D&D (2024) New Dungeon Master's Guide Cover Features Venger (From the D&D Cartoons)

The cover of the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide has been unveiled.... in the Mirror, a mainstream newspaper in the UK.

The cover art features villains (as opposed to the heroes on the Player's Handbook cover revealed last week), with skeletons in the foreground, the classic villains Skylla and Warduke in the mid ground, and then Venger from the 1980s Dungeons & Dragons cartoon looming in the background, and right at the back lurks a dracolich.

The DMG will be released November 12th, 2024.

 

[DavyGreenwind]

Check it out: Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Master's Guide cover artwork shown to the world

 

[Oofta]

I like it well enough. But they are really leaning into the whole D&D cartoon though with Venger having such a prominent placement. Makes me wonder if there's a reboot in the works.

 

[Thommy H-H]

It's the Dungeon Master's Guide, not Venger's Guide!

 

[ART!]

I'm not in love with this cover, I think because all the figures are about the same size. I feel like it would be more dynamic with more variation there.

But it doesn't rally matter to me.

 

[Meech17]

I like the art.

Haaaaaaaaaaaaate the spine.

 

[Parmandur]

Oh .y goodness, this is awesome.

From the interview with the art director:

"Going with that theme we have multiple layers of villains and monsters on this cover, from the lowly skeletons or "grunts" that you may face often- emerging from the water after a necromantic spell was cast, to the mid-level mini-bosses in classic characters like Skylla and Warduke (who have been featured in past editions, toys, and most recently in Wild Beyond the Witchlight), up to an iconic campaign level villain in Venger (from the cartoon series) who is very capable of taking the spotlight for himself."

"But of course, behind all of that (in classic D&D style) we have a lurking Dracolich who may have actually been the mastermind working from behind the scenes all along, and is just beyond view."

"We wanted this to be something that would let players SEE the options that this book presents them. Yes, DM'ing is more than just monsters and combat, but it's a really fun part of being a DM"

"The back cover has an ancient Mind Flayer temple, with an adventuring party in the distance exploring this huge dungeon. We wanted a scene that would show that sometimes D&D is about exploration, but also wanted to add a bit of mystery and storytelling with some of the things in the foreground and background.!"

 

[Parmandur]

I like it well enough. But they are really leaning into the whole D&D cartoon though with Venger having such a prominent placement. Makes me wonder if there's a reboot in the works.

They seem to have been seeding that for a long while now.

 

[Kobold Stew]

Mention of strongholds in the back-cover text strongly suggests that the Bastions rules will be in the DMG and not the PHB. I'm good with that.

 

[ART!]

From the interview with the art director:

"Going with that theme we have multiple layers of villains and monsters on this cover, from the lowly skeletons or "grunts" that you may face often- emerging from the water after a necromantic spell was cast, to the mid-level mini-bosses in classic characters like Skylla and Warduke (who have been featured in past editions, toys, and most recently in Wild Beyond the Witchlight), up to an iconic campaign level villain in Venger (from the cartoon series) who is very capable of taking the spotlight for himself."

"But of course, behind all of that (in classic D&D style) we have a lurking Dracolich who may have actually been the mastermind working from behind the scenes all along, and is just beyond view."

Wow - for me at least, this cover specifically fails to achieve these goals. Making the figures all pretty much the same size does give equal significance to each level of threat, but my first thought when looking at the cover was "well, that's dull".

But again, I'm just one nerd, and it's not like the cover is going to be a determining factor in my purchase or lack thereof.