The first ever D&D Direct aired this week, revealing big new announcements for Dungeons & Dragons releases this year, including two classic campaign settings updated for Fifth Edition: Spelljammer and Dragonlance.
Spelljammer was the first and biggest reveal, a sci-fi setting that combines classic fantasy elements but thrusts them into a region called Wildspace. Spelljammer: Adventures in Space will release on August 16, and feature three 64-page hardcover books:
- The Astral Adventurer’s Guide: A combination player’s handbook and Dungeon Master’s Guide that includes everything you need to run a game in Spelljammer. Includes six new space-based races, and descriptions for ships.
- Boos’ Astral Menagerie: The Monster Manual of space, hosted by the infamous giant space hamster himself. Features over 60 space-based creatures, including solar dragons, murder comets, and space clowns.
- Light of Xaryxis: An original adventure set in the Astral Plane. Designed for characters of levels 5-8.
- DM Screen
- Double-sided poster map of the asteroid city, Rock of Bral.
Dragonlance was the surprise “one more thing” announcement at the end of the Direct. A new adventure book for Fifth Edition is due out by the end of the year, called Shadow of the Dragon Queen. It’s set during the war-torn period of Krynn called the War of the Lance. The RPG book launches alongside a new tactical board game, Warriors of Krynn, which integrates directly into the adventure.
A new Starter Set was also announced, Dragons of Stormwreck Isle. Starter sets include pre-generated character sheets, basic rules, dice, and an easy-to-run adventure for new DMs and players. Dragons of Stormwreck Isle will be the third Starter Set available for D&D 5e when it releases August 1 exclusively in Target, then October 4 everywhere else.
Journeys through the Radiant Citadel had already been announced, but the D&D Direct showcased art and details of three of the 13 drop-in mini-adventures, for levels 1-14. The book has been designed by a team of diverse creators drawing from different real-world cultures around the world. It’s launching on June 21.
Other news included an update on the D&D movie and its new subtitle, Honor Among Thieves. Produced by Paramount Pictures, Vertigo Entertainment, and Allspark Pictures, the film stars Chris Pine, Regé-Jean Page, and Michelle Rodriguez. It’s directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, and will release in theaters on March 23, 2023.
Official D&D-licensed video game Baldur’s Gate 3 is still in Early Access on Steam. The Direct revealed a lot of progress has been made over the months and years. It’s developed by Larian Studios and will fully release as 1.0 sometime next year.
And if you’re into streaming shows such as Critical Role, the Direct announced a new celebrity-studded D&D series, Legends of the Multiverse. Adventures will feature an hour of pre-recorded episodes with a rotating cast of Dungeon Masters for each new arc. The core cast includes Deborah Ann Woll, B. Dave Walters, Gina Darling, Meagan Kenreck, and Todd Kenreck, with many guests appearing throughout the adventure.
The series kicks off on April 25, and will air every Wednesday at 5pm Pacific/8pm Eastern.
