D&D Next Collector's Guide

Welcome to the D&D Next Collector's Guide!

This is one of a series of Echohawk's D&D Collector's Guides, each of which aims to provide a comprehensive guide to D&D products published for a particular setting or era of the game. This particular guide focuses on D&D Next, which is still under development. Since D&D Next hasn't actually been released yet, there aren't any official products to include in this guide. Instead, this Collector's Guide lists the content of each playtest packets so far, and includes articles, podcasts and videos about the next iteration of D&D. Once Wizards of the Coast publishes information about their intended release schedule for D&D Next products, this Collector's Guide will be updated.

This was the twenty-first installment when the Collector's Guides were first published. The original thread for this Collector's Guide is here.

[size=-2]Collector's Guides: 1st Edition, 2nd Edition, 3rd Edition, 4th Edition, Next, Al-Qadim, Birthright, Blackmoor, Dark Sun, Dragonlance, Eberron, Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Kingdoms of Kalamar, Lankhmar, Miscellaneous, Mystara, Oriental Adventures, Planescape, Ravenloft, Spelljammer[/size]

[h=1]Printed products[/h]

[h=2]Preview mini-campaign[/h[
Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle (August 2013)

[h=1]Playtest material[/h]

[h=2]Playtest Packet (2012-05-24)[/h]
A letter from Mike Mearls (1 page)
D&D Playtest: How to Play (31 pages)
D&D Playtest: DM Guidelines (9 pages)
D&D Playtest: Bestiary (34 pages)
Dungeon Module B2: The Caves of Chaos (29 pages)
Character: High Elf Wizard (2 pages)
Character: Hill Dwarf Fighter (1 page)
Character: Human Cleric of Pelor (2 pages)
Character: Lightfoot Halfling Rogue (2 pages)
Character: Mountain Dwarven Cleric of Moradin (2 pages)

[h=2]Playtest Packet (2012-08-13)[/h]
D&D Next: August 13 Playtest (2 pages)
D&D Playtest: How to Play (18 pages)
D&D Playtest: DM Guidelines (13 pages)
Creating a Character (4 pages)
Classes (10 pages)
Races (7 pages)
Backgrounds (8 pages)
Specialities (6 pages)
Spells (13 pages)
Equipment (9 pages)
Bestiary (18 pages)
Character sheet (2 pages)
Pre-Gen: Dwarf Fighter (2 pages)
Pre-Gen: Elf Wizard (3 pages)
Pre-Gen: Halfling Rogue (2 pages)
Pre-Gen: Human Cleric (3 pages)
Pre-Gen: Human Fighter (2 pages)

[h=2]Playtest Packet (2012-08-17)[/h]
Identical to the previous packet, but with the following new or updated files.

Classes (18 pages)
Reclaiming Blingdenstone (45 pages)

[h=2]Playtest Packet (2012-10-08)[/h]
Similar to the previous packet, but with the following new and updated files, and a new packet summary.

D&D Next: October 8 Playtest (1 page)
D&D Playtest: DM Guidelines (13 pages)
Magic Items (27 pages)
Bestiary (18 pages)
Dungeon Module B2: The Caves of Chaos (23 pages)

[h=2]Playtest Packet (2012-10-29)[/h]
D&D Next Playtest Update ("Read First", 2 pages)
How to Play (24 pages)
Creating a Character (5 pages)
Classes (14 pages)
Races (8 pages)
Backgrounds and Skills (10 pages)
Specialties and Feats (7 pages)
Maneuvers (4 pages)
Spells (20 pages)
Equipment (11 pages)
Magic Items (31 pages)
DM Guidelines (15 pages)
Bestiary (54 pages)
Reclaiming Blingdenstone (40 pages)
Dungeon Module B2: The Caves of Chaos (not updated, 23 pages)
Dungeon Adventure X1: The Isle of Dread (44 pages)
Character sheet (2 pages)
Pre-gen: Dwarf Fighter (2 pages)
Pre-gen: Elf Wizard (2 pages)
Pre-gen: Halfling Rogue (2 pages)
Pre-gen: Human Cleric (2 pages)
Pre-gen: Human Fighter (1 page)

[h=2]Playtest Packet (2012-11-13)[/h]
Identical to the previous packet, but with the following new or updated files.

