Dragonlance Dragonlance Adventure & Prelude Details Revealed

Over on DND Beyond Amy Dallen and Eugenio Vargas discuss the beginning of Shadow of ther Dragon Queen and provide some advice on running it.

Running a Session Zero for Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

When starting a new adventure, it's a good idea to get on the same page as your party. Here's how to run a session zero for the upcoming Dragonlance adv...

www.dndbeyond.com

This epic war story begins with an invitation to a friend's funeral and three optional prelude encounters that guide you into the world of Krynn. Amy Dallen is joined by Eugenio Vargas to share some details about how these opening preludes work and some advice on using them in your own D&D games.

There is also information on the three short 'prelude' adventures which introduce players to the world of Krynn:

• Eye in the Sky -- ideal for sorcerers, warlocks, wizards, or others seeking to become members of the Mages of High Sorcery.
• Broken Silence -- ideal for clerics, druids, paladins, and other characters with god-given powers.
• Scales of War -- ideal for any character and reveals the mysterious draconians.

The article discusses Session Zero for the campaign and outlines what to expect in a Dragonlance game -- war, death, refugees, and so on.

​

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Have you considered that Dragonlance isn't for you?

Yes, I have. But I quite like epic fantasy. It's probably my favorite subgenre of fantasy. The Stormlight Archive is currently one of my favorite fantasy series.

I should like Dragonlance. I like the Lord of the Rings well enough, and Dragonlance steals from Middle Earth a ton. I like Dwarves and Gnomes and only occasionally hate Elves. I grew up on classic fantasy tales of honorable knights that went on quests to slay dragons and evil wizards corrupted by power. I like multi-mooned worlds (Eberron has even more), I like magic being connected to the moon, I like seafaring minotaurs (I loved Voyage of the Dawntreader as a child), and I like happy endings where the good guys win. I grew up Mormon, and as much as might be averse to the church now, there is a certain aspect of it that should feel nostalgic, like some Brandon Mull, Orson Scott Card, and Brandon Sanderson books do. There is a lot in Dragonlance that should work for me. Almost all of it should line up for me and become a favorite setting. But just doesn't. Which is really doesn't make sense to me. The more that I think about it, the more it seems like Dragonlance is less than the sum of its parts.

There are plenty of settings that downplay alignment. Everybody seems to love Eberron, for example, and it has what I assume you'd consider the added bonus of subverting traditional expectations virtually across the board.

I wouldn't be so averse to alignment if the settings actually used it well. The main reason I prefer settings that downplay/ignore it is because that makes them less likely to screw it up.

Dragonlance could pretty easily not screw it up. It would have been very easy to change just a few, minor things about the setting, and not have all of these problems that have been brought up through this thread.

Because, note, while I am generally averse to alignment (increasingly so, as the more I learn about it, the more bad stuff I seem to find), but I do like quite a few settings that use alignment pretty prominently, like Exandria and the few bits of the Great Wheel that aren't redundant.

Yeah, yeah, Eberron is amazing and it basically ignores alignment and the few bits that are a part of the setting were probably forced in by WotC, but I would like Eberron even if it used alignment slightly more prominently.

I do hate alignment, but not to the extent that it would thoroughly ruin something that I'd enjoy without its inclusion.
My problem with Dragonlance's morality isn't that it uses alignment. It's that it uses it in stupidly bad ways.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Yes, I have. But I quite like epic fantasy. It's probably my favorite subgenre of fantasy. The Stormlight Archive is currently one of my favorite fantasy series.

I should like Dragonlance. I like the Lord of the Rings well enough, and Dragonlance steals from Middle Earth a ton. I like Dwarves and Gnomes and only occasionally hate Elves. I grew up on classic fantasy tales of honorable knights that went on quests to slay dragons and evil wizards corrupted by power. I like multi-mooned worlds (Eberron has even more), I like magic being connected to the moon, I like seafaring minotaurs (I loved Voyage of the Dawntreader as a child), and I like happy endings where the good guys win. I grew up Mormon, and as much as might be averse to the church now, there is a certain aspect of it that should feel nostalgic, like some Brandon Mull, Orson Scott Card, and Brandon Sanderson books do. There is a lot in Dragonlance that should work for me. Almost all of it should line up for me and become a favorite setting. But just doesn't. Which is really doesn't make sense to me. The more that I think about it, the more it seems like Dragonlance is less than the sum of its parts.

