As with any set release, it’s always interesting to read Mark Rosewater‘s mailbag column. Where the Head Designer at Wizards of the Coast (WotC) delves further into the set design.
In his Making Magic column, Rosewater answers questions about Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, the first crossover MTG set that combines Dungeon & Dragons into collectable and playing cards. Forgotten Realms brings interesting mechanics to the table, such as rolling D20 and traversing dungeons which is making the set well-liked amongst both player bases.
Mark Rosewater’s Answers Questions from the MTG Community
One interesting takeaway from the article is how we could see more Dungeons & Dragons crossovers with MTG in the future. As one user asked on Twitter if Forgotten Realms is successful, would there be more D&D-themed sets?
Rosewater’s response is interesting, which suggest more of the same could be on the horizon.
“There’s a phrase I use a lot on my blog: “success breeds repetition.” What this means is that when you do something and you get a positive response, there’s a lot of momentum to do it again. The reception to the set, so far, has been very good, so that’s a positive sign.
The other big thing in its favor is that Wizards of the Coast makes Dungeons & Dragons. Licensed products are always more complicated because you have two different companies signing off on most major decision. Having both Magic and Dungeons & Dragons under one roof makes that a little easier.
So, while I can’t give a definitive yes, I can say I’m optimistic that if Adventures in the Forgotten Realms is a success, the chance of more D&D Magic products is high.”
~ Mark Rosewater
It seems the crossover set is becoming a hit with casual D&D and MTG fans. As such, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see us return to the Forgotten Realms in a future set, perhaps replacing another Core Set as this one did. Even then, Dungeons & Dragons offer various settings such as Ravenloft, Strahd, and Eberron which would make for exciting backdrops if the crossover ever happened again.
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Mark Rosewater Talks About Universes Beyond
Going further, Rosewater talks about Universes Beyond, the upcoming collaborative series with other IPs such as Lord of the Rings and Warhammer 40,000. One astute fan asked if flavor words could be a permanent thing on upcoming cards. Flavor words are a brand-new feature for Forgotten Realms, as it ties in with the theme of the roleplaying game. Once again, Rosewater provides an intriguing answer on the subject.
“Flavor words are the italicized words before an ability that tell you flavorfully what the ability represents. The reason they were so valuable in the D&D set is because it’s hard sometimes to make people realize when you’re trying to capture something specific. We can use the name, art, and flavor text as efficiently as possible, but we found flavor words were often needed to help solidify what we were capturing.
Normal Magic sets don’t have this need nearly as strongly, as we build the flavor to match the game’s needs, so I don’t think it’s going to become a staple evergreen thing in normal Magic sets. I do believe, however, that it’s going to be a valuable tool in Universes Beyond when, like D&D, we’re trying to capture a property not designed to be shown off on Magic cards. So, yes, I do think we’ll see flavor words again, but no, I don’t think it will become an evergreen permanent thing, at least in products set in the Magic Multiverse.“
~ Mark Rosewater
With this response, it’s likely we’ll see flavor words on upcoming crossovers such as the Stranger Things Secret Lair drop, which is due for a release later this year. It’s exciting to think of the possibilities WotC can do with Warhammer 40,000 and Lord of the Rings in a collectable card setting. Given the amount of source material available, there shouldn’t be an issue getting the flavor on the head given how popular Forgotten Realms is.
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