Following a press event earlier in May, Dungeons & Dragons has revealed some new plans about its remaining 2023 releases, including a price hike for upcoming books. According to an announcement on DNDBeyond — which Wizards of the Coast is hoping to use as its first stop for news and information in the future — the company has decided to raise prices because it is “committed to creating high-quality products that deliver great value to our players.”
While this isn’t totally surprising considering that the prices have remained stable since 2014, the new $US60 ($83) price tag for a physical book is still a hefty sum, especially considering that Wizards has made no plans to slow down its four-a-year physical books publication schedule. The price change will go into effect starting with Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants. The price of digital editions and backlist titles will not be affected by this change.
Wizards of the Coast also gave more information on five products set to release in the latter half of 2023, starting with Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants on August 15. It will focus on subclasses and exploring the lore of giants, including their religions, culture, and societies. It will include a 76-stat block bestiary with Challenge ratings from 1/2 to 27. Also on August 15, The Practically Complete Guide to Dragons will be available. This is another book full of lore that seems to be a more general encyclopaedia of D&D’s most famous antagonists.
Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk will release on September 19, and will be a fully-fleshed out campaign and adventure taking place in Phandalin, the setting that was included in the first Fifth Edition starter set. It has a larger scope as well, with Obelisks appearing all over the land of Faerun, tying the campaign to a larger mystery. It’s written for level one characters and will advance them to 12th level.
Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse will release October 17. It’s a three-book campaign collection which will include a lore book, a bestiary, and an adventure, titled Sigil and the Outlands. Lastly, The Deck of Many Things will be available on November 14. The original deck was 22 cards, and the new Deck will include 66 total. There will be an accompanying Book of Many Things that will add “new character options, magic items, adventure locations, monsters, and more — all inspired by the Deck.”
Nerdist and other outlets that attended the press event reported other topics were discussed — including updates to the rules, more insight into One D&D vs. Sixth Edition, and other design opinions from D&D leadership — but Gizmodo reached out to Wizards of the Coast and has not received any information about these changes at this time. D&D definitely has its work cut out when it comes to courting fans, considering the problems that have dogged the company for the past year or so. Wizards is attempting to bridge the divide between itself and its fanbase, probably made all the more important because of all the massive franchise moves it’s making — not only the D&D movie and upcoming TV show, but that D&D FAST streaming channel is poised to launch soon too. Will fans be ready?
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Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.