I wouldn't be so averse to alignment if the settings actually used it well. The main reason I prefer settings that downplay/ignore it is because that makes them less likely to screw it up.

Dragonlance could pretty easily not screw it up. It would have been very easy to change just a few, minor things about the setting, and not have all of these problems that have been brought up through this thread.

Because, note, while I am generally averse to alignment (increasingly so, as the more I learn about it, the more bad stuff I seem to find), but I do like quite a few settings that use alignment pretty prominently, like Exandria and the few bits of the Great Wheel that aren't redundant.

Yeah, yeah, Eberron is amazing and it basically ignores alignment and the few bits that are a part of the setting were probably forced in by WotC, but I would like Eberron even if it used alignment slightly more prominently.

I do hate alignment, but not to the extent that it would thoroughly ruin something that I'd enjoy without its inclusion.
My problem with Dragonlance's morality isn't that it uses alignment. It's that it uses it in stupidly bad ways.

So if you don't like Dragonlance (even if it's hard to fully articulate why), why are you continuing to complain about it? It doesn't seem like you have an emotional investment in the setting (which is why I was complaining about it). And the book has been pretty clear about it's take.

Forgive me if that's too personal. Feel free to not answer if you don't want to. I have on occasion pushed too hard in this area, and I enjoy debating with you.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

So if you don't like Dragonlance (even if it's hard to fully articulate why), why are you continuing to complain about it? It doesn't seem like you have an emotional investment in the setting (which is why I was complaining about it). And the book has been pretty clear about it's take. Forgive me if that's too personal. Feel free to not answer if you don't want to. I have on occasion pushed too hard in this area, and I enjoy debating with you.

1) This is the first D&D 5e book that I haven't bought, and probably will never buy. The collector in me wants to be convinced to buy this book, but the rational side has to keep telling it that I have no use for it (except maybe the feats, subclass, and monsters).

2) I obviously do have emotional investment in it, just of the more complicated type. Your investment is of what seems to be unconditional love for the original setting. Mine is of disappointment that it isn't better and wishing that it was just slightly different.

3) I think talking about objective qualities of different settings and ways to improve them is a valid and worthwhile discussion to have. I would have this kind of discussion for any D&D setting that I have any decent level of understanding for (Eberron, Wildemount, Ravenloft, Spelljammer, Ravnica, Theros, Planescape/the Great Wheel, Dark Sun, etc). Especially because additional books for the setting will almost definitely be published in the future.

 

[Scribe]

The frustration of wanting something, when it's so close, but just doesn't get there in the end.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

So if you don't like Dragonlance (even if it's hard to fully articulate why), why are you continuing to complain about it? It doesn't seem like you have an emotional investment in the setting (which is why I was complaining about it). And the book has been pretty clear about it's take.

If you'll forgive me for jumping in, probably for much the same reason that you take every opportunity to bring up how much you hate the 5e interpretations of Ravenloft and Spelljammer - a viewpoint that you are absolutely allowed to both hold and express without reservation.

There's a lot about Dragonlance that looks compelling to me. Say, for the sake of argument, 80-90% of it. It's that remaining 10-20% that doesn't work for me, and I'd like to find a way to reconcile the issues that I have with the setting in a way that gives me a solid setting to work with at the end of the day, rather than just leaving it to languish on the "spare parts" shelf.

Saying "if you don't like it, just accept it's not for you and go elsewhere" isn't helpful. At least people who don't care for the 5e versions of Ravenloft and Spelljammer have existing material to draw upon in order to help them adjust it to their liking. Can the same be said for people who take issue with aspects of Dragonlance?

 

[Micah Sweet]

If you'll forgive me for jumping in, probably for much the same reason that you take every opportunity to bring up how much you hate the 5e interpretations of Ravenloft and Spelljammer - a viewpoint that you are absolutely allowed to both hold and express without reservation.

