D&D’s Gen Con Vision Keynote 2027—all of the announcements

Wizards decided to go big at this year’s Gen Con, giving the most announcements it has in years. The D&D Vision Keynote was hosted by Baldur’s Gate 3’s Theo Solomon and included news for not just the rest of 2026 but also 2027, and it ended with a whopper of an announcement.

During a Gen Con preview event I attended on Monday, Dan Ayoub, Head of the D&D Franchise, noted that he came into this position a year ago and that they have spent the past year spending a lot of time talking to fans and, more importantly, listening said they spent a lot of time listening to people. From that some themes emerged, including the fact that D&D means different things to different players and DMs. They want to “invite everyone to the table” so you can play your way at your table in the setting(s) you love.

The announcements, while varied, a few themes. First, to have D&D offer something for everyone. The plans for 2027 and the rest of 2026 announced today don’t quite fulfill that promise, but it comes close, providing a wide swath of options. Second, lowering the barrier to DMing and making it easier to adventure in D&D’s various worlds. For some time, Wizards has been focused on making it quicker and easier to start playing while also giving players more options to create the character they imagine. Doing something similar for DMs is front of mind, making it easier for a new person to try DMing or for a DM to throw together a spur-of-the-moment session. Third, to provide more setting material than just one book every few years.

The Return of Legendary D&D Icons

D&D Icons is a new content program that brings legendary D&D creators “back to the table to work hands-on” in settings beloved by fans.

D&D Icons is a new content program that brings legendary D&D creators “back to the table to work hands-on” in settings beloved by fans. Writer, producer, actor, and D&D super fan Joe Manganiello is taking on the role of Chief Creative Officer for the D&D Icons program, which will pair famous D&D creators with the current team to create new adventures.

On stage at Gen Con, Manganiello announced that the first three projects for D&D Icons will feature Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman for Dragonlance, Luke Gygax for Greyhawk, and RA Salvatore for Drizzt.

Original creators Weis and Hickman will direct a Dragonlance TTRPG product for the first time in more than 20 years. Weis and Hickman are working closely with the D&D studio team to compile 40 years worth of knowledge and lore into the most ambitious Dragonlance book ever.

In his introduction, Manganiello noted that he loved Dragonlance so much that when he was a poor kid, he shoplifted the novels. Now, he buys Weis and Hickman dinner whenever he crosses paths with them as a way of paying them back.

A New York Times bestselling author more than 20 times over, RA Salvatore will also be a part of the Icons program. Needless to say, his work will focus on Forgotten Realms’ legendary Drow, Drizzt Do Urden. At the event, he again told the story of how he came up with Drizzt on the spur of the moment while on the phone with a TSR editor heading into a meeting.

Luke Gygax, son of Greyhawk creator E. Gary Gygax, will be heading up a new Greyhawk project developed from never-before-seen, unfinished work from his father, the co-creator of original D&D. Of course, Luke has his own deep roots in D&D lore. He originally played “Melf,” a character for whom a number of well-known spells are named. The new material will be seen through the eyes of Melf, Luke’s old character.

Luke is completing the unfinished adventure, using his father’s style to tie the new material he’ll create back to Gary’s original vision. This adventure will be available in 2027. It brings Greyhawk back officially for the first time in 40 years.

Laura Hohman, D&D Product Architect, promised that “This is just the beginning of this exciting program” and said that we’ll see who else comes to the table in the future. Whether future D&D Icons projects will include legendary artists like Larry Elmore hasn’t been discussed yet.

Even More Greyhawk News

After years of fans asking for it, Greyhawk is coming back big time. In addition to Luke Gygax’s Icons’ project, we’ll finally be getting an official Greyhawk adventure for the modern era of D&D. Greyhawk: Crown of the Witch Queen brings players back to D&D’s original setting to decide Greyhawk’s fate. This is a villain-focused campaign where Drelnza, the vampire daughter of Iggwilv the Witch Qeen (a.k.a. Tasha) returns to claim her birthright. Sounds like a classic Greyhawk-type of story.

Greyhawk: Crown of the Witch Queen is the 160-page hardcover that will anchor the “Season of Sword & Sorcery” for September and October 2027. It will have both a physical book and D&D Beyond digital release as well as a map pack and Greyhawk DM screen.

