Dungeons & Dragons has a busy 12 months forward of it. With the revised Participant’s Handbook, Dungeon Grasp’s Information, and Monster Handbook heralding the beginning of a brand new (sort-of) version, there’s so much using on the subsequent few months. Wizards of the Coast actually is not doing something by halves, now revealing plans for the entire of 2024 to be a banner 12 months, as per a press launch despatched to PC Gamer.
“This 12 months we’ll be [celebrating] the fiftieth Anniversary of the primary publication of Dungeons & Dragons,” says D&D’s govt producer Kyle Brink. “We’ll take you thru the making of the sport, convey a number of the traditional adventures to right this moment’s play, go to probably the most iconic settings within the D&D multiverse, and kick off the way forward for the sport with the brand new 2024 core rulebooks which can be the guts of the sport. We have been constructing as much as this for some time now. It’ll be a variety of enjoyable.”
Initially referred to as OneD&D, the 2024 guidelines intention to be a backwards-compatible revamp of the D&D’s fifth version ruleset—overhauling core class mechanics and guidelines whereas holding its meat and bones acquainted. We now have official launch dates for that revised ruleset: the brand new Participant’s Handbook might be arriving September 17, adopted by the Dungeon Grasp’s Information November 12, and capped off by the Monster Handbook in February 18, 2025. Which means that the ultimate a part of the 2024 guidelines revamp might be launched in 2025, as if speaking about this factor wanted to get extra difficult.
This sort of staggered launch is not unusual for D&D. 2014’s unique 5e rulebooks noticed the Participant’s Handbook releasing in August, whereas the Monster Handbook debuted September of the identical 12 months. Wizards has additionally offered extra particulars on three new books: first up, two adventures, which have been first introduced at PAX Unplugged late final 12 months.
Vecna: Eve of Destroy is a mid-to-late recreation marketing campaign designed for characters beginning at tenth degree and ending at twentieth degree, and its core idea sounds fairly rad as a multiverse-hopping journey: “The heroes start within the Forgotten Realms and journey to Planescape, Spelljammer, Eberron, Ravenloft, Dragonlance, and Greyhawk as they race to avoid wasting existence from obliteration by the infamous lich Vecna who’s weaving a ritual to eradicate good, obliterate the gods, and subjugate all worlds.” It is slated for launch Could 21.
Quests from the Infinite Staircase has a equally multiversal bent, although it is rather less apocalyptic. Designed to take characters from 1st to thirteenth degree, it “weaves collectively six traditional Dungeons & Dragons adventures whereas updating them for the sport’s fifth version. The Infinite Staircase holds doorways resulting in unbelievable realms. It’s dwelling to the noble genie Nafas, who hears needs made all through the multiverse and recruits heroes to fulfil them.” It will be launched July 16.
Truthfully, each of those campaigns sound like nice alternatives for homebrew-happy DMs (similar to yours actually) to get into working extra pre-written adventures, as a result of they’d—in concept—function excellent excuses so as to add your personal settings into the combo. Callback central in the event you’ve had a long-standing desk of gamers over a number of campaigns.
Then there’s The Making of Unique Dungeons & Dragons: 1970-1976, which guarantees to point out “D&D’s inception, together with Gary Gygax’s never-before-seen first draft of D&D written in 1973, a curated assortment of revealed fanzine and journal articles contribute to D&D’s origin story.” That’ll roll into shops June 18.
Most apparently, the discharge mentions a “3D digital tabletop”—seemingly the Dungeons & Dragons Digital Play Expertise. I’ve my very own crotchety previous man opinions on the factor, after all, however I will be loads pleased if I am confirmed fallacious. Wizards additionally says it will “take away boundaries to play by new options on D&D Past”, although what these boundaries are and the way it’ll take away them stay to be seen.
Wizards of the Coast has additionally introduced a dwell collection of tournament-style classes for its upcoming revamp of Descent into the Misplaced Caverns of Tsojcanth in March this 12 months, and whereas the precise particulars are but to be introduced, it says that “Dungeon Masters might be obtainable wherever followers wish to play” throughout each digital platforms and bodily areas.
Lastly, there is a bunch of secondary merchandise to spend your pocket change on: footwear, a lego set, and “scrumptious treats appropriate for snacking across the gaming desk from Pop-Tarts.” Simply do not get them combined up together with your terrain items, these issues aren’t edible.
This all sounds nice, although the shadow of giant layoffs from papa Hasbro—lots of which focused employees in senior positions—might have an effect going ahead. It will be attention-grabbing to see how fifth version’s 2024 revamp (or OneD&D, or 5.5) lands with its participant base, and whether or not this stab at connecting its prolonged universe pays off.