There's a lot about Dragonlance that looks compelling to me. Say, for the sake of argument, 80-90% of it. It's that remaining 10-20% that doesn't work for me, and I'd like to find a way to reconcile the issues that I have with the setting in a way that gives me a solid setting to work with at the end of the day, rather than just leaving it to languish on the "spare parts" shelf.

Saying "if you don't like it, just accept it's not for you and go elsewhere" isn't helpful. At least people who don't care for the 5e versions of Ravenloft and Spelljammer have existing material to draw upon in order to help them adjust it to their liking. Can the same be said for people who take issue with aspects of Dragonlance?

On December 6, there will be a lot of additional material available for Dragonlance, way more than WotC is ever likely to publish.

 

[Micah Sweet]

If you'll forgive me for jumping in, probably for much the same reason that you take every opportunity to bring up how much you hate the 5e interpretations of Ravenloft and Spelljammer - a viewpoint that you are absolutely allowed to both hold and express without reservation.

There's a lot about Dragonlance that looks compelling to me. Say, for the sake of argument, 80-90% of it. It's that remaining 10-20% that doesn't work for me, and I'd like to find a way to reconcile the issues that I have with the setting in a way that gives me a solid setting to work with at the end of the day, rather than just leaving it to languish on the "spare parts" shelf.

Saying "if you don't like it, just accept it's not for you and go elsewhere" isn't helpful. At least people who don't care for the 5e versions of Ravenloft and Spelljammer have existing material to draw upon in order to help them adjust it to their liking. Can the same be said for people who take issue with aspects of Dragonlance?

Is that way to ask WotC to reissue the upcoming adventure with the parts you want fixed? Far better to look to the Guild to address these issues. That's what I did with Ravenloft, and what I would have done for Spelljammer if an awesome fan hadn't offered what I want for free on Reddit.

And I would stop bringing up Ravenloft 5e here if people weren't constantly bringing it up as an example of what they like about D&D in the late 5e era.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

On December 6, there will be a lot of additional material available for Dragonlance, way more than WotC is ever likely to publish.

Is that way to ask WotC to reissue the upcoming adventure with the parts you want fixed? Far better to look to the Guild to address these issues. That's what I did with Ravenloft, and what I would have done for Spelljammer if an awesome fan hadn't offered what I want for free on Reddit.

Perhaps something on DMsGuild will do with Dragonlance what I'd like. Far more likely it will be flooded with material supporting "classic" Dragonlance instead, but who knows for sure.

Regardless, this adventure book may already be out in the wild, but there is always the possibility of a proper campaign setting book somewhere down the road, so on the off chance that my concerns may be heard and addressed eventually, I have every intention of continuing to advocate for a revised Dragonlance, because I believe those changes would make it a better setting for everyone, and getting what I want out of a third party is no reason to let the first party version off the hook.

The point at which I stop advocating for a better Dragonlance is the point where WotC's either given me a version that works for me or I've given up and written the setting off as a complete loss.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Perhaps something on DMsGuild will do with Dragonlance what I'd like. Far more likely it will be flooded with material supporting "classic" Dragonlance instead, but who knows for sure.

Regardless, this adventure book may already be out in the wild, but there is always the possibility of a proper campaign setting book somewhere down the road, so on the off chance that my concerns may be heard and addressed eventually, I have every intention of continuing to advocate for a revised Dragonlance, because I believe those changes would make it a better setting for everyone, and getting what I want out of a third party is no reason to let the first party version off the hook.

The point at which I stop advocating for a better Dragonlance is the point where WotC's either given me a version that works for me or I've given up and written the setting off as a complete loss.

Getting what you want at all is, IMO, more important than getting it from WotC, who are in any case no better than any other publisher. Once I saw Ravenloft 5e, as disappointed as I was by it, I never expected WotC to make a version I liked better at some point in the future. I hoped DMsGuild would, and they certainly delivered.

You do you, I suppose. I don't understand it, but I don't have to.

 

[Eubani]

How would the DL history look if Paladine acted like the God of good he is claimed to be, actively promoting and championing good rather than acting like a god of balance and neutrality? What would the setting look like though still keeping the same themes?