The post Dungeons & Dragons Announces Dark Sun, Universes Beyond, and More appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>Return to Dark Sun
Dark Sun, the post-apocalyptic D&D setting, is making its return to 5.5 edition. This return was teased earlier with an Unearthed Arcana article exploring class options from the setting, but it’s now official.
Dark Sun is, as the name suggests, a far darker setting. The desert world of Athas is one ruled by evil Sorcerer-Kings, and magic drains the life force from the very land. It’s a world with little room for heroism, and included a range of sensitive topics, from slavery to cannibalism. As such, the 5.5e Dark Sun setting is billed as a mature expansion, not suitable for younger players.
The upcoming Dark Sun book will feature new player options, including the Psion class, marking the first full new 5th edition class since the Artificer, and the first to 5.5e. Along with the gameplay expansion, titled “Dark Sun: Blood and Power,” there will also be the “Edge of Oblivion” adventure book. The two books will launch in 2027, marking D&D’s Season of Survival.
More Settings Revisited
Along with a return to Dark Sun, the D&D keynote included several other modern settings, both from iconic creators and third-party partners.
D&D Icons
The D&D Icons initiative, led by Joe Manganiello, brings back iconic creators to the worlds of Dungeons & Dragons. This will feature setting guides, adventure modules, and more, giving plans plenty to look forward to. This includes:
- Dragonlance, with co-creator Tracy Hickman returning (players will also remember that Dragonlance made its return to 5th edition in “Shadow of the Dragon Queen.”)
- Greyhawk, the setting created by Gary Gygax, now helmed by his son, Luke Gygax, and featuring the elven archmage Melf. In addition, Greyhawk is getting a new adventure book, “Crown of the Witch Queen,” exploring the story of the vampire Drelnza.
- Drizzt Do’Urden, the famed drow ranger, returns with creator R.A. Salvatore at the helm.
New Partnerships
Wizards of the Coast is also partnering up with several third party studios, giving them access to existing D&D settings. This includes:
- Kobold Press providing new Forgotten Realms content.
- Ghostfire Gaming taking on Ravenloft and its Domains of Dread.
- Visionary Productions exploring Eberron with a new adventure featuring the Lord of Blades.
These new expansions will come out in 2027 and 2028, with more partners to come.
Dungeons & Dragons Universes Beyond
The biggest announcements came from new partnerships and tie-ins, going beyond the worlds of Dungeons & Dragons and into other franchises altogether. While D&D has toyed with this in the past, with starter sets tying into series like “Stranger Things” or “Rick and Morty,” these new partnerships are full books, complete with new species, classes, spells, and more.
The new books are part of a Universes Beyond initiative for D&D. Magic players will be familiar with the name, as it’s the same name Wizards of the Coast uses for their Magic tie-in sets. However, as there have been complaints from players about the UB sets overtaking existing Magic settings (with the majority of Magic releases in 2026 being Universes Beyond sets), this branding has caused some concerns.
World of Warcraft
The first Universes Beyond announcement was leaked the other day, but now it’s official: Dungeons & Dragons is going to Azeroth for a World of Warcraft expansion.
”D&D: World of Warcraft” will feature 13 new classes, including both new and reimagined subclasses and over 40 specializations, as well as 16 new species, such as Dracthyr, Forsaken, Pandaren, and more (like the Mechagnome, not to be mistaken for the Autognome from D&D’s Spelljammer setting). In addition, it will include multiple new spells, magic items, monsters, and factions, as well as maps based on iconic World of Warcraft dungeons.
This is not Warcraft’s first time with the D&D mechanics, as a World of Warcraft TTRPG came out in 2003, using the D&D 3e mechanics, thanks to the Open Game License. However, that game was released by Sword & Sorcery Studios, whereas this new book is an official partnership with Wizards of the Coast.
The World of Warcraft book will launch on November 17, 2026, as part of D&D’s Season of Champions.
Star Wars
The second Universes Beyond announcement came as more of a surprise, as Dungeons & Dragons is going to a galaxy far, far away with a Star Wars tie-in. While little else has been announced, the book will kick off the Season of Rebellion some time in 2027.
Like with World of Warcraft, Star Wars once also had a TTRPG using the Open Game License. The Star Wars Roleplaying Game was released by Wizards of the Coast in 2000, with a Saga Edition in 2007. In the days since the game went out of print, there have been other Star Wars RPGs, using different mechanics and rules.
While little else is known about what the Star Wars book will hold, we can probably assume it will include a Jedi class and several Star Wars species, such as Wookiees, Droids, and Ewoks. That is, of course, purely speculative, but it feels like a safe bet.
You can check out the D&D keynote below, and keep an eye on G33k-HQ for more news as it’s revealed:
The post Dungeons & Dragons Announces Dark Sun, Universes Beyond, and More appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>The post Comic of the Week: “Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers” #1 appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>
“Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers” is written by Christopher Hastings (of “The Unbelievable Gwenpool” fame) and illustrated by Denis Medri, with colors by Dan Jackson and lettering by Lucas Gattoni. There will be spoilers as we delve into the comic, but nothing that wouldn’t already be spoiled by reading the solicitation.
As mentioned, “Total Party Killers” is not a story of adventurers, but rather, monsters. However, Hastings builds up to it nicely by starting with an adventuring party exploring an evil wizard’s lair. As they delve onwards, they encounter a peculiar assortment of monsters, such as a gibbering mouther performing as a bard, and a gelatinous cube with a surprising assortment of wizardly items floating about inside it.
The buildup and reveals are paced nicely, introducing one monster at a time as we learn how the wizard controlled them with a powerful magic item. Thus, when we get the reveal that the monsters are baiting adventurers to free them, there’s plenty of foreshadowing in place. (And that’s about as far as the spoilers in this review will go.)
At the same time, this makes us sympathetic to the monsters, as we see their camaraderie and desire to be free. It’s a good contrast to the adventurers, who have spent most of the comic being self-aggrandizing and disdainful of the monsters they encountered. It’s an effective introduction and a fun little reveal, which also parallels another twist (that we will not be spoiling here).
The monsters themselves are great choices, featuring an assortment of iconic D&D foes. Each one has a distinct personality and voice that comes through in every line of dialogue, making them instantly appealing.
We have a gelatinous cube (with wizardly training and magic items), a mind flayer (who currently has druidic magic after eating a druid’s brains), a death knight, and a baby beholder.
(Yes, I’m well aware that beholders don’t have children, and reproduce by dreaming other beholders into existence. Hastings knows this too and has the characters address it. Regardless, Looksy the baby beholder is an adorable mascot character who quickly grabs readers by the heartstrings.)
Rounding out the party is a lycanthrope rogue, whose ability to shift into human form serves a story purpose, plays into the reveal, and gives readers a more human-looking central character to connect with.
As a result, we get a party that’s both filled with classic monsters and matches adventuring party roles.
The story is well-paced, bringing us through the wizard’s lair, introducing the characters, and kicking off the plot without feeling rushed or dragging things out. Considering it’s a four-issue mini-series, that type of pacing is just what the comic needs to give us a full story in the time it has.
Fans of D&D will be pleased to know that Hastings clearly knows his lore. There are little details, like name-dropping locations in the Moonsea or using specific spells, that show his knowledge of the setting, as well as more plot-relevant characters and locations that will be familiar to fans of the Forgotten Realms.
That brings us to the artwork. “Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers” is illustrated by Denis Medri, with colors by Dan Jackson. Medri’s artwork matches the tone of the comic perfectly, with bold line work and clean designs that make everything stand out nicely.
On a scale of “cartoon to realistic,” Medri’s artwork leans more toward the cartoon side, with distinct silhouettes and larger-than-life character designs, rather than relying on more natural shapes and heavy detailing. This is to the comic’s favor, especially when we get to the monsters. For those characters, Medri’s designs work wonders, capturing key details of iconic creatures without making them look terrifying to readers.
Also, Looksy is adorable, and Medri does a great job making it expressive with nothing but eleven eyes and a mouth.
Medri’s artwork also works well for the action scenes, especially when the characters start spellcasting. The lighting effects and arcane runes make the spells come to life on the page, while the melee action flows well.
The color work matches Medri’s style nicely, using bright tones against the colder backgrounds to make the characters and spell effects pop. Jackson’s colors also lean towards cleaner shades, which keeps the characters at the center of attention in each panel.
