Tag: Wizards of the Coast

  • Dungeons & Dragons Direct coming Thursday

    Dungeons & Dragons Direct coming Thursday

    After a few years of major product announcements coming via multi-day livestreams that emulate conventions, the 2022 announcement leans heavy into the TV and video game sectors with a “Direct.” This makes a lot of sense when you see in the announcement trailer there are both video game and motion picture clues.

    You can watch the D&D Direct at 9 AM PT on Thursday April 21st. Considering that Dungeons and Dragons is now a global phenomena this time is as good as it can be since it will be during working hours in Seattle/LA, NYC, and London.

    Wizards of the Coast broke the Direct into three significant chunks and says that it will address “2022 and Beyond.” Yes, it’s possible that the Beyond references WotC buying DnDBeyond. But it also means we will get insight into the 2023 and maybe even the 2024 edition update.

    Books and Accessories

    We are almost certainly going to find out about Spelljammer. There was the Unearthed Arcana and several hints with the giff, Boo, and the mindflayer. The

    Dragonlance will probably also be announced. Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons mentioned the popular romantic fantasy bookline and setting. The originators of the novels have a new trilogy coming this summer. There’s a natural opportunity maximize the zeitgeist, even if both the modern game product and novels aren’t directly related.

    There is also a new Starter Set that was revealed during a full-company Hasbro announcement. Dragons of Stormwrack Isle may even be related to the 80s cartoon.

    The days of announcing just one product at a time are over. D&D is a large enough brand with a large enough staff there will be overlapping efforts to expand the now mainstream brand.

    Video Game Updates

    Baldur’s Gate 3 is the big one. We’ll probably get a major update on the current beta playtest, as well as hints at other future video games. There are several projects in development both internally and externally.

    This is the area where there have been the least public clues so far.

    Entertainment Projects

    Movie

    The John Francis Daley (Rime of the Frostmaiden, Game Night, Spider-Man: Homecoming) and Jonathon Goldstein (Game Night, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Vacation) project already wrapped filming and is in post-production. An ensemble cast of major genre actors Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Regé-Jean Page and more. Pine has declared that it is Game of Thrones meets The Princess Bride.

    With shooting done and a release date of March 3, 2023 there is a chance that we see a teaser for the film during Direct, if not then, by the start of summer. It’s time for the project hype to start ramping up.

    Daley & Goldstein are already working on another Hasbro/eOne project M.A.S.K.. IMDB credits both as writers on the project that will be part of a shared universe with G.I. Joe.

    A small chance exists that D&D would announce another movie project.

    TV shows

    There are, or were, projects from Rawson Marshall Thurber (Red Notice) and Derek Kolstad (John Wick) either in development or pitched at various points during the pandemic.

    Once upon a time Joe Manganiello developed a Dragonlance script that was likely a movie at the time. With Weiss and Hickman returning to novel writing, could the Magic Mike star resurrect his project officially and not just as a piece of fanfic? Would a boutique series make more sense?

    They aren’t going to spend time talking about the D&D adjacent projects from Critical Role, Adventure Zone and the gobs of genre projects on Prime, Netflix, HBO Max, etc. Because while all of those projects help boost fantasy and D&D they are not official.

    What project are you most excited to get more details about during D&D Direct?

  • Who is the new D&D Rules Expansion Gift Set for?

    Who is the new D&D Rules Expansion Gift Set for?

    There’s a new official Dungeons & Dragons book coming out on Tuesday, but it’s bundled in with the Rules Expansion Gift Set. Due to all of this that we’re living through [waves hands at world] the Gift Set didn’t come out in time for the peak gift-giving time of year. Instead, it’s an oddly timed late-January product with the only “original” part of it not available until May 17.

    Image from Wizards of the Coast

    As is typical alternate art is available at your local gaming store, which you should support. In Renton you can go to Wizards Keep Games or Shane’s Cards. People on the Eastside should go to Mox Bellevue. Down in Tacoma check Tacoma Games. Those are all places in Greater Puget Sound that I’ve supported and am confident in.

    What’s in the Gift Set?