Product Architect Andy Chilton described the art for it as, “Visually we are going for operatic, thrilling, archetypal, big, dramatic silhouettes and bold, impactful shapes that feel like classic Greyhawk, updated for today.”

Castle Greyhawk concept art

Drelnza concept art​

Tasha Revealed for Warlock

In still more Greyhawk news, Tasha has been revealed to be the patron for the titular Warlock video game. She’ll be performed by award-winning actor Maggie Robertson, who will provide both Tasha’s voice as well as performance capture for movement.

Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons is an new third-person, single-player dark fantasy open world video game by Invoke Studios. It focuses on Kaatri, a veteran warrior played by Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica, Lucifer) who makes an arcane pact to fight dark powers. A first look at game play will be shown at Opening Night Live at gamescon on August 25.

Dark Sun Finally Returns

Often rumored, Dark Sun’s return is finally confirmed. It’ll anchor “The Season of Survival” in February through July 2027.

Dark Sun is a much loved, post-apocalyptic setting featuring the brutal world of Athas, ruled by despotic sorcerer-kings, and Wizards has no intention of watering down the brutal setting. On the contrary, Wizards is leaning into it, giving the new releases D&D’s first mature content warning.

Announcing both Greyhawk and Dark Sun adventures are just two of the ways Wizards is trying to provide something for everyone. Whereas Greyhawk is epic sword and sorcery, Dark Sun is about surviving, not heroics, as the D&D team reminded us.

Dark Sun, at the lawyers’ insistence, will be shrink-wrapped with a mature content label indicating that it’s for those 18 and older due to profanity and “Depictions of bloodshed, nudity, and sexual activity.” The mature content involves both narrative and mechanical options that “add a level of brutality to it, like decapitation rules.” Those rules are optional, though.

Wizards is going big with Dark Sun, providing a full product suite, that includes a map pack, DM screen and, three books. Dark Sun: Blood & Power, is the game play expansion for players. Dark Sun: Edge of Oblivion is the dungeon master’s setting guide. It will include information on the new Psion class levels 1-20. The books will have ”almost 400 pages of new game mechanics, lore, and art. It will also have a limited edition player’s handbook that has alternative Dark Sun art.

The one thing it won’t have is art from Brom—though Manganiello announced a new line of Death Saves items featuring new artwork from Brom, so Brom wasb;t entirely left out of the Gen Con announcements.

Wizards did promise, though, to be working with artists who have been inspired by Brom’s legendary Dark Sun artwork. Wizards showed off art for the citystates in the magic-ravaged land of Athas, including Tyr, Draj, Gulg, Urik, Raam, Nibenay, and Balic.

Art for the city-state of Balic by Michael Broussard

The art for the city-state of Draj by Chase-Stone​

The official Dark Sun announcement included an animated teaser trailer that was shown to the crowd at Gen Con (and that I got a preview of but wasn’t allowed to share). It's now on the official D&D YouTube channel as well as its social media feeds.

D&D and World of Warcraft Team Up

Yes, the rumors were correct. D&D will combine with various beloved franchises. The first one is coming in the previously described November 17, 2026 slot as D&D World of Warcraft, as the first release for the D&D Universes Beyond project. It will anchor the Season of Champions.

Spearheaded by long-time WoW player and veteran D&D game designer James Wyatt, in collaboration with Blizzard Entertainment, it brings Warcraft to tabletop for the first time in two decades. Players will be able to bring their World of Warcraft main character to the D&D game table or create a new one to explore the world of Azeroth.

“With Universes Beyond, D&D will provide more ways to play in more worlds for more fans everywhere. These collaborations are authentic love letters to fans by fans... There are huge fans working on these projects so it’s meant to be love letters to beloved franchises,” said Laura Hohman, D&D Product Architect.

D&D World of Warcraft will include familiar dungeons as well as notorious villains from more than 20 years of World of Warcraft history.

D&D World of Warcraft contains:

• EVERY WoW species, including 11 new species​
• EVERY WoW class, including 6 new subclasses​
• 3 updated subclasses​
• 26 WoW magic items, including artifacts​
• 6 iconic WoW dungeons​
• A digital Icecrown Citadel adventure.​
• 30 dungeon boss stat blocks​
• 60+ new spells​
• 50+ new monsters​
• 23 factions with renown rewards​
• Professions, mounts, companions creatures, and more in a 256 page book​

Note that the all caps mention of ‘EVERY” was how Wizards wrote the description. They didn’t specify which dungeons in our preview or at Gen con.

