Spelljammer Is OTW and Other Highlights from Today’s D&D Direct Livestream

Today, on April 21, Dungeon Masters and Adventurers congregated in the halls of a gamified, virtual castle for Wizards of the Coast’s first ever D&D Direct. The online event illuminated some of the many awesome Dungeons & Dragons launches taking place this year from new adventure books and to board games to a feature film. From the table top to the big screen, the Dungeons & Dragons universe is ever-expanding, and we’ve got it all covered. 

The Spelljammer reboot campaign was first teased by D&D on April 1, leaving skeptics to chalk up any possibility of an Astral Sea adventure as nothing more than April Fool’s Day fun. Today, however, all skepticism was laid to rest, with confirmation that Spelljammer: Adventures in Space will hit shelves this August. Spelljammer was first introduced in 1989 as a box set of the same title. The epic combination between deep sea and deep space returns to the D&D universe in the form of three, 64-page campaign books, a double-sided poster map, and a DM screen. 

Spelljammer: Adventures in Space is the first-ever campaign to arrive packaged in a slip case. This packaging model is designed to facilitate organic role-play; in other words, to prevent adventurers from seeing any parts of a DM’s campaign that they shouldn’t. This design strategy translates to the three books that each center around a different facet of the game. Astral Adventures Guide provides everything a DM needs to conduct their nautical space campaign, introducing six new playable race options: the Astral Elves, Auto Gnomes, Hadozee, Plasmoids, Thri-Kreen, and Griffs. Boo’s Astral Menagerie is a bestiary indexing the new and horrific monsters of the Astral plane, including giant space hamsters (yes, it’s as cool as it sounds). The third and final volume, Light of Xaryxis, is the adventure book, featuring 12 nail-biting episodes across the celestial-sphere and the Astral sea. Apparently, the final episode goes “buck-wild.” 

Fans can prepare to “Sail for home” as preorders for Spelljammer: Adventures in Space are live on dndbeyond.com. With a listed price of $69.99, this game promises to bring a new level of freedom and creativity to DMs and players than any previous campaign. 

Announced last month, Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel is a new D&D anthology that travels through the Radiant Citadel: a magical city of lands rich with excitement and danger. This collection of 13 adventures spans across 15 new locations and introduces 11 new monsters. A team of 16 Black and Brown writers put together various stories from their lived-experience, culminating in an anthology that is vibrant and evocative of a shared world. Expanding on this theme of a “shared” collective, the Radiant Citadel acts as a gateway to other D&D locations and can be placed in any already existing campaign setting. Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel is set to release on June 21 and is available to preorder now for $49.95. 

Dragonlance is among the classic D&D settings, but rest assured, this new expansion is not a reimagining or reboot to the original trilogy. This is a new story that takes place in the War of Lands and inspires DMs to create their own version of Dragonlance. The campaign book is complete with setting-specific information and new rules for creating characters. While classic character types (including an OG Dragonlance villain) will make sporadic cameos, this new adventure places players in charge of gameplay. 

The sister product to the new Dragonlance book is a board game called The Battlegame, a tabletop arena in which players can conduct giant military battles. These military battles, though able to be played independently, are consistent with the plot line of the book. When players arrive at junctures in the narrative in which conflict ensues, they can act those scenes out on the game board. Dragonlance and The Battlegame will be sold separately or offered in a bundle, set to release later this year. 

D&D is going back to basics with an all new starter set, Dungeons of Stormwreck Isle. Drawing on eight years of fan feedback, the set is designed to be more accessible to brand-new players with more streamlined gameplay and a revamped new player hub. The adventure takes place — as the name suggests — on Stormwreck Isle, just off the Forgotten Coast, and introduces newcomers to essential skills of the game: role playing, problem solving, etc. 

Though designed for novice players, there’s plenty for established fans to get excited about, too. All of the artwork in the starter is inspired by the 1983 Dungeons & Dragons cartoon, featuring familiar faces with an aged, modernized design. Plus, this set is a great way for players to step out of their comfort zones and explore roles they typically avoid. Perhaps there are some new DMs in the making. 

Dungeons & Dragons: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle will be exclusively available at Target starting on Aug. 1, becoming globally available in October. 

With all of these mythical announcements, board game and collectible manufacturer WizKids had to get in on the fun with two separate, but equally epic, D&D-inspired products! Alongside the debut of Spelljammer: Adventures in Space, WizKid is launching a line of miniatures inspired by the campaign’s most grotesque villains. Featuring none other than “Dohwar & Space Swine,” “Giant Space Hamster, ” and the “Void Scavver,” the Spelljammer Icons of the Realms figures will bring an out-of-this-world element to any collector’s shelf.

WizKids is also channeling its roots with a D&D tabletop game. Named The Onslaught, this game challenges players to a quest for treasure and glory as they encounter fearsome monsters and worthy rivals. This game is set to release this October.

Rumors of a D&D feature film first came to light in 2013, though allegedly, the project had many obstacles to overcome before it could gain any real traction. Today, it seems, all of those obstacles have dissipated, as fans were treated to a 30-second teaser revealing the film’s title: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Though not much else about the movie was unveiled, we do know that Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Chloe Coleman, and Hugh Grant will be guiding us on our cinematic journey through the forgotten realms. The movie is set to hit theaters on March 3, 2023, and we’ve already got our popcorn ready. 

These are only some highlights of the many announcements made by Wizards of the Coast today. Fans can also look forward to a new extension of the Neverwinter video game, a new D&D YouTube series called Legends of the Multiverse, and new campaign cases that will upgrade any arsenal. If you’re thinking that all these announcements sound too good to be true, don’t worry, we get it. Click below to watch the complete D&D Direct event and see for yourself!