D&D finally goes back to its most hardcore setting with new ‘mature’ product line

It is a new age for Dungeons & Dragons, or not less than, that is the message that the sport and its father or mother firm, Wizards of the Coast, are pushing after the D&D Vision Keynote 2027 at this 12 months’s Gen Con. Among the many information and thrilling bulletins that may form the course of D&D for the following 12 months or extra, one stands out as probably the most hardcore: D&D goes again to Darkish Solar, and no punches might be pulled.

Among the many many marketing campaign settings created for D&D, Darkish Solar and its world of Athos are probably the most controversial. To get an thought of the vibes, consider Mad Max or, for the old-school anime followers, Fist of the North Star. This can be a desolate, post-apocalyptic world the place evil has received and heroes principally struggle for survival fairly than salvation. Slavery can be rampant, which is probably going one of many the explanation why D&D has not returned to the setting since a 4th version sourcebook was launched in 2010. Many followers feared that, if the corporate ever determined to publish new official Darkish Solar merchandise, the gritty, darkish fantasy themes and components of the setting would get sanded all the way down to cater to trendy sensibilities. They had been incorrect.

A brief teaser trailer revealed throughout Gen Con begins with what may solely be described as a Mortal Kombat fatality. The abundance of gore, eviscerations, and ultra-violence make it clear that this can be a product for adults — if the mature content material warning message wasn’t sufficient. The dialogue and art work that had been proven to followers additionally appear to substantiate that Athos has not modified. That is nonetheless a world devastated by a magical catastrophe, the place immortal sorcerer-kings rule with an iron fist over remoted metropolis states.

Darkish Solar would be the centerpiece of D&D’s Season of Survival in 2027. Three books might be launched: the setting growth Fringe of Oblivion (a marketing campaign sourcebook aimed toward Dungeon Masters), the gameplay growth Blood and Energy (which can comprise many of the guidelines and player-focused content material), and a restricted version of the 5.5 version Participant’s Handbook that includes devoted Darkish Solar artwork. When you thought that the artwork within the PHB was too fanciful to your tastes, then this can be a nice probability to present it a gritty improve. One of many large new options might be a brand new character class, the Psion, which can carry psionics again into the sport outdoors of subclasses, particular feats, and some stray spells.

The D&D workforce made it clear that one among their large focuses for the long run is to make it possible for the sport caters to all forms of gamers. The return to Darkish Solar signifies that gamers’ requests for extra mature content material haven’t been ignored, and it will not finish with the world of Athos. At GenCon, actor and newly-appointed CEO of the D&D Icons line, Joe Manganiello, unveiled his homebrew marketing campaign setting, Death Saves. That is now an official D&D product, impressed by Manganiello’s residence marketing campaign and his line of clothes. The heavy steel, darkish fantasy vibes are fairly evident.

There’s a lot to be enthusiastic about, however as a fan of the unique Darkish Solar merchandise, I hope that D&D will not merely deal with this as an ultra-violent gimmick. The origins of the setting truly harken again to environmental activism: Athos is a grim cautionary story in regards to the risks of the unethical exploitation of pure assets and the disasters introduced by the unchecked accumulation of energy within the fingers of the few.