Tag: Dungeons and Dragons

Critical Role has created a new role-playing game that is more complicated than D&D—and it’s a good thing

For some time now, talking about role-playing games, in many circles, has been practically synonymous with talking about Dungeons & Dragons. Sooner or later, the topic of the show that not only revitalized the game, but also gave it a second life on the Internet comes up: Critical Role. This program not only continues to this day, but has diversified into comics, novels, animated series… and, of course, its own role-playing game.

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D&Daggerheart

This new game, in particular, is called Daggerheart, and although it resembles D&D, it is completely different. Instead of relying on the classic 20-sided die to decide your actions, this game uses two 12-sided dice, and it becomes a little more complicated than the classic one because it is much more balanced. Think about it: with two dice, it is very difficult to roll really high or really low, which keeps the players’ abilities consistent before adding modifiers to them.

But beware! Because the master still uses a d20 for their rolls, making fights more exciting and more prone to both deadly attacks and horrifying failures. In other words: your rolls will be more or less stable, but your enemies’ won’t be. But there are many more variables, such as the dice of hope and fear, and more complex mechanics. This is not the D&D for beginners that some ask for, for a simple reason: that one already exists.

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One of its most well-known villains returns to Dungeons & Dragons… in a post-‘Stranger Things’ world

It will be 256 pages filled with enemies, twists, and -obviously- deaths. Vecna has returned, and it promises to be one of those unforgettable campaigns.

There were not a few who discovered (or rediscovered) the existence of Dungeons & Dragons thanks to ‘Stranger Things’ and the famous Demogorgon. However, in later seasons they bet on a new villain: a certain Vecna that sounded to the more adult fans but left many doubts to those who picked up the books for the first time. Who was Vecna? And why should he be feared? Now, finally, Wizards of the Coast has set to work to bring the character back into the spotlight before the last season of Netflix.

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Vecna’s Flakes

Now, the villain will appear in the new campaign for characters from level 10 to 20, ‘Vecna: Eve of ruin’, where he will try to destroy the game’s multiverse. And yes, that includes Dragonlance, Planescape, Spelljammer or Eberron (even that one you made on your own one day) in a manic race throughout the different hidden places of D&D. In order to do that, players have to be fully immersed and soaked in what it means to play in order to not hesitate for a moment when preparing a fireball or wasting time at the tavern (being D&D, frankly, it’s the thing to do).

Rarely has the world of D&D been in such danger: in fact, the only way to defeat Vecna will be to work with three well-known archmages to rebuild the Staff of the Seven Parts. Perhaps then they will have a chance against the most evil being that has ever set foot in the multiverse. It will be 256 pages full of enemies, twists, and -obviously- deaths. Vecna has returned, and promises to be one of those unforgettable campaigns. Get your 20-sided dice ready, the adventure awaits you.

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Dungeons & Dragons shares its Holy Grail (and you will also be able to afford it)

There’s a key piece of the millionaire puzzle that is D&D that we thought we’d never ever have in our hands to explore freely… Until now.

‘Dungeons & Dragons’ is not only a vital part of understanding pop culture in the last fifty years: it is also a game that, even after so much time, continues to be indestructible against all odds. And that is demonstrated thanks to a fifth edition that, combined with the Internet, has meant the definitive resurgence of role-playing games. However, there is a key piece of the million-dollar puzzle that is D&D that we thought we would never have in our hands to explore at will… Until now.

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Gygaxtron

In reality, ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ didn’t start with the iconic red box that appeared in, for example, ‘Stranger Things’, and that has been portrayed so many times in movies and television. Actually, it all began with the famous “brown box” from TSR back in 1974, which contained three volumes intended for playing fantasy medieval war campaigns with pencil, paper, and miniature figurines. If you want an original one, be prepared to pay at least $13,000. And that’s in poor condition.

But there is something even earlier: the manuscript that gave rise to this book, the Holy Grail, the Rosetta Stone of role-playing games. Now, it will be reproduced in its entirety for the first time in history in a book about the evolution of D&D from 1970 to 1977. It all started when Gary Gygax, who had written the game ‘Chainmail’ (nothing like the role-playing you imagine today), discovered that another player, Dave Arneson, was running his own campaign called ‘Blackmoor’. They began to correspond, Arneson sent him the notes from his game and Gygax turned them into a 50-page outline for what would later become ‘Dungeons & Dragons’.

Afterwards, this 50-page document became a 100-page one when both of them started adding notes. Both writings, typed by Gygax, will be available in the book. In fact, according to its author, it is the only reason why it is going to be released. The world needed to see it because it is something that, no matter how much you search, you won’t find on the Internet (at least not in its original format). And, certainly, after reading it, D&D historians are going to go completely crazy. The fifth edition’s renewal? It can wait a bit.

