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D&D Comes Full Circle, Announces Campaign Inspired By Stranger Things

D&D Comes Full Circle, Announces Campaign Inspired By Stranger Things

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If there’s one common theme throughout the four existing seasons of Netflix’s Stranger Things, it’s the love of its creators for Dungeons & Dragons. A session of the game is one of the first things seen on the show. Names of classic creatures from the original manual are directly used. Entire plots and arcs are inspired by D&D stories and monsters. Would there even be a Stranger Things without D&D? The wild thing is that we’ve come the point where the two properties are beginning to influence each other. Wizards of the Coast is prepping a 50-year anniversary celebration for D&D this year, probably to see if they can get everyone to forget that…..stuff that happened the year before. They’ve announced a big fat anniversary module called Vecna: Eve of Ruin, and senior designer Amanda Hamon has publicly admitted certain elements of this campaign were inspired by ST. ”I’m a fan of Stranger Things and a lot of folks on staff are fans of Stranger Things,” she confessed to IGN.

You Win: Wizards Of The Coast Will Leave The D&D OGL Alone

You Win: Wizards Of The Coast Will Leave The D&D OGL Alone

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A little over three weeks ago, a document leaked out of Wizards of the Coast HQ that suggested plans to revoke the OGL — the Open Gaming License — that has nurtured the Dungeons & Dragons gaming community for over twenty years. It’s hard to think of a proposed product revision that had a more instantly reviled reaction from its consumers, aside from New Coke (and even then, there were people who actually liked New Coke). The Open Gaming License is what makes it possible for third-party companies to make their tabletop games compatible with the D&D ruleset. But behind the scenes, Wizards started feeling D&D was “undermonetized” and started drafting a new OGL to replace the old, one that would introduce high licensing fees and more creative control by the company over 5E-compatible products. They presented this draft to third party companies. They were taken aback when ALL of them refused to bend. The weeks since then have produced one apology after another from Wizards, each conceding a bit

Wizards Of The Coast Walks Back Plans To Revoke Open Gaming License

Wizards Of The Coast Walks Back Plans To Revoke Open Gaming License

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Part of the reason Dungeons & Dragons has maintained its dominance in the tabletop gaming scene is not just because it was one of the first to arrive there but because it allowed anyone to use its ruleset and adapt their games to work with it. It’s part of a long-standing agreement called the Open Gaming License (OGL) that has spawned hundreds of third-party and independent TTRPG productions that run off the D&D engine. But a document that leaked earlier this week signaled that D&D’s parent company Wizards of the Coast was thinking of changing that. A revised OGL, hardly worthy of the word “open,” tightened control by Wizards over the content of all products that used the OGL, required any third-party earnings to be reported directly to them, and established higher licensing fees. The worst of it was the implication that the new license would be applied retroactively to products already on the market. It was an unreasonable demand for companies that built themselves up on the OGL, like

Paramount Developing Dungeons & Dragons TV Series

Paramount Developing Dungeons & Dragons TV Series

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Dungeons & Dragons hasn’t been very lucky in getting Hollywood adaptions, with only a handful of productions carrying the official D&D brand in existence (if we threw in material INSPIRED by D&D, though, the list would be a long one). That is rapidly changing now that Wizards of the Coast owns D&D, Hasbro owns Wizards of the Coast, and Hasbro is hungry to get its recognizable IP churning out material. That means a new D&D movie is set to premiere in March, but it’s not all there is. Paramount just announced it’s entered a deal with Wizards and Hasbro to produce a D&D TV series. Rawson Marshall, director of the already-forgotten Netflix movie Red Notice, has been hired to lead the team and write the pilot script. This would be only the second Dungeons and Dragons TV show to ever be (the first was that cartoon from 40 years ago). Hasbro says they’ve been trying to get a new D&D TV series off the ground for quite a while now.

