Category Archives: D&D Guides - Page 5

Talking Young Adventurer’s Guides with Ken and Robin

Game designers Ken Hite and Robin Laws interviewed me about the D&D Young Adventurer’s Guide series and we talk about bringing new people into tabletop gaming.

The interview starts at the 16 minute 40 second mark of the podcast.

D&D VS Rick and Morty: The Tabletop RPG Adventure Now Available for Pre-Order!

Arriving November 19, 2019!

Play D&D through the lenses of the mad narcissistic genius, Rick Sanchez, from the animated Cartoon Network series, Rick and Morty—the Rick Way!

This tabletop roleplaying game boxed set blends the world of Dungeons & Dragons with mad narcissistic genius, Rick Sanchez’s power gaming sensibilities, nostalgia, sarcastic metacommentary, and the reasons why people play D&D in the first place.

• Following the hugely popular comic series Rick and Morty VS Dungeons & Dragons, this boxed set is co-authored by Jim Zub (co-writer of the comic series) with new art by Troy Little (illustrator of the comic series).

• This complete campaign experience includes the following components:
(1) 64-page rulebook annotated by Rick Sanchez
(2) 32-page original adventure for character levels 1–3
(3) 4-panel folding Dungeon Master screen featuring new artwork by Troy Little
(4) 5 ready-to-play character sheets
(6) 11 polyhedron dice

• A great companion to the comic series, and a perfect gift for the Rick and Morty or D&D fan in your life.


Dungeons & Dragons VS Rick and Morty:
Tabletop Roleplaying Game Adventure

(Tabletop RPG box set for levels 1-3)

This tabletop roleplaying game boxed set blends the world of Dungeons & Dragons with mad narcissistic genius, Rick Sanchez’s power gaming sensibilities, nostalgia, sarcastic meta-commentary, and the reasons why people play D&D in the first place.
PRE-ORDER
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Cool Stuff Inc
Hudson
Indiebound
Midtown Comics
Noble Knight

Wizards & Spells Cover Reveal!

The fourth D&D Young Adventurer’s Guide, WIZARDS & SPELLS, arrives March 2020, but the incredible cover art by the Conceptopolis studio has just been unveiled. Check out this sweeping stellar artwork of our new legendary Warlock, Zanizyre Clockguard and her pseudodragon familiar!

Find out more about the D&D Young Adventurer’s Guide series right HERE.

Wizards & Spells is available for pre-order from your favorite local bookstore, or these other outlets:


D&D Young Adventurer’s Guide 4
Wizards & Spells

This illustrated guide transports new players to the magical world of Dungeons & Dragons and presents a one-of-a-kind course on the wizards, sorcerers, and other magic-makers for which the game is known. Featuring easy-to-follow and entertaining explanations of how spells are created and used in the game, along with original illustrations of the game’s essential magical characters, this book shines a spotlight on the mystical side of D&D.
PRE-ORDER
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-A-Million
Chapters-Indigo
Hudson Books
Indiebound
Powell’s

D&D Young Adventurers Guide: Dungeons & Tombs – Preview!

Dungeons & Tombs, the third D&D Young Adventurer’s Guide, arrives in bookstores on November 26th.

In this guide you’ll find:
• Profiles for six adventurous locales from Dungeons & Dragons lore.
• 15 creatures profiles for dungeon-specific threats not covered in Monsters & Creatures.
• Guides to brainstorming your own dungeon ideas and drawing graph paper maps.
• 60 brand new illustrations!

Here are preview pages to show you some of the great content inside, perfect for new players or young readers:

Introduction

Castle Ravenloft Section Introduction

Undermountain – Overview and Important Places

Oozes – the Black Pudding and the Gelatinous Cube

Mapmaking Section Introduction

More information on the D&D Young Adventurer’s Guides can be found right HERE.


D&D Young Adventurer’s Guide 3
Dungeons & Tombs

In this illustrated guide, you’ll be transported to the mystical and magical worlds of Dungeons & Dragons and given a one-of-a-kind course on the dungeons and deathtraps. This book shines a spotlight down the dark, foreboding corners of the most infamous locations in the worlds of D&D. The perfect jumping-on point for young fans of fantasy looking to give D&D a try, the book also features prompts to encourage creative problem-solving skills in the dangerous situations you may find yourself in when on D&D adventures.
PRE-ORDER
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Chapters-Indigo
Hudson Books
Indiebound
Powell’s
Target

Vintage RPG Podcast reviews the Young Adventurer’s Guides

The Vintage RPG Podcast has a nice overview/review of the first Young Adventurer’s Guides, Monsters & Creatures and Warriors & Weapons. Scroll ahead to the 33 minute and 30 second mark of their latest podcast episode to hear what they think about the series so far-

“What I love about these books is that it really does give you a leveling of the playing field. You could just read through these books quickly and understand more of what the game is really about and not worry about the rules and the stats.”

