It’s late June, and that means it’s time for the Elden Ring expansion, Shadows of the Erdtree!

Oh, and the previews for the new revision of the Dungeons & Dragons game!

I’ve been quietly sceptical of a lot of what Wizards of the Coast have been doing recently, certainly in regard to the revision of fifth edition, but what I’m seeing so far is encouraging. It certainly did not hurt at all that one of the first reveals was Mike Schley’s beautiful new World of Greyhawk map.

It’s still too early to know exactly how the world will be presented in the DMG, but based on what I’ve seen so far, it’s detailed about the City of Greyhawk (to a moderate extent), and gets less and less detailed as you move out of the core areas, with most of it being left to the DM. If we get two sentences on the Spindrift Isles, I’ll be surprised!

But that’s fine. The map looks great! Mike Schley has a brilliant eye for detail and follows the older maps very well (his work on the Sword Coast was likewise stunning). I remain hopeful that I’ll be able to post Greyhawk adventures onto the DMs Guild.

The rules changes I’m seeing also make sense for the most part. I love the idea of surprise giving disadvantage on initiative checks rather than a whole skipped turn (which had a LOT of problematic interactions). The fighter changes look solid. And, though you can theoretically have a 2014 fighter in the group alongside a 2024 fighter, I don’t know why you’d want to. The 2024 fighter looks a lot stronger.

Too strong? I don’t think that’s the question. (Although I do laugh at the idea of this not being a new edition). Too complicated? Now, that’s an interesting one.

The new fighter seems to have several moving parts and decisions to make on the player’s part, especially in combat. These options will slow combat down. They’ll also put a lot more burden on the player. Lots of players will have no problems. But there will be some that do.

But I’m mostly positive at the moment, and I’m looking forward to seeing what else is revealed!