Classes (18 pages)
Maneuvers (5 pages)

[h=2]Playtest Packet (2012-12-17)[/h]
D&D Next Playtest Update ("Read First", 3 pages)
How to Play (24 pages)
Creating a Character (5 pages)
Classes (28 pages)
Races (8 pages)
Backgrounds and Skills (11 pages)
Specialties and Feats (11 pages)
Maneuvers (4 pages)
Spells (35 pages)
Equipment (11 pages)
Magic Items (30 pages)
DM Guidelines (14 pages)
Bestiary (95 pages)
Reclaiming Blingdenstone (not updated, 40 pages)
Dungeon Module B2: The Caves of Chaos (not updated, 23 pages)
Dungeon Adventure X1: The Isle of Dread (not updated, 44 pages)
The Mud Sorcerer's Tomb (34 pages)
Character sheet (not updated, 2 pages)
Pre-gen: Dwarf Fighter (2 pages)
Pre-gen: Elf Wizard (2 pages)
Pre-gen: Halfling Rogue (2 pages)
Pre-gen: Human Cleric (2 pages)
Pre-gen: Human Fighter (1 page)

[h=2]Playtest Packet (2013-01-28)[/h]
Similar to the previous packet, but with the following new or updated files.

D&D Next Playtest Update ("Read First", 3 pages)
How to Play (24 pages)
Creating a Character (5 pages)
Classes (32 pages)
Spells (35 pages)
Conversion Notes: Against the Cult of Chaos (19 pages)

[h=2]Playtest Packet (2013-03-20)[/h]
D&D Next Playtest Update ("Read First", 3 pages)
How to Play (25 pages)
Creating a Character (5 pages)
Classes (49 pages)
Races (8 pages)
Backgrounds and Skills (6 pages)
Specialties and Feats (14 pages)
Spells (50 pages)
Equipment (11 pages)
DM Guidelines (23 pages)
Bestiary (91 pages)
Magic Items (31 pages)
Pre-gen: Dwarf Fighter (1 page)
Pre-gen: Dwarf Paladin (2 pages)
Pre-gen: Elf Ranger (2 pages)
Pre-gen: Elf Wizard (2 pages)
Pre-gen: Halfling Rogue (1 page)
Pre-gen: Human Cleric (2 pages)
Character sheet (not updated, 2 pages)
Dungeon Module B2: The Caves of Chaos (not updated, 23 pages)
Dungeon Adventure X1: The Isle of Dread (not updated, 44 pages)
Reclaiming Blingdenstone (not updated, 40 pages)
The Mud Sorcerer's Tomb (not updated, 34 pages)
Conversion Notes: Against the Cult of Chaos (not updated, 19 pages)
Conversion Notes: Storm over Neverwinter (21 pages)

[h=2]Playtest Packet (2013-03-21)[/h]
This was an unannounced stealth update of the previous packet, with just two files updated to fix errors.

Classes (49 pages)
Spells (50 pages)

[h=2]Playtest Packet (2013-04-01)[/h]
Identical to the previous packet, but with the addition of the Mines of Madness adventure and pre-gens.

Mines of Madness (47 pages)
Pre-gen: Dwarf Fighter (1 page)
Pre-gen: Dwarf Paladin (2 pages)
Pre-gen: Elf Ranger (2 pages)
Pre-gen: Elf Wizard (2 pages)
Pre-gen: Halfling Rogue (1 page)
Pre-gen: Human Cleric (2 pages)

[h=2]Playtest Packet (2013-04-11)[/h]
Identical to the previous packet, but with the addition of the four bestiaries for the S-series adventures.