The Next D&D Campaign Has a Platinum Edition Costing $500

The Next D&D Campaign Has a Platinum Edition Costing $500

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Wizards of the Coast has announced the next D&D campaign set will be called Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. Set in the far northern region of the Forgotten Realms, you’re going to need your most powerful parkas to take on the titular Frostmaiden, who principal narrative designer Chris Perkins calls “a god who basically embodies winter’s wrath and cruelty.” Perkins says John Carpenter’s The Thing was a big inspiration for the campaign. But if there’s one thing more formidable than the Frostmaiden, it’s the asking price for the Platinum Edition of Rime of the Frostmaiden that Wizards will be putting out. At five hundred smackers, only the wealthiest D&D fanatics will be able to take one home…but what is in it that could possibly justify such a sticker? WotC hasn’t released all the details of the campaign, but they have told us what will be in the Platinum Edition. The bonus objects are being created by Beadle & Grimm’s and certainly sound extravagant. “Wearable jewelry” is one listed item.

D&D Releases Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount And Laeral Silverhand’s Explorer’s Kit

D&D Releases Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount And Laeral Silverhand’s Explorer’s Kit

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Today is a big day for Wizards of the Coast, owners of D&D…March 17 is the street date for two hyped-up releases, one a tie-in with the popular liveplay show Critical Role. We covered Explorer’s Guide To Wildemount here before, but it’s the first D&D campaign that takes inspiration from Critical Role, under the guidance of dungeon master Matthew Mercer. For $49.95, here’s what you get: descriptions of all Wildemount’s major factions, new magic items and creatures from the show, four introductory adventures from the setting, player options that include a tool to help you integrate original characters into the setting, and more. As for the second item, Laeral Silverhand’s Explorer’s Kit is a Forgotten Realms expansion that comes in a fancy felt-lined box. Contained within are two dice trays, twenty double-sided cards expanding the lore of Forgotten Realms characters and locations, and a giant fold-out map of the Sword Coast and the city of Waterdeep. You’ll be able to find Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount And Laeral Silverhand’s Explorer’s Kit

Baldur’s Gate 3 Gameplay Reveal at PAX East 2020

Baldur’s Gate 3 Gameplay Reveal at PAX East 2020

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Yesterday, Larian Studios announced that they will be unveiling the gameplay for Baldur’s Gate 3 at PAX East! For those unaware, it is the third installment in a series of video games based off Dungeons & Dragons. In addition, the game was officially announced at last year’s E3.   Now, this announcement at PAX East 2020, will feature Larian Creative Director Swen Vincke on stage. Also, Mr. Vincke will be joined by an unknown special guest to reveal information on the game, like its story and mechanics. In addition, the panel will host seating for 1,000 attendees. Furthermore, those in attendance can partake in a live Q&A with developers. Alternatively, non-attendees will be able to view the Baldur’s Gate 3 panel live on YouTube.   Also, we have a trailer to hype up the upcoming announcement. Importantly, it shows fans a behind-the-scenes look at the game’s development. As well as the trailer features Mr. Vincke welcoming fans to attend, or steam the event. PAX East 2020 is in two weeks

Magic The Gathering TV Series Announced For Netflix

Magic The Gathering TV Series Announced For Netflix

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After directing the biggest hit of 2019 (so far), Avengers Endgame, what’s next for Joe and Anthony Russo? Today we found out the answer: they’re now working on an animated Netflix series set in the world of Magic The Gathering. Henry Gilroy (Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Jose Molina (The Tick, Jordan Peele’s Weird City) will serve as head writers and also showrunners, alongside supervising director and co-executive producer Yoriaki Mochizuki. The animation will be brought to life by Canadian studio Bardel, whose work is all over TV animation of the last ten years (name a show, Bardel probably animated at least part of it). No one knows yet what the storyline for this Magic The Gathering show is going to be about, but given that the one piece of promotional art released by Netflix depicts Chandra Nalaar, it’s a safe bet she’ll factor into the main plot in some way. “We have been huge fans and players of Magic: The Gathering for as long as