We also need more info on the “digital” Icecrown Citadel adventure and how it’s incorporated into the physical book releases. Based on things said at the live Gen Con presentation it appears that the digital adventure will be packaged with the map pack. It takes characters from level 16 to level 20, which is one of the announced options for high-level play being provided.

​

D&D World of Warcraft is getting three physical releases: a standard, mass market book, an alt cover book for game and hobby stores, and a collector’s edition that comes in a slipcase. For the last version, one side of the book has an Alliance design and the other side has a Horde design so you can flip it over to have whichever side you prefer on top when you slide it out of the case.

More collaborations will be coming from D&D Universes Beyond. (Hint: Keep reading to the end for the biggest reveal.) They noted that these collaborations are additive and will not replace releases by the actual D&D Studio team. So yes, D&D will keep producing their own books about their own settings. They aren't switching to all crossover books. They're just offering new options and trying to attract new players through these crossover collaborations.

New Partnerships for New Content

To be able to provide players with more adventures in their favorite settings more often, Wizards announced the first set of new partnerships to let other game companies play in the D&D sandbox. The adventures released will not replace those created by the D&D team but will supplement them so there isn’t a multi-year gap between books for a setting.

Ghostfire Gaming will create a new adventure for Ravenloft, Visonary Production is working on an Eberron campaign featuring the Lord of Blades. Kobold Press is working on another Forgotten Realms adventure. This is just the start of the program, they promise, with more partnerships for other settings coming.

These adventures will get the usual hardcover book release and D&D Beyond digital release. Bundled versions will be available for sale through the D&D online store.

D&D Beyond Levels Up

With the goal of making it easier to play, D&D Beyond is getting a few upgrades. The most exciting one is the new Looking For Group.

LFG is a new feature that will allow stores and similar locations to promote their D&D games and for players to find groups near them. It’s more than just a simple location matcher. The demo I saw included questions about D&D style preferences, such as do you prefer games that are combat heavy, focus on puzzles and such, so you aren’t just finding D&D games in your area but ones that will fit your game preferences. This will be a worldwide feature to help people find players. It can also help with online gaming via the D&D Discord server and even find professional DMs through a collaboration between D&D Beyond and StartPlaying.

“This is the new D&D Beyond play experience that respects that you are here, in person, to spend time together. Our plan is to roll out a very early version in 2027, then iterate, improve and add features back through the year. That’s been our general philosophy because we’re very passionate about this cause but sometimes we’re just going to get things wrong, and that’s where the community’s feedback is really does matter and we make it better together,” said Blain Howard, speaking for D&D Beyond Executive Producer Brian Perry.

StartPlaying provides experienced DMs for those playing for the first time. Wizards is offering a special promotion for new players where, for a limited time, D&D newcomers can join a game on StartPlaying for 99 cents.

D&D Beyond is also launching a new mobile app built on top of a new platform geared toward in-person play. Redesigned from the ground up, it’s intended to make it easier and more intuitive so you don’t have to stop play to find a piece of info in D&D Beyond.

Arcana: Unleashed and Arcana Unleashed Deadfall

Coming soon (and available for purchase at Gen Con) are the two previously announced books for upcoming Season of Magic. Arcana: Unleashed is a deep dive into magic, providing more options for players and rules that allow DMs to “evolve” magic items throughout a campaign.

“The Season of Magic is all about the wonderful, fantastical, and powerful magic that makes D&D magic its own thing," said Amanda Harmon, senior game designer. "Arcana Unleashed… details all kinds of options, player options and as well as DM options that are themed around the eight schools of magic in D&D and bringing those to life as well as allowing you to infuse your character or your world, if you’re the dungeon master, with the power of D&D’s magic.

Arcana Unleashed will have:

• 8 subclasses​
• 10 backgrounds​
• 29 feats​
• 33 spells​
• 6 magical group patrons​
• 9 magical factions​
• 47 magic items​
• Rules to “evolve” magic items​
• 19 magical creatures​
• And a short adventure for 1st level characters​

Much like they did last year for Forgotten Realms, this will be a dual release with Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall coming out at the same time. This is the other high level campaign announced.