D&D Next Bestiary for Module S1: Tomb of Horrors (7 pages)
D&D Next Bestiary for Module S2: White Plume Mountain (14 pages)
D&D Next Bestiary for Module S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks (27 pages)
D&D Next Bestiary for Module S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (41 pages)

[h=2]Playtest Packet (2013-06-07)[/h]
D&D Next Playtest Update ("Read First", 2 pages)
How to Play (24 pages)
Creating a Character (not updated, 5 pages)
Classes (49 pages)
Races (not updated, 8 pages)
Additional Races (2 pages)
Backgrounds and Skills (not updated, 6 pages)
Specialties and Feats (14 pages)
Spells (56 pages)
Equipment (11 pages)
DM Guidelines (not updated, 23 pages)
Bestiary (91 pages)
Magic Items (not updated, 31 pages)
Character sheet (not updated, 2 pages)
Dungeon Module B2: The Caves of Chaos (not updated, 23 pages)
Dungeon Adventure X1: The Isle of Dread (not updated, 44 pages)
Reclaiming Blingdenstone (not updated, 40 pages)
Conversion Notes: Against the Cult of Chaos (not updated, 19 pages)
Conversion Notes: Storm over Neverwinter (not updated, 21 pages)
Mines of Madness (not updated, 47 pages)
D&D Next Bestiary for Module S1: Tomb of Horrors (not updated, 7 pages)
D&D Next Bestiary for Module S2: White Plume Mountain (not updated, 14 pages)
D&D Next Bestiary for Module S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks (not updated, 27 pages)
D&D Next Bestiary for Module S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (not updated, 41 pages)
The Mud Sorcerer's Tomb (40 pages)
Conversion Notes: Search for the Diamond Staff (23 pages)
Vault of the Dracolich Bestiary (12 pages)
D&D Next Monster Statistics for Against the Slave Lords (A0-A5) (77 pages)
Pre-gens (Level 1): Dwarf Fighter (1 page)
Pre-gens (Level 1): Dwarf Paladin (4 pages)
Pre-gens (Level 1): Elf Ranger (3 pages)
Pre-gens (Level 1): Elf Wizard (4 pages)
Pre-gens (Level 1): Halfling Rogue (1 page)
Pre-gens (Level 1): Human Cleric (5 pages)
Pre-gens (Level 3): Dwarf Fighter (1 page)
Pre-gens (Level 3): Dwarf Paladin (4 pages)
Pre-gens (Level 3): Elf Ranger (3 pages)
Pre-gens (Level 3): Elf Wizard (5 pages)
Pre-gens (Level 3): Halfling Rogue (1 page)
Pre-gens (Level 3): Human Cleric (7 pages)
Pre-gens (Level 4): Dwarf Fighter (2 page)
Pre-gens (Level 4): Dwarf Paladin (4 pages)
Pre-gens (Level 4): Elf Ranger (3 pages)
Pre-gens (Level 4): Elf Wizard (6 pages)
Pre-gens (Level 4): Halfling Rogue (1 page)
Pre-gens (Level 4): Human Cleric (7 pages)

[h=2]Playtest adventures[/h]
Caves of Chaos (DDXP, January 2012)
Reclaiming Blingdenstone (GenCon, August 2012)
A0: Danger at Darkshelf Quarry (Winter Fantasy, January 2013)
G1: The Steading of the Hill Giant Chief (Winter Fantasy, January 2013)
Mines of Madness (PAX East, March 2013)
Vault of the Dracolich (Game Day, June 2013)
Murder in Baldur's Gate (GenCon, August 2013)
Confrontation at Candlekeep (GenCon, August 2013)

[h=2]Miscellaneous playtest material[/h]
Return to the Caves of Chaos (PDF download, July 2012)

[h=1]Magazine articles[/h]

[h=2]Dungeon Magazine[/h]
Dungeon 213, p68, The Tomb of Horrors (April 2013)

[h=1]Web articles[/h]
Not all of the articles listed below are about D&D Next, but the majority of them deal with the design process for the next iteration of D&D. For the sake of completeness, all of the articles making up these columns are listed here. Those marked with an asterisk don't have any D&D Next content.

