RJD20

It’s Friday night. The Enoach group is investigating strange happenings around the Storm Temple of Talos in the rich desert town of Asudem. Sentient weapons, sacks of gold, and far more are being stolen from locations such as the Sandstone Arcanum, the Shrine of Zet, and the Eight Goldmen Bank in Asudem. Believing the source to stem from the Storm Temple, the party decides to stake outside of the great stone structure. Night falls and the many moons of Aelonis fade into view. At first, nothing happens. The air remains dry and silent, the dragonborn of the party begin to get drowsy, and the moons glow faintly in the decorated sky. Then, Rhozur, a blue dragonborn monk portrayed by Gerald Steckley, hears a slight clicking noise, followed by a high hiss. Both are nearly inaudible. Rhozur perks up and peers at the temple. Atop the structure’s roof is the silhouette of a large being with many limbs. In two, the creature wields long, spear-like weapons, curved at their tips. It spots Rh

It’s Friday night. Everyone’s gathered around the table. Tonight is my group’s first delve into Dungeons and Dragons in years. We’re playing fifth edition and I’m the dungeon master. I have a few notes, Hoard of the Dragon Queen , and my dice pushed behind my third edition DM screen - I’m ready to go. We begin outside a small farming village, and the group roleplays for the first time in a while. People laugh, roll some dice, and awkwardly move their way toward the village. Eventually, they arrive and see that the village is under siege by kobolds, robed humans, and an enormous blue dragon - oh my! Being the righteous adventurers that they are, the group bumbles into the fray, slaying kobolds and fighting their way toward the village’s keep. They make it, meet with the mayor, and decide to stake out on the battlements. As darts and rocks from the kobolds on the ground below fly past the group, and the great blue dragon breathes lightning from his guzzle, one of the characters, a h

It’s Friday night. The party is about to assemble for the first time (an epic moment, I know). However, before the adventure begins, I ask each player questions about their character and about my own world. As they put the finishing touches on their character sheets and sharpen their pencils, I bounce from player to player. Kristi’s elf rogue had a mentor, so I posit, “Kristi, what’s the name of Zara’s mentor, what did he do, and was his business shady?” She thinks, smiles, responds, and now she’s created a small piece of my world. I turn to Tom, who’s character almost perished at the hands of a demonic cult. “Tom, what’s this cult’s name, what do they worship, and who stopped them from accomplishing their vile task?” He looks up in the air, looks side to side, opens his mouth once, as if ready to respond, closes it, thinks a tad more, and then comes up with some awesome information. Tom is building the world, along with Kristi, the rest of the players, and me, the dungeon master.

Last weekend, a plethora of actors, comedy icons, Twitch streamers, and proponents of Dungeons and Dragons participated in an epic, three-day live stream that showcased the latest D&D storyline. This hearty troupe laughed and played alongside the D&D team, and created an entertaining event that truly showed why D&D is one of the greatest games to exist. In addition, we learned that D&D’s next storyline involves Waterdeep, the City of Splendors, and what lies below the sprawling metropolis. The campaign comes in two parts: Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage.  I could not be more excited about this next release. Let’s briefly delve into why this is! What We Know Wizards of the Coast will be releasing two adventure books this fall: Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage. The former will take adventurers on an urban romp through the most splendid city in the Forgotten Realms and is levels 1-5. The goa