This weekend, in the Geek Native Audio EXP podcast, I asked, “What year of the dragon?” and why we’ve had so little from Wizards of the Coast as D&D’s 50th birthday sailed by.
Today, Wizards of the Coast have announced the official timeline for D&D’s 50th and it includes;
- Official D&D Converse.
- Official D&D Lego
- Dates for the new rulebooks
- The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons: 1970-1977
- Vecna: Eve of Ruin, an adventure for levels 10 to 20
- Quests from the Infinite Staircase, an adventure for levels 1 to 13
Geek Native shows the alternative black cover for Vecna: Eve of Ruin in this blog post.
D&D’s 50th birthday timeline
15/3/2024
Keys from the Golden Vault (Europe)
A collection of 13 heist-themed adventures presented by a mysterious organization for player levels 1-11
21/5/2024
Vecna: Eve of Ruin
A high-stakes adventure in which the fate of the entire multiverse hangs in the balance. The heroes begin in the Forgotten Realms and travel to Planescape, Spelljammer, Eberron, Ravenloft, Dragonlance, and Greyhawk as they race to save existence from obliteration by the notorious lich Vecna who is weaving a ritual to eliminate good, obliterate the gods, and subjugate all worlds.
6/2024
Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants (Europe)
Join the wizard Bigby on an incredible journey through the world of giants and discover new colossal player options
18/6/2024
The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons: 1970-1977
The ultimate book showcasing D&D’s inception, including Gary Gygax’s never-before-seen first draft of D&D written in 1973, a curated collection of published fanzine and magazine articles contribute to D&D’s origin story. Each document is introduced, described, and woven into the story by one of the game’s foremost historians, Jon Peterson.
16/7/2024
Quests from the Infinite Staircase
This anthology weaves together six classic DUNGEONS & DRAGONS adventures while updating them for the game’s fifth edition. The Infinite Staircase holds doors leading to fantastic realms. It’s home to the noble genie Nafas, who hears wishes made throughout the multiverse and recruits heroes to fulfill them.
9/2024
Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk
Return to Phandalin, a beloved location from the Starter Set’s adventure “Lost Mines of Phandelver”, and discover an evil plot for players levels 1-12
17/9/2024
Player’s Handbook (2024)
Take your game to the next level with the revised 2024 Player’s Handbook. More player options, enhanced organization, and engaging additions to the fifth edition rules, make this a must have for your next Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
12/11/2024
Dungeon Master’s Guide (2024)
It’s never been easier to become the Dungeon Master than with the revised 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide. Learn the craft from the experts in a cleverly crafted and accessible approach to running your own game. With more tools than ever before, becoming the master of your own multiverse will be a snap.
18/2/2025
Monster Manual (2025)
The revised 2025 Monster Manual brings you the greatest selection of foes to face off with your player’s characters than ever assembled in the history of the game. More options at all levels of play means more ways to provide the challenges that will keep them coming back to the table again and again.
Definitely not D&D 6 or D&D 5.5
The official descriptions of the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide and Monster Manual say, as expected, these are revised books. The word “edition” isn’t used. However, we can’t call these the 2024 editions or versions, as the Monster Manual isn’t out until 2025 when D&D will be 51.
Kyle Brink, Executive Producer of the team making D&D at Wizards of the Coast.
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. We’ve been building up to this for a while now. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Gary Con and PAX East get name-checks, Gen Con does not, and WotC even tuck Keys from the Golden Vault, Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants and Phandelver and Blow: The Shattered Obelisk into the birthday year as releases in France, Italy, Germany and Spain.
Some are wondering about the health of D&D which, despite a cult but not popular hit movie, has been going through a rough patch. Wizards of the Coast have just so happened to call the next book Eve of Ruin.
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