[h=2]Dragon's-Eye View articles[/h]
An Introduction (February 2012)
Art and Artists in D&D (February 2012)
A Rose By Any Other Name (March 2012)
Consumer, Engage, Cherish (March 2012)
Drawing Stick Figures (March 2012)
Appropriate Armor (March 2012)
Et, And, Ampersand (April 2012)
Brown is Nothing but Dark Beige (April 2012)
Pointy Hats (April 2012)
Secret Handshake (April 2012)
Sexism in Fantasy (May 2012)
D&D Art Philosophy (May 2012)
The Making of an Owlbear (May 2012)
Depictions (May 2012)
Violence and Gore (May 2012)
Making of an Owlbear, Part 2 (June 2012)
Discussing Iconics (June 2012)
Cartography (June 2012)
Judged by Its Cover (June 2012)
Project Yore (July 2012)*
What Did You Expect? (July 2012)
Wandering Monsters (July 2012)
Da Ga-Noll (August 2012)
What Color Is That Goblin? (August 2012)
Lizardfolk (August 2012)
Drow Treachery (August 2012)
Creatures at Gen Con 2012 (September 2012)
More Than a Shaggy Person (September 2012)
By Its Cover or Its Guts? (September 2012)
Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum (September 2012)
Across Worlds. Across Media. (October 2012)
Goblinoids, Take Two (October 2012)
Undead (October 2012)
Dragons. Dragons. Dragons. (October 2012)
Nature vs. Nurture (October 2012)
Short People (November 2012)
The Devil Made Me Do It (November 2012)
A Problem with Fey (November 2012)
Art Collections (November 2012)
Feedback (December 2012)
Essence (December 2012)
Reimagining Kobolds (January 2013)
Celestials, Angels, Devas (January 2013)
Color and Texture (January 2013)
Hippogriffon? (January 2013)
Covering the Past (January 2013)
Hydra (February 2013)
Halflings, Part 2 (February 2013)
My Best Bud, D&D (February 2013)
Neverwinter: Behind the Curtain (March 2013)*
Neverwinter: Behind the Curtain, Part 2 (March 2013)*
Neverwinter: Behind the Curtain, Part 3 (March 2013)*
Neverwinter: Behind the Curtain, Part 4 (April 2013)*
Cutter Comic, Part 1 (April 2013)*
Cutter Comic, Part 2 (April 2013)*
Cutter Comic, Part 3 (April 2013)*
Imagining the World (May 2013)
Concepts in Art (May 2013)
What Makes for a Great T-Shirt? (June 2013)*
Vault of the Dracolich (June 2013)
Fans + A-Series = Awesome! (June 2013)*
A Wizard of a Different Color (July 2013)

[h=2]Legends & Lore articles[/h]
Charting the Course for D&D (January 2012)
Looking at the Past and the Future (January 2012)
The Genius of D&D (January 2012)
Uniting the Editions, Part 1 (January 2012)
Uniting the Editions, Part 2 (February 2012)
Uniting the Editions, Part 3 (February 2012)
Uniting the Editions, Part 3 Addendum (February 2012)
The Challenge of High Level Play (February 2012)
Putting the Vance in Advenced (February 2012)
Save or Die! (March 2012)
Turning and Churning (March 2012)
The One-Hour D&D Game (March 2012)
These Are Not the Rules You're Looking For (March 2012)
A Menagerie of Topics (April 2012)
D&D Next Design Considerations (April 2012)
A Walk Down Monster Lane (April 2012)
Cleric Design Goals (April 2012)
Fighter Design Goals (April 2012)
Rogue Design Goals (May 2012)
Balancing Wizards in D&D (May 2012)
Hit Points, Our Old Friend (May 2012)
Playtest: First Round Overview (May 2012)
Playtest: DM Packet Overview (May 2012)
Bounded Accuracy (June 2012)
Monster Design in D&D Next (June 2012)
Monster Design, Part 2 (June 2012)
Playtest Update (June 2012)
Magic Items in D&D Next (July 2012)
Working in the Game Mine (July 2012)
The Five-Minute Workday (July 2012)
Monster Creation in D&D Next (July 2012)
Fighters & Combat Superiority (July 2012)
Playtest Update, Part 2 (August 2012)
Playtest Packet Two (August 2012)
Sorcerers and Warlocks (August 2012)
RPG Design Philosophy (September 2012)
Multiclassing in Next (September 2012)
Playtest Update (September 2012)
Magic Systems in D&D Next (October 2012)
Magic Items in D&D Next (October 2012)
This Week in D&D (October 2012)
Class Design (October 2012)
This One Goes to… Ten (October 2012)
High-Level Play (November 2012)
Playtesting in Detail (November 2012)
Here Comes… the Monk! (November 2012)
Expertise Dice (November 2012)
Class Design Concepts (November 2012)
Class Design Concepts (December 2012)
Chaotic Magical (December 2012)
Wrapping up 2012 (December 2012)
D&D Next Goals, Part One (January 2013)
D&D Next Goals, Part Two (January 2013)
D&D Next Goals, Part Three (January 2013)
D&D Next Goals, Part Four (January 2013)
A Change in Format (February 2013)
This Week in D&D (February 2013)
This Week in D&D (February 2013)
This Week in D&D (February 2013)
This Week in D&D (March 2013)
This Week in D&D (March 2013)
This Week in D&D (March 2013)
This Week in D&D (April 2013)
This Week in D&D (April 2013)
This Week in D&D: Feats and Skills and Options, Oh My! (April 2013)
So What Is a Subclass? (April 2013)
This Week (May 20) in D&D (May 2013)
Hit My Points (June 2013)
When Adventurers Aren’t Adventuring (June 2013)
Playtesting Dragons (June 2013)
System vs. Content in D&D Next (June 2013)
The Many Worlds of D&D (July 2013)
Monsters and the World of D&D (July 2013)
A Bit More on Feats (July 2013)