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The enhanced edition of Dungeons & Dragons 5E will not arrive until next year… for its own good

From Hasbro they have been assuring for some time that they are working on an improved edition of 5E, but it’s taking its time. And that is, contrary to what we are accustomed to in video games, very good.

By now there is no doubt: the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons marked a before and after in the game. Since its implementation in 2014 by Wizards of the Coast, they have dared to touch little things here and there in different manuals, usually to add classes and races, but the sixth edition is still far away (if it ever comes). Instead, Hasbro has been claiming for some time that they are working on an improved edition of 5E, but it is taking its time. And that is, contrary to what we are used to in video games, very good.

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Role-playing books fill my shelves

Anyone who has never played role-playing games believes that there is only one manual for D&D, but the truth is that every few years the game system is modernized and improved, with strong points like the 3.5 edition and very low points like the fourth, which still remains infamous for most people. This kind of version 5.5, which would celebrate the game’s 50th anniversary, has been being tweaked since 2022 to try to fit into all gaming tables. It’s not easy: it must be similar enough to 5E to be easily accepted and different enough to make it worth getting the manual. If the delay is to achieve this in an almost alchemical way, it will be welcome.

To be fair, it must be said that in 2025 only the revised monster manual will be released, and before that we will have the Dungeon Master’s guide and the player’s guide. In Spain, we still don’t know when they will be translated, but by the time they are, we should already have the most important rule variations in our hands. Start getting out the twenty-sided dice, because tonight we’re playing properly again.

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The D&D illustrations are being passed to AI, and fans are banging their heads against the wall. Or maybe not?

We are aware of the concerns of the community regarding the use of generative AI in a piece of art that we recently showcased. We have confirmed with the author that generative AI was not used.

2023 has been the year of massive layoffs. Few gigantic companies have kept all their staff and have started to lay off people in droves, something that has been particularly noticeable in the world of video games. And, of course, in the end, it is something that has also affected board games, with Hasbro at the forefront, which has laid off 1900 employees in just one year. It is worth remembering that they are now the owners of Wizards of the Coast or, in other words, of Magic and Dungeons and Dragons. And chaos has taken over social media.

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AI Dungeons Dragons

Fans are jumping on the bandwagon with AI, and with good reason: even though we buy role-playing and card games to play, we also enjoy the artwork, and there is not much interest in having machines create it. Wizards of the Coast recently faced backlash for using artificial intelligence to create an image, and fans are not willing to let their guard down.

That’s why, to the layoffs they have added a job application in which they offered between $71,000 and $116,000 to a digital artist who “can use magical tools in Photoshop” or “Refine and modify illustrative art for print and digital media through retouching, color correction…”. And of course, all the alarms have gone off in the homes of role players, especially after seeing a new image for 2024: AI in D&D? Not on our watch.

However, all these accusations have been dismissed by Wizards of the Coast themselves, who posted on the D&D Beyond Twitter account “We are aware of the concerns of the community regarding the use of generative AI in a piece of art that we recently showcased. We have confirmed with the author that generative AI was not used, which is consistent with our style guidelines for artists that restrict it.”

After everything they have gone through in D&D to let people know that they will continue to use original art, it seems unlikely that Hasbro has forced them to throw it all away and ask for it from MidJourney. Are we angry and eager for AI not to take over the market? Of course. But maybe we should be looking more at department store toy catalogs and less at role-playing books, which, for now, have decided not to take advantage of unsuspecting people by charging them a fortune. At least one thing is clear: 20-sided dice will never be replaced by artificial intelligence. Hopefully.

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Dungeons & Dragons is going to release its biggest player’s manual… if the boycott doesn’t prevent it

In 2024, Wizards of the Coast will celebrate the game’s 50th anniversary by releasing a Player’s Handbook that encompasses all revised editions previously known as OneD&D.

It can’t be said that the acquisition of Wizards of the Coast by Hasbro has left behind smiles, joy, and congratulations. Quite the opposite: the announcement that the company will lay off 29% of its workforce has not been well received by fans of the role-playing game, who have either launched a boycott or, at the very least, recommended other similar games that even use the 5E rules. But let’s see how they compete against -literally- the biggest release in the history of D&D. It can’t be done.

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An infernal book

In 2024, Wizards of the Coast will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the game by releasing a Player’s Handbook that covers all the revised editions previously known as OneD&D. And what does this mean? Well, it means that it will have a total of 12 classes, with 4 subclasses each (48 in total), plus backgrounds, new spells, weapon rules, and of course, new art that, after the last setback, will not be made with artificial intelligence.

