There’s a packed week’s worth of news around Dungeons & Dragons this week — two books are in the preview stages, the movie keeps getting attention, a new AAA video game is now public and more. This amount of news should no longer be a surprise, as Wizards of the Coast and D&D are the fuel to Hasbro’s machine now. We’ll dive into that as well.
Before all of that a reminder that though DDD:253‘s table is sold out YachtCon has plenty of other opportunities to support the Autism Center at Seattle Children’s Hospital. You can also audit the game with Tacoma Defiance Head Coach Wade Webber, Defy Wrestler Ethan HD, and myself. Even if you don’t like Puget Sound soccer, there are classes on pizza making and cocktail shaking for you to enjoy.
Check out the Remarkable Drudge, a laborer background for your 5th edition D&D game.
Official D&D Product Releases and Reviews
Candlekeep Mysteries Previews
Physical copies of Candlekeep Mysteries are out in influencer and media hands.
The iconic library-castle is a huge part of the story. Candlekeep gets a map and chapter to expand your own setting or your understanding of the Forgotten Realms.
Candlekeep Mysteries authors are doing the rounds as well. Kelly Lynne D’Angelo is featured in Polygon.
New AAA Open World Video Game – untitled
Hidden Path, the Bellevue gaming studio, is working on a D&D game. The open world concept is something that is ripe for D&D, as the success of Assassin’s Creed, Grand Theft Auto, and Breath of the Wild have demonstrated. No sandbox, no railroad – just a world to explore. Hidden Path worked on Counter-Strike with Valve, as well as having a portfolio of their own games. The Narrative Director is Strix, who is also one of the writers of Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft.
Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dark Alliance launch this year.
Hasbro’s Stock News Features D&D and Magic: The Gathering
The quarterly earnings report for Hasbro was full of D&D and other Wizards of the Coast news, including making Wizards a larger aspect of the company.
- Dungeons & Dragons Gets a Bigger Role at Hasbro.
- Wizards will have offices in Bellevue in addition to Renton, Austin, Montreal.
- Magic: The Gathering Announces Crossovers With Lord of the Rings and Warhammer 40,000.
- There’s a Magic movie and D&D TV coming too.
- Expect a lot of Hasbro movies, as they partner with numerous studios on various projects.
- WOTC makes more money than Hasbro’s toy business.
Dungeons & Dragons Movie News
As a reminder, Hugh Grant is the villain in the untitled D&D movie project from Paramount and eOne. Sophia Lillis was the other big addition last week. Deadline broke the news on both actors.
Third-Party Products
Adam Bradford, formerly of DnDBeyond is off to Demiplane. This move indicates that the expanding digital options around D&D and tabletop roleplaying games will continue to grow and compete with each other.
Several miniature manufactures are making wheelchair users for D&D play. Yorktown this week connects with Strata Miniatures and Sara Thompson about the Combat Wheelchair.
Keith Baker has a post about Arcane Industry in Eberron, where magic is involved in everything.
LevelUp released a preview of their Exploration pillar. The baseline rules of the game address this pillar less than any other aspect of the game. It will be interesting to see where LevelUp diverges from Adventures in Middle Earth, which also expanded exploration.
Advice for Dungeons & Dragons Payers and DMs
POC Gamer’s OrcaCon session on worldbuilding is now available to all.
Playing D&D in Civic Spaces During the Pandemic
The Museum of Design-Atanta is hosting a D&D/LEGO mashup focusing on helping kids learn design.
In Indiana the Lawrenceburg Main Library is hosting D&D in its café. As regions climb out of pandemic social distancing it will be interesting to see how many libraries take their virtual sessions into real life.
Dungeons & Dragons is Mainstream Now
Another week, another story in the paper of record. | Escape Your Reality With Role-Playing Games – New York Times.
An offseason gift guide suggests a massive pack of dice. | All the Under-$20 Style, Tech, and Home Goods We’re Feeling This March – GQ
Other Geek Stuff
Peter Straub and Stephen King’s The Talisman is next up on the movie/show list of fantasy properties. It already has Spielberg and the Duffer Brothers behind it.
As Always, Maps
There are times when it is hard to tell if something is art or a map. The best of these times are when a thing is both.
Not all maps need to be on paper or parchment.
Full Moon Storytelling 