It helps that he gives each character a distinct color scheme as well, both for humans and monsters. Tilli’s blue hair makes her instantly recognizable, and the green hue and magic of Mucus Cubus, the gelatinous cube, complements it nicely. Even Strago the death knight, whose color scheme is mostly dark greys and metals, stands out with his glowing red eyes.
All in all, “Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers” is a ton of fun for longtime fans of D&D and anyone looking for a good story. Hastings’ great characters, pacing, and story, combined with Medri’s artwork and Jackson’s colors, make this comic a joy to read.
“Total Party Killers” introduces a new band of soon-to-be beloved characters, and I can’t wait to see where the story takes these adventurers monsters heroes.
The post Comic of the Week: “Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers” #1 appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>The post Conan, Comics, Dungeons, and Dragons: An Interview with Jim Zub appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>
Comic book writer Jim Zub is no stranger to the fantasy genre. D&D fans have him to thank for Minsc and Boo making their return to the Forgotten Realms in the Dungeons & Dragons: Baldur’s Gate comics, his creator-owned Skullkickers comic is getting reprinted in new compact editions, and he’s currently writing Conan the Barbarian for Titan Comics.
And it just so happens that we here at G33k-HQ are pretty big fantasy fans ourselves.
So we were delighted when Jim agreed to sit down for us with an interview, where we discussed his run on Conan, his experience with tabletop roleplaying games, what he’s got planned next, and who would win if his characters fought. You can watch the video below, or read it all here:
G33k-HQ: Jim Zub, thank you so much for being here.
Jim Zub: No problem, thank you for having me.
G33k-HQ: So you are basically the go-to sword and sorcery guy in comics right now. You’ve written D&D comics, including two different Rick and Morty versus Dungeons & Dragons. You’ve done Conan the Barbarian for Marvel and Titan. You’ve even worked in a fantasy world storyline for Champions. So my first question is: what eldritch being must I make a contract with to get a fraction of that?
Zub: It’s really special, I’ll tell you that. I wish I could tell you I had a grand plan and knew exactly where all this was gonna go when I started off in my career but, honestly, I’m as amazed as you when I think about how it’s all turned out in terms of the projects and properties I’ve been able to contribute to.
Arguably, Dungeons & Dragons and Conan the Barbarian are two of the biggest fantasy properties anywhere, and I’ve had multiple times where I was writing on both of them at the same time. My first big creator-owned series was Skullkickers, which was also sword and sorcery – more swords and sassery, really, when you get right down to it. It was a comedy series. I’ve worked on Pathfinder, Samurai Jack, all kinds of amazing stuff.
If someone’s swinging a sword, I’m interested; monsters and supernatural and sword and sorcery are definitely my jam.
It’s really incredible. I wish I could sum it up more poetically than that, but almost every day I have to pinch myself when I realize what I’m working on.
G33k-HQ: Right now you’re working on Conan the Barbarian for Titan. How did you get that opportunity?
Zub: Well, I’ve done multiple Conan projects over the years. My very first Conan writing project was co-writing with Gail Simone on the Conan/Red Sonja crossover series that Dark Horse and Dynamite did back in 2015, and that was a ton of fun. We had a great time working on it, and I thought that would be my only chance to ever write Conan, so I put my all into it.
Gail brought me on board for that very special project, but then, three years later, Marvel got the rights to Conan back and Jason Aaron was the flagship writer at that time. I was still really excited about the character, and I got to write him as part of an Avengers event called “No Road Home” where we brought him in and mixed him up with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
But, in both those cases, the Conan/Red Sonja miniseries and Avengers: No Road Home, it was co-writing; I was working with Gail or I was working with Mark Waid and Al Ewing. So even though I was writing the majority of the Conan stuff, selfishly, I wanted my own solo Conan credit. So when Marvel brought back Savage Sword of Conan as a full color anthology series, I pitched the editor there a few self-contained Conan stories.
Thankfully, one of the stories I pitched was called “The Gambler.” That was the one they approved. Patch Zircher drew the living hell out of it, and it got on the radar of the rights holders for Conan the Barbarian.
They really liked that story; they felt like it hewed pretty close to the original Robert E. Howard style material. You know, the character has been around since the 30s, and that pulp sensibility can kind of wax and wane depending on who’s writing the character, but that was something they very much wanted to reprioritize.
So when it came time for Jason to eventually leave the book, I was suddenly in contention. Once again, I thought it would be my last chance to write Conan, and instead it became an audition to do more with the character. I ended up writing the monthly series at Marvel for, because of lockdowns and the pandemic, about a year and a half.
And then, the rights lapsed and they took them back. I had stayed in touch with the rights holders ever since. They were looking at doing something different in terms of their comic publishing strategy, and they wanted to give the character a bit of a break. So for about a year, they wanted to let things go quiet, reorganize and replan.
The publishing plan they put together with Titan was kind of unique. A lot of times, when you see these intellectual properties being published in comics, that’s a licensing deal. All the artwork and the stories are being generated by the publisher and they have to get approved by the IP holders.
In this case, the IP holders, Heroic Signatures, wanted to have a more direct hand in the creative development of the comics. That was really important to their core publishing plan going forward.
I was one of several writers they asked to pitch on relaunching the series in 2023 with Titan, but all that creative stuff would be done in-house. So, unbelievably, I was able to pitch on the series and kept the diamond. I was able to keep working away on it, and we did our new Conan relaunch in 2023, and it has gone incredibly well.
We’ve got just the best damn sword and sorcery artists in the business working on it. The momentum from readers and fans has been incredible, and I just feel so incredibly fortunate because so few people get to write these kinds of iconic characters, let alone do it multiple times, let alone have the latest one be a hit after you’ve done it before.
It’s just a crazy confluence of events I never could have ever planned for.
G33k-HQ: I’ve noticed that when you were writing Conan for Marvel or Titan there are definitely some differences in the themes, atmosphere, and level of mature content. What would you say are the biggest differences when writing him for the two different companies?
Zub: Writing it at Marvel, I was very much trying to hew to the old Marvel continuity. Also I was aware that it was a PG-rated book we were putting together for the market. You know, the standards and practices that Marvel has as part of their publishing line.
I got the opportunity to do the series, but it was something where I didn’t know how much space I would have to tell those stories. I was trying to make them relatively self-contained, but seed potential future stories where I could, never really knowing how long I was going to have to work on it.
The big difference now, working at Titan, is first of all, we have a mature readers book, so obviously I can do a lot more intense content, more like the original pulp stories from the 1930’s.
I also have a much bigger runway. I’m signed on a long-term deal to do 50 issues of the flagship series, plus an event mini-series every year, and some extra stories for Savage Sword, the anthology series we brought back as a black-and-white magazine. So I’ve got a much, much bigger tapestry to weave.
I know where the story is going over the course of this four-and-a-half, five-year plan and I can foreshadow and then pay that stuff off in ways that just wasn’t possible under the limited scope of what I was doing at Marvel.
Everyone I worked with at Marvel was amazing. My editor, Mark Basso, and Roge Antonio, and Cory Smith, and everyone on the team was amazing. It was just a different priority when I was working away on it. It was a licensed title where we didn’t know how much space we had.
Now we’re the flagship book for Heroic Signatures and the biggest book at Titan, so having that regularity and knowing we can plan out long-term has just given me a lot more levers I can pull.
G33k-HQ: This does bring me to my next question, because there’s a lot of history to Conan; a lot of continuity from the novels and previous comics.
Zub: Conan’s older than Superman, so there really is. He’s a literary icon, and I’m very much aware of that.
G33k-HQ: So how do you balance the long continuity while keeping new readers engaged, bringing them in and not having them go: “who’s that?”
Zub: I think the most important thing is, like any iconic character, whether you look at, Batman or Superman or Spider-Man or Wonder Woman or any of those, although you have hundreds of stories of those characters, there are core, inalienable things you need to understand and hue to, to make sure the character feels right and sounds right.
Conan has an overall timeline. He starts off as the young impetuous thief who has wanderlust and leaves his home country to see the world, and becomes more and more integrated into civilization even though he’s the barbarian. He goes from being a thief and a reaver to a mercenary, eventually a leader of men, and then further still the king. So we know that overall journey.
Then it’s a matter of putting a flag in the ground for each particular story. Where are we at in that evolution? Who is he as a character, and what is there we can still glean from this particular part of his life?