It doesn’t quite reach the level of 6E of D&D, but it can be considered 5.5E because it even changes the way we play: now, your background affects the initial ability scores of the characters and also offers a special ability at level one. The idea is that the player feels, even at higher levels, that their past has an impact on their character. Narrative used through mechanics. At the very least, interesting.

However, as you can imagine, 48 subclasses are not few, and this Player’s Handbook will also be the largest to date in size. However, it does not come to revolutionize your character that you created in 2014: you can continue playing it but with a couple of additions. According to the creators, the idea is for you to continue with your games, but with some novelties to make D&D even more attractive.

The Monster Manual will also have a new edition with over 500 enemies and the Dungeon Master‘s will be expanded with a complete campaign and different adventures. If you are a fan, you know you have to have these new editions. If you are not, it’s the perfect time to buy your first 20-sided die. The adventure awaits you on the other side of the coast.

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20,000 hours playing ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ before daring to script ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’. Now, that’s the way to do it

And do you know what was most interesting about his entire CV? Your abilities playing D&D. Exactly: before joining the company he dedicated more than 20,000 hours to playing

Many – too many – people are convinced that playing ‘Dungeons & Dragons‘ is very complicated and requires spending a lot of money. When, in reality, all you need are the free rules from the internet, a set of dice, pencil, paper, and imagination. Is it a Trojan horse, and will you end up spending your entire paycheck on a beautiful handmade 20-sided die you saw on Etsy? Absolutely. But it can also shape the rest of your life.

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A (not so) infernal world

And the proof is James Ohlen, the writer and designer of the first ‘Baldur’s Gate,’ who introduced BioWare to the world. And do you know what interested them the most from his entire resume? His skills in playing D&D. Exactly: before joining the company, he spent more than 20,000 hours playing (which can be two long sessions, we won’t deceive you). Or, more precisely, mastering.

The idea is that if you’ve dedicated 10,000 hours to something, you know how to do it better than someone with innate talent. “It’s ridiculous. I owe a lot to D&D. My friendships, my career, my mental stability,” he said. Ohlen eventually became the design director of BioWare and worked on ‘Neverwinter Nights,’ the sequel to ‘Baldur’s Gate,’ and even games unrelated to D&D like the iconic ‘Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic’ or ‘Dragon Age: Origins.’

In BioWare, they weren’t just looking for his ability to play, but also for the files in which he recorded everything about each character and the world, bringing them into the video games. It wasn’t Ohlen’s intention, but he ended up using the wizards and warriors he had guided (or played) over the years, some of whom have endured until the recently released ‘Baldur’s Gate 3.’

Being a role-playing game master isn’t easy, and you need players willing to follow your stories and not sabotage you (at least, not always). But when you succeed, it’s addictive. So much so that in the end, you can dedicate your career to it. James Ohlen has fulfilled any role player’s dream: in fact, he is now working with Wizards of the Coast, creating new intellectual properties and developing video games based on the saga. He rolled a natural 20 in charisma.

“Dungeons & Dragons” introduces its first autistic character into the canon

If in the past he had eliminated some unequivocally negative racial characteristics, now he has created characters for a minority that were more than necessary.

To the dismay of some long-time players who resist the world’s evolution and to the joy of a new generation demanding that “Dungeons & Dragons” become more than just a role-playing game still steeped in the stereotypes of the 70s, Wizards of the Coast has decided that the world’s number one role-playing game should grow in every way. While in the past, they removed some unequivocally negative racial features, they have now created characters for a minority that were more than necessary.

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They hide among the shadows

It’s not that there haven’t been autistic characters before, of course, but they didn’t appear in the game books in any way; instead, they were born (and probably died, like everyone else) at the players’ tables. In the end, it’s the players who have shaped the course of D&D for years. The game has never stopped being a reflection of its own players. When they asked for more complexity, they got 3.5E, and when Critical Role brought it back into the spotlight, they made special rules for it.

Now, in ‘The Deck of Many Things,’ a deck of cards similar to tarot cards representing different magical items and spells, which is an updated version of what Gary Gygax launched in 1975, it seems fun enough to introduce into a modern D&D session. Furthermore, the deck will come with a book called, of course, ‘The Book of Many Things,’ which is written from the perspective of Asteria, a princess turned paladin who is also autistic.

Makenzie de Armas, one of the designers of this edition, is autistic and wanted to incorporate much of her own experience into it. For example, Asteria can become so focused on a mission or a book that she forgets to eat or creates an enmity by breaking a toy. To put it this way, it’s not just a nod but permeates the entire character and her actions, even though it’s not what defines her.