[h=2]Rule-of-Three articles[/h]
Rule-of-Three: 01/10/12 (January 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 01/17/12 (January 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 01/24/12 (January 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 01/31/12 (January 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 02/07/12 (February 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 02/14/12 (February 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 02/21/12 (February 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 02/28/12 (February 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 03/06/2012 (March 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 03/13/2012 (March 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 03/20/2012 (March 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 03/27/2012 (March 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 04/03/2012 (April 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 04/10/2012 (April 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 04/17/2012 (April 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 04/24/2012 (April 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 05/01/2012 (May 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 05/08/2012 (May 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 05/15/2012 (May 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 05/22/2012 (May 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 05/29/2012 (May 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 06/05/2012 (June 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 06/12/2012 (June 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 06/19/2012 (June 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 06/26/2012 (June 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 07/03/2012 (July 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 07/10/2012 (July 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 07/17/2012 (July 2012)
Rule-of-Three: 07/24/2012 (July 2012)

[h=2]Wandering Monster articles[/h]
Orcs and Gnolls (July 2012)
When Is a Goblin Not a Goblin (August 2012)
The Scaly Things (August 2012)
To Be an Abomination (August 2012)
Big, Strong, and Dumb (September 2012)
More Than Just a Shaggy Ogre (September 2012)
The Bigger They Come… (September 2012)
What Do You Think? (October 2012)
The Walking Dead (October 2012)
The Ancient Dead (October 2012)
Energy Drain (October 2012)
The Restless Dead (October 2012)
Things from Beyond the Stars (November 2012)
What's in a Monster? (November 2012)
Soldiers of the Blood War (November 2012)
The Fair Folk (November 2012)
Fairest of Them All (December 2012)
Elementary (December 2012)
Construction Ahead (December 2012)
Spawn of Tiamat (January 2013)
Chosen of Bahamut (January 2013)
Flying in Style (January 2013)
Hellenic Horrors (January 2013)
Hellenic Half-Humans (February 2013)
They Might Be Giants (February 2013)
Turned to Stone (February 2013)
Changing Shape (February 2013)
Cats and Dogs (March 2013)
Creepy Crawlies (March 2013)
Dungeon Denizens (March 2013)
Scum of the (Under) Earth (March 2013)
What IS That Thing? (April 2013)
Defining Our Terms (April 2013)
An Autocorrect Nightmare (April 2013)
Heirs of Gith (April 2013)
Dwellers in Shadow (April 2013)
Monsters of Many Names (May 2013)
Demonic Cults (May 2013)
I Don’t Know What It Is, but I Like It (May 2013)
For the Birds (May 2013)
Living Traps (June 2013)
We Have a Hulk (June 2013)
Creepy and Crawly -- Simultaneously (June 2013)
Big Beasts (June 2013)
Monsters as Player Characters (July 2013)
Monster Mashups (July 2013)
They Grow on You (July 2013)