It’s just like any other icon. You don’t read a Batman story and go, “Man, I wonder if Batman’s gonna win.” You’re like, “Well, that’s his name on the front cover. He’s gonna win.”, so I have to try and set up situations that are surprising and shocking and keep you guessing in terms of how we’re going to get to that conclusion in and around the genre material that makes sword and sorcery so awesome, and the very particular darker, more grounded, fantasy world that Robert E. Howard put together.
This is not a place with elves and dragons and orcs or things like that; it’s very much a world of men, where the majority of conflict is between tribes and kingdoms. There are monsters and there is magic, but it’s much more mysterious. It’s much more cursed, and it’s a much darker, more secretive place.
It’s really using as many of those ingredients and trying to stick with the pieces that make the Hyborian Age feel the way it’s supposed to. The longer I do it, the more I get into that flow of knowing, “yeah, this feels like the right kind of direction,” particularly when it comes to the narration.
One of the things that makes Robert E. Howard’s writing so special, and why it has stood the test of time, is because it has a very lyrical poetic quality to it. It’s not just about characters kicking ass. It’s very much about the atmosphere he’s able to summon up in his words, the way he describes places and times and magic and creatures.
There’s something very potent in the way he wordsmiths, and it’s one of the reasons why the original comics stood out so much, because Roy Thomas tried to use that same kind of language when he was doing the captions and narration in the comics.
Some of the best writers who have ever done it – Kurt Busiek, or Tim Truman, or any of the writers over the years that did it right – they had that poetic quality in their narration as well. So one of the things I really had to learn (and I feel like I got a pretty good handle on it at Marvel, but then I marinated in it even more so with the new Titan series) is getting that feel for the language; the particular vocabulary, the way to structure those sentences, the way characters talk, and the way to describe that world.
It’ll never sound modern, and it’s not meant to. It has to evoke that particular language and atmosphere that made the original stories stand the test of time.
G33k-HQ: On a similar note, are there any rules or guidelines you’ve set for yourself when writing Conan the Barbarian? I know that we just talked about how the atmosphere and the kind of epic poem style has to be the same. Is there any sort of “Ten Commandments of Conan” that you follow?
Zub: I don’t know about a “Ten Commandments,” but I’ve certainly got things I’m keeping in mind. The best of the original Robert E. Howard stories, at their core, are usually playing with this overarching idea of “civilization versus savagery.”
This concept that: although the civilized man has been able to build all these cities and create incredible kingdoms and governments, there is a duplicity at the heart of it. Whether it’s government or religion, the leaders of these worlds have become powerful by using others, by being dishonorable, by stabbing others in the back, or by building their power on the backs of the weak.
And although Conan is a barbarian, he’s violent and dangerous, he’s also honor bound in the sense that if he tells you he’ll defend you or he’ll stand by your side, he’ll do so till his dying breath.
So, in a world like that, of survival and dark power, who is truly civilized and who is truly savage? That tension drives a lot of what makes a great Conan story work. It’s not just “Conan kills a monster,” “Conan saves some beautiful woman,” or “Conan interacts with dark magic.”
It’s that underlying tension between the barbaric side of himself and the human side of himself, or how he interacts with that civilized world and his frustrations around freedom versus law, or things that are happening outside even his knowledge – the greater wheels of machinations of gods and demons, and things like that. He is the ultimate “fly in the ointment” with his ability to survive, his ability to thrive despite their best efforts.
So when I play with those things, I find I’m going down the right path for a Conan story. I’m putting him up against incredible odds, but there’s even more fuel in the engine when I use that stuff instead of just the veneer and the trappings of, “okay, he’s got a sword. All right, he’s going to fight a bad guy.”
There were dozens and dozens of fantasy heroes through the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. In the fantasy genre, there are hundreds of characters that have fallen away, but he sticks around. The reason why Conan sticks around is because there’s more there than just the surface level of that icon.
G33k-HQ: Any hints you can give us about what’s next for Conan?
Zub: Sure. On Free Comic Book Day, we have the prelude for our next big event. It’s called “Tides of the Tyrant-King,” with the return of Thulsa Doom, the Atlantean necromancer who has haunted Conan through the ages.
It’s going to be massive. Jesus Merino is drawing the miniseries, and it’s an epic tale in the same way we did with “Battle of the Black Stone” and “Scourge of the Serpent.”
We really put a button on each year with the theme of that year, and pay off a lot of the parts we’ve been building in the main monthly series. We get to play with other characters Robert E. Howard generated, beyond just Conan, and weave them together into this grand epic story that is increasing in intensity and building momentum towards a big finish I have for the series. This is year three of the plan, and it’s full steam ahead.
Working with artists like Jesus is just an absolute honor. He’s phenomenal. The same thing is true with our monthly artists as well. You know, you look at Doug Braithwaite or Fernando Dagnino, Roberto de la Torre – these guys grew up on Conan and it’s just blood pumping through their drawing fingers you see on every single page. I think all of us bringing that passion to the series is what makes it so special.
G33k-HQ: We’ll shift away from Conan for just a bit, because you’ve also written for Pathfinder and Dungeons & Dragons. Can you tell us a little about that journey, both your experience with the games and getting to write the comics?
Zub: Totally. I say it all the time, but it never grows old: I would not be a writer without a tabletop role-playing game, specifically Dungeons & Dragons.
I grew up on the game, and it ignited a desire to not just passively read or watch stories, but to make them, to generate them, and bring them to an audience. Being at the gaming table with my older brother and cousins changed the way I thought about storytelling, changed the way I thought about teamwork, and interaction, and building things.
It’s essentially a creative fire that has never died. And so, when I’m working on a comic project, or any other kind of creative writing project, I’m always mentally framing it in the terms of a tabletop role-playing game; I’m the Dungeon Master, or I’m a player and a participant.
I’m trying to both entertain and communicate, and make this the best journey I can every time I get to work with someone. Or, if I’m writing a particular character, for lack of a better term, I’m role-playing through that character. It’s not about me trying to impose my voice on them. It’s trying to find out who they are, what their personality is, how they speak, what their goals are, and things like that.
So because tabletop gaming is so intrinsic to my creative career, getting to work on this stuff officially, getting to do stories that are canon within Pathfinder or Dungeons & Dragons, it’s mind-bending in the best way possible. It’s an absolute honor and a joy to be able to contribute to this stuff, to be a small part of the legacy of these games, and to kind of bring it all full circle for me as a creator.
G33k-HQ: Speaking of the canon, a lot of the elements from your comics have impacted the lore and characters in both those games. I believe it was you that made Kyra and Merisiel in the Pathfinder comics a couple. I’ve seen Delina appear in the D&D Player’s Handbook and the Dungeon Masters Guide. So what was that like? Was any of that planned, or were you just as surprised as we were to see all that happen?
Zub: I mean, every time you work on something where you contribute to an existing property, you hope that it will last. You hope that you will have a meaningful effect upon it. And so I can’t say I didn’t plan it, but obviously you never know whether or not stuff is going to stick.
Having characters that are now part of D&D canon is mind-bending. Like Krydle, who’s the thief character I came up with for the Baldur’s Gate comics we released through IDW – he’s now a Magic card, and he’s an example character in the Player’s Handbook. Delina the wild mage is a Magic card, and quite a powerful one people will build their deck strategies around.
G33k-HQ: I’ll be honest, I have decks that use both of them.
Zub: She’s the one who brought Minsc back from being turned into a statue so he could be part of the modern Forgotten Realms, instead of how many of the mortal characters who have passed away because the timeline has advanced so much.
So having that exist in broader D&D – the fact that because she did that in the comics, Minsc is in the modern Forgotten Realms so he can be in Baldur’s Gate 3 – it’s surreal in the best way possible.
It’s a joy. It’s the kind of thing you would tell your friends when you’re a kid: “Oh yeah, my characters will be official D&D characters someday,” and you’d laugh it off, but here we are. I’m living my best 10-year-old kid life that I possibly could, and I think that’s all any of us can hope for.
G33k-HQ: Honestly, when I was playing Baldur’s Gate 2, I did kind of get Krydle’s dad [Coran] killed and went “Whoops… well, that messed up the timeline a little.”
Zub: No, it’s good. I love that these games and the permutations of them echo out ever further. I love that people interact with this stuff. And the whole point of role-playing games is that you’re generating your own stories anyways. That’s what’s so great about it.
It’s not about my version of Curse of Strahd, or The Temple of Elemental Evil, or White Plume Mountain. It’s about yours at the gaming table and if we make stuff that generates excitement and inspires you, great! But in the end, your game is your own.
