Spelljammer D&D Direct Live Report: 9am PDT (5pm BST) SPELLJAMMER CONFIRMED! DRAGONLANCE!

D&D Direct, WotC's new video-format announcement show launches today at 9am PDT (5pm BST). If you aren't able to watch it, I'll be updating this article live. Feel free to comment below! Once it launches, you will need to refresh this page when you want to see new updates. The video is expected to last about 30 minutes.

If you CAN watch it, you'll find it on YouTube or Twitch at the above times. Otherwise, follow along below!

• 45 mins to go. Live updates incoming!
• 30 mins to go!
• 5 minutes to go!
• Here we go! Opens with a sea shanty.
• Forgive typos. They talk fast and I can't type.

• Spelljammer is confirmed!
• They talk REALLY FAST!
• Spelljammer Adventures in Space, project lead Chris Perkins, Trystan Falcone graphic designer
• Cities built on asteroids, dead gods floating in the ether
• 6 races---astral elves, autognomes, hedozi(?), gif, plasmoids, thri-kreen
• 3 hardcovers in a slipcase: Astral Adventurers Guide, Boo's Astral Menagerie, Light of Xaryxis adventure
• Prequel adventure in July
• Wizkids miniatures

Other stuff also discussed!

• Baldur's Gate 3 CRPG preview video (game is in 2023)
• Journeys Through Radiant Citadel intro video -- 3 of the adventures are: Wages of Vice (5th level), Caribbean; Orchids of the Invisible Mountain (14th level), feywild, far realm, Whistler new monster; Fiend of Hollow Mind (4th level), skeletons and spirits

• "Campaign Cases" -- Creature tokens! Terrain tiles! July!

D&D Movie directors now onscreen. The movie in March 2023 is called HONOR AMONG THIEVES.

• New D&D starter set. Comes with 'digital onboarding'. Dragons of Stormwreck Isle. We knew about that one.
• D&D digital monstrous compendium. Available to those with WoTC or D&D Beyond Accounts. Volume 1 has an eldritch lich and the 10 legged asteroid spider. And the starlancer. Might have misheard some of that!

• MMO Neverwinter video. Dragonslayer begins June 2022. (I wonder if they'll need a dragonance for that?)
• New D&D actual play video, Legends of the Multiverse. Lots of 80s cartoon style soft rock music. Boo is in it.

WIzKids skirmish game D&D Onslaught. October

Finally -- DRAGONLANCE WARRIORS OF KRYNN! SHADOW OF THE DRAGON QUEEN!

 

[Umbran]

Any screen shots of the alt cover?

 

[darjr]

This whole twitter thread has good info about the starter set.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

I'm disappointed by the lower total page count... it's smaller than past settings, and the "new format" is just meant to charge a higher price. Even with inflation as it is, I'd prefer a normal book at $60 than three smaller books at $70.

 

[DarkCrisis]

I mean, Tass the Kender actually "borrowing" things plays into events pretty heavy....

 

[teitan]

And I wouldn’t. It’s it wonderful how we can both have our opinions on this and neither of us is “wrong?” We’re just not always going to be happy when a sales decision comes that pleases some of us but not all.

Good for you. You said that. A lot. we can also point out that this isn’t a good look for a game that was once inexpensive entertainment that is quickly becoming a luxury product that few will be able to really get into as they (WOTC) do promote a collector mentality as a part of the culture and have developed an iterative approach to updating rules giving an impression that you need to buy the next thing to keep up with “official rules”. So while the escalating costs of the hobby are fine with you, Sally and Billy might not be able to get into the game because of the escalating costs.

 

[Greg Benage]

That’s still cheaper than $70 and still cheaper than the MSRP on a single book release. I dunno what to tell you there. Stuff has gotten more expensive.

I suspect some of us have TSR-era trauma from sudden increases in the style:substance ratio. It generally hasn't been a harbinger of good things to come.

 

[Parmandur]

Well, I am sure everyone would really rather have more, and for absotlutely FREE! But dude, inflation is a thing.

When you break it down into $$ per person per hour of entertainment, it seems pretty reasonable.

And D&D hardcovers have had a frozen price since 2014: $49.99 in 2014 dollars is $60.71 now, they had to shake up their model at some point. WotC has historically held their prices down for extended periods of time, like with Magic cards, so it seems more shocking than it is when they do a once per decade price adjustment.

 

[Weiley31]

Okay: so basically, this takes place during the War of The Lances. While the Heroes of the Lance were busy doing their thing during the saga, there were other battles taking place. Battles with their "own" heroes and what not fighting against Tarhkis and her forces. And for these heroes, the main ones don't overshadow them because, for all intents and purposes, these battles/adventures/campaigns ONLY matter to their own respective heroes fighting for their lives. The Shadows of the Dragon Queen is cast over all regardless of their location during the War of the Lance.

I like that. And it even allows players to use some of the older edition adventures of Dragon Lance to fill out things or even have more of these characters (everybody's PCs) viewpoints during their own battles.

 

[Parmandur]

I'm disappointed by the lower total page count... it's smaller than past settings, and the "new format" is just meant to charge a higher price. Even with inflation as it is, I'd prefer a normal book at $60 than three smaller books at $70.

Well, the new format might have utility at the table, too: let the players look at their rules without the Bestiary, etc.

But, yeah, it's about making more money.

 

[ART!]

Wow! Just catching up now.

That's a lot of announcements, and I'm excited about...all of them!

The Spelljammer slipcase thingy is something I might actually spring for a hard copy of.