[h=1]Other online content[/h]

[h=2]Videos[/h]
The Future of D&D Panel at PAX East - 2012 (April 2012)
2012 Gen Con Keynote Address (August 2012)
D&D Next: Creating the Core (Part 1) (August 2012)
D&D Next: Creating the Core (Part 2) (August 2012)
D&D Next: Monsters, Magic… (Part 1) (August 2012)
D&D Next: Monsters, Magic… (Part 2) (August 2012)
The Future Look of D&D (Part 1) (August 2012)
The Future Look of D&D (Part 2) (August 2012)
D&D Next Live with Chris Perkins (August 2012)
What is the Sundering? (Part 1) (August 2012)
What is the Sundering? (Part 2) (August 2012)
Gen Con 2012: Keynote Highlights (September 2012)
D&D Next Discussion with Mike Mearls and Jeremy Crawford (November 2012)
D&D Next Chat with Mike Mearls and Jeremy Crawford (January 2013)
Livestream Game: Against the Slave Lords (July 2013)
Livestream Game: Against the Slave Lords, Session 2 (July 2013)

[h=2]Podcasts[/h]
D&D Next/Lords of Waterdeep (April 2012)
D&D Next Playtest Opens! (May 2012)
D&D Next/Dungeon Command (July 2012)
D&D Next/Curse of Undeath (November 2012)
D&D Next/Barbarian (January 2013)
Blood of Gruumsh (March 2013)
D&D Next (March 2013)
Mines of Madness, Part 1 (April 2013)
Mines of Madness, Part 2 (April 2013)
Mines of Madness, Part 3 (April 2013)
The Fine Art of the DM (April 2013)
Mines of Madness, Part 4 (April 2013)
Mines of Madness, Part 5 (April 2013)
A1 Playtest (July 2013)
A1 Playtest (Part 2) (July 2013)

[h=2]Excerpts[/h]
Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle Excerpts: Adv 1 (June 2013)
Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle Excerpts: Adv 2 (June 2013)
Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle Excerpts: Adv 3 (June 2013)
Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle Excerpts: Adv 4 (June 2013)

[h=2]Wallpaper[/h]
D&D Next Wallpaper (April 2013)