G33k-HQ: So what would you say the biggest differences are when writing for these different fantasy series – Conan, D&D, Pathfinder, Skullkickers? Because all of them do have very different atmospheres to them.
Zub: They do. You know, they’re all different permutations of sword and sorcery and fantasy. Obviously, Skullkickers is the most irreverent; It’s sort of “Deadpool meets D&D.” It’s me, as an eight-year-old boy, kicking down doors and causing chaos at the gaming table as much as humanly possible.
Both Pathfinder and Dungeons & Dragons are high magic fantasy worlds filled with all kinds of magic systems and races and creatures all over the place. There’s examples of fantasy almost everywhere you go. So using those spells and magic items is pretty intrinsic to how we tell the stories, and getting those details right in terms of the setting material and things like that.
With Skullkickers, obviously, I’m making it up myself. The only person I have to please is myself in terms of keeping any kind of canon. Whereas with Pathfinder or D&D, these are established worlds – the Forgotten Realms or Golarion – where you want to hit the mark in terms of how they’ve been described or depicted in those books.
Conan is the darker, more poetic version of those things. It’s very serious; it’s not going to be humorous very often. Although Conan is described as a character of “both great melancholy and great mirth,” there isn’t a heck of a lot of mirth in those stories. It’s quite an intense and violent world full of survival, and it’s one of the pillars of inspiration that led to D&D.
You can see that in stories like “Tower of the Elephant,” which is a classic thief’s story – enter a dungeon and try to steal the treasure – but it also has its own specific kind of milieu.
The permutations that they have of sword and sorcery make it feel so grounded and mysterious, because you’re seeing so much of it through Conan’s eyes and, as a warrior, he doesn’t understand the rituals, the spells and magic items. They’re not as prevalent and relevant to his stories, in the sense that he uses them on a constant basis. They’re cursed items or secret things momentarily igniting parts of the story. So in that way, although there are horrific monsters and demons, at its core, Conan is lower magic in how it deals with that world.
I’m tuning in the dials. They’re all sword and sorcery, but depending on which project I’m working on, I’m tuning certain frequencies up or lowering other ones down, getting into that mode. And if I need to, going back to the source material and reminding myself what makes this particular one tick so I get it right, because it means a lot to me as both a fan and a reader.
G33k-HQ: I’m just kind of seeing a graph with the X and Y axis being serious-to-humorous, and then high-fantasy-to-low-fantasy, with each of them falling on a different place on there.
Zub: Totally, and that’s what’s so fun about it. It’s funny; people will say to me, “You must be worried about burning out or running out of ideas.” But no one ever says that to the superhero guys. They’re never like, “Are you sick of writing Spider-Man?” to Dan Slott.
No, this is my favorite thing! I absolutely love writing sword and sorcery. I love the supernatural. I love monster stories and I’ve got a near infinite well I will be constantly going back to, because this is the stuff I grew up on.
G33k-HQ: I could talk about fantasy and tabletop games all day, but there are other comics to discuss as well, because you recently contributed to DC’s “MAD About DC” comic; you have Guy Gardner vs. Spy vs. Spy. What can you tell us about that project?
Zub: I mean, it was such a joy. I think so many of us grew up on MAD Magazine, and it was just a delightful, bizarre, irreverent part of our monthly reading. You know, the world felt like this overwhelming place and MAD would always be there to ground it in humor and poke holes in the people who thought they were too good for themselves or knew it all.
I grew up reading that stuff. I absolutely love the Don Martin cartoons, I love Spy vs Spy, just all of it. Sergio Aragones and all that really made an impression on me. A lot of the humor you see in things like Skullkickers are a byproduct of stuff like MAD.
So when Chip approached me and said: “Hey, we’re putting together this special issue – pitch me,” I was blown away at even the possibility I’d get to contribute to it. I told him I wanted to do Spy vs. Spy. That was number one for me and he said, “oh man, that’s going to be competitive. Just make sure you’ve got other ideas because that’s going to be one of the ones that’s going to be really hard to grab a hold of.”
And lo and behold, Ramon Perez and I were able to eke it out. We got it for ourselves.
Getting to do Guy Gardner and the interplay and the contrast between them – Guy’s obviously all mouth and big talk and the Spy vs. Spy characters never talk to each other, the black spy and the white spy. They have no dialogue, so the interplay of that was a lot of fun.
Getting to play with the Green Lantern lore elements, trying to pack it all into a two-page crazy comic and put in the kinds of gags, the ridiculous little inventions and moronic violence in there as well was really special.
Ramon even went one step further; he has our names in the morse code, which is exactly how they used to do it back in the classic strips. Fun things like that to try and honor what came before.
G33k-HQ: And I believe you’re also working on Manga Classics: Journey to the West; the prelude is coming out on Free Comic Book Day. What can you tell us about that?
Zub: I was part of the Udon studio for many years, and I love those guys over at Udon. They do all sorts of amazing stuff. I’ve written Street Fighter comics and contributed to a bunch of their projects when I was at the studio.
They have a line of books called Manga Classics, where they take classic literature and make manga versions of them. They’ve done incredibly well over the years; they’ve got everything from Pride and Prejudice, to Les Miserable, to Shakespeare – all kinds of different things.
And Journey to the West is obviously ambitious and they wanted to take a real adventurous, almost One Piece action-packed approach to it, like a shonen manga. Erik [the head of Udon Entertainment] showed it to me and he said the one thing he really wanted to do was to amp it up in terms of epic narration. He wanted it to be fun and frantic, but also literary in a way, using some of those philosophical concepts from the original source material.
And so he says: “Between Skullkickers and Conan, I feel like you’ve got the narrative air, but you also understand manga and the interplay and silliness of it. And I’d love for you to do the writing on this.”
We’ve actually got the story structured out, but almost like when I do plot script on Conan with the existing art there, I’m adding to it with narration rather than doing full script. So it was more like that. The script and main story were already built, and then I was going in there and adding that narrative component and to try and tune it up as much as I can.
It was a neat challenge, it was a lot of fun, and I hope people thoroughly enjoy it because that line of books is bringing in thousands and thousands of new comic readers to the medium, particularly when you can get them in school libraries, reflecting these classic literary works. So it’s a really cool project.
I already had a Free Comic Book Day lined up with our Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King, so I thought that was going to be my Free Comic Book Day book. Then Erik let me know that they were releasing the Journey to the West sampler as well, so I’ve got two books coming out the same day. It’s going to be a double-Zubble.
G33k-HQ: And Journey to the West is lengthy. So that’s going to be a long-term project if all goes well.
Zub: Yeah, I’m hoping we’re going to be digging in on even more. For the first one, the response seems to be really strong so I’m excited to build out from there.
G33k-HQ: Now, are there any series that you’d like to try your hand at writing and you haven’t had the chance to yet? What’s on your wish list?
Zub: I mean, I love the supernatural and magic sides of these superhero universes. So getting to do something in that kind of space, whether it would be a Swamp Thing or Constantine over at DC, or Ghost Rider, or Blade, or Doctor Strange at Marvel would be pretty intrinsic to who I am and what I really love. There’s the fantasy and magic elements of it, but imbued into the superhero universe, so either of those would be really sweet to try my hand at.
But most of the other stuff I’ve kind of done. I mean, everyone loves Spider-Man, everyone loves Batman, and Wolverine, and stuff like that. So I’d be foolish not to grab hold of something like that. Given the fact that I’m now associated so strongly with Conan and that kind of badass action-packed character,I would love to bring that same kind of gravitas and intensity to Wolverine.
But, for the most part, I’ve already had the chance to dig in on so many amazing characters. So I’m not pining “Oh my god, my entire career hangs on my need to do any of these other characters.” I’ve got new creator-owned books I’m developing right now that will be announced later this year. I’ve got other cool projects I get to be a part of. I’m pretty creatively fulfilled right now. I cannot complain.
G33k-HQ: So, some secret projects coming up, that kind of goes into my next question: Anything that you can tell us about what you got planned for future projects or is it all hush-hush?
Zub: A lot of it is behind the scenes. I’m contributing to a video game that will probably get announced later this year. I’ve got another commercial comic writing gig that’s going to get announced by the summer. I’ve got a new creator-owned book at Image that will be coming out at the end of this year or early next year.
G33k-HQ: A lot to look forward to, then. Lastly, I’m pretty sure I’m legally obligated to ask: what advice do you have for anyone looking to get into comics?