Penguin Random House Interview

I spoke to the Penguin Random House crew about how the Dungeons & Dragons Young Adventurer’s Guides came to be and how our team developed the series. Give it a read.

D&D Young Adventurer’s Guides Reviews!

The Dungeons & Dragons Young Adventurer’s Guides are now available everywhere fine books are sold! All of us on the team are incredibly proud of these introductory guides to D&D and the response from readers and reviewers so far has been stellar.

Want to find out more about the series? Check out the FAQ I put together.

Bell of Lost Souls: “Reading through these books is an absolute treat. They capture so much of what makes D&D feel magical–and they’re just lovely. The art is gorgeous and inviting, they’re a nice size; exactly the sort of thing you’d want to sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy.”

Bob World Builder: “These are great books for collectors and players of all ages.”

Bleeding Cool: “this book is creative idea fuel. WotC and Ten Speed really hit it out of the park with these books and it makes me happy to see Dungeons & Dragons approached in a different manner that kids between the ages of 8-14 could grab this and pick up on very easily.”

CFT-RPG: “Great quality for a young reader’s book and the inspiration here is fantastic.”

Comics Now: “These books strike a great balance, in that they’re aimed at younger readers but are still great resources for older fans as well. They have enough information contained within their pages that you could easily jump into a D&D game after you’ve finished reading”

d20 Diaries: “Taken on their own, the Young Adventurer’s Guides have a nice layout, easy to read text, beautiful art, and are well organized. They’re approachable, interesting, engaging, and clearly written for kids, but, at the same time, the books don’t talk down to the reader.”

Dices Everywhere (French): “these are perfect books to visually complement the stripped D&D Basic Rules available for free online.”

Eighteen Wisdom: 9.6/10 “All of these books are quality items that have a very definite target demographic but which hit that demographic almost perfectly. Could some kids go straight into the mainstream books and be ok? Yes they probably could. But I believe most would benefit from the way these books lead them through their initial contact with Dungeons & Dragons (in fact, pretty much any RPG).”

Fanbase Press: “These books are absolutely fantastic for children, and, frankly, anyone brand new to D&D could probably stand to read them. Even if you don’t know the first thing about Dungeons & Dragons, these books are a great fantasy resource. I’d say that if you have even the most passing interest in fantasy, these books are a must buy.”

Fandom Post: “Although the wording may be simplified for younger readers, the knowledge contained therein is an essential foundation to those interested in the classic tabletop game and allows anyone to readily pick it up and easily absorb the essential details”

Fictional Fangirl: “It’s a really good book for kids who are going to be building their own characters or building any characters for the very first time. It’s a really useful tool and makes it really easy.”

Forbes: “Taking in all the lore and the rules of Dungeons & Dragons all at once can be intimidating for people new to the game. By breaking that info into small, digest sized books, having these at the table full of new players keeps them engaged while making characters.”

Game Vortex: “…a great primer on what a young, aspiring adventurer would need to know if they hope to don some armor, pick up arms, and seek their fortune as an adventurer, presenting information that a rogue or fighter just starting off would likely know about weapons, armor and equipment.”

Gayme Master: “If you’re thinking of getting a young reader you know hooked on fantasy and introduce them to the wonderful world of Dungeons & Dragons, Monsters & Creatures is the ideal starting point! It’s definitely a critical hit!”

Geek Dad: “These are small, 100+ page hardback books filled with colorful art and specifics of the game that a young player will find useful. (And to be honest, these books are totally suitable for adults, too.)”

Geekerati: “The Warriors & Weapons book gives a good overview of a number of D&D races and classes and has a useful flowchart to help young players decide what kinds of characters they want to play.”

Geek Tyrant: 8/10 “…if you’re new or someone you know is new and possibly interested in playing, especially if they’re a middle school or high school aged person, then this is a great way to get an easier to read version of the flavor text from the Player’s Handbook. “

Geeks of Doom: “With wonderful guides such as Warriors & Weapons, it is broken down to its core pieces, enabling younger players or would be players to grasp the nuances and feel more at ease.”

