’t it just called Tome of Foes? It would be similar to Fiend Folio.
 
Why isn’t it just called Tome of Foes? It would be similar to Fiend Folio.
Foe Folio!
Does "Mordenkainen" even have such cachet anyway? I barely remember it from an AD&D spell or two, and even if I were into D&D that wouldn't drive me to buy a book.
Not D&D in general, but definitely amongst Greyhawk fans. It might be that they've heard the grumbles about GH not getting enough love in 5e so far ...
 
Plus, Mordenkainen was long established as a planes traveler along with Elminster and Dalamar, as they used to meet up in Dragon Magazine articles, but those were written by Greenwood and not Gygax so they must be forbidden text or something.

The Church Fathers made clear at the Council of Lake Geneva that the Dragon Magazine articles of "Ed Greenwood" are, at best, apocryphal.
But it's a pretty, shiny new D&D book and I MUST HAVE IT!!! ...

That's partly true, but it is also a pretty, careworn, old D&D book, and I already have it. :grin:

I still think it's pretty cool though.
Foe Folio!
I'm hearing that as sung by Phil Collins.
 
The Church Fathers made clear at the Council of Lake Geneva that the Dragon Magazine articles of "Ed Greenwood" are, at best, apocryphal.


That's partly true, but it is also a pretty, careworn, old D&D book, and I already have it. :grin:

I still think it's pretty cool though.

I'm hearing that as sung by Phil Collins.
Funny I hear Phil Foglio...
 
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