And speaking of getting close, this is the time when we begin to share more detailed information with D&D players everywhere. I'm thankful that we can finally start to open up a little more and let you see what we're working on, so to speak. Some of this takes the form of a couple of preview products that are about to release, as well as the newest set of D&D miniatures, Desert of Desolation, which debuted two weeks ago.
Preview Products
Wizards Presents: Races and Classes hits the store shelves in a couple of weeks. This is the first of two 4th Edition preview products designed to provide you with a behind-the-curtain glimpse of the making of the 4th Edition of the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game. (The second is Wizards Presents: Worlds and Monsters, on sale in January.) Full of concept art, designer essays, and insights into R&D's thinking, Races and Classes previews the new version of the game from a player's perspective.
Races and Classes provides a bunch of great information and reveals a number of secrets, including:
* The nature and first look at the as-yet-unrevealed new player character race.
* A timeline of the design and development of 4th Edition, including notes from the design team.
* The top-secret 4th Edition design tenets.
* An overview of Player Handbook classes and power sources.
* A preview of classes slated for future development after the launch of the Player's Handbook.
* All kinds of background information, in-world stories, and anecdotes about what it takes to create a new edition.
Check out Races and Classes (and its companion volume, Worlds and Monsters) for amazing artwork, intriguing spoilers, and a ton of information on what's coming in the new edition -- from the first set of core books to future products later in the line. I know all this stuff, and I couldn't stop reading. Not only is it fascinating material, but it got my mind racing about characters I want to play and campaigns I want to run using the new edition. I think you'll have the same reaction.
Desert of Desolation
The newest set of D&D miniatures, Desert of Desolation, provides a different kind of look at 4th Edition. First off, every creature in the set exists in 4th Edition D&D and almost all of them will appear in the first Monster Manual. (One monster receives special treatment and will get its first updated statistics on D&D Insider.)
Second, this set showcases the first of our updates to the look and feel of D&D monsters. Now, when a monster looks just great, we've left it alone. But in cases where we felt we could improve the look of a monster, we've taken this opportunity to do so. Our new look for angels, for example, debuts in this set with the Angel of Vengeance. It's otherworldly, looks powerful, and has just the right mix of awe-inspiring and creepy to better define these servants of the gods. Another update can be seen in the Feral Troll, which continues the artistic evolution of one of the terrors of D&D that has been updated with each new edition of the game.
Third, this set reveals some monsters making their debut in 4th Edition. The Cyclops appears for the first time since 2nd Edition and looks fantastic, and the Fire Archon unleashes the first of a new elemental force on unsuspecting adventurers everywhere.
