D&D: Here’s A Look At Everything Coming Out For D&D This Year
After the big D&D Live event, multiple new books are confirmed. From Frostmaiden to quietly announced new player books, here’s what’s coming.
This past week was a big one for D&D, in more ways than one. From the massive streaming event that was D&D Live 2020: Roll with Advantage, to a statement addressing racial insensitivity in past 5th Edition books, as well as changes to make the game more diverse and inclusive, it was an announcement packed week. Out of all of that, here’s a look at some of the new books that we can confirm are coming.
Mythic Odysseys of Theros (Physical Book) July 21, 2020
This one’s a technicality (no, down, boo, over), but bears including because while Theros is out on digital services everywhere, the physical book has been pushed back to July 21st. Check out our review here if you’re thinking of picking it up, and see what we think.
The Book of Holding (A D&D Journal) August 4th, 2020
This is an “officially licensed keepsake journal” which means it can carry all the logos. It comes with a magnetic enclosure and a back pocket and can be used to keep all the usual things a journal can keep. Though it also comes with five pieces of full-color D&D artwork as well.
Rime of the Frostmaiden (New Adventure) September 15, 2020
First things first, the big new adventure book that kicks off the “Avalanche” storyline. This adventure is due out September 15th, and will send players to the frozen reaches of the ten towns of Icewind Dale in a quest that will bring them into conflict with the Frostmaiden herself, Auril, goddess of winter. But that’s not all, this adventure is decidedly chilling in more ways than one. Focusing on horror and isolation and paranoia in lieu of the traditional D&D fare, this book will feature all sorts of mechanics to make players feel ill-at-ease and alone, even as they adventure.
From player secrets that might cast a pallor over sessions, to hidden cultists, betrayals, and other encounters inspired by John Carpenter’s The Thing, there’s a lot to look forward to, if you want a little more horror in your D&D life:
“I think the most interesting part [of Rime of the Frostmaiden] is the character secrets… characters can play it one of two ways. They can keep their secret close to their chest and not reveal it to the other players, fostering and breeding paranoia, or they can reveal it anytime they want to, and then wrestle with the consequences of it. That’s left entirely up to the players.
The Thing is a story about an isolated group of people dealing with a monster in their midst, and much of the movie takes place at night. If you take that idea and apply it to a D&D campaign, there’s lot of potential there,” he said over email. “When your setting is a cold, dark, isolated place, the horror comes easily. I was struck by the fact that our previous excursions to Icewind Dale didn’t really lean in that direction, so here was a chance to show Icewind Dale in a different light.“
And inspired it is. The story takes place in an Icewind Dale beset by a dark affliction. Winter isn’t just coming, it’s here. And it doesn’t seem to be ending as cold and dark settle in on the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale.
Beasts and Behemoths (Young Adventurer’s Guide) October 20, 2020
The 5th book in the Young Adventurer’s Guide series, coming in October, Beasts and Behemoths takes readers into a world of unusual creatures, “from the miniscule to the massive.” We’ve talked about how wonderful these guides are before, and if you’re curious, you can get a better sense from our talk with Jim Zub, but these are some of the best accessories out there, giving your D&D game an injection of imagination and adventure
Heroes’ Feast (D&D Cookbook) October 27, 2020
This is a cookbook featuring 80 different recipes each themed from different foods found throughout D&D history. Researched by Jon Peterson, D&D historian, with recipes from throughout the many worlds of D&D, this is the themed snack book of your dreams.
Unannounced Player Option Book – November 2020 (?)
This book is a mystery book that has yet to be announced (but is likely due out in November). The community is referring to it as “Xanathar’s Guide 2” owing to the belief that it’s the book that will showcase all of the new Unearthed Arcana player content we’ve seen–including, as D&D announced in their Diversity Statement, an option for players to generate characters:
[This book] offers a way for a player to customize their character’s origin, including the option to change the ability score increases that come from being an elf, a dwarf, or one of D&D’s many other playable folk. This option emphasizes that each person in the game is an individual with capabilities all their own.
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Unannounced Book Featuring the Vistani 1 & 2
Another stealthily announced set of books, these are two books that feature the Vistani in a way that portrays them in a much more positive light:
To rectify that, we’ve not only made changes to Curse of Strahd, but in two upcoming books, we will also show—working with a Romani consultant—the Vistani in a way that doesn’t rely on reductive tropes.
That’s everything for now–but we’ll be keeping an eye out for more news as it drops.
Happy Adventuring!
