What kind of print products would want WotC to produce?

[I'm A Banana]

How about revisiting some classic locations (i.e. The Temple of Elemental Evil) but presenting them less as adventures and more as location sourcebooks?

Locations are the best.

 

[delericho]

In the spirit of giving positive feedback, what kind of print products would you like to see?

Travel D&D

I want a version of the game that fits in a single book (the size of the Essentials "Rules Compendium" is about right), and gives the experience of "D&D fantasy", without the need for anything else beyond character sheets and dice. No electronic component, no extensive errata/revisions, no miniatures, tiles, cards or other components.

One book, character sheets, dice, pencils. Nothing more.

The likelihood is that such a system wouldn't actually be 4e at all - 4e works best with lots of options available (which wouldn't fit), and it definitely works best with miniatures/tokens (which we wouldn't have). Additionally, being a single book it shouldn't even try to cover everything - a limited set of races (4?), classes (4-6?), levels (my preference would be BECM tiers, and cover the first two), spells/powers, equipment and monsters.

But it should be possible to boil the game down to that sort of a format. And doing so would be an interesting challenge to the WotC designers, and useful especially if the future of D&D lies more in a boardgame-like format with a simplified ruleset.

 

[Korgoth]

Travel D&D

I want a version of the game that fits in a single book (the size of the Essentials "Rules Compendium" is about right), and gives the experience of "D&D fantasy", without the need for anything else beyond character sheets and dice. No electronic component, no extensive errata/revisions, no miniatures, tiles, cards or other components.

One book, character sheets, dice, pencils. Nothing more.

The likelihood is that such a system wouldn't actually be 4e at all - 4e works best with lots of options available (which wouldn't fit), and it definitely works best with miniatures/tokens (which we wouldn't have). Additionally, being a single book it shouldn't even try to cover everything - a limited set of races (4?), classes (4-6?), levels (my preference would be BECM tiers, and cover the first two), spells/powers, equipment and monsters.

But it should be possible to boil the game down to that sort of a format. And doing so would be an interesting challenge to the WotC designers, and useful especially if the future of D&D lies more in a boardgame-like format with a simplified ruleset.

Oddly, it's actually called the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia. That's exactly what you're describing.

However, there isn't a four hour combat mini game of Fantasy Advanced Squad Leader in it. But there's darn near everything else.

 

[delericho]

Oddly, it's actually called the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia. That's exactly what you're describing.

Indeed, but I would like a version with a more modern design sensibility. Truth is, although I've become somewhat disenchanted with current editions (4e, Pathfinder, and even 3.5e), I would never go back. The 'quirks' in the older system would just drive me mad.

 

[Ulrick]

My homebrew campaign setting in print as the standard campaign setting for 5e!

 

[Shadowslayer]

Count me in among the voices for locations / Fantastic Locations type stuff.

Only 1 thing I've ever REALLY wanted from WOTC is the one thing they haven't done yet - generic poster maps. I want one poster map of plain grassland with no real features...one with coloring that matches the wilderness tiles, so if you want to put trees or rocks down using your tiles, you can and do it and still have it look nice. Ditto for swampland, rocky badland, deep forest, desert etc. Heck even a couple of generic small cave complexes would be cool.

But the grassland poster map....thats the one thing that should have gone into the Essentials wilderness tileset that would have made it absolutely perfect.

My 2 cents

 

[scourger]

I was thinking the same thing, that having a great boxed adventure might be viable. What would you want to see in such a boxed campaign? And how many levels of play would you expect it to cover?

A boxed campaign should have the setting in brief, the adventure outline, the encounters, the big combat maps and the monster tokens; at a minimum. It would be great if it also presented a simplified set of rules and character cards, but I would buy those as separate products if the boxed setting were strong enough. A 10-level box would be ideal, and it could be expandable with a second box to level 20. But, I would also love it as one adventure to level 20 and even like it as 4 boxes to level 20.

 

[jcayer]

Here is another vote for more Underdark, Plane Above/Below, etc.
I want more details on the Feywind, Shadowfell, Far Realm. Someone mentioned a box set set in Sigil...give me a book on Sigil, and one of the City of Brass. I would love to see more details on demons/devils/the abyss, etc.

I've been disappointed that so few flavor books have come out recently. I admit, these are primarily DM resources and as such, probably don't sell as well as player books, since there are so many more players than DMs.

For those looking for more tokens/map/tiles, etc, I would expect these to stop coming from Wizards(at some point) as they move more digital. My group has recently gone to maptools and have no intention of over going back. With a little time, I'm comfortable making the maps, and getting exactly what I want,in a reasonable amount of time. On top of that, anything can become a token.

 

[kmdietri]

Actual printed products, I think only the board games. And, for the next little bit the fate cards or whatever they're called as I think they'll be a good money maker for a while. Everything else done digitally.