[h=2]Blog posts[/h]
Welcome to the Group (January 2012)
Join the Discussion, Follow the Feed (January 2012)
D&D Playtest News for Week of January 16 (January 2012)
Holy and Radiant (January 2012)
+1 or Better to Hit? (January 2012)
Mechanics Supporting Story (January 2012)
D&D Playtest News for Week of January 30 (January 2012)
Time to Heal (February 2012)
Weapon Damage Types (February 2012)
Racial Importance (February 2012)
A Close Call with Negative Hit Points (February 2012)
Fighter A-Go-Go (February 2012)
Wizards Like to Roll Dice Too (February 2012)
D&D Playtest News for Week of February 13 (February 2012)
What’s in a (Spell) Name? (February 2012)
Multiple Attacks (February 2012)
Dice Tricks (February 2012)
A Quick Look at High-Level Play (February 2012)
Kings and Castles (February 2012)
Just Bigger Numbers (February 2012)
Favorite Class (February 2012)
Hit Points (March 2012)
The Role of Skills (March 2012)
Deadly Dice (March 2012)
Sneak Attack (March 2012)
Save or Die II: Die and Die Again! (March 2012)
Iconic D&D Clerics (March 2012)
Guidance for Monsters and Treasure (March 2012)
Complexity vs. Ease of Play (March 2012)
Sneak Attack and Backstab (March 2012)
The Cleric, the Paladin, and Multisysteming (March 2012)
Life after Death after Death after Death (March 2012)
Crypt of the Ninja Queen (April 2012)
Beyond Class and Race (April 2012)
Imagination, the Grid, and Points Between (April 2012)
Run Away! (April 2012)
Monstrous Musings (April 2012)
Paladin Versus Cleric: FIGHT! (April 2012)
Backgrounds and Themes: A Closer Look (April 2012)
Resilient Heroes (April 2012)
D&D Next Playtest Date Announced (April 2012)
Tone and Edition (April 2012)
Avoiding Choice Traps (May 2012)
Wizard with a License to Kill (May 2012)
Goblins Care Only About Your Axe (May 2012)
Skills and Task Resolution (May 2012)
Paladin Design Goals (May 2012)
Sword +1, Flame Tongue (May 2012)
Variations on a Monstrous Theme (May 2012)
Ranger Design Goals (June 2012)
Feat Taxes and Bloat (June 2012)
The Spy Who Fireballed Me (June 2012)
The Advantage of Rolling Dice (June 2012)
Reacting to the Reaction (June 2012)
Modularity and Combat Subsystems (June 2012)
Playtester Profile - Mike Shea (July 2012)
Playtester Profile - Jeff Greiner (July 2012)
D&D Next Q&A (August 2012)
Playtester Profile - Tracy Barnett (August 2012)
Event Report--Converging on the Dungeon (August 2012)
D&D Next Q&A 8/9 (August 2012)
Playtester Profile - Newbie DM (August 2012)
D&D Next Q&A 8/16 (August 2012)
Playtester Profile - Brian Patterson (August 2012)
D&D Next Q&A: Playtest Adventures, Barbarians & Modules (August 2012)
Playtester Profile - Alphastream & Going Last (August 2012)
D&D Next Q&A: Skill Training, Pacts/Origins & Surveys (September 2012)
Playtester Profile - Wrecan (September 2012)
D&D Next Q&A: Monster Abilities, Adventure Conversions & More Combat Superiority (September 2012)
Playtester Profile - Dread Gazebo (September 2012)
D&D Next Q&A: Combat Goals, Specialist Wizards & Next Playtest Packet (September 2012)
Playtester Profile - Hocus-Smokus (September 2012)
D&D Next Q&A: Action Economy, Power Creep and Monster Immunities (September 2012)
Playtester Profile - Mand12 (September 2012)
D&D Next Q&A: Specialties, Level Progression and Small Heroes (October 2012)
Playtester Profile - Mellored (October 2012)
D&D Next Q&A: Setting Specific Options, 1st Level Characters & High Level Play (October 2012)
Playtester Profile - WotC Josh (October 2012)
D&D Next Q&A: Magic Items (October 2012)
Playtester Profile - Foxface (October 2012)
D&D Next Q&A: Skills, Attunement & Level/Ability Drain (October 2012)
Playtester Profile - Crazy Monkey (October 2012)
D&D Next Q&A: More Options, Spellcasting Styles & Companions (November 2012)
Playtester Profile - Morrus (November 2012)
D&D Next Q&A: Two-Weapon Fighting, Distinctive Maneuvers & At-Will Spells (November 2012)
Playtester Profile - Plaguescarred (November 2012)
D&D Next Q&A: Legacies, High-Level Play & Expertise Dice (November 2012)
Playtester Profile - Matt James (November 2012)
D&D Next Q&A: Monk Fighting Styles, Spell Challenges & Multiclassing (November 2012)
Playtester Profile - Trevor Kidd (November 2012)
D&D Next Q&A: Racial Stats, Expertise Dice & Skills (December 2012)
Playtester Profile - The Jester (December 2012)
D&D Next Q&A: Racial Ability Scores, Cleric Options & Monsters (December 2012)
Playtester Profile - Dragonette (December 2012)
Playtester Profile - Orzel (December 2012)
D&D Next Q&A: Two-Weapon Defense, Customizing Monsters & Character Conversion (January 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Advantage Dice Rolls, Ranged Fighters & Popular Paragon Paths (January 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Weapon Dice, Sorcerer, Warlock & Feats (January 2013)
Playtester Profile - Dale McCoy (January 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Standard/Basic Characters, Ease of DMing & Multi-classing (January 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Rage, Transitioning Character & Weapon Dice (Feburary 2013)
Playtester Profile: Kamikaze Midget (February 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Lines, Finding Spells & Fighter Identity (February 2013)
Playtester Profile: Claudio Pozas (February 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: System Mastery, Unbound Accuracy & Terminology (February 2013)
Playtester Profile: Ryan Nock (aka RangerWickett of EN World) (February 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Wizard Options, Monstrous Races & Power Creep (March 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Healing, NPCs and Retraining (March 2013)
Playtester Profile: Kevin Kulp (aka PirateCat of EN World) (March 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Martial Healing, Fighter Utility, and Ranger Challenges (March 2013)
Playtester Profile: Cyber-Dave (March 2013)
Playtester Profile: BaronDmDad (March 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Sub-classes, Spells and the Bard (April 2013)
Playtester Profile: Jonathan Sicari (April 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Caster Level, Multiclassing & The Apprentice Tier (April 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Immunities, Two-Weapon Fighting & Signature Abilties (April 2013)
Playtester Profile: Tony Vargas (April 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Starting Gold, Paragon Paths/Prestige Classes & Bounded Accuracy (April 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Skills, Skill Dice and Proficiencies (May 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Subclass Basics, Subclass Customizing & Non-Vancian Subclass Options (May 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Wound Modules, Uncommon Choices and Humans (May 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Monster Entries, Class Focus & Random Tables (May 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Combat Free Options, Spells and Pillars (May 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Safe Rest Locations, Regaining Spell Slots and Cantrip Balance (June 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: How Downtime Interacts with Legacy, Healing & Backgrounds (June 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Building Legendary Encounters, Named Monsters & Artifacts (June 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Modular Features, Paladin Alignment & Legendary Creatures (June 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Cosmology, Monster Descriptions & Monster Variants (July 2013)
D&D Next Q&A: Feat Progression, Bonus Feats & Requirements (July 2013)