Zub: The reality is: there are new creators entering the industry all the time.
I know it can feel like an impenetrable monolith when you look at it from the outside, but all your favorite creators, the newest creators who are making waves, they all started the same way: they made their own comics imbued with the kinds of stories that they love to read. They figured out how to work at the same professional kind of quality, so someone would look at them and say: “Man, I would pay you to do that for us.”
You have to make the kinds of stories you’ve always wanted to read. You have to put those out into the world, and you’ve just got to keep doing it and building up your experience, your quality and your connections.
The more you go out into the industry, go to conventions, and reach out to people online, and keep putting out work, the more you will grow. That doesn’t mean you’ll get all the success you hope for, to get to work on every single property you ever imagined, but you will always improve in terms of your skills and the unexpected experiences you get to have.
I’m not working on any of the kinds of things I would have thought. As a kid, I never even imagined I could contribute to D&D, or Conan the Barbarian, or The Avengers, or any of that stuff. But the sensibilities that led me to those things make sense looking in the rearview mirror.
Put together comic book stories, learn about the form. I’ve actually got over 40 free articles on my website detailing how scripts are written, how to pitch a publisher, what it’s like working with an artist and an editor, and a lot of the things I wish I’d known when I was starting out.
So look for things like that, because that’s a free resource at your fingertips. I’ve also got extensive examples on my YouTube channel going through how I wrote a particular sequence or a script, how the artist interpreted it, and then how we take that to the finished published page.
G33k-HQ: Oh, and one last goofy question: Conan, Minsc and Rex get into a bar fight. How does it go?
Zub: Oh, man… Well, it depends on which bar it is. Because if it’s the Gizzard, the all-dimensional bar, then Rex probably has all the advantages there. But otherwise, I do think Minsc and Rex are in deep, deep trouble, because Conan’s the original sword and sorcery hero, and he’s probably going to bring them down.
G33k-HQ: Yeah, that makes sense. And it would obviously take place in the Gizzard, because that is every fantasy bar that’s ever been.
Zub: That’s right.
G33k-HQ: Well, thank you very much for your time, I appreciate it. If our readers want to follow you or your work, where can they find you?
Zub: Everything’s at jimzub.com. I’ve had that website for 26 years and it’s not going anywhere.
We’d like to thank Jim once again for taking the time to speak with us. Keep an eye out for Conan the Barbarian: Tides of the Tyrant-King and Manga Classics: Journey to the West this Free Comic Book Day, and we’ll see you at the Gizzard!
The post Conan, Comics, Dungeons, and Dragons: An Interview with Jim Zub appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>The post Dungeons & Dragons Reveals its 2026 Roadmap appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>These new releases are divided into “Seasons” with set themes: Season of Horror, Season of Magic, and Season of Champions.
D&D 5.5e
At the same time as the announcements, it was revealed that the 2024 version of D&D 5th edition, previously referred to as 5e 2024, is now officially 5.5 edition. While this is basically just a branding change, it was done to align with what players have already been calling the game, similar to how D&D 3.5 provided slight updates from 3rd edition.
Season of Horror
The Season of Horror kicks off in Spring with the release of “Ravenloft: The Horrors Within.” This book updates the Ravenloft setting, including species and subclasses introduced in “Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft,” bringing them from 5e to 5.5e.
Many of these subclasses were previewed and playtested in the Unearthed Arcana Horror Subclasses, which featured the revised College of Spirits Bard, Grave Domain Cleric, Phantom Rogue, Shadow Sorcerer, Hexblade Warlock, and Undead Warlock. It also introduced two new subclasses: the Reanimator Artificer and Hollow Warden Ranger.
Early reports suggest the book will also contain the Dhampir, Hexblood, and Reborn species updated for 5.5 (Dhampir seeing its own release earlier in the digital-only “Astarion’s Book of Hungers”) as well as the Lupin species.
Ravenloft is D&D’s horror setting, featuring Domains of Dread that both serve as kingdoms and prisons for their respective Darklords, most famous of which being the vampire Strahd Von Zarovich. In these realms, players can receive Dark Gifts that grant power, but at a heavy cost. Early reveals of artwork for the book showcase a variety of horror, including cosmic horror with the return of Cthulhu to Dungeons & Dragons.
The Season of Horror will also see an updated release of the Tarokka Deck, a set of tarot-like cards used for fortune telling within “Curse of Strahd.” This 60-card deck is designed to work with “Ravenloft: The Horrors Within” and will retail for $24.99.
“Ravenloft: The Horrors Within” goes up for pre-order on April 13th, with release planned for June 16th and an MSRP of $59.99. A map pack and Dungeon Master screen will also be available for $24.99 each.
Season of Magic
The Season of Magic, which runs from mid-Summer to mid-Autumn, features two books: “Arcana Unleashed” and “Deadfall.”
“Arcana Unleashed” is a new sourcebook featuring new spells, magic items that level up with the characters, and presumably the subclasses playtested in the Arcane Subclasses and/or Mystic Subclasses from recent Unearthed Arcana articles.
The Arcane subclasses featured updated versions of the Arcana Domain Cleric, Arcane Archer Fighter, Hexblade Warlock (again), and four Wizard subclasses, as well as the new Tattooed Warrior Monk and Ancestral Sorcerer. The Mystic subclasses introduced the Warrior of the Mystic Arts Monk, Oath of the Spellguard Paladin, Magic Stealer Rogue, and Vestige Warlock. Which (if any) of these will be in the book is still a matter of speculation.
“Deadfall” is a new adventure, which the artwork suggests will heavily feature the Red Wizards of Thay, recurring antagonists in the Forgotten Realms (including the Honor Among Thieves movie). Little is known beyond that.
The Season of Magic will also feature new reference cards, containing spells, monsters, and magic items in easily-accessible card form for players and DMs, to be released in August 2026. Both books will be released in September 2026, with “Arcana Unleashed” retailing for $49.99 and “Deadfall” for $29.99.
Season of Champions
There’s still another book or two left under wraps, as D&D announced the Season of Champions from mid-Autumn to mid-Winter, but without telling us what that season will contain.
The common theory is that it will reintroduce the Dark Sun setting, an apocalyptic world where casting magic has drained the life out of the planet. Of course, that theory isn’t without reason, as the Apocalyptic Subclasses Unearthed Arcana is designed for the Dark Sun setting, featuring the Circle of Preservation Druid, Gladiator Fighter, Defiled Sorcery Sorcerer, and Sorcerer-King Patron Warlock.
However, this is all speculation, as we’ll have to wait and see what awaits in the Season of Champions.
Updates to Organized Play?
D&D Adventurers League players have been wondering what will come of their program, given the introduction of the 5.5e-only Legends of Greyhawk organized play system, which is focused more on conventions. While Adventurers League has been ongoing, it’s been relying mostly on player-published Dungeoncraft adventures and a Player’s Guide designed to provide evergreen guidance.
Reports from other websites suggest that the D&D Encounters program is making its return, designed to align with the upcoming Seasons. D&D Encounters, which predates Adventurers League, features short adventures for new and recurring players, but also provides stores with exclusive content for players.
According to reports, D&D Encounters will provide stores with play kits tied to the major book releases, recurring weekly play support, and coordinated efforts to engage the community around each new release. What any of this will consist of is still unknown.
How this will impact Adventurers League and/or Legends of Greyhawk is also currently unknown, but many players are hoping that D&D Encounters will be used to supplement and enhance the Adventurers League experience, rather than exist outside of or competing with it.
For now, we can see what’s ahead for Dungeons & Dragons, so players can prepare to enter the Season of Horror, look forward to the Season of Magic, and wonder what the Season of Champions may hold.
The post Dungeons & Dragons Reveals its 2026 Roadmap appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>The post Comic of the Week: “Dungeons & Dragons: The Fallbacks” #1 appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>
“Dungeons & Dragons: The Fallbacks” takes the characters from Jaleigh Johnson’s D&D novels and brings them into the comics. While the characters aren’t new to the Forgotten Realms, the story is still an original, rather than an adaptation of Bound for Ruin or Dealing with Dragons (which are also good novels I’d highly recommend). It also doesn’t require any prior knowledge about the Fallbacks or their previous adventures, as writer Greg Pak introduces them to the readers through both captions and the natural flow of the story.
