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D&D 5eNews

Updated: Upcoming D&D Products for 2018

Updated: It’s Official! Read updated news for M:tG’s Ravnica out in November 2018 and Eberron for D&D 5e available now.

Updated: Stream of Many Eyes revealed the name and details for “Broadway” on June 1, 2018 as Waterdeep: Dragon Heist.
Updated: Stream of Many Eyes revealed the name and details for “Catacomb” on June 2, 2018 as Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage.
Updated: Campaign Settings Coming in 2018
Updated: “Marathon” is now officially Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes. Details added below or read full details here about Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes.


Wizards of the Coast (WotC), has been using codenames for their upcoming products for quite a while to prevent fans and competitors from figuring out what’s in their pipeline. In the past, we’ve seen codenames such as “Labyrinth” (Tales from the Yawning Portal), “Dust” (Tomb of Annihilation), “Midway” (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything), “Cloak” (Curse of Strahd), and “Dagger” (Storm King’s Thunder). These codenames usually lend a vague idea of what the product will be, but they are just as likely to confuse fans.

Marathon”, “Broadway”, and “Catacomb” are the latest batch of codenames for us to wildly speculate about. I’m not even going to pretend to have answers, but I will take a look at the few facts we have and what other people are seeing in their crystal balls. These codenames were just released earlier this month and we don’t know much about what each of the specific codenames represent, other than all three are hardcover books (and a set of dice like we saw with Tomb of Annihilation).

Gamehole 2017 – State of D&D

We do know from past experience that WotC likes to throw a few details about their upcoming products at Gamehole Con, and 2017 was no exception. What we learned from a panel featured Chris Perkins and Mike Mearls included:

  • Mystic, Artificer and Revised Ranger are upcoming
  • D&D is now the most popular it has ever been since the 1980s
  • Potential for four major products for 2018 with a balance between rule crunch and adventures
    • Every product being released in 2018 has either been written, or is being written
    • One is at the tail end of the editing/layout process
    • Another is in the playtest phase
    • Third is in the finalizing development phase
    • And a fourth Mearls won’t talk about at all
  • Settings – they are thinking of D&D as a multiverse
    • There were lots of mentions of Eberron
    • Mentions of Dark Sun and Psionics
    • Focus on genres such as “Post-Apocalyptic D&D” (Dark Sun), “Gothic-Horror D&D” (Ravenloft), and “Film-Noir D&D” or “Pulp D&D” (Eberron)
    • Don’t want it to be a wide product line and you will never need more than that book and the 3 core books

You can listen to the State of D&D panel thanks to Nerd on Earth or read the recap on the EN World forum.

The specific details we have on the books come from ENWorld forum user Sean who found details on these upcoming items on McNally Robinson, a Canadian bookstore’s website. Here are the links to check them out or you can see the full details below.


Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes (Previously Called Codename Marathon)

UPDATE:

Discover the truth about the great conflicts of the D&D multiverse in this supplement for the world’s greatest roleplaying game.

This tome is built on the writings of the renowned wizard from the world of Greyhawk, gathered over a lifetime of research and scholarship. In his travels to other realms and other planes of existence, he has made many friends, and has risked his life an equal number of times, to amass the knowledge contained herein.

In addition to Mordenkainen’s musings on the endless wars of the multiverse, the book contains game statistics for dozens of monsters: new demons and devils, several varieties of elves and duergar, and a vast array of other creatures from throughout the planes of existence.

  • The title is Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes
  • There will be a regular and variant cover (same as previous books such as Volo and Xanathar)
  • The cost will be US$49.95
  • The release date is still May 29th, 2018 and May 18th, 2018 in game stores
  • The page count has been updated to 256 pages and it has been confirmed that it will be a hardcover
  • Limited edition cover will be available in game stores May 18th, 2018

Read full details here about Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes

This book is being listed as a “D&D Accessory”, so it is unlikely that this book would be an adventure if we are to believe what is listed on the McNally Robinson bookstore site. Looking at the page counts, Marathon might be a player/DM resource instead of an adventure/module collection, being 192 pages (which matches Xanathar’s page count), but this would be odd as we have always seen the release of an adventure/module collection in the spring since 5e launched. Having a lower page count adventure or module collection might be the plan. The buzz around the Internet is that the codename “Marathon” could have something to do with the Modron March, with the book being a planar supplement.


Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (Formerly Codename “Broadway”)

Details are just coming out for this at the Stream of Many Eyes

Welcome to Waterdeep!

A fantastic treasure trove is yours for the taking in this adventure for the world’s greatest roleplaying game.

Famed explorer Volothamp Geddarm needs you to complete a simple quest. Thus begins a mad romp through the wards of Waterdeep as you uncover a villainous plot involving some of the city’s most influential figures.

A grand urban caper awaits you. Pit your skill and bravado against villains the likes of which you’ve never faced before, and let the dragon hunt begin!

Waterdeep: Dragon Heist will be an urban treasure hunt requiring players to “use diplomacy, intrigue, stealth, and their wits to follow clues and solve puzzles.”

Waterdeep Dragon Heist takes D&D back to civilization in an environment which encourages a lot of roleplaying,” according to Chris Perkins. “A lot of the inspiration was from things like Ocean’s Eleven and The Italian Job in a city environment. Where the goal of the adventure is to try and find a trove of treasure and keep it out of the hands of villains.

Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
By Rpg Team Wizards
ISBN: 9780786966257
format: Hardcover
series: D&D Adventure
pages: 256
publisher: Wizards of the Coast
pub. date: 2018-09-18
Price: US$49.96

D&D “Broadway” Dice
By Rpg Team Wizards
ISBN: 9780786966288
format: Game
series: D&D Accessory
pages: n/a
publisher: Wizards of the Coast
pub. date: 2018-09-18


Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage  (Formerly Codename “Catacomb”)

This book’s release date matches up with the November Player/DM resource book, but it a little heavier in page count that even the longest similar book, Volo’s Guide, which had a page count of 224. There has been some talk of a campaign setting book, but guessing by the name – many people are expecting this to be some kind of an Undermountain adventure. The last time I saw an Undermountain book was 2012’s Halls of the Undermountain for 4th edition. There has also been talk of moving to one big adventure a year, so this could even be a campaign guide with player options and world specific rules and a starter adventure for DMs.

Update: It looks likes the guesses were right and we’re heading to Undermountain.

The Greatest Dungeon of Them All

Explore the mega-dungeon of Undermountain in this adventure for the world’s greatest roleplaying game.

In the city of Waterdeep rests a tavern called the Yawning Portal, named after the gaping pit in its common room. At the bottom of this crumbling shaft is a labyrinthine dungeon shunned by all but the most daring adventurers. Known as Undermountain, this dungeon is the domain of the mad wizard Halaster Blackcloak. Long has the Mad Mage dwelt in these forlorn depths, seeding his lair with monsters, traps, and mysteries—to what end is a constant source of speculation and concern.

This adventure picks up where Waterdeep: Dragon Heist leaves off, taking characters of 5th level or higher all the way to 20th level should they explore the entirety of Halaster’s home. Twenty-three levels of Undermountain are detailed herein, along with the subterranean refuge of Skullport. Treasures and secrets abound, but tread with care!

Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
By Rpg Team Wizards
ISBN: 9780786966264
Price: $49.95
Release Date: 13 November, 2018
Format: Hardcover
series: D&D Adventure
pages: 256
publisher: Wizards of the Coast
pub. date: 2018-11-20


Let the speculation begin! Tell us what you think the next D&D books from WotC in 2018 will be.

But wait, there is more. The D&D product news blitz continues. According to an exclusive on Comicbook.com, “Dungeons & Dragons plans to announce several additional publications in 2018, which will add new campaign settings for players that don’t take place in the Forgotten Realms.
Campaign Settings Coming in 2018