“Deadfall is a high-level campaign for characters level 11 to 20 that sees them embark on a magical espionage mission in the notorious nation of Thay, full of red wizards, to take down Szass Tam, the storied lich who is very unhappy he no longer rules the region of Thay and is planning a terrible ritual to infuse his undead hordes with demonic power," said Harmon. "The characters are the only ones who can stop this as they work with a handler that is the only good person on the council... They’re recruited to undermine and eventually confront Szass Tam.”

Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall includes:

• A deep-dive into Thay​
• Details about the ruling Red Wizards​
• A gazetteer of Thay’s tharchs (provinces)​
• A magical espionage campaign for characters level 11-20​
• 11 magic itemms​
• A bestiary of 6 friends and foes​

But the biggest news came last and told us only one thing.

The Season of Rebellion

D&D and Star Wars will combine for another D&D Universes Beyond collaboration. No information was provided except for a brief teaser video with Darth Vader. No other info, just cheers from the crowd.

For more info from the D&D Gen Con announcements see:

• Dungeons & Dragons Icons line announced.
• Greyhawk: Crown of the Witch Queen announced
• Dark Sun returns in 2027
• Dungeons & Dragons officially announces World of Warcraft crossover
• Dungeons & Dragons announces Universes Beyond line, kicking off IP crossovers
• D&D announces third-party partnerships to bring official support to popular campaigns
• In 2027, D&D's Season of Rebellion is Star Wars​

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I cannot be convinced that even one single person was seriously/genuinely offended by Thaco the clown.

When I first heard of Thaco the clown I laughed, I thought it was funny and I am old enough to remember THACO. I recently got to play the module, and I found it a lot of fun.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

When I first heard of Thaco the clown I laughed, I thought it was funny and I am old enough to remember THACO. I recently got to play the module, and I found it a lot of fun.

I mean yeah its a good joke. Anyone reading it as mean spirited or insulting is looking for insult, because there isnt any actually there. It's "JC called us phantoms!!!1!" all over again.

 

[Mournblade94]

Everyone is biased one way or another. "True Neutral" is a fiction from some obscure fantasy role playing game.

A lot of harm can be done in 25 years.

It's an acronym that spells out an amusing word. I told you, I was there, no one said "T H A C zero", everyone said "thaco" (rhymes with wacko). One reason was it was quicker to say, the other that is sounds similar to "thwack" - onomatopoeia for the sound of hitting someone, and therefore appropriate.

You can't spell many amusing words with those letters.

Quite. The good guys lose if they let the bad guys walk all over them. Eventually you need to start punching back. And I really don’t like people who can’t take a joke.

It's okay to punch Nazis, just ask Captain America.

If youre actually claiming im harming children because of the things I write here you really need to take a step back and check yourself.

Put it this way. I didnf like THACO the clown, but you virtually called me the worst type of person in modern history because I "cant take a joke"

THACO the clown wss not really offensive. But your response was well disguised and actualky quite a bit offensive. Its hard to read that any other way.

 

[Bramhall]

I was thinking about the Icons, Greyhawk was back, and some of the focus on the nostalgia period on a long drive today.

I'm going to get there, so bear with me.

In preface, I'll say that until recently almost all of my D&D play was AL stuff at the two local cons. The pandemic forced me to scale back when I attend. So I'd usually play on Thursday night and Friday. Before all the people who carried Con Crud in the before times would show up. I'd noticed the D&D AL tables less populated and wrote it off to, well, being there on the lighter days.

At the con in April, I was waiting outside the AL room until someone unlocked the door so we could go it. It was great, I saw a lot of people I hadn't gamed with before and was looking forward to gaming with them. They all went into the PF2 room and there like 5 of us for D&D. I mentioned this to a friend who DMs at the cons and he said that at the larger convention we used to go, in the D&D rooms 10 years ago, they'd field over 10 ten tables. Now, it's like 3-4. What I had written off as off-days was more of the norm than I thought. He said that after the whole OGL debacle a lot of long-time people just packed it in for PF2. Seeing the writing on the wall, and also some other general con D&D stuff I grabbed the PF2 books on sale from a vendor. Thankfully, my old D&D group is going through a D&D fix which is fine. I may still PF2 at the cons but that is another thing.

