D&D 5E Lore & Legends Is An Official Visual Guide to D&D 5th Edition

Coming in October from the authors of Dungeons and Dragons Art & Arcana: A Visual History is a new illustrated guide--this time to D&D 5th Edition, including artwork, interviews, and more. Lore & Legends is by Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman, Jon Peterson, and Sam Witwer, and is an officially licensed D&D book.

The 400+ page book is scheduled for release on October 3rd.

An illustrated guide to Dungeons & Dragons’ beloved fifth edition told through interviews, artwork, and visual ephemera from the designers, storytellers, and artists who bring it to life.

When the reimagined fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons debuted in the summer of 2014, tabletop roleplaying games were on the brink of obsolescence. But within a few short years, D&D found greater success than it had ever enjoyed before, even surpassing its 1980s golden age. How did an analog game nearly a half century old become a star in a digital world? For the first time, Lore & Legends reveals the incredible ongoing story of Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition from the perspective of the designers, artists, and players who bring it to life. This comprehensive visual guide illuminates contemporary D&D—its development, evolution, cultural relevance, and popularity—through exclusive interviews and more than 900 pieces of artwork, photography, and advertising curated and analyzed by the authors of the bestselling and Hugo Award–nominated Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana.

 

[Parmandur]

This is WotC agreeing to participate in return for a check, as opposed to affirmatively deciding to reprint deluxe editions of the AD&D books or something, which would require them taking the initiative.

Everyone but WotC was happy to make DADHAT stuff.

To be fair, AD&D is available in print through POD.

 

[Ghal Maraz]

I'm disappointed that an historian like Peterson is working on something which can be hardly seen as nothing else than a celebration (and it's clear from the description). On the other side, he's the only redeeming factor I can see now in that.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Art & Arcana is a great book.

But why not, you know, a 50-year retrospective for the 50th anniversary?

 

[happylarry]

I'll probably get this, but it's not going to compete with A&A. Because I'm getting old and nothing beats opening that red box on Christmas Day 1985.

 

[eyeheartawk]

I think it will be neat. I'm not sure how much "stuff" there is to fill this page count when we're talking about 10 years instead of 40. I'm sure it'll be alot more detail about stuff that didn't make it in, the process etc.

I also doubt we'll see the kind of brutal honest commentary and interviews we saw with the previous book given that WotC is making this book for a product they are still making now. It's certainly different to poopoo talk TSR stuff or 4th edition when both of those are far in the past.

 

[Superchunk77]

If even a penny of this book goes back to WotC or Hasbro it's a no buy for me.

 

[mamba]

If even a penny of this book goes back to WotC or Hasbro it's a no buy for me.

pretty sure something does, they are not getting the art for free

 

[GuyBoy]

I'll probably get this, but it's not going to compete with A&A. Because I'm getting old and nothing beats opening that red box on Christmas Day 1985.

One thing might beat it: opening up that white box on Christmas Day 1976!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

To be fair, AD&D is available in print through POD.

Do we have to get that guy back from corporate to scream about monetization again, @Parmandur? Is that what you want?

WotC, not Beedle & Grimm's, not WizKids, not Champion Sportswear, not Funko Pop, needs to have some limited time deluxe offerings for the 50th anniversary besides what they're already publishing in 2024 (including the new core books).

That they aren't even planning on a limited edition of the 2024 core books at this time suggests that they may not have any real plans to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Maybe they'll get around to it in time for the 51st, when everyone will surely be just as excited.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Art & Arcana is a great book.

But why not, you know, a 50-year retrospective for the 50th anniversary?

Because just revising Art & Arcana would mean that most people who already own it -- the core audience for such a thing -- would skip buying another expensive book the size of a CPU.