Shouldn't these be included under "Playtest Adventures?"

Dungeon Adventure X1: The Isle of Dread (not updated)
The Mud Sorcerer's Tomb

Maybe...! Have those two adventures (Isle of Dread and Mud Sorcerer's Tomb) been released independently of the Playtest packets?

All of the titles listed under "Playtest adventures" (or at least the two that have been released so far) were made available in printed format during conventions, so a Collector might want to hunt down tournament copies. If the adventure has only been made available in a Playtest pack, I'm not sure it makes sense to list it again, since someone who has the Playtest pack already has the only version released.

Echohawk said:

All of the titles listed under "Playtest adventures" (or at least the two that have been released so far) were made available in printed format during conventions, so a Collector might want to hunt down tournament copies. If the adventure has only been made available in a Playtest pack, I'm not sure it makes sense to list it again, since someone who has the Playtest pack already has the only version released.

Click to expand...

It can get pretty confusing (I've tried to sort it out on my hard drive, but it isn't easy). An adventure like Caves of Chaos or Blingdenstone may have had several versions, including one or more playtest versions (perhaps available only at WotC, perhaps shared with closed 'Alpha' playtesters), a version that goes out to convention judges, and a version that ends up in the public packet. In theory, a collector could go after a number of those. The differences are small, but present (and that's often all a collector needs!). Digital stuff is always a bit hard to figure out - a paper copy just isn't worth much when the seller can print another (or copy the file endlessly). So far, the convention releases have all been digital files sent to judges (that's true of practically every adventure offered at the major conventions today). While one can land a paper copy, verifying that it is an authentic 'at the con' copy versus a copy a judge can print out any day of the week from their digital copy... that's just not possible for most buyers.

I think it is worth mentioning when there have been known 'other' versions, such as the early versions of adventures for con. And, if there weren't NDAs involved, we could track the more internal playtest versions as well. But, it probably isn't worth obsessing or having sections specifically devoted to this.

In the future we will likely see true examples of convention adventures. Several Wizards staff were tweeting about a D&D Next gameday, and that would be a good example of something for which the in-store version really deserves its own mention.

This particular update has been interesting. Original open playtest, then adding Mines of Madness, then adding Dungeons of Dread conversion bestiaries. One version, or three?

Plus that stealth update on 2013-03-21 with errata in the classes and spells documents fixed!

Right! I forgot that one!

Morrus just added a link to this in a main wiki page, so please don't blame me too much for commenting after 7 years...

The point is, it would be nice to read D&D Next articles in retrospective, particularly the Legends & Lore articles, but most of those links above are long gone (except for YT videos apparently). Does someone know if the articles are archived somewhere else, or has someone backed them up?