Another gaming forum I'm on, someone decently versed in D&D lore mentioned Greyhawk was a dead product. I said that it was part of the new AL stuff. I hadn't realized it was in the new DMG.

I think someone not knowing Greyhawk is still active can be forgiven. Especially if you are not into AL, read the DMG, and whatnot. So, I'm wondering if the Greyhawk, Icons, is for the people who used to be really into D&D and now aren't. Maybe trying to get some people back who may have left due to the OG.

 

[Mournblade94]

The vast majority of older gamers werent offended by the completely inoffensive and in no way "toxic" or insulting Thaco the Clown.

Those who were....well as i said earlier i dont actually believe anyone was genuinely offended.

I cannot be convinced that even one single person was seriously/genuinely offended by Thaco the clown.

Seriously Offended? no. Not buying the book because it was annoying unnecessary commentary? yes. It was the signal it sent.

 

[bedir than]

I think someone not knowing Greyhawk is still active can be forgiven. Especially if you are not into AL, read the DMG, and whatnot. So, I'm wondering if the Greyhawk, Icons, is for the people who used to be really into D&D and now aren't. Maybe trying to get some people back who may have left due to the OG.

But the people who run Icons and D&D didn't know that Greyhawks is currently active is odd

 

[Maxperson]

The WoW book may be of interest to you: over 60 normal Monster star blocks, PLUS 30 new "Dungeon Boss" stat blocks, that sound like a new approach to large solo encounters from James Wyatt.

I wonder if we will have to get 10, 25, or 40 PCs together to fight them.

 

[Maxperson]

I refer you the 1991 Dark Sun and the adventures for that. Killing Kalak left Kalak dead (at great cost, sure), it didn't just replace him with another Sorcerer King perhaps for the very obvious reason that probably can't any or at least many more Sorcerer Kings because the era that created them is long over. They're dinosaurs.

I'm not disagreeing with your premise here as far as one tyrant just replacing another. That said, you can still get more sorcerer kings, just not ones exactly the same as the current batch.

Two things make a sorcerer king. First, being an ascended being, or at least on the path. Someone new at the pinnacle of magical and psionic power could step onto the path to becoming a dragon. The second thing is templars. At some point in the past some beings attached themselves to the sorcerer kings and died, leaving a conduit to the power that allows sorcerer kings to grant spells to templars. While a new sorcerer king couldn't grant spells, they could just grant rights and privileges to fighters, rangers, etc. regarding law enforcement, slaves, and so on, creating templars that way. You don't need templar specific spells and abilities to be a brutal and feared police force for the sorcerer king.

 

[Chaltab]

If I recall in 2E becoming a Sorcerer King was achieved by becoming a high level wizard-psion and then beginning the transformation into one of the two advanced beings--in their case, a Dragon. I think in one of the products it was even something that a PC could theoretically do.

The 4E version had it as an Epic Destiny you could pick at 21 if you had the ability to defile, but honestly it seems pretty underwhelming.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I'm not disagreeing with your premise here as far as one tyrant just replacing another. That said, you can still get more sorcerer kings, just not ones exactly the same as the current batch.

Two things make a sorcerer king. First, being an ascended being, or at least on the path. Someone new at the pinnacle of magical and psionic power could step onto the path to becoming a dragon. The second thing is templars. At some point in the past some beings attached themselves to the sorcerer kings and died, leaving a conduit to the power that allows sorcerer kings to grant spells to templars. While a new sorcerer king couldn't grant spells, they could just grant rights and privileges to fighters, rangers, etc. regarding law enforcement, slaves, and so on, creating templars that way. You don't need templar specific spells and abilities to be a brutal and feared police force for the sorcerer king.

The replacement tyrant you're describing wouldn't be even a fraction of a the threat of a sorcerer king, so it's not really an issue, and it's plain silly to assume tyrants are always replaced with other tyrants because human history shows that's simply not true. Killing a sorcerer king is forever ridding the world of a great, great evil, and it would create a power vacuum, but that could easily be filled by the people who did it, or a council or a just ruler or whoever. Also, sorcerer kings don't let anyone step on the path to becoming one, so there couldn't really be another guy waiting in the wings who was anywhere but at the very beginning of that path.

My point is that Selas assertions were just flatly wrong and I think that's well-supported.

Of course that's all OG DS lore, who knows what the new lore will be.