Right off the bat, we’re given a clear understanding of who these characters are. A quick action sequence shows us each of their skills in action, from Tess’s teleporting daggers to Cazrin’s magic, while showcasing their personalities at the same time.
For instance, when we’re introduced to Tess, we see how she’s kind and generous by offering to give some coins to a kobold beggar… but also that the party is flat broke, which we can later see informs her actions when she chooses to get involved in any matter with a monetary reward. We get to learn more about other characters in a similar way, such as the fighter (Anson) trying to talk down his enemies before attacking, or through the banter the bard (Lark) exchanges with just about everyone.
In other words, the characters are absolutely brimming with personality in everything they do. Each one has a distinct voice that comes through in their dialogue, how they bounce off each other, and the choices they make throughout the story.
Now we get to the story itself. As this is the first issue, it mainly serves as an introduction and setup, but it still has the quintessential D&D elements that fans know and expect. Rival adventuring party? Check. A wide array of species and creatures from the game? Check. A dungeon with monsters and treasure? Check and check. It’s all there, and it fits into the narrative seamlessly, making the story feel like the start of a D&D campaign in the best of ways.
So we’ve got great characters, a strong supporting cast, and the start of a quest that kicks off with plenty of action and the promise of bigger adventures to come. What more could we ask for?
Now let’s talk about the art. Wilton Santos provides the penciling for this issue, with Edvan Alves doing the inking and Raúl Angulo on the colors. The art itself is excellent, with strong character designs, a great sense of panel composition, and the perfect balance of detail that makes the world feel alive.
While the character designs themselves were established on the covers of the Fallbacks novels, Santos captures all their key elements in his own style and fills them with personality. Their expressions, body language, and even their framing in each panel showcase a great deal about who they are and how they’re feeling, even when they’re just standing in the background.
The same goes for the new characters and even the background characters. One look at the rival party and we can tell so much about them immediately, thanks to their designs and body language alone.
Also, there’s an important balance to strike with Uggie the otyugh to make a young garbage-eating monster both adorable and gross at the same time, and Santos nails it.
Each panel is filled with details on both the characters and backgrounds that make Faerun feel alive. The designs on the armor, the architecture of the buildings, and the characters hanging around the background of a tavern all add to the world, so they receive as much care and attention as the heroes. When we get to action scenes, the action is swift and fluid, capturing each key moment in the fight while controlling the pacing.
Santos often connects his panels by having details from one extend beyond the panel’s edge and into the next, or overlapping one with the one connecting to it. This subtle trick helps control the pacing, drawing our eyes from one scene to the next naturally. It’s particularly useful in the fight scenes, as it takes readers on a journey through the action.
All the while, Raúl Angulo’s color work brings each page to vivid life, helping the characters pop off the panel and adding a vibrancy to the world. Angulo’s color work is bright and clean, making it easy on the eyes and a fine match for Santos’s illustrations. Each character has a distinct color theme, like Lark’s white outfit over his red skin or Baldric’s gold coat, but they share enough elements that they feel connected, like a proper party should.
Angulo also knows when to shift the color to change the scene or accentuate action. The natural shades of sky blues and light brown streets give way to the yellow illumination of a tavern, which is replaced in turn by the darker blues and grays of the night sky and road. Sickly green shades let us know when evil undead approach, creating an unnatural atmosphere that controls the mood, and action scenes are occasionally highlighted with bright backgrounds of gold or red to bring out a key moment.
Good color work can do so much to control the atmosphere of the scene and impact of each moment, and Angulo’s colors do just that.
The worlds of Dungeons & Dragons contain limitless possibilities for adventures, characters, and stories for readers to enjoy. We’ve seen this through unforgettable stories like R.A. Salvatore’s Drizzt novels (and their comic book adaptations), Jim Zub’s comics following Minsc and his friends, and now, The Fallbacks. The comic feels like an actual D&D campaign, filled with fun banter, likable characters, and the start of a great adventure, with excellent artwork bringing each moment to life.
If you’re a fan of The Fallbacks novels, rest assured, the characters are in good hands. And whether you’re new to the world of Dungeons & Dragons or a longtime adventurer (or Forever DM) looking for a new story in the Realms, you’ll find it here.
The post Comic of the Week: “Dungeons & Dragons: The Fallbacks” #1 appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>The post D&D Direct Reveals the Future of Dungeons & Dragons appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>The new book, to be accompanied in the following months by an updated Dungeon Master’s Guide and Monster Manual, won’t mark the start of a new edition, but rather an update to the rules for D&D 5th edition, including some changes to classes, races (now species), terminology, and mechanical effects. But while the new content is backwards-compatible with existing adventures, players and dungeon masters still want new content to enjoy.
As such, today’s D&D Direct revealed what Wizards of the Coast has planned next for Dungeons & Dragons:
Dragon Anthology
Once the new core rulebooks are out, what’s next? Dungeons & Dragons has decided to take its name literally with a new anthology of adventures, all featuring dungeons with dragons in them.
The upcoming Dragon Anthology will feature ten adventures focusing on the different kinds of dragons from across D&D, giving players plenty of fierce foes to fight and hoards to loot.
The Dragon Anthology will be releasing in early 2025.
Starter Set 2025
With a new set of rules, Wizards of the Coast is expecting new players looking for an entry into Dungeons & Dragons. The 2025 Starter Set is designed to provide just that, providing an adventure that guides players into the setting and game mechanics to help them learn as they go.
The adventure in this box is set in a place called the Borderlands, which longtime player may remember from the classic adventure “The Keep on the Borderlands” (which will be a location in the starter set adventure). Players will travel through the keep, the wilderness, and the Caves of Chaos.
Previous starter sets have also included dice, an introductory rulebook, and pregenerated character sheets. Whether or not the new starter set will include them has not yet been mentioned, but is considered highly likely.
The new starter set will release in Fall 2025.
Forgotten Realms
One of the most iconic settings for Dungeons & Dragons is the Forgotten Realms, which serves as the setting for the Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie, the Baldur’s Gate series of games, many novels, and most of the adventures released for 5th edition. Now, we’re getting a closer look at the iconic setting with a full Adventure Guide and Players Guide for the Forgotten Realms.
The Adventure Guide is designed for Dungeon Masters, featuring in-depth information on iconic locations in the Realms, including Baldur’s Gate, Calimshan, the Dalelands, the Moonshae Isles, and Icewind Dale. Each location has a different theme and flavor, so DMs can pick the location that suits their table’s tastes best.
The Players Guide includes a setting overview and key information on iconic factions, such as the Harpers, Zhentarim, and Red Wizards of Thay, which players can join. It also includes new player options, such as subclasses, feats, backgrounds, and spells for the Forgotten Realms setting. WotC also mentions a “new kind of spell” will be included, although what that entails has yet to be revealed.
The new guides will release in late 2025.
Project Sigil
Virtual tabletops (VTTs) have become a major part of online play, giving players from around the world the ability to play together on a shared virtual table. Wizards of the Coast has been working on its own VTT for a while, and it’s growing closer to completion.
The new VTT, currently named Project Sigil, is a 3D digital tabletop, featuring detailed settings and character miniatures, automatic dice rolling and damage calculations, and even minor animations. Dungeon Masters can build their own locations for a detailed, immersive experience, or import a 2D map to serve as a gameboard.
Project Sigil also comes with a starter adventure, so players and DMs can hit the ground running. Players can connect it to D&D Beyond in order to import their characters and design their miniatures within Project Sigil using a range of customization options. Players and DMs can also import 2D tokens for any monsters or characters outside of the included options.
Players got to see Project Sigil in action at GenCon, where DM Aabria Iyengar ran a game for Anjali Bhimani, Brennan Lee Mulligan, and Baldur’s Gate 3 voice actors Neil Newbon and Samantha Béart. The new VTT includes miniatures of Astarion and Karlach, which players will also be able to access.
Project Sigil will initially release on PC, but WotC hopes to release it for mobile devices and consoles in the future. Anyone with a D&D Beyond account can sign up for the closed beta at dndbeyond.com/project-sigil.
Other Announcements:
- Local game stores will be able to receive the new books two weeks early, with play programs to support the new content (whether or not this is connected to D&D Adventurers League was not stated)
- The Secret Lair x Dungeons & Dragons drop for Magic: The Gathering released today, and is selling fast (although stock still remains as of this article). These are five sets featuring Beholder-themed cards, cards using artwork from across the various editions of Dungeons & Dragons, and sets dedicated to Astarion and Karlach from Baldur’s Gate 3.