Goblins and Growlers: “This is a fantastic little book that will rope younger would-be D&D players into a world of adventure and, hopefully, leave them antsy to play the game for real.”

How Do I DM?: “It’s perfectly set up to let younger players use their imagination…The book is so well done. I can’t say it enough.”

How To D&D: “This seems like a great beginner book for a Dungeon Master of any age…I can really see many people finding this book really useful to them.”

Inciter Magazine: “You can tell in the art direction and how every entry is written, that special care was put into making each section not only informative, but interesting and fun to read. There is humor, nuance, and rhythm put into every paragraph. This is deliberate in design, and the result is something new, fun, and not better, but certainly complimentary to any book that has come before it.”

Lightspeed Magazine: “I would wager that these books would be good primers for any age reader on the nature of the world’s most popular role-playing game. I highly recommend them to any parent or person interested in learning more about the world-building of Dungeons & Dragons.”

Matt Slaton: “I would recommend this to somebody who is looking to get new players involved or just start getting your players out of the habit of focusing on the mechanics of the game.”

Matthew Perkins: “They activate that long dormant piece of my brain that I haven’t used since childhood, that wondrous imagination. I love thinking this way.”

Nerdisphere: “They’ll really enhance your library for Dungeons & Dragons and they’re very well done.”

Nerdophiles: “Warriors & Weapons and Monsters & Creatures are huge hits in our household and I can’t recommend them enough. Whether you’ve got a kid whose interested in Dungeons & Dragons solely because they saw it on Stranger Things or you’ve got a hopelessly overwhelmed adult friend looking for more information on what it’s all about, these books are great.”

Nerdy Girl Express: “No matter how old you are if you have ever had an interest in D&D these Young Adventurer’s Guides are something you need to check out.”

Outright Geekery: 8/10 “Hardcover, with a good binding. Quality paper stock and a lot of fantastic illustrations…as a veteran of a few campaigns, I found plenty of use with these for when my kids start their own D&D campaign.”

Questing Beast: “A really remarkable little gem of a book. It’s pretty neat to have something like this in role-playing games. Great if you have kids or as a gift for other people’s kids.”

Reluctant Artsy: “The way that it’s laid out is absolutely amazing. No statistics, just descriptors…I’ve been playing since the early 80’s and I find this just as valuable now as reading the Player’s Handbook.”

Reviews From R’lyeh: “a bright and easy read, the first part of what should serve as a light introduction to Dungeons & Dragons. One that nicely works as a gift as much as it does a reference work.”

Tabletop Engineer: “I read these cover to cover and, as an adult, if I was getting into D&D I would want these handed to me.”

Tabletop Joab: “The D&D Young Adventurer’s Collection is the perfect start to a lifelong love of fantasy. Pulling from my college days when I was studying to be a teacher, I see a lot of techniques in these books that echo what I learned about childhood development and learning.”

Vintage RPG: “I love this approach to teaching RPGs – it removes everything new players find intimidating (which is stuff a lot of experienced players tend forget have steep learning curves, even in 5E) and allows them to get a feel for the fun. These are perfect for RPG playing parents looking for a way to introduce their kids to the games.”

What’s On The Shelf: “It’s an easy intro to anyone who hasn’t played D&D before.”

Young Adventurer’s Launch!

I know a bunch of you love it when I post charts and graphs, so here goes-

Remember the incredible sales spike when the Rick and Morty VS D&D trade came out in March?

Well, I just checked out our D&D Young Adventurer’s Guides launch last week on Bookscan…
You people REALLY like D&D!

“I don’t see why publishers chase after the book market.”
This is why.

“Who cares about kid content?”
Readers and the book market do.

“The market is dying.”
In some areas, yeah, it’s rough.
In other areas, it’s growing at an incredible rate.

Talking to D&D Beyond about the Young Adventurer’s Guides

Back at the D&D Live event in May, Stacy and I talked to the gang at D&D Beyond all about the Young Adventurer’s Guides. The footage just went up this week, so check it out-

Id the DM Interview

I spoke to Id the DM in-depth about the D&D Young Adventurer’s Guides – how they came about, development, working with Wizards of the Coast and Ten Speed Press, and the meteoric rise of D&D 5th edition. Lots of great material here.

Give it a listen!