    There are three books. Xanathar’s Guide to Everything and Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything are just reprinted with the latest errata. There’s a new(kinda) book called Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse. You’ll also get a DM’s screen with some tables to reduce page flipping when you play in person. Screens can be quite handy.

    Additionally there is a fancy slipcase to hold everything and look really good while it sits there.

    That kinda sticks out doesn’t it? Monsters of the Multiverse has one new monster. Those that already own Volo’s Guide to Monsters and Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes will already have every other monster and nearly ever race, but in a different form. The new book has adjustments to the stat blocks to make them a bit more powerful and a bit easier to use. Also, those two earlier books (Volo’s and Tome of Foes) have dramatically more lore. Most of that lore is Forgotten Realms specific. The new book greatly minimizes the lore elements to what is true for a race or monster, typically, throughout the multiverse of D&D play.

    Between the three books you’ll get rules for the Artificer class, a couple dozen new subclasses, over 30 new races, gobs of new magic items, many spells, and some new rules for exploration and be social parts of the game.

    Reviews of Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse

    So who is the new product for?

    The person who most needs the Gift Set is someone who is recently deep into the game. For all intents this set is the second core of the game, with rules that help both players and dungeon masters. Those players that only have the Player’s Handbook and want to dramatically expand their options will enjoy the set (talk to your regular DM beforehand just in case they don’t want certain subclasses or rules at the table). A Dungeon Master who wants more monsters, traps, and puzzles will get great use from the Set if all they have are the three core books. Monsters of the Multiverse is particularly helpful for those who homebrew, as the weight of lore won’t interfere as much as Guide to Monsters and Tome of Foes.

    Maybe certain collectors will want the new set too. There’s an appeal to that. But, I don’t have that kind of room in my house or wallet. The new art and case are great though. When I have that kind of room this might be the set that finds its way into the background of a video meeting.

    Overall the set is the next three books a D&D fanatic should get if they don’t have the four books that make up the Gift Set already. If you already have those books it may not be meant for you. Wait for the three or more other books that will come out in 2022 or keep playing with what you already own.

  • Wizards of the Coast brought the D&D blog back and it’s conversation fuel

    Wizards of the Coast brought the D&D blog back and it’s conversation fuel

    I love blogging. It’s been a huge part of my identity and part of my profession from 2008 to the present day (with the largest exception being the first few months of pandemic furlough). D&D blogging is in an interesting space – most of the conversation is happening on reddit, via video, or sectioned off into various closed systems like Patreon. And most of those conversations are about the happenings at a specific table, not the broader game.

    With Wizards of the Coast bringing back the official Dungeons & Dragons blog that may shift, even if just a bit. There’s so much fuel for longer conversations that do not translate well to modern social.

    This first blog entry in the resurrected kingdom of D&D blogging is from Ray Winninger, and the focus is on the D&D Studio and what it does. tl;dr – it is in charge of the tabletop game, and works with other versions of D&D to make certain that they maintain the flavor and notes that make D&D D&D.

    But, hidden within each of the section are a bunch of interesting notes about the structure of the team, how they design products, and what they are working on.

    Product Pitches

    These are all from internal submissions. No outside personnel participate. Those projects that move forward get a Product Lead. The current Leads are Jeremy Crawford, Amanda Hamon, Chris Perkins, Wes Schneider, and James Wyatt. From their past works within 5e we know what types of primary products most of those work on, and by the end of the year we’ll have an example for each.

    • Crawford – rules expansions
    • Perkins – adventures
    • Schneider – horror
    • Wyatt – world building
    • Hamon – an upcoming product not yet announced. Her experience with Kobold Press could mean magic or setting while her experience with Paizo could mean space fantasy. Or it could be something different. The conversation fuel is great.

    By design, we develop almost twice as many products as we publish. Developing more projects than needed allows us to pick and choose based on how those projects progress; it’s a strategy we use to boost the odds of bringing only the very best concepts to market.

    From the blog

    Within those glassed-in halls of south Renton are a couple dozen near-finished projects that sit in dark dungeons guarded by dragons.