- 12 LEGO collectible minifigures, available September 1st, featuring LEGO versions of Mind Flayers, Strahd von Zarovich, Tasha, and more
- New partnerships with third-party content creators, bringing their material to DnDBeyond
Source: D&D Direct Recap: A Look at Two Forgotten Realms Books, a Dragon Anthology, and More
The post D&D Direct Reveals the Future of Dungeons & Dragons appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>The post Dungeons & Dragons Previews 2024 Player’s Handbook & More appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>
What’s in the 2024 D&D Player’s Handbook?
The 2024 Player’s Handbook (PHB) is an update to the 2014 PHB, updating many old player options and adding new ones. Several game mechanics have been reworked, such as revised backgrounds and changes to classes, while others have been added anew, like new crafting rules and the mechanics like Weapon Mastery.
Major changes to the new Player’s Handbook include:
Reworked Classes
Some of the biggest changes tested in the recent Unearthed Arcana playtests were changes to the classes. Players provided feedback for these proposed changes, resulting in them being tweaked and adjusted over time before being finalized for the 2024 PHB.
Among these new changes are:
- Three new subclasses: the Circle of the Sea Druid, College of Dance Bard, and Path of the World Tree Barbarian
- Subclasses like the Archfey Warlock, Beast Master Ranger, and Four Elements Monk are completely reworked
- Psionic subclasses such as the Soul Knife and Psi Warrior have been imported from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
- The addition of Weapon Mastery to many classes, such as Fighters and Rogues
Additional and Updated Species
The 2024 PHB has also reworked several races (now referred to as “species”) and added ones from later source books into the core Player’s Handbook. Not only are species like Dragonborn receiving a major update, the book is also adding Goliaths, Orcs, and Aasimar (originally added in Volo’s Guide to Monsters) which also receive upgrades from their previous versions.
However, the lack of Half-Elf and Half-Orc options remains a point of contention among fans, and WotC has not yet addressed how that is going to be handled.
Aardlings, a celestial species tested in an earlier Unearthed Arcana, remain absent due to player feedback, which frequently cited them as redundant when Aasimar are already an option.
Revised Backgrounds
Backgrounds in D&D 5th edition are a part of character creation that provide items and proficiencies based on what the character did before they were adventurers. The 2024 PHB updates backgrounds to make them a more core part of character creation.
Backgrounds now provide a first level feat, as well as skill proficiencies. On top of that, ability score bonuses have been moved from the character’s race/species to their background, giving characters three ability options that they can increase, either as a +2/+1 or a +1/+1/+1 bonus.
Backgrounds still provide starting gear, but no longer provide minor roleplay-focused features, such as the Acolyte’s Shelter of the Faithful or Charlatan’s False Identity.
New and Revised Feats
Feats have also been revised, both with new feats and updates to existing ones. The new PHB features 75 feats, including several first-level feats that can be taken as part of a background and “epic boon” feats that can be taken at level 19 (and above for those who play past level 20).
Many of these feats are imported and updated from books like Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.
Fighting styles, once a class feature shared by classes like Fighters, Paladins, and Rangers, have become feats themselves. This allows those classes to take fighting styles a normal, while unlocking them as feat options for other classes (which was technically already possible with the Fighting Initiate feat from Tasha’s Cauldron).
Weapon Mastery
One complaint about weapons in D&D 5th edition is how similar so many of them are. A longsword and a battleaxe are practically the same, for instance, while others went all but unused.
Weapon Mastery is an attempt to address this, by enabling players to unlock new properties by, as the name suggests, mastering their weapons. This is intended to make each weapon more unique and provide more options for players while giving their melee characters more options in combat.
Minor Rules Updates
Other updates are small but impactful changes to the overall rules. These include:
- Drinking potions as a bonus action
- Inspiration (now called “Heroic Inspiration”) can be used to re-roll any die
- Rules for building a new character at higher levels
2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide
The 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide (DMG), due out November 2024, is also seeing a major revamp. One major focus is on empowering DM’s with a guide for creating adventures and settings, followed by an updated look at the classic Greyhawk setting made using this new guide and five short adventures that DMs can use as an introduction for themselves and their players.
The updated DMG includes basics for running the game, as well as a toolbox with rules around curses, poisons, environments, and so on. It also adds new magic items and a rule for crafting magic items.
One of the biggest changes is the addition of a “Bastion” system, allowing players to build and upgrade strongholds. Starting at level 5, players can begin building bastions, which they can grow and upgrade as they adventure and level up. Dungeon Masters can provide players with a “Bastion turn,” where players can upgrade their bastion or give orders to their hirelings, giving them more of a stake in their property.
New Monster Manual
The updated Monster Manual (MM), set to be released in February 2025, features over 500 monsters for Dungeons & Dragons. These include reworked versions of existing monsters, as well as 75 new monsters.
One of the goals for the new Monster Manual was to offer a greater variety of encounters within the same monster or enemy type. For instance, it adds a greater variety of vampiric monsters, so that characters of every level can face a vampire of a roughly equivalent threat. These peak with “apex” versions of monsters at the highest challenge ratings, such as a Colossus for constructs or an Elemental Juggernaut for elementals.
This also includes a greater range of NPC groups, so that not every bandit or enemy mage has the exact same challenge rating and weapons.
More to Come
Wizards of the Coast will be revealing new information for the updated species, classes, monsters, and mechanics in the 2024 Dungeons & Dragons update throughout the week, so keep an eye out for the latest news and updates.
The new Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual are now available for pre-order as a bundle on on DnDBeyond, and will be available for order soon at your friendly local game store.
The post Dungeons & Dragons Previews 2024 Player’s Handbook & More appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>The post DunDraCon 47 Brings Four Days of Gaming to the Bay Area appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>The Venue
DunDraCon was held at the Santa Clara Marriott, utilizing the hotel space nicely. The largest rooms were set aside for shopping, open gaming, and similar large-scale events, while smaller rooms were set aside for individual games throughout the weekend. That allowed players to gather in a nice quiet room for their scheduled game sessions without fear of being interrupted or drowned out by background noise, and let players focus without disruption.
The hotel itself offered a decent variety of food options, from the hotel restaurant to daily buffets. Of course, those were all sold at typical hotel prices, so it wasn’t the cheapest. However, a row of restaurant options was just a short walk away, so attendees could grab a bagel, pizza, or burrito at far more reasonable prices.
Additionally, the Marriott had plentiful parking space and enough rooms for all attendees. Many who had attended the con before it moved to Santa Clara still have painful memories of struggling to find parking at any point in the day, but that was no longer an issue.
Games
Obviously, the biggest draw of DunDraCon was the gaming, and there were plenty of options. Attendees could schedule games in advance, which others could sign up for online. There was a wide variety of games, including several RPG systems and in-depth strategy board games, as well as LARP sessions where players could take on the role of characters and act through their adventures.
However, even those who didn’t sign up in advance could still find plenty to do. Several open gaming areas were set up so attendees could grab a game, grab a seat, and find players to befriend. The convention also offered a hefty game library with a nice assortment of options.
For attendees more interested in large-scale miniature games, there was an entire room dedicated to it. These often featured large diorama bases with detailed terrain, covered in hand-painted miniatures engaging in skirmishes, battles, and tests of ingenuity.
For younger gamers, there was a Children’s Room set up. This featured plenty of games designed for a younger audience, which they could pick up and learn under the guidance of staff members.
Those who wanted to try out new games before they hit the shelves (or demonstrate their upcoming games) could go to the Protospiel Room, where local game designers were running playtests and demos all weekend. Protospiel is an exciting opportunity to try out games while they’re still works in progress and provide feedback, and the room also offered raffle tickets to everyone who participated.
However, there was one very noticeable absence this DunDraCon: the lack of D&D or Pathfinder “organized play” games. Previous years would host both Dungeons & Dragons Adventurers League and Pathfinder Society games, and while last year only had Pathfinder, both were absent this time around. While there were rumors that the groups organizing those games disbanded, those were proven false by the local Adventurers League community hosting their own offsite event, with the organizers explaining that they left the con due to certain disputes.
While attendees interested in tabletop RPGs could still sign up for sessions hosted by other attendees, or run their own games, the organized play environment and the players that came with it were still missed. Many are hoping that the organizers will be able to come to an arrangement next year.
