Dungeons & Dragons Will Announce New Products at Gen Con, Modules Returning to Game

Wizards of the Coast plans to use Gen Con as a launching point for future products. During a press briefing at Gary Con on Thursday, Head of D&D Franchise Dan Ayoub said that they would be announcing the product tied to the Season of Champions at Gen Con this year. Additionally, starting at Gen Con in 2026, D&D will also announce the roadmap for the upcoming year at the convention, which will include announcements of upcoming Seasons, announcement of new products, and other "stuff" tied to the season.

Ayoub told the press briefing that early feedback for the seasons have been "fantastic," so it appears that this will be the standard moving forward.

Later in the press briefing, Ayoub noted that the lengthy delay in announcements was due to a combination of internal reorganization for the D&D team and a shift in which products would be released in 2026. He also said that adventure modules will be returning to Dungeons & Dragons as part of the new Season models, although it's unclear whether this will be through the D&D Encounters program, Adventurer's League, or through some other kind of unannounced product.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

What, I wonder, does DS offer that a new setting would not?

A slightly shorter path to getting the Dark Sun IP into movies, TV shows and videogames, which is pretty explicitly part of their mission now.

They can -- and definitely will -- do the same thing with new settings and characters, but Dark Sun is a little further down the road to mainstream awareness, since there are a bunch of older fans floating around out there who'll go "hey, I think I remember that ..."

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I would say "season of wastelands" or defilers for DS. I have said in the past my own theory is we will be a generic splatbook about post-apocaliptic settings focused for player options. Other title would be a "Traveler's Guide" with a chapter about gazetteer, some PC species and mainly monsters.

Hasbro isn't too interested into selling more DS sourcebooks but a DS version of BG3.

I doubt to see the update of DS without new UA articles to playtest the PC species. Here WotC worries about the feedback and potential "brand-value". Of course, there's also the possibility that they might decide to release the psionic species separately in DDB as digital content, but I don't like that option.

We have got the option of a DS spin-off, this would be a next wildspace in the same material plane. (Oficially the Athaspace isn't in the same material plane, that is the reason because this can't be visited or explored by spelljammers from Toril, Krynn or Oerth.

A compilation of adventures set in the DS is possible, based on a camp of runaway slaves. This could be easily adapted for different homebrew campaigns. Or an adventure set in Kalidnay(Ravenloft). Maybe this dark domain is a cluster with various Athasian dark-lords. These "new" domains could be a "recycled" version of the Deathlands.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The fact is, if you wanted to do something about gladiators, you would set it in the Forgotten Realms (or Greyhawk, or Krynn’s past). There really is no reason to use Dark Sun for gladiators. They fit pretty much anywhere. Trying to use it to connect to “champions” is just a sad attempt to deny waiting a couple more months.

 

[Nicholas Reed]

My money is on Champions being Dragonlance related due to the push of Dragonlance characters in Idle Champions this year, the new Lord Soth art on the roadmap image, and it being a nice reference to Champions of Krynn. I would imagine Dark Sun more being called "Season of the Apocalypse" or something similar.

 

[Reynard]

A slightly shorter path to getting the Dark Sun IP into movies, TV shows and videogames, which is pretty explicitly part of their mission now.

They can -- and definitely will -- do the same thing with new settings and characters, but Dark Sun is a little further down the road to mainstream awareness, since there are a bunch of older fans floating around out there who'll go "hey, I think I remember that ..."

I wonder at what point that existing foundation and familiarity becomes more of a liability than a benefit. Obviously only WotC knows, but I would be very curious to know how the different TSR products (Spelljammer, Planescape, Darksun and Ravenloft) did with respect to one another and what, if any, connections could be drawn to the degree each was or was not reimagined for modern audiences. I know some folks were very upset with the Ravenlift changes (von Richtens, not Strahd). Many other folks just seemed to be disappointed in most of the TSR products for one reason or another.

But I am fully aware of my biases: I think it is crazy that we haven't had a legitimately new D&D setting in at least 15 years (depending on if you count Nentir Vale as a new setting). Every time folks get excited at yet another rehash of an old setting I die a little inside.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Dan Ayoub was put in charge of D&D Franchise on July 9th last year, the Dark Sun Subclasses came a month and a half later.

Not sure what you're saying here, other than true facts.

Why does everyone say this? What would you call the Dark Sun season? Season of Suffering? Season of Trauma Survivors? Season of Sand?

Champions is as good a name for freedom fighters, warriors of the wastes, gladiators and eco-warriors as any, especially if are trying to move away from Dark Suns Pizza-cutter reputation. (All edge and no point).

I don't disagree with you, I think it works fine for DS. However, the word Champions has been used with Dragon Lance before, and while I think that Lord Soth ad could just be in Ravenloft, it's certainly possible with the reveal that some things got moved around, that DS got the bump to next year. I believe 100% that it's happening soon, though!

 

[Davy Greenwind]

Maybe the "Season of Champions" will have a Dark Sun book and a Martial options book, and "Champions" is the word they thought of to tie them together.

 

[Parmandur]

Not sure what you're saying here, other than true facts.

Just clarifying the timeline, I honestly don't know what it means: but the most explicit Dark Sun test came well after the shakeup Ayoub was describing.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

The fact is, if you wanted to do something about gladiators, you would set it in the Forgotten Realms (or Greyhawk, or Krynn’s past). There really is no reason to use Dark Sun for gladiators. They fit pretty much anywhere. Trying to use it to connect to “champions” is just a sad attempt to deny waiting a couple more months.

I disagree. Gladiators can feature in any setting, sure, but Dark Sun's sand makes for big gladiatorial arenas like you seen in both Gladiator movies, Sparticus, and Thor vs Hulk just work... better.

 

[Parmandur]

I am not sure what that is supposed to be evidence for. If the DS playtest did not go well, it could push it back. if they were having a boss shuffle, it could push it back. If someone in marketing got a "brilliant" idea, it could push it back.

"Season of Champions" does not suggest Dark Sun to me. That said, why would they bring Dragonlance back again?

But we will have to wait and see.

Not evidence for anything in particular, just clarifying the timeline for the shakeup that Ayoub described.