D&D General Greyhawk to Faerun and Beyond: A Multiversal D&D Lore Book Is Coming This Fall

This coming October, a 360+ page hardcover which delves into Dungeons & Dragons' various worlds and settings will be released. The book isn't from WotC--it's from Ten Speed Press--but it's by Adam Lee, who wrote for Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus and Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. The book comes full of 50-years of artwork, and is narrated by the famous wizard Mordenkainen. Additionally, the book contains some original fiction.

Dungeons & Dragons Worlds & Realms: Adventures from Greyhawk to Faerûn and Beyond is available for pre-order already.

The book covers Greyhawk, Mystara, Dragonlance, Faerun, Eberron, the Feywild and Shadowfell, Spelljammer, the Nine Hells, the Abyss, Sigil, and the Far Realm. It's a book of lore and story, not a rulebook, giving an overall of D&D's entire multiverse and its many worlds.

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Celebrate fifty years of the spellbinding settings and planes of Dungeons & Dragons with this beautifully illustrated exploration of the multiverse.

Worlds & Realms is an illustrated, story-driven retrospective celebrating the immersive worldbuilding of D&D since the iconic game’s inception in 1974. Legendary mage Mordenkainen takes adventurers on a fantastical journey through the multiverse, delving into memorable and fascinating lore and locations across all five editions of the game.

With Mordenkainen’s guidance, readers will revisit worlds that have come to define D&D over the decades, from the familiar realms of the Material Plane to lands beyond the Astral Sea. Mordenkainen’s philosophical musings provide a mage’s-eye view of the worlds’ unique features, creatures, and characters, captivating readers’ imaginations as they learn more about the history and mysteries of the multiverse. Additionally, readers will join adventuring parties with inhabitants of each realm through exclusive short stories by award-winning contributors Jaleigh Johnson, Jody Houser and Eric Campbell, Jasmine Bhullar, and Geoffrey Golden.

Full of exciting and enchanting artwork showing fifty years of gameplay evolution from vintage D&D through the present, with original cover and chapter-opener illustrations, Worlds & Realms is a spellbinding tour of the strange and wonderful worlds of the multiverse, appealing to both new and long-standing fans alike.

Polygon has some previews of the book.

 

[doctorhook]

I sorta don’t like the amount of whitespace, but I guess that’s typical for a meandering retrospective product rather than a reference.

 

[timbannock]

Because they thought it had the potential to sell. That doesn't somehow mean that every old TSR setting would. No one but me -- as a joke -- ever asks for a 5E Jakandor, for instance.

I only recently ever got a look at those books because I was thinking of shoehorning them into a Seas of Vodari campaign I was running; I was basically adding any island-set D&D adventure that I could find into it. And I gotta say that while I ultimately passed on them for a variety of reasons, the format of those books was great.

They covered a lot of ground without being too boring, dry, and exhaustive. They focused tightly on how to bring everything in them to the game table without requiring much work. Loads of player-facing chargen stuff laser-focused on the setting; one "big idea" mechanic for mid- to high-levels (mecha combat!); solid encounter tables for the major regions; most environs were written up in a "here's the situation the PCs walk into at the start of an adventure"; and finally a handful (maybe more?) fully fleshed out adventures in an adventure path style but without being immense and filled with lore you had to pick from elsewhere.

It's too bad the three book format was a bit wonky and grossly overwritten. (Well, that, some subject matter issues, and also the focus on moral gray areas to the point of making it very much not-D&D.)

 

[M.L. Martin]

Judging from the Table of Contents:

Greyhawk: 32 pages
Mystara: 24
Krynn: 30
Faerun: 34
Eberron: 31

"Inner and Parallel Planes": 13
Feywild: 28
Shadowfell (including Ravenloft): 27

Spelljammer: 24
Nine Hells: 28
Abyss: 18
Sigil: 32
"Outer Planes and Far Realm": 18

It says something about D&D that the Nine Hells get more page count than a few separately branded settings, and the Abyss gets as much space as all the other non-Hell, non-Sigil, Outer Planes put together.

 

[MNblockhead]

I pre-ordered it as soon as I saw the OP, before reading the thread. I would have like more of an Art & Arcana type book that would go into the history of the setting, the writers and artists (including quotes and vignettes from those still alive), and a discussion of how the settings changes over time. That setting would give more opportunity to mention other lesser-known settings, even if they only get a few paragraphs. But even if it is just a gazetteer, with many setting left out, with an in-world narrator, it will still be a fun read. But I'm buying this as a coffee table book, to enjoy reading and flipping through to look at the art. Not as a game aid.

 

[Dire Bare]

I've already pre-ordered, it looks fun! I enjoyed Art & Arcana and Lore & Legends.

There's a lot of weird negative energy in this thread . . . this isn't a D&D (game) book, it's a coffee-table book about D&D. It's okay if it's not the product for you, but . . . lots of criticizing it for being something it was never intended to be.

While I'm excited for this release specifically . . . what I would really like to see is this style of coffee-table book on individual settings. One book on Greyhawk, one book on Dragonlance, etc.

 

[Vincent55]

well, I have my old stuff with all the original materials and more information, but guess if you're just starting then this would be like the cliff notes version of stuff.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Yup. Gotta monetize that IP.

I think it is important to remember that this extraneous stuff coming out is meant to capitalize on the popularity of the game, not actually provide anything of value to the game.

Can you just enjoy something? It’s a pure lore book about the various settings of D&D and lots of people are interested in that.

 

[Reynard]

Can you just enjoy something? It’s a pure lore book about the various settings of D&D and lots of people are interested in that.

I was replying to the people angry that this book wasn't what they wanted it to be. I don't care one way or another.

Also, you know, the ignore button is right there. You don't have to endure my posts.

 

[Yaarel]

this isn't a D&D (game) book, it's a coffee-table book about D&D

I like your post. Just commenting on this point.

In 5e, flavor and crunch are equally "rules as written", and are often baked into each other.

An official description of an official setting counts as rules as written, even when it lacks a mechanical description.

For example, even to mention that in the Greyhawk setting, the "Faerie" Grey Elves are an Eladrin culture, and that there are Fey Crossings across the continent of Flannaess, has consequential game implications.

 

[Yaarel]

Judging from the Table of Contents:

Greyhawk: 32 pages
Mystara: 24
Krynn: 30
Faerun: 34
Eberron: 31

"Inner and Parallel Planes": 13
Feywild: 28
Shadowfell (including Ravenloft): 27

Spelljammer: 24
Nine Hells: 28
Abyss: 18
Sigil: 32
"Outer Planes and Far Realm": 18

It says something about D&D that the Nine Hells get more page count than a few separately branded settings, and the Abyss gets as much space as all the other non-Hell, non-Sigil, Outer Planes put together.

A combat game needs villains to combat.