Shopping
While there were plenty of games to play, there were just as many to buy. DunDraCon’s Dealer’s Hall gave local vendors and artists a place to sell their goods, and there was no shortage of options. Several booths sold discounted games, while others offered handmade goods, artwork commissions, homemade dice, and more. Many an attendee left the hall with their wallets lighter and bags much heavier.
Attendees could even find hidden gems for free on the convention’s Freecycle Table. People could drop off games they no longer wanted there for others to pick up, and the offerings rotated significantly throughout the weekend as attendees snagged free games or left their own.
On Monday, DunDraCon held its Bazaar, where attendees could sell their old games and goods. The room was filled with shoppers looking for a great deal on well-loved games, helping the convention weekend end on a high note.
Seminars & Demos
Throughout the weekend, DunDraCon was host to an array of seminars, covering everything from wargame history to RPG horror stories. As 2024 celebrates the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, there were plenty of D&D-themed panels, including “50 Years of Dungeons & Dragons” and the “PlunderQuest Dungeon Grinder Game Show,” which also gave away D&D books as players introduced their characters only to meet a hilariously gruesome death.
Other seminars covered important topics, such as “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Context of Tabletop Gaming,” or provided advice on designing and running games or adventures. In short, there were plenty of panels for all to enjoy.
Several seminars also fell under the “War College” banner, focusing on not only wargames but real world and potential conflicts. While some of these were more sensitive subjects, such as the ongoing war in Ukraine, they were still engaging and informative sessions.
Additionally, Amtgard and the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) were also present, featuring workshops, discussions, and combat demonstrations throughout the weekend. These included fencing, whips, and similar demonstrations for interested attendees.
Miniature Painting
Arguably one of the most popular rooms throughout the weekend was the Miniature Painting Room. Attendees could stop by, pick up a free miniature, and start painting. The room’s organizers were enthusiastic, friendly, and helpful from the moment the doors opened to the time the convention ended, making it a welcome environment for painters of all skill levels.
On Saturday and Sunday, the Miniature Painting Room hosted all-day speed painting contests. Interested attendees had until 5 PM each day to start and finish painting a miniature, and all competition pieces were put on display for attendees to vote on. Beginners and experienced painters alike were encouraged to compete in their categories, and several amazing miniatures won prizes. (Full disclosure: this reporter also entered on Saturday and ended up placing in the advanced category.)
Game On
This was a year of many changes for DunDraCon, including an overhaul of its volunteer system. However, the convention remains a fun and exciting event for gamers of all ages, experience levels, and favorite games. There was no shortage of games to enjoy, shopping to do, and miniatures to paint, and anyone walking the halls could see plenty of attendees enjoying themselves.
(The lack of D&D Adventurers League and Pathfinder Society was a notable omission, but hopefully it will work out for future conventions. After all, it feels odd to have a DunDraCon without the DUNgeons or DRAgons.)
So as the long weekend came to a close, DunDraCon attendees returned to their homes with new games, new miniatures, and new memories of a weekend well-spent.
The post DunDraCon 47 Brings Four Days of Gaming to the Bay Area appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>The post Dungeons & Dragons Reveals Releases for 2024 appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>“D&D has a rich history, an exciting present, and a great future. This year we’ll be celebrating all three with the 50th Anniversary of the first publication of Dungeons & Dragons. We’ll take you through the making of the game, bring some of the classic adventures to today’s play, visit the most iconic settings in the D&D multiverse, and kick off the future of the game with the new 2024 core rulebooks that are the heart of the game.”
Kyle Brink, Executive Producer of the D&D team at Wizards of the Coast
Vecna: Eve of Ruin
The first new adventure to release in 2024 will be “Vecna: Eve of Ruin.” This adventure is designed for higher-level characters, taking them from levels 10-20, and features the famed archlich Vecna as the primary antagonist.
According to the product description: “Vecna: Eve of Ruin is a high-stakes adventure that takes characters from levels 10-20. You’ll tour the multiverse to revisit beloved settings such as the Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Ravenloft, Dragonlance, and Greyhawk, and team up with archmages to put an end to Vecna’s nefarious plot.”
Vecna is a somewhat well-known name even outside of D&D players, with the main villain in “Stranger Things” season 4 taking his name. The original Vecna debuted in 2nd edition, hailing from the world of Oerth in the Greyhawk setting, but has made his way across the multiverse (including Tal’dorei, as he appeared as a primary antagonist in season 1 of “Critical Role”).
D&D players also know Vecna for two powerful artifacts he left behind: his hand and eye, each of which can grant great power at a terrible price. (The “Head of Vecna” is another story, but a popular one among players.) D&D Beyond also released stats for Vecna in The Vecna Dossier, but whether or not those stats will remain the same in “Eve of Ruin” has yet to be seen.
“Vecna: Eve of Ruin” will be released May 21, 2024, and is available for preorder on D&D Beyond, including a digital and physical bundle.
Quests from the Infinite Staircase
The next adventure is an anthology containing adventures for level 1-13 characters. “Quests from the Infinite Staircase” updates six classic D&D adventures for fifth edition, similar to how “Tales from the Yawning Portal” adapted classic adventures like “White Plume Mountain” and “Tomb of Horrors.”
According to the description: “The Infinite Staircase leads to fantastic realms and is home to the noble genie Nafas, who recruits heroes to help fulfill wishes made throughout the multiverse.“
Most adventures in the book have not yet been announced. However, one adventure, “Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth,” will be made available early for play at conventions, in addition to being released free on D&D Beyond.
“Quests from the Infinite Staircase” will be released July 16, 2024.
2024 Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual
When Wizards of the Coast announced “One D&D” (as it was called at the time), part of the initiative was an update to the core rulebooks: the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual. Players had the opportunity to preview and provide feedback on the proposed rules and stat changes for the Player’s Handbook over the past year, but as the release date approaches, the changes are preparing to be finalized.
The changes include updates to races and classes (including, controversially, the removal of the half-elf and half-orc races), adjustments to certain mechanics, and a reworking of monster statblocks. However, WotC has made it clear that this is not a new edition, but an update to the current 5th edition, and that all previous books and adventures should remain compatible with the new rules.
The three books will be released separately from late 2024 to early 2025. The 2024 Player’s Handbook will be released September 17, followed by the Dungeon Master’s Guide on November 12. Finally, the Monster Manual will be released February 18, 2025.
And More
The announcement also mentioned new merchandise, partnerships, and more. These include:
- “The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons: 1970-1977,” a new book exploring the history of the game, including key documents and an early draft of D&D’s first edition.
- A partnership with Converse to create new footwear and apparel
- A LEGO partnership to create new D&D-themed sets and minifigures
- D&D-themed Pop-Tarts
2024 promises to be a big year for Dungeons & Dragons, as befitting its 50th anniversary. Keep an eye on G33k-HQ as more announcements are revealed.
Source: Dungeons & Dragons Celebrates 50th Anniversary in 2024 with More than 50 Million Fans
The post Dungeons & Dragons Reveals Releases for 2024 appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>The post Dungeons & Dragons Coming to Virtual Reality appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>Wizards of the Coast and Resolution Games have announced a partnership to create a new Dungeons & Dragons VR game. While this was only just announced, so details have not been disclosed, Resolution Games has already demonstrated its ability to bring tabletop tactics and dungeon delving into VR with their game Demeo.
According to Tommy Palm, founder and CEO of Resolution Games: “As anyone who’s played Demeo can guess, we’re incredibly huge fans of tabletop roleplaying games. They have an unparalleled power to bring people together to create shared experiences, and that’s something we’ve tried to capture, too, with nearly every release in our library. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS offers one of the richest fantasy worlds that has ever been created, and it only gets bigger with every new sourcebook and adventure. We’re beyond humbled to have the opportunity to work with such an incredible IP and look forward to sharing the first details of this new project in the future.”
Tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons have found a home on virtual tabletops like Roll20, although they still require friends to connect and play together. Wizards of the Coast has been working on its own virtual tabletop as well, although it’s not yet commercially available. Of course, D&D also has its own fair share of video games, including the “Baldur’s Gate” series, “Dungeons & Dragons Online,” and “Neverwinter,” although this will be its first foray into virtual reality.
Whether this new game takes the form of a virtual reality tabletop game, a single-player experience, or a multi-player VR game under the control of a pre-programmed Dungeon Master remains to be seen, so keep an eye on G33k-HQ for more information as it comes.
The post Dungeons & Dragons Coming to Virtual Reality appeared first on G33K-HQ.
]]>