D&D: Spelljammer Is Just The Beginning
The head of ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ revealed that more ‘slipcase products’ are in the works. Here’s what we know about the Spelljammer slipcase.
One of the biggest new releases coming to D&D is Spelljammer: Adventures In Space.
WotC unveiled the classic setting at D&D Direct this past Thursday, confirming the dreams of gamers since the dawn of 5th Edition. But the product doesn’t look quite like the typical campaign setting book.
Instead, as WotC revealed, Spelljammer will be a 3-book set that comes with a DM Screen and Poster Map, all contained in a single slipcase. Each of the books will be 64 pages, for a total of 192 pages all about Spelljammer. This page count has raised a few eyebrows among the player base, as typically WotC’s setting books like Mythic Odysseys of Theros, Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica, and Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft have been more like 256 pages. With the occasional outlier like Eberron: Rising from the Last War, which weighs in around 320 pages long.
Perhaps WotC will manage to cram more setting detail in fewer pages. WotC hopes the new method will encourage an easier time for players. DMs won’t have to constantly flip around in the book – during D&D Direct team members noted multiple times that a DM could have the bestiary and the adventure open at the same time.
Spelljammer’s Slipcase is Only the Beginning
The new format was initially outlined as experimental for WotC. However, during the D&D Direct presentation, Head of Dungeons & Dragons, Ray Winninger revealed that the company has other projects like Spelljammer in development.
According to Winninger, the D&D Team is “particularly excited for [the slipcase] format,” and that we were “likely going to see several things in that format” in the coming years.
Another big example of a slipcase set is the Rules Expansion Gift Set. The three book set compares to Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, and Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse.
This is mostly new ground for Wizards of the Coast though. Perhaps as they explore worlds beyond Dragonlance and Spelljammer we’ll see deeper dives. We’ve seen hints at places like Dark Sun, recently. The format might let designers explore deeper. Athas getting a dedicated bestiary and gazetteer hearkens back to the glory days of campaign boxed sets. That’s back when you got pamphlets full of information piled on top of big hex maps.
Either way, it seems that WotC will be watching Spelljammer: Adventures in Space with interest. The future of D&D may depend on it.
Happy Adventuring
