Welcome to space, it’s not as cold as you think.

The perfect blend of high fantasy and space travel, Spelljammer has made it’s return back into Dungeons & Dragons! I guarantee that regardless of your knowledge, there will be something in these books for you. But what is Spelljammer, and how is it coming to D&D?

The Basics

Wizards of the Coast announced the return of the setting on Thursday during their D&D Direct stream. The release date is set for August 16th.

Before the game is launched in August, there will be a free downloadable prequel adventure that you can play immediately in July!

The campaign setting slipcase is titled Spelljammer: Adventures in Space and will comprise of three books.

Additionally it comes with a shiny double-sided map and a new stylish Dungeon’s Masters Screen. It’s available to pre-order on Amazon, pricing at around £51.99.

Spelljammer was first introduced in 1989 and is now getting republished is amazing news to both old time fans and newer players wishing to explore a new setting.

The set contains three books, which cover different aspects of the setting:

  • The Astral Adventurer’s Guide, which presents the setting and character options
  • Boo’s Astral Menagerie, which is filled with all the creatures
  • Light of Xaryxis, a new adventure in the realm

In-Depth

https://twitter.com/Wizards_DnD/status/1517548228882935810?s=20&t=JQbvAxqS2T0VSMZrJvwF_A

Let’s dive deeper into the books, shall we?

The Astral Adventurer Guide contains all the knowledge needed to run the realm, from the people to inhabitant to the giant Spelljammer ships themselves. This will include magical items and in depth information about travel in this world.

New races were teased ranging from space elves, to humanoid insects to plasmids of all things! The trailer showed the complexity of the locations, from floating cities to mysterious things floating in the ether.

The second book, Boo’s Astral Menagerie is a bestiary that details the monstrous and tame inhabitants of the Spelljammer universe. These include “cosmic horrors” beyond our comprehension, to the “lunar and solar dragons” and even “space clowns”. I’m not sure about that last one, but it’s certainly someone’s fear!

Rounding it off we have the adventure, Light of Xaryxis. It seems to be a campaign ranging from level 5 to level 8 taking place in the Astral Sea (obviously). All we know currently is that it will take place over 12 distinct episodes that end on their own separate cliff-hanger. Needless to say, it’s going to be exciting.

Final Thoughts

As someone who has never really heard of Spelljammer until recently, I’m excited to say that this setting appeals to me greatly.

The fact that we are getting something like this in D&D is kinda ground-breaking. I’m also a fan of the slipcase situation being used again, as well as separate books that make finding content a lot easier for players and DMs alike.

I feel like WoTC really hit the nail of the head with this one, by taking us out of the Forgotten Realms to a new location with new beginnings. If this is the future of D&D books/sets, then count me in.

How do you feel about these new books? Start a conversation, I’d love to hear from you!