    Five Major Releases in 2021

    • Candlekeep Mysteries is already out. I’m avoiding most of the adventures because I expect to play in a few one shots. Still, I own the book because I wanted to support the new creators.
    • Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft is coming out in mid May, just in time for my birthday. As someone who doesn’t know the Domains of Dread beyond Barovia, I’ve started to expand my knowledge through The Black Dice Society.
    • Unannounced summer adventure with Perkins as lead.
    • Unannounced Wyatt lead project that is a Winninger pitch.
    • Unannounced Hamon pitch and project, her first on the team.

    A book project takes 12+ months to go from pitch to release. They’re also working on developing more leads. The growth of the game spurred by 5e and supercharged by the pandemic is leading to a higher output of product than the early years of 5e indicated would happen.

    With this first entry being from the head of the D&D Studio there’s a lot of high level information. Since, by nature, a blog is throughput from the passions and mind of an author to their audience, each entry will be a reflection of the primary author, carved and shaped by their editor.

    Not only will the official blog provide inspiration for further conversation among fans, it is another route to learning about the people behind the game. For those of us that are readers it is a piece that helps us use a second screen while other things are on the primary one (whereas video streams tend to need to be the primary screen).

    What’s up next? We can only guess and talk about our theories.

  • Lore Collage: 20 Links You Should Read and Watch This Week

    Lore Collage: 20 Links You Should Read and Watch This Week

    Most of what you need to know about Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything is all over the internet. No one has overlooked the latest book release from D&D, but for those that want a slightly different approach to a review here are 7 non-crunch reasons I love the book.

    Lore Collage’s focus this week is primarily on resources and approaches to Dungeons & Dragons during the pandemic. Remember to support local businesses as you purchase products, since they remain in danger of closing permanently, not just pausing.

    Official Survey Time

    Not Tasha’s, the Other New Product

    There was another new product, one that got a lot less fanfare. The DM’s Screen Wilderness Kit is something that will be much more useful when you resume play in-person. The focus is on the exploration pillar. Newbie DM offers a flip through.

    Other Official Updates

    With many Actual Play podcasts and streams taking a pause Wizards has a collection of holiday and winter themed one-offs for your ear-holes.

    Changes coming to how Adventurer’s League info spreads information. There will be greater integration into official D&D channels and websites, which should make it easier to follow the seasonal changes.

    Gift Ideas

    After Thanksgiving Full Moon Storytelling will offer a mega-list of D&D products for the fan, or soon-to-be-fan, in your life. For now here is the official guide from D&D and a review of Field Notes new Game Master Journal.

    D&D During Pandemic

    Mainstream media continues to explore how the game of D&D can help people cope with the isolation necessary to combat coronavirus. Up in the Great White North there is also a feature on the educational benefits of D&D.

    Playing remotely or following major AP shows creates connections to community that we lack while inspiring the creation of new stories that we are unable to tell on your own.

    https://oxfordstories.net/2020/11/16/column-how-dungeons-dragons-can-help-players-escape-isolation/

    For the thousands of thousands who are just beginning Tribality continues to put out fresh information to connect a new player with classes and concepts within the game.

    Brief Description of 5e Classes and Subclasses (Ideal to Show to your Players), Part 6

    Documentary on Polyhedrals

    Watch the history of dice.

    Not D&D but Other RPG Stuff

    Screen Rant has a list of RPGs that aren’t based in Euro-American fantasy. What would happen if you combined Strato-matic Baseball with D&D? Blaseball.

    A Romany Lesson

    Read about the modern Romany in America.

    https://19silverlinings.com/2020/11/14/calling-us-gypsies-is-fine-but-we-call-ourselves-romany-travellers-because-some-of-them-like-wi-me-used-to-roam/

    As Always, Maps

    Want a Dungeons & Dragons world with a map that reminds you of Google Earth? Welcome to Kobold Press’s Midgard.

    https://koboldpress.com/so-you-still-want-to-play-in-midgard-part-one/

    Paths Peculiar takes a tiny map and creates an entire campaign with it. The simple approach is an excellent lesson for a first time DM.