Viz Brings Us Magic The Gathering: Concepts And Legends

Viz Brings Us Magic The Gathering: Concepts And Legends

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Wizards of the Coast and Viz Media have cooperated to bring us many Magic The Gathering artbooks over the last few years. The card game has now been around for 25 years, so it’s time for something special. Presenting Magic The Gathering: Concepts and Legends, an anniversary celebration containing the best from the first quarter-century of MTG art. The book was put together by James Wyatt, senior game designer for the series. Since 2000 he’s created five novels, more than 20 short stories, one poem and dozens of D&D sourcebooks during his time at Wizards. Now he brings the ultimate Magic The Gathering artbook, featuring lush artwork from the game’s history, behind-the-scenes sketches and insider commentary. “CONCEPTS &LEGENDS pulls from the art and design teams’ sketch books and notes to focus on where the worlds and lore of Magic The Gathering started 25 years ago, where we are now, and where we’re going to go next,” says Joel Enos, Senior Editor. “Made to highlight the 25th Anniversary of Magic The

The Art Of Magic The Gathering: Ravnica Coming In January

The Art Of Magic The Gathering: Ravnica Coming In January

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Viz Media’s collection of Magic The gathering artbooks spans six titles to date: IXALAN, AMONKHET, KALADESH, INNISTRAD, ZENDIKAR, and DOMINARIA. They’re about to introduce a seventh: RAVNICA. Ravnica is described as more of a city than a region. The book reprints, in massive scale, the majority of card art that brought Ravnica to life — and it also goes into more detail on the city’s history, community and guilds than the cards have space to tell. RAVNICA was written by MTG senior game designer James Wyatt. An eternity of winding streets, dark alleys, towering structures, and rubble-strewn ruins make up the world of Ravnica. In this sprawling city, ten guilds are locked in a perpetual struggle for influence and dominance, each one seeking to advance its own agenda and philosophy—and now it’s time to choose your place in this conflict. “Ravnica is a vast metropolis that houses ten unique guilds vying for power,” says Joel Enos, senior editor at Viz. “The new ART OF MAGIC: THE GATHERING book illustrates the specific

Transformers Card Game Rolls Out September 2018

Transformers Card Game Rolls Out September 2018

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Wizards of the Coast is teaming up with Hasbro to produce a Transformers card game. We don’t know much at this early date, but we do know these bots are coming to Earth. The Transformers card game is described as a competitive dueling game for two or more players, so the mechanics will be familiar to those who’ve played similar games before — but, since this needs a Transformer twist, the cards themselves will transform! How is it done? …..By flipping them over. Sorry if you were expecting something more flashy, or actual origami. But we’ve gotta keep these cards mint! Your main battle deck will contain a set of large-sized “character cards” featuring artwork of Autobots and Decepticons. The smaller cards contain commands and actions for them. When the Transformers card game launches in September of 2018, only the basic Autobot-themed set and the first wave of booster packs will be available. But if you plan to attend San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, you’ll find a pre-release set of

D&D Management Goes Digital With “Beyond” App

D&D Management Goes Digital With “Beyond” App

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Wizards of the Coast, the current guardians of the Dungeons and Dragons brand, has resisted “modernizing” the mechanics of the game for a long time. A phone app could make all the rules, mathematics and inventory organization easier to manage, but the only apps out there were unofficial creations by third parties. Until today! Wizards has introduced their own D&D solution in Beyond, an official app developed by Curse. It’s based on the Fifth Edition of D&D and simplifies a lot of functions that originally took a lot of paper, pencils and several pounds of books. Like most apps, Beyond gives the most basic elements away for free and makes its money selling the rest. You can look up basic rules, the sourcebook to help create new characters, and the Systems Reference Document for dungeon masters. Additional manuals and campaign books cost around $30 apiece — steep for an app, but keep in mind you are actually buying a digital version of the books, which retail for a similar price.

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