The book and the deck will be released in the fall in the United States as part of the celebration of the ten years of D&D 5E, an edition that will be challenging to surpass as it has become the standard for a whole generation that may not readily accept potential changes in 6E. They have announced a sort of sixth edition called One D&D for next year, but it will be fully compatible, just in case anyone decides to stray from the flock.

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From Tolkien to TTRPG: The Surprising Inspiration Behind Dungeons & Dragons

Although Gary Gygax, co-creator of D&D, has once said that he didn’t even like Tolkien work, the truth is that in its first edition it went from homage and inspiration bordering directly on plagiarism.

We can all differentiate between ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Dungeons & Dragons‘ without much trouble. The first is an epic trilogy by JRR Tolkien and the other expands over decades of player-dependent imagination and lore. Beyond being both fantasy, they’re nothing alike, are they? Well. Certainly not what Tolkien’s heirs thought at the time… And rightly so.

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Dungeons & Hobbits

Although Gary Gygax, co-creator of D&D, has once said that he did not even like Tolkien’s work, the truth is that in his first edition he went beyond homage and inspiration, bordering directly on plagiarism. In fact, in the first editions of the role-playing game, the race of the halflings was called, simply… Hobbit. Of course, the matter ended up being resolved in a lawsuit.

Trial in which, by the way, Tolkien’s heirs also asked not to use words such as “dragon”, “dwarf” or “elf” because they appear in ‘The Lord of the Rings‘. As we now know, words that already belonged to the language could be used freely, while others inherent to the writer’s work, such as “ent” (which in D&D was, without giving it half a twist, a living tree), had to be eliminated in successive editions. The enemy remains, only now it is called “treant”. Three more letters, zero judgments.

They are not the only characters viciously plagiarized by Gary Gygax. The Balors were called “Balrogs” in their initial notes, even though in this case they have wings as a way to differentiate themselves from the original, and a very powerful metal species is called “mithril” or, as it later became known to avoid direct plagiarism, “mithral”. Like the Ricky Rouse mouse, wow.

There is much more where historians have been scratching the socarrat of D&D only to discover that there is much they owe to Tolkien, from the idea of the “community of heroes” itself to very specific things like the mines where the dwarves dwell and which resemble (little) surprisingly to Moria. Come on, all that was missing in D&D was the presence of a unique “ring” to throw into the volcano of the “Vespino”. Thank goodness it has been normalized over time and we can roll 20-sided dice and enjoy the novels at the same time without having to choose. And now, duck, watch out for that balr… balor!

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Wizards and Algorithms: The Showdown Between Dungeons & Dragons and Artificial Intelligence

Ilya Shkipin, the artist of the book in question, stated, after a controversy on Twitter over the use of AI, that he did use it to polish some details.

It is not without irony that even a game like ‘Dungeons & Dragons’, based solely on imagination and venturing into fantastical worlds, battling strange creatures, and solving puzzles set by a more or less challenging dungeon master, has fallen into the clutches of AI. Over the months, what began as a fun aid for artists has turned into an anti-creative nightmare, a haven for those who, instead of improving their style or learning to draw, have opted for a computer to do it for them.

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A hellish world

It turns out that in the latest book of the franchise, published by Wizards of the Coast, several images generated by artificial intelligence have made their way. ‘Bigby presents: Glory of the Giants’ was released digitally on August 1st, and the physical version will be released on the 15th. The book features new giant enemies, revised rules, spells, and completely new ways to create a character.

The issue arose when Ilya Shkipin, the artist of the book in question, stated, following a controversy on Twitter over the use of AI, that he indeed used it to refine some details, although the majority of the art was painted digitally. Interestingly, Shkipin has been illustrating for various D&D books for ten years and had never encountered any issues like this before.

Wizards of the Coast has quickly moved to safeguard the (more or less) good reputation of their flagship brand by stating that they will review their process and update the guidelines for artists to “make it clear that they should avoid using artificial intelligence art generation as part of their creative process in D&D.” Apparently, they were not aware of what was happening, and after speaking with Shkipin, they have ensured that he will not use AI in the future, leaving this as an anomaly. At least for now.

This isn’t the first time that AI has made a strong entry into the world of tabletop games, nor is it the first negative reaction from the community. Games like ‘Pathfinder’ and ‘Starfinder,’ for instance, made a promise that none of their artists would use AI by contract. On the other side are games like ‘Yavalath,’ created from scratch by a generative AI. Only time will tell who was right.

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