I just got done reviewing Winninger's take on Spelljammer and short of the Boo's Astral Menagerie (monster conversion to 5E), there is nothing that won't require extensive rewrites to be of any use to a campaign. I suggest you take a look at Wildjammer, it was a free 100 page resource for 5E. You'll have to google it. The author should now be able to put it on DM's guild to sell and I hope he does. Its worth $25 as a PDF to me.
Wildjammer is a little rougher on editing, but it takes enough content from the 2E and updates to 5E to work. For those of us who played Spelljammers 2E, Wildjammer is recognizable. It has ship combat, movement points and spells that are set for ship combat. There are actual roles for the players to take on the crew that impacts maneuvering, healing, damage while in Spelljammer 5E, its not mentioned. This is really grating, how could WotC screw up on this one - they had SaltmarshAvernus as a template to at least attempt it. The crew actions in Wildjammer are well thought out.
I believe this will be the last book I'll buy from WotC under the current editor Winninger. Every time I buy his content, its story based content with lacking game mechanics, bad editing and well just plain bad. This book is just lacking content. Literally free is superior to paid coming from WotC, how could they put out professional material inferior to fanwork?
If you want to build your own and not use Wildjammer, go to eBay and buy Spelljammer Adventures in Space 2E for $50. You'll get a better rules set, more lore and a lot of really nice hand outs and maps you can use for space combat. What you get for what you paid back then was really amazing. A full sized poster of rock of bral is nice, as is all the cardboard handouts for space combat. Also the system generator rules were nice as well - so when you are doing a random crystal sphere you can roll something up quick.
I chatted with the creator, its a compilation work and he did borrow a fair bit from magehand, so it won't be on DM's guild. Still, though, its better than what we got from WotC.
Dude, I just want more of the spelljammer monsters put in and space combat. Wildjammer put it all in a nice and tight 5E package that's good enough. I'm just in shock that I spent the money when I told myself no more Winninger content because his content lacks information, has extremely poor rules and puts in garbage filler. They put more thought into fishing than running space comabt. Winninger D&D is a hotdog filled with Soy and parasites, meanwhile Mearl D&D is nice burger with bacon.
If you really want to be upset, go to eBay and buy Spelljammer Adventurers in Space 2E boxed set. When you see everything you get for $50 compared to what we got today, its just wow.
As I said to several friends after my first read through of the Astral Adventurer’s Guide, it feels like it should be the free, basic rules or starter set for Spelljammer 5e given away on D&D Beyond to let you see if you want to buy the full campaign setting/ruleset. Honestly, while the Astral Menagerie is fine, the AAG is kind of a joke. Can’t speak to the included adventure as I haven’t read it, but from many others I understand it to be “meh”.
I understand that Wizards is committed to the whole “multiverse” concept for their products, trying to keep everything setting “agnostic”, but that doesn’t have to mean that you literally provide almost ZERO lore, history, background or other “flavor”.
In the positive column, artwork is pretty good.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
I just got done reviewing Winninger's take on Spelljammer and short of the Boo's Astral Menagerie (monster conversion to 5E), there is nothing that won't require extensive rewrites to be of any use to a campaign. I suggest you take a look at Wildjammer, it was a free 100 page resource for 5E. You'll have to google it. The author should now be able to put it on DM's guild to sell and I hope he does. Its worth $25 as a PDF to me.
Wildjammer is a little rougher on editing, but it takes enough content from the 2E and updates to 5E to work. For those of us who played Spelljammers 2E, Wildjammer is recognizable. It has ship combat, movement points and spells that are set for ship combat. There are actual roles for the players to take on the crew that impacts maneuvering, healing, damage while in Spelljammer 5E, its not mentioned. This is really grating, how could WotC screw up on this one - they had SaltmarshAvernus as a template to at least attempt it. The crew actions in Wildjammer are well thought out.
I believe this will be the last book I'll buy from WotC under the current editor Winninger. Every time I buy his content, its story based content with lacking game mechanics, bad editing and well just plain bad. This book is just lacking content. Literally free is superior to paid coming from WotC, how could they put out professional material inferior to fanwork?
If you want to build your own and not use Wildjammer, go to eBay and buy Spelljammer Adventures in Space 2E for $50. You'll get a better rules set, more lore and a lot of really nice hand outs and maps you can use for space combat. What you get for what you paid back then was really amazing. A full sized poster of rock of bral is nice, as is all the cardboard handouts for space combat. Also the system generator rules were nice as well - so when you are doing a random crystal sphere you can roll something up quick.
https://www.reddit.com/r/spelljammer/comments/a7pss8/rock_of_bral/
100% agree with everything you said. The only positive impact this WotC release will have is getting more homebrew content released on Dm's Guild.
I chatted with the creator, its a compilation work and he did borrow a fair bit from magehand, so it won't be on DM's guild. Still, though, its better than what we got from WotC.
The art in the WoTC book is great, and some ideas are neat. Just feels like it was a first draft and no one was allowed to fill in any details.
Dude, I just want more of the spelljammer monsters put in and space combat. Wildjammer put it all in a nice and tight 5E package that's good enough. I'm just in shock that I spent the money when I told myself no more Winninger content because his content lacks information, has extremely poor rules and puts in garbage filler. They put more thought into fishing than running space comabt. Winninger D&D is a hotdog filled with Soy and parasites, meanwhile Mearl D&D is nice burger with bacon.
The lack of real space combat was probably my biggest disappointment by far. It is honestly embarrassing.
If you really want to be upset, go to eBay and buy Spelljammer Adventurers in Space 2E boxed set. When you see everything you get for $50 compared to what we got today, its just wow.
As I said to several friends after my first read through of the Astral Adventurer’s Guide, it feels like it should be the free, basic rules or starter set for Spelljammer 5e given away on D&D Beyond to let you see if you want to buy the full campaign setting/ruleset. Honestly, while the Astral Menagerie is fine, the AAG is kind of a joke. Can’t speak to the included adventure as I haven’t read it, but from many others I understand it to be “meh”.
I understand that Wizards is committed to the whole “multiverse” concept for their products, trying to keep everything setting “agnostic”, but that doesn’t have to mean that you literally provide almost ZERO lore, history, background or other “flavor”.
In the positive column, artwork is pretty good.